So today we are sharing Annie and Zack’s Richmond capitol square elopement.

Call it an elopement but really it was just the first half of their wedding. I feel like I am using the word elopement for anything that is not a full-blown wedding. It’s like an elopement used to mean running away to a waterfall to get married and then tell people when you get back.

But now an elopement is just anything. Close family or just a few friends.

I blogged about this last week actually.  I blogged about elopements.

Annie and Zack were originally planning on having a full wedding. Were they would do their ceremony at the capital and a reception at Art Works here in Richmond.

But with all the craziness they decided to split their day in half.  This year they decided to do the getting ready and the ceremony and family portraits. And then next year they are going to do the party – the reception.

Really blessed and honored to be there. It was at Capitol Square.  Actually it wasn’t at the Capitol building it was down at the bell tower. Which is a really neat big brick building in the middle of the park. And so that’s where they had their ceremony. However it was pouring rain.

Those trees really came in handy and provided some barrier from the rain.

I got ready before and then came to the capital building and we did some photos at the overhang at the capitol building. So we did her bridal portraits up there.

We were a little worried that they wouldn’t let us up there. Because the permit didn’t include the building itself. But they were really nice. 

I just kept saying no one is going to see Annie in her wedding dress in the pouring rain and say that she can’t be there. And they didn’t.

We also did all of the family portraits up there after the ceremony. 

Also we took all of their portraits up there. Like literally every single picture is under this overhang.. except for a few at the very end.

At the very end, we were going to take a few while headed to the car.. stopping through Capitol Square park. However right as we were leaving it started raining even harder. So we ended up taking a few of my favorite portraits where we were out in the rain but they were still under the overhang.

Really such a beautiful day. And I think what is so awesome. I know I keep saying it but I think it bears repeating. Is that all these brides that are having to change and do all these adjustments because of Covid are figuring out that they really love being able to have these intimate ceremonies. And I think especially for Annie and Zack, family is just so important to them.

We had a lot of family combinations. Every single combination of the 12 people that were there, we shot.

Family was so sweet. And it was nice to just have time to be able to shoot all of the combinations that they wanted. We weren’t rushed because we weren’t running off to cocktail hour or a reception.

Just went to their house and had dinner catered.

And I feel like we need to include that their planner was really spectacular as well. Bryce has just been such a dream to work with. And I think especially when things go wrong. Or you have challenges like Covid or rain. Bryce is the person you want working for you.

One of the things we always tell brides is the thing we made the biggest mistake on for our own wedding is thinking that we could do everything the day of the wedding without a day of coordinator.

Especially on days like this. And you don’t know ahead of time if you are going to have a day like this. It is just so important to have that person.

Enjoy some of our favorites from Annie and Zack’s mini wedding/Richmond capitol square elopement.  Congrats you two!

The Vendor Team

PLANNER/COORDINATOR | Bryce Carson from Roberts and Co Events

VENUE | Capitol Square Park, Richmond, Virginia

See their engagement session here