I have so many amazing thoughts and feelings about Afton and Dave’s Leap Day wedding celebration! Afton was gorgeous, I loved getting to return to Faithbrooke Barn and Vineyards in Luray, Virginia (especially since their recent facelift with the white paint job!), we had a gorgeous view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they had such a fun reception with a crazy-awesome send-off you have to see at the end!

Faithbrooke Barn and Vineyards is one of my favorite venues in Northern Virginia. I was here once before for an ultra-romantic wedding a few years ago, and I had been dying to return ever since – so I was extra excited when Afton and Dave hired us for this wedding day! When I had last been at Faithbrooke, the venue had an all brown exterior and I am LOVING the new white look – so bridal, so modern, yet still so romantic. This venue is perfect for small to mid-sized weddings and they make it easy to get beautiful photos with gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and their own vineyard, giant windows to let in natural light inside, and a fun loft that provides extra space for the reception and a great vantage point for the photographer to capture the events unfolding below.

Afton had one of my favorite hair and makeup looks of any bride I’ve photographed – her starry hairpiece was stunning! During their engagement session last fall she was sporting a bright red hair color and had warned me that it would probably be different for the wedding day and I loved her super bridal white-blonde hair color for the wedding day! With her classic, gorgeous wedding dress with a dramatic train, Afton managed to pull off being both a classically gorgeous bride and having her own unique bridal style and I absolutely loved it.

We had quite a chilly February wedding day, but with perfectly clear, gorgeous weather. It was too chilly for an outdoor wedding ceremony, though, and since Afton and Dave had a close-knit, smaller guest list we were able to celebrate their ceremony up in the loft after their sweet first look. The loft was filled with gorgeous natural light and was a unique and cozy ceremony spot.

After the ceremony we went outside for absolutely perfect golden hour portraits! Again, it was absolutely freezing outside, but Afton and Dave were such troopers and we got some truly beautiful photos in our brief time braving the cold. They’re some of my favorite bride and groom portraits yet!

And then there was the reception. You guys, this was such a fun and personalized reception setup! Afton and Dave love video games (they met at a gaming convention, and invited a bunch of friends they met through playing Skyrim!) and did a great job of integrating their love of video games into their reception mixed with fun galaxy-themed items and colored uplighting. For both the ceremony and the reception, Jeff from Extraordinary Entertainment DJ played video game soundtracks and remixes which was soooo creative and fun. They gifted lightsabers to their wedding party in addition to having a pair for themselves, so the party was also filled with dancing and merriment with lightsabers waving around. And the most impressively fun and unique reception moment – instead of doing a traditional first dance together, Afton and Dave grabbed their controllers and did their first Mario Kart race together!

And of course, to end the night, we couldn’t be traditional here either – Afton and Dave didn’t just go for a bubble send-off, but added in the lightsabers at the last minute for the most cool, colorful, vibrant reception exit ever! We opted to keep the send-off indoors because of the cold and it worked out PERFECTLY – I honestly would love if more couples considered this so everyone can stay fairly comfortable and focus on cheering and celebrating in those last moments! It was truly memorable!

Wedding Bands: Brielle Shoppe

Officiant: Weddings with Terry

Cake: Bijou’s Sweet Treats

Caterer: Hank’s Catering

DJ: Extraordinary Entertainment DJ

Reception Favors: Cutting Edge Couture

Venue: Faithbrooke Barn and Vineyards

Videographer: Samias Photography

Bridal HMUA: Hair by Astrid M

Bridal Shawl: Wrappd

Flowers: Arcane Ascents

Engagement Ring: Brilliant Earth