Katie is the owner of a new local boutique here in Lynchburg, Virginia, Woven Devotion. I love the name of the boutique and thought it fit so well to describe this season of her life. Not only did she open her store in 2016, but that was the same year her body wove together her precious little boy. Pregnancy is amazing and beautiful, isn't it?
Dylan and Rachel booked me for their wedding photography at West Manor Estate last fall. They had amazing chemistry (which Rachel tried to deny for years, ha!) and I had SO much fun photographing them together! After any couple books with me, I send a Getting To Know You form so I can, well, get to know them better. :) Rachel and Dylan did such a great job telling the story of how they met and how Dylan proposed that I thought it would be best to simply share their words with you! Aren't they adorable?
Rachel: My sophomore year at Liberty University, Dylan happened to be "the sound guy" on the same theater production as one of my best friends. I remember meeting him for the first time and wasn't exactly swept off my feet by his bravado.
Dylan: Through Kaitlin, the mutual friend, I met Rachel and was immediately attracted to her. Working with Kaitlin gave me a great excuse to spend more time around Rachel. However, I was still a freshman guy...
Rachel: Our little band of friends grew increasingly close, spending countless hours together getting into mischief, studying, going on trips, getting snowed in, pranking each other, hosting holiday celebrations and movie nights, and generally having a great time. Dylan made it clear pretty quickly that he was interested in being more than friends and I made it pretty clear that I was not.
Dylan: Over the next two years I continued to take every opportunity possible to spend time with Rachel and get to know her better. Through that time, we grew closer, I matured greatly, and she began to have feelings (even though at the time she denied it with everything in her).
Rachel: It was pretty obvious to perhaps everyone except me that Dylan and I had some remarkably strong chemistry. We often found ourselves instigating adventures or sipping hot tea (our mutual favorite beverage). When my three best friends moved into an off-campus apartment, he would consistently offer to drive me and had a captive conversationalist for a full seven minutes! This bearded West Virginia mountain boy with his cheeky grin and antagonistic ways started sneaking into my heart and...
Dylan: After two years in the friend zone, I finally convinced her to let me take her on a date.
Dylan here. On May 22nd I got up at 3:30 in the morning to get on a plane from Houston, Texas. Rachel was unaware that I was coming to Virginia and I wanted to keep it a surprise. The first leg of my flight went smoothly, however, the second leg was delayed an hour and began to throw off my entire plan. Now rewind a few weeks, I had been talking to Mary, Rachel's sister and Maid-of-honor, about how to make this plan work. What was supposed to happen was that Mary, conveniently home for the weekend from her summer internship in Haiti, was supposed to ask Rachel to go to lunch at the same pizza place where Rachel and I went on our first date. Ally, one of Rachel's best friends and roommate, would plan to join them, but "be running behind" and therefore cause Rachel and Mary to have to improvise and waste some time by walking around the gorgeous college right across the road.
Unbeknownst to Rachel, what was actually happening was that Ally was picking me up from the airport and driving me to Randolph College, where I would then propose where Rachel and I had spent hours walking and talking on our first date. However, with my plane having been delayed an hour, Ally and I were pressed for time and had to rush out of the airport. I changed in the airport bathroom, consequently dropping my wallet into the freshly used toilet. In her haste, Ally sped through downtown and was promptly pulled over by Lynchburg's finest with no time to spare as we knew Rachel and Mary weren't far behind. Throwing a coat over me to hide me from view, Ally flashed the ring and explained our urgency. The officer kindly gave her a warning and wished me luck. We pulled away at brisk legal speed and made it into Randolph College just in the knick of time. Once arrived, I discovered that the bench I had planned to propose on was no longer there. Once again, improvisation was necessary. Fortunately, Randolph College does not have a shortage of beautiful locations and we quickly found a nearby, gorgeous, brick gazebo to plant ourselves and, for the first time that day, wait.
There I was, ready to ask the love of my life to be my fiancé. Then I saw her in the distance, walking, totally oblivious that anything was about to happen. She began to walk up the steps beside the gazebo and I peeked my head out and said "hey there". She looked up and a huge smile raced across her face as she sprinted up the stairs and leapt into my arms. (We had been long distance since January and hadn't seen each other in-person in three months.)
The rest, as they say, is history. I asked, and she said YES!
Oh my goodness, HOW CUTE ARE THEY?! I am so excited to share their stunning fall wedding with you soon! For now, enjoy my favorites from their engagement session below!
