The River View at Occoquan Fall Wedding Photography | Ellen + Kyle

This beautiful fall wedding in Washington, DC area was a perfect kick off to my fall wedding season as an Asheville wedding photographer! The weather was gorgeous, the riverside venue was beautiful, and Ellen and Kyle were a ton of fun to work with! Plus, this was a brunch wedding. Who doesn’t love that?!

That’s right! Ellen and Kyle hosted a brunch wedding at The River View at Occoquan in Lorton, VA, which is just outside of Washington, DC. Brunch weddings are gaining in popularity, and are a great way to have a fantastic wedding while spending the entire afternoon and evening with family and friends! Getting up early to get ready is worth it when you can spend twice as much time with your guests on your wedding day! It was the perfect idea for Ellen and Kyle, since many of their family members and friends flew in from across the country to surround them with love and support on their big day. From the mimosa cocktails to the afternoon dance party, this wedding was a blast!

As you know, I am an Asheville, NC wedding photographer, so for Ellen + Kyle’s wedding I made the drive to Washington, DC area to capture their wedding. I was honored to make the trip and document their wedding day at The River View at Occoquan, a wedding venue on the banks of the Occoquan River. It is an incredibly gorgeous wedding venue that impressed me in many ways! I was blown away the moment I stepped into the venue and saw the grand open spaces with vaulted ceilings, neutral colors, natural wood, and floor to ceiling windows. This is an absolutely gorgeous wedding venue, and with Ellen and Kyle’s decor added, it could not have been more perfect!

When I arrived at the venue on Ellen + Kyle’s wedding day dawn was just breaking. The air was cool, the light was soft, and everyone in the wedding party was just getting started with their preparations. The girls were in the bridal suite getting their hair and makeup done while they sipped coffee. The guys were in a separate space hanging out and waiting for their cue. I took a quick look around to get my bearings and jumped right in to start photographing bridal details and wedding details. I took photographs of the ceremony space while the florist finished decorating the arbor, and I captured some of the table scapes while the finishing touches were made in the reception hall. It was an early morning, but the venue was bustling with vendors who were there to help make Ellen and Kyle’s wedding day a huge success!

As soon as Ellen and Kyle were ready, I set them up for a first look outside along the river. As Ellen tapped Kyle on the shoulder, he spun around to see her showing all of his emotion to his partner to be. After a sweet embrace and a few tears, they talked for a few minutes about their day so far and their excitement for their wedding. It’s always fun to capture a first look, but this one was especially sweet!

Ellen + Kyle share a love full of laughter and fun. In everything that they do there are big smiles, excitement, and a great connection to one another. On their wedding day, this was even more evident with the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen them wear, and that they never left each other’s side throughout the entire wedding. It was wonderful to see the two of them having a blast with family and friends, while also taking a few moments here and there to simple enjoy one another.

Congratulations Ellen + Kyle! Thank you for asking me to capture your wedding day!

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Ellen + Kyle’s wonderful review on Wedding Wire:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Amazing!!! Our experience with Jess as our wedding photographer was amazing!! Not only is she extremely professional, organized, and talented, she is a wonderful, fun, and outgoing person making her a dream to work with! Our pictures turned out above and beyond my expectations and we even had them only 2 weeks after our wedding (super fast according to what I’ve heard from other people about other photographers)! We also found her prices to be VERY reasonable and you really get your bang for your buck with her packages. On the wedding day, Jess helped us stick to our desired timeline and she made sure family pictures ran smoothly so that everyone could get back to enjoying the cocktail hour quickly. We highly recommend working with Jess – she is so sweet, we even received a few adorable care packages from her leading up to the big day – it is very evident that she loves what she does and does an A+ job!!

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Mother of the Bride review on The Knot–
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Jessica was a lot of fun to work with and very organized in covering our daughter’s wedding. We were very impressed with her work ethic, planning, and professionalism. We are very pleased with the results of all her pictures and would highly recommend her for any kind of family event!”

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Venue: The River View at Occoquan
Coordinator: Completely Coordinated
Dress: Allure Bridals at Global Bridal Gallery
Tuxedo: Men’s Wearhouse
Flowers: Lake Ridge Florist
Caterer: Great Blue Heron Catering
Baker: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Hair Stylist: Olivia at PR at Partners
Makeup Artist: Kaydi at Posh Beauty Co.
Officiant: Linda Thomas
DJ: DJ Esso
Ceremony Musicians: The M Street Brass Quintet
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd.