Brian & Crystal: Atkinson Farms Wedding

Atkinson Farms Wedding in Danville, Virginia

OH MAN! I was just SO excited for Brian & Crystal’s Wedding! These two are TROOPERS- let me tell you! They originally planned their wedding day for April 2020, and rescheduled to July 11th. They said- we’ve waited this long- what’s a few more months! So sweet!

Their wedding day was so beautiful! We started the morning at Crystal’s childhood home in Danville, Virginia, where her sister and Mom helped get her get ready and into her beautiful gown! Brian & Crystal had the sweetest first look moments, a gorgeous ceremony, ahhhh-mazing sunset portraits, and such a fun reception!

It was such an honor to be there with you guys, Brian & Crystal! I hope you loved every single second of your special day!

THANK YOU to the amazing vendors from Brian & Crystal’s Wedding Day! What a gorgeous day!

VENUE: Atkinson Farms in Danville, Virginia

DRESS: Ashley Grace Bridal in Forest, Virginia

ALTERATIONS: The Gilded Thimble in Bedford, Virginia

CATERING: Angela’s Creative Catering in Danville, Virginia

DJ: DJ Bobby White in Danville, Virginia

PHOTOGRAPHY: Ashley Eiban Photography in Lynchburg, Virginia

The Wedding Day Timeline || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

There’s a lot of big decisions you’ll have to make for your wedding day- from caterers and bakers, to what dress you’re wearing, and who you want in your wedding party, etc. Yet, one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is your wedding day timeline. You want to make sure you have enough time to ensure that you have the time set aside to get those wedding day photographs, to be able to capture the memories of your Dad seeing his little girl in her wedding dress, your Grandparents dancing together, or your groom seeing you for the first time!

Here are a few tips when prepping your wedding day time:

1- Remember, everything always takes longer than you expect. You may be expecting your ceremony to be 10-15 minutes, but also counting in the time it takes for everyone to say hi to each other, and walk over to the cocktail hour, it will most likely be closer to 30 minutes.

2- Check the time of sunset! Especially if you aren’t planning on doing a first look! I recommend scheduling the end time of your ceremony an hour before sunset so you have time for family portraits, photos with your wedding party, and of course time for pictures with your new hubby!

3- Make a list for family photos. Talk with your Mom, and your future mother-in-law so everyone is on the same page, and create a list of about 10 groupings for family photos. I recommend immediate family, grandparents, parents, siblings, etc! Then anything else can be captured at the reception!

4- Build in extra time. I usually recommend 30-45 minutes before the ceremony of “extra” time in case your hair or makeup is running late, a groomsmen forgets his tie and has to run back out to get it, etc!

5- Make sure you prioritize Bride and Groom portrait time! The day goes by in a blink and it’s easy to rush through these, but these are the photos that you’ll want to remember the day by!

Hope these tips helped you! I believe creating a great timeline is crucial to a successful wedding day that is stress free! Because of this, I include a custom timeline creation meeting with each and everyone of my couples!

Getting Ready Rooms || What to look for in your getting ready room for your photos!

I think you would be surprised to hear that one of the most overlooked, but important aspects of a wedding day, is the getting ready time. This time with your closest friends and family is something to truly cherish, and most likely, important moments that you want to have documented. But, often times, the getting ready room is not the perfect place for taking priceless photos!

As you are touring venues, keep a special eye out for the Bridal Getting Ready Space! Aim for a space that has at least one window, as well as plenty of room for you and your bridesmaids to not only hang out, but also to get ready! These rooms can fill up pretty quickly when everyone has their clothes, makeup, hair, snacks, etc!

Know that I will ask your bridesmaids to do a quick clean up before getting you in your dress- you don’t want to see reminders of old water bottles or snack bags in the background of you getting zipped up in your dress by your Mom, but a teeny tiny room can make that very difficult.

So, what happens if you fall in love with a venue, but the getting ready room isn’t anything to be excited about? It’s okay- I’ll just ask you to be a little flexible! Often times, especially for church weddings, the bridal room is a preschool classroom, filled with bight colors and plastic toys, so for this, I will actually have you do those final getting ready moments outside. I often look for a porch, a pretty doorway, or space outside that will help us get those gorgeous photos without the clutter and distraction!

Have questions about your getting ready space? Let me know & I’d love to help you get those dreamy photos you’re dying for!

Happy New Year! A look over 2019! || Lynchburg Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Happy New Year Friends!

If you’re starting out this new year with me, know that I am just so thankful!

2019 was overall a great year for us in the Eiban house! I took a few steps back from my photography business to be able to focus on a growing baby, who is now a full fledged toddler, and our daughter who is practically a teenager now at 8! ;) I will never understand how fast the years fly and how much they grow in a year!!

To think we’re at the end of a decade and how much our lives have truly changed in the last 10 years! We have bought a house, shot my first wedding, had our first baby girl, changed jobs, renovated a house, started preschool, changed jobs again, found our favorite beach location, sold a house, bought a new house, gone full time with my photography business, started & completed kindergarten, joined a swim team, had a baby boy, made some amazing friends that have turned into family, traveled, grown, and so much more! It’s so fun, and crazy, to look back over the last 10 years and see where we are now. I am just so thankful for where life has gone!

As an enneagram 1, you know I’m always a fan of the New Year. I love the Fresh Start- the brand new planner pages, goals, and the motivation and organization that January brings with it! (As I’m typing this, I’m also writing out a list on how to organize the kids toys better! ha!)

I usually think through a “word for the year” but haven’t this year, and I’m going to give myself some grace this year, with the craziness of the holidays, burn out being SO real, and balancing family and work and house and friends- you get it! But, I want to know, do you have a word for this year? What are your main goals for this year?!

Brian & Crystal: Lynchburg, VA Engagement Session

I think it’s safe to safe, it’s officially Fall, and while I always love summer, the cooler weather and engagement session season is welcome this year! Brain & Crystal are getting married at Atkinson Farm in Danville, Virginia this upcoming April, and I am so excited for it! These two are so sweet, and I cannot wait to celebrate with them! These two have known each other for pretty much their entire lives, and have been dating since their senior year in high school! So, you can say this wedding is a long time coming, which always means extra celebration!

We had a blast at their engagement session on the most perfect Fall evening- the weather was gorgeous, Sweet Briar College is always a favorite!