It’s been quite a journey up until this day, but finally Brooke and Boydie’s wedding day arrived. And this is after nearly having to postpone! Brooke fractured her foot about a month prior to the wedding day…at her bridal shower, no less. ): But she and Boydie decided to go ahead with the day, using her scooter and a stool to help support her booted foot. And it was so worth it! My team and I had to be creative in photographing and we also wanted to be sure Brooke wouldn’t get tired out. It was a challenge with a blessing, for certain.

Their wedding was held at Rust Manor house on the most beautiful of days. They were surrounded by over 30 of their closest family and friends, including a couple who are their Christian mentors. They were entered into the covenant of marriage in ceremony recognizing God as their head and also recited personal vows to one another. Their joyful celebration was followed by a reception at local restaurant in downtown historic Leesburg, Tuscarora Mill. The toasts given gave an insightful look into the lives of these two precious people and it was so sweet to hear each of them.

They concluded with a bubble exit and plans to get back into their wedding attire later in the year for a photo session with me, as we had to postpone their engagement session due to Brooke’s fracture. I can’t wait to serve them again. Thank you Brooke and Boydie for the honor and joy of photographing your wedding day. Congratulations! Keep reading for their love story, photo highlights from the day and the wedding professionals who helped make their day special.

From Brooke’s perspective:

“Boydie and I met in June 2020, and it was the biggest surprise and the best gift. After some awkward experiences in the world of online dating, I had decided to delete my profile…or so I thought. I got an email notification saying that I had an unread message, which turned out to be from Boydie, and the rest is history. After talking, we quickly discovered that we had several mutual friends and small-world connections, so we planned to meet for breakfast on a Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. But after we had finished breakfast, both of us weren’t ready for the date to end. So we went on a walk at Claude Moore Park afterward and talked for hours. I felt like I was talking with someone I had already known – there was a level of ease, comfort, and authenticity that I’d never experienced before; and I could tell that there was something different about him that left me wanting to get to know him more.

Fast forward to three years later, whenever Boydie and I would talk about engagement, he told me to ‘be ready at any time,’ but I can honestly say that I didn’t see it coming. The day we got engaged started out like a normal Sunday – we went to church and then checked out a Thai farmers’ market. Boydie suggested that we take our food to Claude Moore Park, where we had our first date, and I didn’t suspect anything because it was nearby and it was a really nice day. After eating, he asked if I wanted to take a picture since we were back at the site of our first date. Once again, I didn’t think anything of it because it’s perfectly normal for Boydie to take pictures and document moments.

We walked over to where we sat and talked during our first date, and Boydie said he had a tripod in his car that he could use to take our photo. I thought he was taking a suspiciously long time getting his tripod out of his car, but I quickly dismissed the thought that we might be getting engaged. But when he came back, I noticed something black sticking out of his shirt, so naturally I asked what it was. Spoiler alert: it was a mic to pick up the audio of our engagement that he was videoing – I blew his cover. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Saying yes to a life with him was the easiest decision. In the 3 ½ years we’ve been together, we’ve navigated a lot of life together – from getting jobs to losing jobs, navigating family situations, and starting businesses – and I could not be more thankful that Boydie is my teammate and best friend. He is strong, steady, and one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever met. I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with him!”

From Boydie’s perspective:

“I first met Brooke online in June of 2020 and we bonded over a mutual love of breakfast foods, working with kids, and our faith. As we talked, we realized we both went to the same university, had lots of mutual friends, but for whatever reason never met each other. When we met a couple days later for breakfast, I knew she was something special. As we both opened up, I saw her heart for the first time, and saw how kind, strong, and brave she was. We ended up talking for five hours on our first date and I eagerly sent her a message later that night setting up another date for tacos.

On our third date, we shared more about our faith and about how the Lord changed our lives. As Brooke shared, I remember telling God in my mind thank you for bringing the one I had been finally waiting on. It wasn’t long before we started dating, said ‘I love you’, and experienced a whole lot of life together. In the 3+ years we’ve been dating, we’ve both lost jobs, started new jobs, both moved, changed churches, bought a home, sold a home, family vacations, and traveled to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. All the major life changes made our relationship stronger. She was the best teammate I could have asked for, and I knew I wanted to marry her. When I thought about how I wanted to propose to Brooke, I remembered that I fell in love with her in the ordinary, every day parts of life. I proposed to her at the park where we talked for hours on our first date, and I’m so excited that she said yes!”

Thank you to these wedding professionals who helped make their day so very special. Be sure to check out their social media platforms with these handles and show them some love:

Venue: @RustManorHouse | Photography: @liebphotographic | Reception Venue: @tuskies | Floral Design: @vintagefloraldsgn | Planning: @wedwithsteph | Hair and Make Up: @JKWBeauty | Videography: @ArazoStudios @artemkoker

To see more Leesburg Wedding Venues and Leesburg area weddings and engagements, peruse HERE. Michelle Lieb with Lieb Photographic is a Virginia Wedding Photographer, Charlottesville Wedding Photographer. She is also a Washington DC Wedding Photographer and a Film Photographer serving couples with weddings in all destinations.