Couple Enjoys Pre-Wedding Photos Captured at Shenandoah National Park

Couples

Once your wedding comes to a close, the first thing you will wish for is to relive it again. That’s why the investment in your wedding photography and videography is ultimately so valuable. Another post-wedding feeling couples often share is wishing that their day was just a little bit longer. See how these two added time to their own day by capturing these pre-wedding photos.

couple kiss in front of mountain views of Shenandoah National Park for pre-wedding photos

Pre-Wedding Photos–Starting Your Day as Early as You Like

couple posing in front of rocky ledge at Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive

couple holding hands during pre-wedding photos

Adelaide and Will knew that their wedding day would pass by so quickly. In lieu of the engagement photos included in their wedding photography package, they opted instead for pre-wedding photos wearing their wedding clothes. Since they would be getting ready separately on the day, this time acted as a first look and an extension of their wedding day morning.

Will actually played a big role in supporting Adelaide to pick out her white lace wedding dress. He had been a part of that entire process and rightly spent the start of their pre-wedding session helping her get dressed.

groom helping bride put on shoes for pre-wedding photos

groom helping bride with dress for pre-wedding photos

The morning started at Hopkins Ordinary Bed & Breakfast in Sperryville, Virginia just minutes outside of Shenandoah National Park. The spot was chosen for the many memories that the bride held of visiting her grandmother who had lived in the Shenandoah area. Adelaide grew up taking many trips there and remembered those visits fondly. This family connection made it a really special place for her!

couple getting ready on porch for pre-wedding photos

couple posing on bed and breakfast porch

bride helping groom with tie before pre-wedding photos

The bed and breakfast sits on the historic main street of town perfectly positioned for bridal portraits caught on the pretty front porch. Adelaide loves the old-timey look of sepia tone photography which fits the setting so well. I later edited in the sepia tone adding a film quality to some of their photos.

bridal portraits taken on bed and breakfast porch

What To Do With Extra Time for Wedding Photos

One of the amazing features of pre-wedding photos is that you decide when exactly these photos take place. Adelaide and Will chose to do their before session an entire month prior to the wedding.

couple pose on ledge at Shenandoah's skyline drive

couple pose together in front of mountains in Shenandoah National park

The session also serves as a great way for the two of you to get comfortable in front of the camera before the big day. Some couples will even go for a session after the wedding, having me follow them along at their honeymoon location or go to a spot entirely different from their wedding destination.

couple kisses on ledge at Shenandoah's skyline drive

couple posing on rocks in Shenandoah National Park

This couple’s secondary location was selected in contrast to their urban wedding venue, the St. Regis Washington, DC. Taking these wedding portraits outdoors really connected with their love for travel and being in nature. They incorporated this into the wedding day by framing some of the Shenandoah photos as wedding decor placed on tables during cocktail hour.

bridal party getting ready with champagne

framed photograph from pre-wedding photos used during cocktail hour

Additionally, it ended up raining (felt more like a hurricane!) on their wedding day so these shots relieved the pressure to attempt capturing portraits outside. This allowed us to focus more on the family and friends photos while still getting shots of just the two of them. It was a larger celebration with lots of family and friends and we were able to capture them all!

Pre-Wedding Photos That Give You an Elopement Vibe

couple kisses in front of mountains in Shenandoah National Park

couple kisses on rocky landscape in Shenandoah National Park

couple looking into the distance during pre-wedding photos at Shenandoah National Park

The motivation behind the couple’s pre-wedding photos started with a desire to do something special just for themselves. They wanted an elopement-style experience that would be different from their more traditional wedding day. See more couples do this very thing!

Choosing Shenandoah National Park as their destination gave the day a very adventurous feel. They got to be more playful together without anyone watching on this colder December day with fewer tourists present in the park. These two were both so fun and easy going, enjoying the escape from any sense of pressure on their time.

couple kisses during sunset for pre-wedding photos

couple embraces during sunset for pre-wedding photos

Following photographing their bed and breakfast, we moved to a public park down the road since they wanted to focus on the mountain views once in the park. We then drove together to Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive. It may look like we went on a long hike but we actually just parked strategically for these beautiful overlooks.

couple kisses during sunset with mountains in the background

couple embraces on rocky landscape in Shenandoah National Park

It was wonderful having the luxury of time concentrated only on the two of them. We also caught the beautiful sunset which was such a blessed way to end the day!