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This session is long overdue to be blogged, but Charlottesville has my heart and I knew it had to make an appearance on the blog at some point.

Jessica and Matt celebrated their engagement at Castle Hill Cider in Keswick, VA, right outside of Charlottesville and just minutes from my parents’ home! They included their pup, Sadie, in their session and it could not have been more perfect. Whenever couples ask if fur babies are allowed at sessions, I am all for it and actually have some pointers that I give out whenever we are including furry friends. One of the main ones is that it is helpful to have a puppy “wrangler” of sorts. This is basically someone who can act as an assistant for any time we need to bribe with treats or if the pup is only going to be in part of the session. No one wants him/her to have to stay in the car for a portion of the session, so it’s always nice to have an extra set of hands!

Matt is one of my groom’s that didn’t particularly enjoy his photo being taken, but by the end of the session he was a master nuzzler and had conquered the “drunk walk,” which was one of his favorite prompts. Also, of course we were at a cidery, so we were able to make sure he had some liquid courage beforehand…and afterward for that matter! Castle Hill has incredible wine slushes that we enjoyed after our session together!

One of my favorite things about being able to experience the engagement session with my couples is getting to know them a little better and just generally see how they interact with one another prior to their wedding day. It makes it much more natural to get those beautiful portraits on the actual wedding day!

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