Are you recently engaged? Engagement sessions are reserved for clients who book the full wedding experience with Liz Cook Photography. I am fully booked for the 2017 wedding season and am currently booking for 2018 weddings. It is best to book your wedding photography as soon as possible, as dates fill up quickly.
Every Liz Cook Photography wedding photography package includes a complimentary engagement session, full day photography coverage, and the best 500+ high-resolution images from your wedding day. For more information, see the wedding page. If you would like to meet in person, contact me today to schedule a no-obligation, in-person consultation at my studio in Forest, VA (or online over Google Hangout).
When baby James' mom, a local midwife in the Lynchburg area, reached out to me about photographing her son's newborn session I was so honored! What a treat to have another birth professional in the area trust me with capturing this precious season for her. We quickly secured a date and they traveled to the studio all the way from their home in Charlottesville, VA for his newborn session.
They arrived to the studio relaxed and... early! Believe it or not, I tend to expect my newborn clients to arrive a little late. That's usually what happens when you are still getting used to having a new life to be responsible for! But because they were traveling from so far, they overcompensated on time and we were able to start their session early. We each took turns snuggling their handsome little guy, and I was able to capture all of his unique details and mannerisms as well as how deeply loved he is. Baby James was the smiliest baby I have ever photographed! It was so fun capturing that little grin over and over again!
Here are a few of my favorite newborn pictures from our time together:
Are you expecting and ready to book your newborn session? I am currently booking sessions as far out as early Winter 2017. Newborn sessions are best scheduled before your baby has arrived. If you have waited until the last minute, please contact me - if I am able to fit you in, I will! I don't want you to miss out on the opportunity to have this short and sweet season of life documented.
All newborn sessions include the use of the studio wardrobe, a styling consultation to discuss the look and feel you desire for your session, as well as my exclusive client preparation guide. On site hair and make-up services are also available with our stylist so that you feel relaxed, confident and beautiful at your session. I make the process of preparing for your session simple and seamless, so you can focus on your first priority, taking care of your newborn baby. Contact me today to reserve your session.
I have been so excited to share this session! While my clients primarily choose to have their maternity sessions photographed at the studio, in the field, or in the garden, I do have a few clients who request entirely different locations. I am happy to go wherever my clients ask and for this particular session, I photographed this beautiful expectant couple in the nursery they designed just for their sweet little girl.
There are so many elements to this birth story at Virginia Baptist Hospital that have made it one of my all-time favorite birth experiences I've ever captured. I was connected to this family through another amazing photographer, Kristen. Parents, L & J, booked me literally days before labor started. Mama was admitted into the hospital just months after the painful loss of her sweet girl, Gabrielle and I arrived shortly after they had settled into triage. Arriving while they were still in triage gave us a wonderful window of time to get to know one another. We laughed, prayed, and waited patiently. After a few hours of minimal progress, they decided to go home and get some rest. Before we knew it, we were back again, and labor was in full swing!
This was mama's first epidural-free delivery! It was also the first time, after four other healthy deliveries, that she did not know the gender of the baby making his or her arrival. This was also the longest gestational period she had experienced as well. Whew - what a wait!
Observing this birth story unfold was both bittersweet and absolutely beautiful. I have such admiration for L and her love for her family. She was nothing but eager to hold her littlest baby, and her lack of hesitation throughout the painful process was an absolute inspiration to me. There were so many unique elements to this story and at one point, the nurse who was present during the birth of Gabrielle came in to greet this mama and hug her. Whew boy, the tears just started flowing! By the time mama delivered her baby boy, both the midwife and the nurse who were present during Gabrielle's birth were present in the room, helping her to safely deliver her beautiful rainbow baby.
Amazing, right? See for yourself through the pictures. <3
Are you expecting and considering hiring a birth photographer? I am currently booking births for late summer and early fall of 2017. I book a very limited number of births, so if you are considering hiring a birth photographer, please get in touch soon. If you would like to meet in person, birth consultations at the studio are free of charge and carry no obligation. I don't want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to have this short and sweet season of life documented. Contact me today to reserve your birth month.
“Liz Cook is an incredibly talented and attentive professional. Her sweet and gentle countenance is paired with her ability to capture the most tender and joyful moments of the births that she photographs. Liz’s photos will bring you years of enjoyment as they draw you back to the delight and bliss of your birth experience.”
