Bridal Portraits at the Virginia State Capitol

Richmond Bridal Portraits | Amanda

Virginia State Capitol Bridal Portraits

Bride Amanda lives near Washington, DC, and we’d originally planned to shoot her bridal portraits at one of the monuments in DC. But the ease and convenience of the session in Richmond eventually won out, and the Virginia State Capitol building did not disappoint as a backdrop for her Richmond bridal portrait session!

Amanda was the epitome of ‘classic’ in her Maggie Sottero gown and elegant updo. Since we weren’t battling traffic, crowds or waking up for a sunrise session in DC, we were able to have a nice relaxed session. The day was a little warm, but the skies were sunny and it was one of those rare summer days in Richmond where the humidity was a bit lower and the light was so clear!

Amanda’s mom, Jen, had come along and Amanda and I were both grateful for her help! I always recommend that the bride bring along someone to help. Those dresses are no joke, and it’s helpful to have someone carry the train to try to keep the bottom hemline as clean as possible.

Her mom also helped me toss the veil for a few shots. With the light breeze we had that day, that little toss was enough to send the veil airborne so we could capture some floating veil shots! Amanda’s long veil was lightweight and really looked billowy and beautiful!

Shooting bridal portraits before the wedding is such a great way to make sure there is lots of time to capture plenty of images and allow more time on the wedding day for other shots. It also is a great way to do a trial run of hair and makeup to make sure you love your bridal look!

I also recommend getting a bouquet for your bridal portraits. It gives the bride something to do with her hands, and the flowers add a little pop to the images. Amanda’s mom made her bridal portrait bouquet from flowers from her own backyard, and I think it looks so pretty!

Enjoy a few of my favorite images from Amanda’s Virginia State Capitol Wedding Bridal portraits!