River Farm Wedding Photography - Congratulations Allison and Ben!

Allison and Ben had the most gorgeous fall day for their garden wedding at River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia last Sunday. River Farm has long been one of my favorite gardens and as the home of the American Horticulture Society, there is always something blooming. This time of year the wild flower meadow is still beautiful and I was so excited to be able to use it as the backdrop for some of the wedding pictures - and one of those ended up being my favorite picture of the day!
I have the most fantastic wedding clients! It was such a pleasure to be Allison and Ben's wedding photographer and to capture the wonderful celebration they had with their families and friends on their wedding day. For more pictures, be sure to watch the slideshow in the following post too.
First, the sparkling rings:
The bride's beautiful gown with all those buttons!
Allison's Dad sees his daughter as a bride. Always a sweet moment.
Simply stunning bride!
Beautiful fall colors for the bouquets and the front door.
All the lovely ladies:

And the men had their moment to shine too.
The ceremony was held in the garden. Presenting Mr. and Mrs.!
The beautiful couple.


This is my favorite! I just love the textures and colors in the fall meadow.

The tented reception was warm and inviting.


And to top off the day, an amazing sunset!

Ceremony & Reception: River Farm - Alexandria, VA
Caterer: Windows Catering Company - Kelsey Hendrickson
DJ: Dan Goldman
Flowers: Affordable Arrangements - Carly Johnson
Dress: Katherine's Bridal Boutique - Alexandria, VA
Photography: jan michele photography - Jan Graves

Contact Jan today to book her for your wedding photography! Click here, then select the contact tab.

River Farm Wedding, Alexandria VA - Allison & Ben's Wedding Slideshow

Allison and Ben's wedding photography slideshow. Ceremony and Reception held at River Farm in Alexandria, VA - a beautiful spot for a garden wedding on a lovely fall day!

SEO Workshop - Washington DC

Yesterday I attended a SEO workshop with the one and only, Lawrence Chan, of Tofurious. He's the SEO guru for photographers and has been traveling the country this fall teaching wedding photographers, and even some from other professions. After all, being "found" on the internet is sort of important to any business these days.
The added benefit of any workshop is getting to know other photographers. Meaghan Elliott, Rodney Mickle and I certainly has lots to talk about and often had to remind ourselves that we should let Lawrence do most of the talking. :) Meaghan is a wedding and high school senior photographer in the Baltimore area and Rodney is a wedding and fashion photographer in Alexandria, VA and Fort Washington, MD. I look forward to keeping in touch as we work on all the "homework" Lawrence assigned us. :)

Aldan and Theron - Arlington VA Twin Portrait Photographer

Aldan and Theron are getting so big, and I love seeing them interact. There are good signs they'll grow up to be great friends, I say!
These twins proved that lots of help is needed with baby photography. Since they were still a little wobbly, mom had to stay close by to play catcher. The blank stares show how much fun a face behind a camera is. Sorry I couldn't be more entertaining, guys. A singing, dancing parent was needed behind me to amuse these two! Often I do wish I could see what goes on behind me to get the great smiles from my tiny subjects... from the sounds, I'm sure it indeed is hilarious!

Laura and Stuart - Georgetown Portrait Photographer

Laura surprised Stuart with a photo shoot for their 3rd Anniversary. I think Stuart may have suspected something before meeting us in Georgetown, either by the request to get a haircut over the weekend or when Laura picked out his clothes that day. :)
The goal was to capture their relationship and personalities in a way that a rainy wedding day didn't. I'd say the mission was accomplished, as the images show both their playful side and how much they adore each other. I was more than happy to be their anniversary photographer and had a fantastic time working with them!











You may recognize Laura from images taken earlier this year for her event planning business Events in the City. She also works for R&R Catering and I've worked a number of weddings with her. It's absolutely invaluable to have at least a day of coordinator, if not more help with wedding planning. Contact Laura to see how she can help ease the stress of your wedding day.

Contact Jan at jan michele photography (click the contact tab on the jan michele photography website) to schedule your portrait shoot or for wedding photography.

Jacob - Arlington VA Children's Portrait Photography

It's always a pleasure to photograph Jacob, this is the 5th time in his 2 and 3/4 years. He's lost his baby look and grown into a little boy this year. It's amazing how fast kids grow up - another good reason to have their picture taken regularly. :)
Once Jacob warmed up, I think he had fun posing and playing for the camera. It's so cute to see his personality continue to emerge. While smiling pictures are great, I love the more serious looks too!

Hunter & Jack - Twin Portrait Photography

These adorable brothers have grown so much in a year, it was fun to work with them again, just before their second birthday. It's really amazing how innate personality is - in that way they hadn't changed much at all. Still so sweet in their different ways. Hopefully they are young enough not to mind being called beautiful, but they really are beautiful boys!