Wedding: Joe + Tawnie at The Hermitage Museum

7/17/2017

A Gray and Blue Garden Wedding at the Hermitage Museum | Norfolk, VA

Joe and Tawnie were married last Saturday in the beautiful gardens of the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk. It was a hot one (hello, July humidity!), but with a nice breeze coming off of the water and the ceremony site being shaded by a large tree, everyone was able to enjoy the day. Tawnie is from Southern California, Joe is from Norfolk, and the two met while playing tennis for Gordon College outside of Boston. After taking a long time to even admit that they liked each other, they finally began dating, were engaged last fall and 3 years later, they’re married!

These two have an incredibly beautiful and intimate relationship. It’s like they share a wonderful secret that no one else knows. From the amount that they laugh when they’re whispering together, to the way that Joe looks at her when she’s not paying attention, the two of them are true #relationshipgoals. Not that fake stuff you see on social media - the real deal. A relationship that consists of respect, devotion, sacrifice and so much love. I greatly enjoy that my job enables me and has taught me to be adept at recognizing how others are feeling. In order to be good at what I do and capture the little moments in between the big ones, I try to be constantly aware of people’s emotions so that I can better predict their next action. With Joe and Tawnie I quickly realized that we would capture the most significant moments if I left them alone and let them privately share those little expressions of love that make their relationship so beautifully understated.
Although seeing Joe and Tawnie together was such a blessing, some of my favorite moments of the day took place before we even reached the Hermitage! While the girls and I were still at the Main, Tawnie read a letter that Joe had written her. He’s been writing her letters on lined notebook paper since the beginning of their relationship, and the tradition was continued on the wedding day. Surrounded by her mom and her bridesmaids, she laughed and cried reading the words of her soon to be husband. Before we left the hotel room, everyone gathered around her to pray for the day and for her and Joe’s marriage. In what was quite possibly the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever heard, her bridesmaid Maddie spoke words of affirmation over the marriage, prayed for their union to bring God glory, and brought everyone in the room to tears.
I hope you enjoy some of my favorite photos from this incredibly special day!