I wasn’t that girl that dreamt about her wedding day from a very young age. I knew that I wanted a pretty white dress and all of my friends and family to surround me with love, but other than that, I didn’t really give it much thought. I had heard from so many of my friends that you spend a year or so planning the most spectacular event of your life, only to have it fly by. I was told that on the wedding day, you’re so concerned about thanking all of your guests for coming to support you in this new chapter of your life that you barely have time to eat or sit down. Because of that, I knew that when my day came, I needed to have photographers that would capture each and every moment; each & every detail that I would overlook or completely miss due to the exciting buzz of the day.

I found April and Bryan by doing a Google search online and I immediately fell in love with the fact that they’re a husband and wife team. I’m always amazed by couples that can work together professionally and maintain their relationship at the end of the day, and having read that April and Bryan have been working their magic together since 2009 simply blew my mind. Like any other bride, I sent e-mails out to several prospective photographers, but April and Bryan’s response was completely different. Not only did they contact us immediately & while they were on vacation, but they didn’t approach our event as a simple financial transaction – they responded to my e-mail regarding their availability with questions about how we met. They wanted to have a conversation on the phone to get to know each of us personally and to learn what we all had in common. That phone call was the start of a wonderful friendship – something much more than anything I ever anticipated.

April and Bryan were genuinely interested in getting to know my husband and me. They were curious what we did for a living and they were completely understanding about my borderline unhealthy obsession with my miniature dachshund who I was adamant would be my ring bearer. They understood that I was overwhelmed with moving into our new house and that because of that, I was pretty disinterested in the minute details of my wedding, but that I still wanted the day to be perfect. April was more than happy to reach out to my mom for the answers to additional questions that I simply couldn’t answer, and they too formed a beautiful friendship.

When my husband and I finally met April and Bryan in person in Vienna, VA for our then engagement photo session (they drove 3 hours to meet us!), it was as though we were meeting our oldest friends. I’ve never felt more comfortable in front of a camera, and April’s banter with me about my fake smile versus my real smile made me feel like I was conversing with one of my sisters. April and Bryan took such care incorporating our dog into the engagement photos, and the detail that was taken to stage shots, utilize the setting sun, fix my hair and smooth my husband’s button-down was incredible.

Although April and Bryan had become an extension of our family leading up to the wedding, their involvement on our wedding day was instrumental. While Bryan spent the majority of his time with my husband and his groomsmen, photo-documenting his preparations for the ceremony, April was incredibly helpful with me and was critical when managing the pre-defined timeline. She went above and beyond my expectations by volunteering to speak with our DJ to request that he move speakers because she knew that any photographs of my walking down the aisle wouldn’t be as picturesque as I’d want with big black boxes in the frame. She had heard that I was displeased with how large the floral headpiece ended up being for my hair and she took it upon herself to cut parts of it off so that it could still be used. My absolute favorite thing about she and Bryan is that they knew my husband and I wanted a private ‘first-look.’ Despite all the begging from my mom and bridesmaids to let them peek, April and Bryan ensured that we had our moment that was just for us.

Our wedding did end up flying by but our photographs of that day are unlike any others I’ve ever seen. April and Bryan strategically tackled the list of all desired groupings with ease, and they created an artistic timeline of the day, using the setting sun and the sparkler sendoff. I’m sure that I’m biased because the photos are of people that I love, but April and Bryan beautifully captured all of the emotions expressed on that day. Each and every time I view my photo album, it brings me back to Moonstone Manor and I can smell my bouquet. I can hear the buzz of people talking under the outdoor tent and I can hear the lyrics to our first dance as husband and wife. April and Bryan have forever memorialized what will remain one of the best days of my life.