Sonja and Rolfe’s Silverbrook Farm wedding was a beautiful reflection of who they are—thoughtful, joyful, culturally rich, and deeply in love. From the serene mountain setting to a ceremony honoring Filipino traditions, their day unfolded with authenticity and ease. As the Best Virginia wedding photographers, our goal was to capture genuine moments while giving them the space to stay fully present.
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Rolfe says, “It was important to us to have a photographer whose style balanced posed and genuine candid moments. We were impressed by Lisa’s portfolio and wanted photos that felt authentic to capture our day.”
Sonja adds, “We liked how attentive Lisa was and how she gave us many opportunities to get to know her and get a sense of what the day would be like. The timeline helped us get organized and it was a helpful starting place for thinking through the timing for the day.”
She continues, “Jim was very warm and kind, and helped to put us at ease during the big day. We also appreciated how he took our ideas and requests into consideration and was flexible.”
If I’m unavailable for your date, don’t worry— my trusted associate photographer, Jim, is an incredible option. He’s talented, experienced, and captures weddings with the same authentic style you love.
Choosing Silverbrook Farm
Sonja smiles, “Silverbrook farm is so beautiful and serene that we fell in love with it right away! We loved the mountain views and could visualize our ceremony under the leafy green arch as soon as we saw it.”
Rolfe adds, “Another big reason we chose Silverbrook Farm was Dotti, the wonderful venue-owner! She puts emphasis on taking stress off of us as a the couple, including having plenty of time to bring things to the space in advance, offering multiple opportunities throughout the year to come visit and plan, and many personalized touches that made our day feel special.”
It’s getting Real!
Sonja smiles, “When I’m with Rolfe I feel safe, at ease, and loved. I fell for him because of his thoughtfulness, loyalty, and caring, along with his amazing chef and mixology skills!
Getting real for the groom too!
Rolfe says, “What I appreciate about Sonja is her ability to express appreciation and gratitude in heartfelt ways, how she always tries to make everyone feel included, how genuinely interested she is in learning about others, and how she indulges in my weird sense of humor.”
In Memorium of their friend: Solomon
The wedding also included a memorial to a dear friend who passed away. Rolfe says, “Because Solomon was such an integral part of the day, and not only a dear friend to me but to many attending, I felt it was important to acknowledge his absence and make space for grief along with joy throughout the day.”
Best Virginia Wedding Photographers: First look!
Sonja says, “The approach of having a First Look was helpful because it gave us a special moment to connect with just each other before seeing all of our guests, and it helped give us more time later in the day to stay in the moment and connect with our loved ones! Overall we felt that the timeline of the day could flow naturally thanks to our photography timeline planning.”
Ladies and ladybugs!
The wedding Ceremony
Rolfe says, “It felt meaningful to involve close family in the traditional elements of the ceremony. For example, my aunt and uncle and Sonja’s uncles helping to put the cord and the veil onto us felt like honoring a Filipino tradition while also having a personal moment of connection with family members.”
Sonja shares, “I was moved to see how seamlessly all of the different cultural and spiritual aspects of the ceremony came together. For example, my cousin John’s spiritual blessing talked about different strands braiding together, and then later the Filipino cord and veil ceremony enacted that same theme by wrapping a cord around our shoulders to connect us to each other and our community.”
It’s official!
Sonja says, “On our wedding day I loved the moment of saying our vows to each other, since we wrote them ourselves and had not shared them with each other before that moment.”
Wedding Bells are Ringing!
Sonja smiles, “Ringing the bell was a fun moment that represented the beginning of many fun and celebratory times ahead, starting with dinner and dancing with all of our favorite people!“
Meditation Labyrinth: Best Virginia Wedding Photographers
Sonja shares, “A unique aspect of our wedding was that my dad and uncles built a labyrinth on the venue grounds. A labyrinth is a walking path meant for mindful reflection, and we invited our guests to walk through it and place a stone at the center, representing their well wishes for our marriage. It was special to see guests enjoying this meditative experience, and for us to get a chance to walk through it as well!”
For the First time as Husband and Wife!
Rolfe says, “We hadn’t fully planned how the bridal party would enter the reception. All we had to go off of was our song choice which was Usher and Pitbull’s DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love. It turns out that’s all we needed! Everyone came in dancing, and we stayed on the dance floor longer than planned because we were having so much fun with each other. I think this set the tone for what was to come on the dance floor!” (Wait until you see their dance floor pictures below!)
Sonja smiles, “The energy of the evening was heartfelt, jubilant, and joyful! The toasts from family members were especially memorable. Lots of sweet memories were shared, and heartfelt appreciation of us both as individuals and as a couple.”
First Dance–Wow!
Sonja says, “I loved having fun together during our first dance, especially the dramatic lift at the end!”
Best Virginia Wedding Photographers: Party time!
Rolling out the Red Carpet!
Sonja laughs, “A fun unplanned moment was when my uncle rolled out the red carpet on the dance floor! When the red carpet appeared unexpectedly, I was delighted to see how much our guests leaned into having their moment in the spotlight to show off their dance moves!”
Cannoli: Best Virginia Wedding Photographers
Rolfe smiles, “A unique aspect of our wedding day was the food! We had Filipino food for the wedding dinner and Italian cannoli for dessert to honor Sonja’s and my cultures. We had a buffet with lots of Filipino food options for people to try, including 12 entrees!”
And we’re out….
Slideshow: Best Virginia Wedding Photographers
Be sure to check out Sonja & Rolfe’s slideshow below to see 3x as many photos! 😍
VENDORS:
- Venue: Silverbrook Farms
- Bridal Attire: Bridal Suite Boutique
- Groom Attire: Barong World
- Florist: Growing Wild Floral
- Hair & Makeup: Monahime Beauty
- DJ: DJ Blend Masters
- Caterer: Chickboy’s
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