Brandy Hill Farm | Alli and Jacob | Charlottesville Wedding Photographer
May 28, 2018
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I have been anticipating Alli and Jacob’s Brandy Hill Farm wedding day for a while! It has been fun getting to know these two and watch them work together planning this day. As if planning a wedding wasn’t enough, Alli just graduated from Mary Washington University and Jacob is one of the newest members of the police force in my local town. So needless to say, they have a lot of life changes all at once! But God is for them and they really trusted that the day would come together. They had family and friends, a great coordination team with Main Street Weddings and a lot of other wedding professionals who helped them get ready. And what a wonderful day it was!
Alli and Jacob had their engagement session in January on private property on the Potomac River and while it was chilly, everything had such a warm glow. I could tell then that these two had a solid relationship and I knew their marriage would be off to a great start.
Alli’s love for children really showed as she was lovingly surrounded by nieces and nephews on her wedding day. I would also add that we met up for coffee one day in downtown Fredericksburg close to the wedding date and my son pretty much fell in love with her too! He couldn’t stop talking about her for days!
The Day Begins…
The day was off to a great start despite some light rain. In fact, Alli and Jacob made the call the day before to move the wedding indoors. It was a gorgeous set up with those barn doors from Main Street Weddings. As Adrianne and I photographed the details of the day, we couldn’t help but admire Alli’s incredible dress from Ava Laurenne Bride as well as her lovely steel blue and blush accents.
The Ladies
The lovely bridesmaids who helped Alli prepare for the day were so very kind and helpful, paying attention to detail and getting her anything she might need. Alli’s sister helped button up her dress and make sure her hair was untouched (and wow…Tabitha Haines…that hair!).
Alli shared a first look with her dad that wasn’t without tears!
When it was time to photograph bridal portraits, the women helped make sure that her dress didn’t touch the wet and muddy places as we placed a shower curtain underneath it to protect the lovely lace. We also took some portraits in front of those stunning barn doors!
These ladies are so lovely and sweet….I especially loved the fact that Jacob’s sister was a bridesmaid as well.
The Men
Jacob enjoyed a morning of getting ready with his men and enjoying some time with family as well. He even read a surprise letter from Alli…also not without tears!
And aren’t these guys a great looking bunch?! And don’t you love the fact that Jacob’s dad is his best man?!
The Ceremony
The ceremony was held upstairs at Brandy Hill Farm and the pastor officiating is my pastor from middle and high school, Eric Goforth! What a small world! It was a wonderful ceremony with members of the Alli’s worship team playing and my favorite part…Alli and Jacob washed each other’s feet, following the example of Jesus.
Then it was time to say “I do” and head outside. As the rain let up for family and bridal party portraits, everyone was in high spirits. We then moved into the time for some romantic couples’ portraits.
Brandy Hill Farm has some gorgeous outdoor rolling hills and her family was able to step right outside for portraits. There were some very sweet moments tucked in there!
Romantic Portraits
Despite the wet grass, Alli wanted to let her dress down and enjoy some romantic portraits together. We strolled along the front field as well as the field of buttercups. The little yellow buds were still popping up even in this weather. These two are just so perfect together!
Upon walking back toward the barn, we took some portraits in front of the barn before it was time to start their reception. The overcast skies may not have had that golden hour glow, but they made for some lovely color!
The Reception
The reception was so unique to Alli and Jacob. Alli’s father’s band, Sonrise played a very special song that her father wrote for the two of them. Everyone was more than impressed. And the toasts certainly showed how highly their friends and family think of them and how humbled they are to begin their marriage honoring God and thanking those who have been with them along the way.
And of course, father/daughter and mother/son dances always make me tear up!
I love Alli’s sweet expression watching Jacob dance with his momma!
The rest of the reception was a blast! The kids came out and danced as well…what a show-stopping dance floor!
And when Alli and Jacob dance together, it’s as if there is no one else in the room!
Of course, the night wasn’t complete until a dramatic lighting moment and the sparker send off, followed by a police escort and the getaway car. What a night!
Congratulations!
I am seriously just blown away but what an amazing day this was! Keep reading to see how these two met, fell in love and how Jacob proposed. Then keep heading down for more visual highlights from their wedding day! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Neal and I hope your honeymoon has been absolutely wonderful! It has been an honor to serve you and your entire family. And thanks to these cool chameleons for making this day extra special!
Venue: Brandy Hill Farm
Coordination, rentals, barn door: Main Street Weddings and Events
Linens: Main Street Linens
Florals: Good Earth Flowers
Hair: Tabitha Haines of Jane of All Trades
Make Up: Prophetic Beauty
Wedding Dress & Veil: Justin Alexander from Ava Laurenne Bride
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
DJ: On Tour DJ
Jewelry: BHLDN
Catering: Shawn’s Smokehouse BBQ
Sweets: Knakal’s Bakery and Shawn’s Smokehouse BBQ
Invitations: Vistaprint
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Engagement Ring: Zales
Wedding Band: Jared
Extra Decor: Hobby Lobby
Officiant: Pastor Eric Goforth
Band: Sonrise
Guitarist: Nick Walker
Air Conditioning: Airpac
Second Photographer: Adrianne Shelton
So Alli, how did you meet Jacob?
