Hey we are sharing Taylor and Bradley’s Historic John Marshall wedding.

They got married at a church in short pump and then have the reception at the historic John Marshall ballrooms.  If this seems familiar it’s because we did it last weekend as well.

I really like both ballrooms at the John Marshall. But for completely different reasons.

Big one is cool because it is very grand. It’s large, it has a second floor, and a cool staircase. That’s where we were prior to this wedding. But this past weekend we were in the smaller ballroom, we’ve been for wedding ceremonies and portraits and that kind of thing, but this weekend they had the reception there and I love it! 

Especially when you can still have it during daytime it’s really special because there are great big windows that light up the room and it’s beautiful.

Historic John Marshall Wedding Reception Dancing

Taylor and Bradley really packed people into the smaller ballroom and it made it feel like such a big party.  The dance floor was packed the entire night.

Actually kind of hard to get dancing shots because you had to get completely in it. Pro tip for wedding guests: If you want to be able to get a fun dancing shot with your friends or boyfriend or whoever. When the photographer comes by turn towards them (don’t put your back to them) and dance, smile, and interact with the camera.

THIS:

I actually think a lot of people did that for this wedding. Some really good dancers at this wedding. That one guy that was in the bridal party was an awesome dancer and actually break danced. Really well. 

It was just one of those people who was radiating joy and excitement the entire day. I told him that he should be a groomsman for higher and come around all of our weddings with us. He was just that good of a hype man.

Time constraints we shot all of their portraits at the church. So while we were taking family portraits inside our good friend, Brandon Mitchell, who is the videographer for the day went outside and scoped out a location for us to take bridal party and bride and groom portraits. So thank you Brandon!  It ended up being great!

Wedding tip – Party Bus!

After their bridal party portraits they hopped on a party bus. Which again, is a great wedding tip. Having a party bus and not a limo or separate transportation is such a fun extra thing to add on to your wedding day. So while we were taking bride and groom are taking portraits all the bridal party was able to go and start the party while they waited for us to finish rather than just sitting around.

Then as the bridal party all went into the John Marshall as we got back. We grabbed Taylor and Bradley for a few more portraits. And took them a couple blocks away to a parking garage to get the historic John Marshall sign in the background. I just love we had time to do that. 

I actually referred to Taylor and Bradley by Katlin and Matt who we shot their wedding last year. And they were in the bridal party. Which was really fun to be able to see all of them celebrating together.

Photo guestbook

I’m one of those guestbooks where you use an Insta shot Polaroid camera. And Matt was going around all night taking pictures of people. Another pro tip for weddings is to make sure that you have way more film than you think you might need. It’s worth buying a few extra packs to have plenty and last you the whole night.  I love that they also had several cameras. 

Anyways, awesome night.  Great party the whole night. Her grandparents were adorable. Her first dance with her dad was so sweet – I was in tears. I think everyone was in tears. His brother had an awesome toast. The key is to keep toast short it was under two minutes. 

They had Krispy Kreme doughnuts has their favor/late night snack which was awesome. 

Then instead of doing a sparkler exit they did a pom-pom exit inside down the staircase which was so fun and a great alternative to sparklers.

Anyways enjoy a few of our many, many favorites from this Historic John Marshall wedding. We love you two!!! 

Congratulations you guys! 

 

Venue | John Marshall Ballroom

Coordinator | Sincerely SC Events
Invitations | Truly Engaging by Magnet Street
Florist | Coleman Brothers Flowers
Caterer | Homemades by Suzanne
Bakery | Westhampton Bakery
DJ| Black tie Entertainment (Alicia)
Bridal Salon | Bridal Elegance of VA
Bridesmaid’s Dresses | Azazie
Formalwear| Mens Wearhouse
Hair and Makeup | RheaClare & Team (WeddingBeauty4u)
Videographer | Brandon Mitchell Films
Officiant | Father Jim Arsenault