A golden-hour dream at the State Arboretum 🌿☀️
On what might’ve been the hottest day of the summer (seriously, it was a steam room out there), we met up with Kelly, Jake, and their adorable pup Cooper at the State Arboretum of Virginia for their engagement session. We’d first connected with these three at a bridal show hosted by the Magnolia Wedding Collective — and even during that first chat, I knew I wanted to spend more time with them.
Flash forward to August: the air was thick with humidity, but Kelly showed up looking like a total goddess in a white dress and glam curls. Jake brought major style points too, and Cooper? He stole the show with his little bowtie and floppy ears. This fam knows how to bring the photo shoot energy.
For most of the session, the sun played it cool behind some very dramatic clouds (I definitely had “is it about to pour??” thoughts more than once). But right at the end, just as we wandered into one of my favorite corners of the arboretum, the clouds cracked open and gave us the dreamiest, most fiery sunset. The golden light stretched across the field and wrapped around Kelly and Jake in a way that made my heart skip.
These are the kinds of moments that remind me exactly why I do this — because love, light, and a good sunset really can be magic. ✨
