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Purcellville Wedding Photographer: Sara & Ryan

Sara & Ryan enjoyed playful pups, horses and a gorgeous pond on their autumn wedding day in Virginia– I am so happy to be a Purcellville wedding photographer!

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Jim and I tag-teamed Sara and Ryan’s wedding.  Jim shot the day of while I was doing all the BTS work (the editing, album design, emails, wedding day timeline, etc).  We have known each other for over a decade and He’s even held my rope as I dangled 20 feet in the air rock climbing! I trust this dude and wow am I impressed with the photos of Sara & Ryan!

Sara shares, “Looking at Lisa and Jim’s portfolios, I immediately had peace of mind that our photos would be stunning if we worked with them! I wanted to see them work their magic on our wedding day. On the day of, I was blown away by the ease with which Jim took photos. He was everywhere all at once but in a very natural, inconspicuous way.”

Ryan adds, “I had such a great time working with both Lisa and Jim! They both made the whole process easy, with great communication and planning throughout. It was such a load off of my mind knowing that we didn’t have to worry about the photography on the day of the wedding. Getting to know Jim beforehand made it feel like we just had one of our friends doing the pictures that day.”

Sara smiles, “Work with Rhinehart Photography if you want to put your mind at ease on the day of your event. They are very talented and easy to work with!

Four Legged Friends

Ryan smiles, “We had our dogs, Charlie and Dany, boarded nearby at Olivia’s Pet Services, and they were nice enough to bring the dogs to Sylvanside Farm before our ceremony so that they could be part of the pictures! We would’ve loved to have them both stick around for the ceremony, but Charlie is a bit of a momma’s girl, and she wouldn’t be able to sit still until she was in her mom’s arms, haha!”

He continues, “It was hilarious that when we tried to get them to pose for pictures, Dany, the normally very quiet and chill of the two, had no interest in sitting still, and instead had a ball running around the open grassy area while Charlie sat and waited. We never did get a posed photo, but we always believe that candid photos are the best anyway.”

Ceremony: Purcellville Wedding Photographer

Ryan smiles, “There’s no one that gets me like Sara does. It might’ve taken her some time to get used to my sarcasm, but she’s figured out that puzzle, haha! With Sara, I’ve found my soulmate. We have our own personalities and our own interests, but it’s been crazy to me just how in sync we are when it comes to our beliefs and our values. I’ll never forget the feeling when Jim told me I could finally turn around at our first look and see just how beautiful Sara looked in her dress, knowing that in just a few minutes, I would officially be married to the woman of my dreams.”

Sara lights up, “When I’m with Ryan, I get that comfy feeling of being at home, even when I’m not. He makes me feel safe, understood, and valued. I knew he was the one when we got into more serious conversation territory on our third date. I felt like I could tell him anything and never be judged. We do have our serious convos, but no one else can make me laugh out loud the way he does. I really appreciate his wit. He’ll remember things I tell him and then spin them into jokes when I’m not expecting it. I loved having our guests (especially those who hadn’t met him or didn’t know him super well) see how wonderful he is.” 

She laughs, “Our wedding was unique in that Sylvanside Farm is pretty remote, surrounded by windy dirt roads. It’s quiet, vast, and absolutely beautiful in the fall. During our ceremony, we apparently had deer running behind us as we were saying our vows!”

Decor: Purcellville Wedding Photographer

Sara recalls, “I dreamt of having a quintessential fall wedding, and it turned out just as well as I had hoped! Our florist nailed the colors. The weather was a bit chilly but not enough to keep us indoors. After the ceremony, the amazing catering staff brought me a cup of hot cider to drink while I mingled with friends and family. It was a fall dream come true.”

She adds, “We splurged and hired a string quartet to play lots of fun covers throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour. A close friend from college officiated our ceremony; she did such a great job personalizing it for us. My mom came up and shared a family tradition with our guests. My dad gifted me beautiful earrings the night before our wedding, which I wore walking down the aisle with him.”

Cocktails: Fancy & Fun

Sara shares, “I really wanted our cocktail hour and reception to also have some special touches and represent Ryan and myself. We decided to name our specialty drinks after our two dogs. One was a sweet punch named after Dany, who is very sweet herself. We also had a spicy margarita for our spicy (and sweet) Charlie. For our desserts, we had ube cheesecake and calamansi bars to highlight some Filipino flavors; and we had whoopie pies from my favorite spot in Pennsylvania where I grew up. I enjoy crafting when I can, so I worked on the signage for the bar and our dessert table.” 

Reception: Purcellville Wedding Photographer

Ryan laughs, “We found Sylvanside Farm the same way most people find anything these days: Google. I saw pictures of it and thought there was no way this place could be as beautiful in person as it is online; I learned that lesson from apartment and house hunting, haha! This time though, it was just as magical as it was online.”

He continues, “We loved that the Stone Barn provided a beautiful rainy day option, but also a great place for the cocktail hour separate from where we’d do the reception. My favorite part of the venue was walking up the steps into the picturesque Poplar Barn, completely made out of wood with gorgeous high ceilings. It’s like it was straight out of a Harry Potter film.”

Sara recalls, “We had a few friends suggest Loudoun County for its vineyards and wineries. In the end, we narrowed it down to two farms in the area. Ryan was like, ‘I didn’t even know I liked farms, but I do!’ Sylvanside is so multifaceted. There’s an orchard, a garden, a pond, an area for the horses, and a couple of cottages, not to mention the two barns. I especially loved the barns. I was just as excited about our rain plan inside the barn as I was for the outdoor ceremony. Either way, I felt like we couldn’t go wrong. Also, fall is my favorite season, and I couldn’t wait for the beautiful foliage.” 

Let’s Get This Party Started!

Sara and Ryan’s friends and family were so fun and so excited for them! Their dancing photos are some of my favorites to edit of the day!

How Sweet It Is!

Sara smiles, “When it was all said and done, it was a really wonderful feeling. Nothing big changed for us, since we already lived together and all of that. But it did feel like we had celebrated with our favorite people and made the best memories. And now we could turn inward and enjoy life together in a calm, we-no-longer-have-to-plan-a-wedding kind of way.” 

More Photos of Folks “Horsing Around” and More:

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