Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Wedding | Elizabeth + Sam

Richmond Wedding Photographers | Lewis Botanical Garden

Elizabeth and Sam had the most magical and intimate Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Wedding.

These two have quite the love story! When Elizabeth was going into her sophomore year of high school, she went to a summer camp to learn to sail.

She was slightly older than the age limit for the campers; however, she got special permission to attend camp. Elizabeth loved it so much that she stayed for an entire month. During her stay, she developed a crush on one of the counselors. Camp counselors went by character names, and this particular counselor's name was Gandalf.

She fell in love with sailing that summer, yet she did not expect to see that cute camp counselor again. Years later, she was at freshman orientation at the College of William and Mary. While waiting for one of the orientation events to begin, she heard someone say her name, and the voice sounded familiar. She realized it was Gandalf!

It turns out that the delightful camp counselor from years ago was also a freshman at the College of William and Mary. His real name was Sam, and he had gotten special permission to be a camp counselor at the age of 15. They joined the sailing team together, which eventually led them to date, and their love story began.

This particular garden wedding venue is one of my favorites to photograph. A beautiful and natural setting was key to connecting Sam and Elizabeth with nature. Their ceremony was held at the Flagler Garden with luscious green grass adorned with multicolored blooms. This area of the venue was perfect for their intimate ceremony.

Their reception was scheduled to be at the Tea Room, but some technical difficulties with the AC there on a hot summer day meant the reception was moved to The Robins Visitor’s Center. They knew they wanted to get married in Virginia because that's where much of our family lives, and Virginia is where they grew up, went to school, and met each other. While in high school, Elizabeth volunteered at Lewis Ginter, so she and her mother knew it would be a gorgeous venue for their big day.

Before their ceremony, Elizabeth and Sam shared a private first look in the gardens so they could share a loving moment before they spent the day with their guests.

When it was time for their ceremony, they walked down the aisle togethertowards Sam's father, their officiant. He obtained a one-time license to marry the two of them. It was such a special ceremony to have him officiate since he knew and loved the couple so well!

Sam, Elizabeth, and their guests enjoyed a nice sit-down dinner with toasts and dances afterward. As the evening came to an end, they had a bubble exit.

Elizabeth & Sam, it was such a pleasure getting to know you both! I loved hearing how you two met and were reunited years later. May life continue to bring you lots of happy surprises!

Here are some of my favorites from their intimate Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden wedding.