Most weddings that I have had the pleasure of photographing over the years take place during the later part of the day and end with a reception exit at night. However, there is something special when a couple plans a wedding that starts in the morning and extends into early afternoon! This is especially true of Caleb and Carter’s brunch wedding at The River View at Occoquan in Fairfax Station, Virginia. They invited so many of their friends and family and it was such a lovely celebration of the true love Caleb and Carter have for each other!
A Sweet Proposal Story
Amazingly enough, Caleb and Carter went to the same college I did -Hampton University. They had met there as students, but later reconnected in D.C. and started dating. Their first date was at a Pop-Up Art Museum on U Street. They got engaged in July 2021 and Caleb’s proposal is such a great story! Caleb’s parents decided to come for a visit from Dallas so they could meet some of Carter’s family at a brunch gathering. Carter drove to Maryland to pick up her grandparents and bring them to D.C.
When Carter arrived, she dropped off her grandparents first and then met Caleb at the front door. They both took the elevator to the rooftop where the brunch was taking place, and Carter was stunned to see so many of her friends and family. When she turned back around, Caleb was on down on one knee holding out a ring. He shared some of the sweetest words about Carter, and he asked her to marry him. Carter of course said yes, and was even more surprised that everyone pulled this off without her finding out. Carter says this ended up being one of the best days of her life!
Caleb and Carter share a mutual admiration for each other and shared three things with me that they love about one another. Carter appreciates Caleb’s connection with God and his strong values that align with hers. He is so thoughtful and sweet and pays attention to the finer details. Carter also loves Caleb’s sense of humor and counts him as literally one of the funnest people in the world. Caleb loves that Carter is always seeking to become a better person from her spiritual life. Carter doesn’t just brighten up every room she’s in, but everyone’s life by always bringing joy, happiness, and peace to others. He creativity is so amazing when she finds unique, original, and genius ways to do things.
A Gathering of Family and Friends for Brunch
Carter and Caleb’s brunch wedding at The River View at Occoquan was such a beautiful celebration! This outdoor wedding venue in northern Virginia is always a lovely location for celebrations like this. They had a family style brunch complete with eggs, bacon, waffles – the whole nine yards! Carter is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Caleb is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. The motto of Omega Psi Phi is “Friendship is Essential to the Soul”. This really rang true for their wedding day by having a huge wedding party full of friends from their organizations and different stages in life. Throughout the entire wedding day, there was so much laughter, dancing, and re-connection. I even got to see some of my old college friends from Hampton!
Caleb and Carter’s wedding planner and florist was Adrienne from Hearts Content Events. She did such a beautiful job for Carter and Caleb’s special day! From the very beginning of our professional relationship planning this day for the bride and groom, she was thorough, kind, and so friendly. I’m looking forward to working with her again at future weddings! If I had to choose three words to describe Caleb and Carter’s wedding day, I would say “love, friends/family, and fun”.
Congratulations to Caleb and Carter! Thank you for choosing me to be your wedding photographer! If you’re planning on getting married in the D.C. or Virginia area this year, visit my contact page so we can talk about your wedding plans!
Wedding Vendors
Wedding Planner/ Florist: Hearts Content Events
Venue: The River View at Occoquan
MUA: Shannie of Shannie on the Beat
Hair: Yene Damtew