“Jacob and I were in high school when we first met. He was a sophomore playing varsity baseball and I was a freshmen on the junior varsity softball team. The first time he saw me he thought, ‘Wow. She is a very pretty girl’ but we just remained casual friends. Over the years we crossed each other’s paths, I saw some of his baseball games and we had a few conversations here and there. But nothing serious happened until the summer of 2014.”
When did you really know he was “The One”?
“I had just graduated high school and was ready to head off to college. There were about two weeks left of summer, so I went out to dinner with some of my girlfriends before we parted ways for a while. I got home around 10:00 p.m., hopped into bed and was asleep around 11:00. At exactly 11:31 p.m. on August 6th, Jacob Neal sent me the simplest message, ‘Hey! How have you been?’ And it was that message that change our lives forever, for the better.
I responded the next morning and that very next day, August 7th, we had our first date. After ice cream from Carl’s, we went fishing and ended the night underneath the stars sitting on the hood of his truck. We knew we liked each other, a lot, and we knew that night we just HAD to be together, so we sealed it with a kiss. The next few days we spent as much time together as we could. We got to know more and more about one another and we met each other’s families. Jacob and I were on cloud 9!”
When did you start dating “officially”?
On August 13th Jacob took me out for a nice dinner and I knew just why. A little ways into the dinner Jacob looked at me and asked me to be his girlfriend. Without hesitation, I said ‘Yes! I would love to be your girlfriend’ and so we began our journey together. From the beginning, Jacob was a gentleman to me, so much that the next morning he asked both my mom and dad if they would be okay with us dating…and of course they said yes. I soon left for college and so did he. Our goodbye was not easy and over the years we went through both good and hard times, but thanks to our faith in God our love grew strong.
We both know if it wasn’t for The Lord, we wouldn’t be here today and we wouldn’t have each other. Because of that, we are grateful every day for His love that brought us together. Jacob and I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife, and although we may have struggles we believe fully that we serve a God who is greater than any struggle we may face. Because we know the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, Jacob and I will always have the perfect example of how to truly love one another, every single day.”
So, how did he propose?
This past June, we went on vacation with my family to Cody, Wyoming. We rented a big, beautiful log cabin on a ranch in the mountains to stay at for the week. It was breath taking! June 1st was our first full day there. We spent the day with my family enjoying the land and getting to know the area. The two of us love the outdoors, so we couldn’t get enough of it.
Later on that day, Jacob and I went on a walk down by the river where we admired the beautiful surroundings and fed the horses that stayed on the ranch. Just as we were feeding the horses we realized a storm was coming in, so we quickly ran back inside, just in time for dinner. During dinner, Jacob kept trying to talk me into going on another walk with him, for some reason. I told him that as long as the rain let up we could…and that’s just about when the rain got worse!
The wind was blowing and it didn’t look like a walk would happen that evening, so after dinner we played a board game with my family. Jacob kept asking me to go on a walk, and even though the rain had let up, I just wanted to get ready for bed. So that’s what I did. I went in my room and put my night gown on.
Meanwhile, Jacob was talking to my family asking them what he should do because he couldn’t convince me to go on this romantic walk, so that he could propose. They all told him he should just do it…or in the words of my brother ‘pull the trigger.’ A few minutes later, Jacob knocked on my door and asked to come in. I told him he could and he began to help me put away my clothes.
Although he was trying to be helpful, he was putting my clothes in the wrong drawers. And he was being loud and my nephew was asleep next door. So I fussed at him saying, ‘You’re doing it wrong’ and ‘Shut up! Josiah is sleeping.’ It was then that Jacob walked me over to the bed and sat me down. He began to reach into his pocket and said, ‘I talked to your Dad and I had it all planned out. I wanted to go on a romantic walk in the mountains, but it rained and you wouldn’t go. I know things don’t always work out perfect like you plan. And we are going to go through some really good times and some hard times, but there is no one else I want by my side for the rest of my life. I love you so much, so will you marry me?’
At that moment with my family standing outside the door and with tears running down my face I said ‘yes’ to spending the rest of my life with my best friend!
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Congratulations!!!!
And that’s a Brandy Hill Farm wedding!
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Michelle Lieb with Lieb Photographic is a Virginia Wedding Photographer, Charlottesville Wedding Photographer, Baltimore Wedding Photographer and Harrisonburg Wedding Photographer. She is also a Washington DC Wedding Photographer, Phoenix Wedding Photographer, Arizona Wedding Photographer and a Destination Wedding Photographer!
