Early Autumn River Farm Wedding
You may remember Emily and Jacob from their GW Parkway engagement photos. Well, the love birds said ‘I do’ this past weekend at their early autumn River Farm wedding. And today I’m excited to share some of my favorite photos from their big day!
Early Autumn Weather
These two had the absolute perfect weather for their early autumn River Farm wedding. It’s always a bit of a risk planning an outdoor focused wedding. But the weather gods really came through for these E&J! We had clear skies, bright sun, and warm air most of the day. It was one of those idyllic autumn days where the air feels so good on your skin and the light brightens your mood. River Farm was the best place to enjoy such a day, and I was so glad to spend it with Emily and Jacob!
Smiles for Days
I started the day with Emily and the first thing I noticed when I saw her was how serene she was. Serene with an underlying excitement and happiness. Her hair and makeup looked amazing and she was in such good spirits. We made our way to the venue to meet up with Jacob and do their first look. Jacob is so steady, just cool as a cucumber! Sometimes guys worry about not having ‘big enough’ emotions for the first look, and I always reassure them to just be themselves. Not only was Jacob obviously excited to see Emily looking so gorgeous in her wedding dress, he had her smiling so big and cracking up seconds after they saw each other.
The laughs continued throughout their portrait session and even into their ceremony. I don’t think the smiles left their faces all day! Emily and Jacob invited just their families to witness the ceremony, which was really sweet. Afterwards they hosted everyone in the gardens with some wine and beer, before officially kicking off their cocktail hour-style reception.
Non-Traditional Reception
That brings me to a few things I wanted to highlight about Emily and Jacob’s early autumn River Farm wedding. Emily and Jacob decided to adjust their ‘reception’ to align with how they wanted to celebrate with their friends and family. Like I said, they hosted just their families for the ceremony and invited their friends and colleagues to join a bit later in the evening. Between their ceremony and reception, Emily and Jacob thoughtfully scheduled some down time so they could relax and decompress. They visited with their families, took some photos, and just enjoyed an overall relaxed schedule. When their friends showed up, they had plenty of time to connect with their guests, as they hadn’t scheduled many formal reception activities. There were food stations so people could eat whenever they wanted and there wasn’t an official dinner time.
Toast Time
My favorite part of the day (besides their portraits times) was when their friends, family, and colleagues gave toasts! I always feel toasts are the best way to get to know more about a couple – and that was definitely true for Emily and Jacob! Their loved ones gave sweet, loving, humorous toasts that told so much about them as individuals, a couple, and about their story. These two have some very thoughtful and funny people in their lives!
Best wishes and congratulations to Emily and Jacob!
Much appreciation to Emily & Jacob’s wonderful vendor team:
Ceremony & Reception Location: River Farm
Jamie Ruth Events
Photography: Rachel E.H. Photography
Second Photographer: Marek Kunicki
Ed Choy of Premier Wedding Pastors
David’s Bridal
Tasteful Affairs
Perfect Harmony
Fleet Transportation
And a little note from me: it’s been a long time dream of mine to photograph a wedding at River Farm. I forget how I originally discovered the venue, but the second I visited the place I loved it. I remember experiencing a feeling of peace and calm wash over me as I stood on the grounds overlooking the river. And it’s just so up my alley as a venue – lots of outdoor space, gardens, the white building, so much natural light, views. I made sure to take several moments of appreciation throughout Emily and Jacob’s wedding day to soak in the experience of a dream coming true. It truly was a wonderful day with a super sweet couple. Good vibes all around!
Did this post get you excited to book your own wedding, micro-wedding, elopement, or engagement session?! If yes, send me a note and we can chat about what you have in mind: contact me
Hi – I’m Rachel! A wedding, engagements, and headshots photographer in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and northern Virginia. I love taking photos of elegant people who love to laugh, as well as of much in-love couples. If you’re a dog owner, that’s a plus! I’m currently booking 2022 portrait sessions, as well as 2022 elopements and 2023 weddings.
Congratulations to Emily & Jacob! So happy you’ve joined your lives together and we welcome you Jacob to our family. Love always, Dad Ciccarello