The Seclusion Wedding - Shannon & Jimmy

The Seclusion in Lexington, Virginia is absolutely stunning in every single way. Located on 72 acres in the beautiful rolling hills of the scenic Shenandoah Valley, this property highlights the iconic Virginia mountains. This beautiful venue is one of my all-time favorite Virginia wedding ceremony and reception sites ; and in my opinion, the mountain views are at their most spectacular in the fall months.

Every angle is a postcard with so many picturesque areas for creating stunning, art-inspired wedding portraits with amazing backdrops like updated, high-end furnishings, gorgeous bridal suite with a balcony overlooking the reception space, and of course, the lush grounds and beautiful mountain-scapes! The ceremony space has the best views and stone walkway for a memorable walk down the aisle.

Shannon & Jimmy’s wedding day was so memorable- in so many ways. They are such a fun couple and we had so much fun letting our creativity flow and allowing their personality and love story shine throughout the day.

Shannon & her bridesmaids started off the day with champagne in the bridal suite. The bridesmaids did an amazing job encouraging and loving on the bride all day long. Jimmy and the groomsmen were so fun to photograph - and they definitely came ready to celebrate and support the groom!

The bridesmaid dresses were an elegant and beautiful champagne satin and were paired with neutral flower bouquets with lots of fresh greenery - which really made the dresses POP!

The bride and groom’s first look with each other was so sweet, followed by first look with their puppy Genny (The CUTEST thing ever!). I’m always a fan of dogs at weddings.

The wedding ceremony was so sweet, Shannon & Jimmy laughed so much, there was just so much JOY and happiness. Aren’t they great dippers too???

The reception began with a surprise choreographed first dance - lifts, twirls, the works - and so much fun. It REALLY got the party started. The toasts were amazing and had everyone laughing - and crying. The couple also opted for the classic anniversary dance - Shannon’s grandparents won and had a special dance for themselves with their song - even I cried - it was SO sweet!

The reception was a PARTY. Shirts were lost - and the dance floor was always full! The dancing was so fun and everyone had a blast celebrating this special couple. I was honored by their review:

“Do yourself a favor and just go ahead and hire her already!! Katlyn did both our engagement photo shoot and our wedding photos and all I can say is WOW! The only downside is we will now have to make a road trip to Virginia for any future family photos because I am obsessed with Kaytlin and her work! Her and our second shooter from the big day, Liz, truly are the ultimate dream team. Having a photographer we loved was so important to us for our big day as we knew we were not going to have a videographer so we needed someone who was going to deliver. As someone who extensively researches and stalks through reviews, I can say after sifting through possibly every wedding photographer the state of Virginia had to offer - I finally landed on Kaytlins work and instantly knew she was our girl. This was reinforced by our initial phone call and every following interaction. Kaytlin is so sweet and such a calming presence, but she has such an incredible way of providing guidance and gentle direction while capturing her photos that results in extraordinarily beautiful photos that are better than you could ever imagine. She creates these stunning albums where you can FEEL the emotion and personality in them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and her style is such a testament to that. We are typically that super awkward couple who hates having their photo taken and I infamously hate every photo we ever take together, so I was absolutely floored when we received our first gallery back and I was absolutely obsessed with every single photo. The wedding album was no exception, and it was so amazing having a familiar face the day of the wedding in all the chaos. We loved working with Liz too, all of the guys in the wedding party who were complaining about having to arrive early for photos the night before our wedding raved about how much fun they had during their guys photo shoot with Liz. Can’t say enough great things about these ladies - their work, their professionalism, and their kindness. Thank you for being apart of our big day, we will treasure these memories for the rest of our lives!”

Vendor List:

Venue: The Seclusion

Florist: The Jefferson Florist

Caterer: CHEFs

DJ: George Tsakiris

Dress: Carolina Bridal World

Wedding Planner: Julie Rupert Events

Hair: Katyln Sainz owner of Itty Bitty Salon

Makeup: Meg Bryan owner of Captivating Complexion

Officiant: Jarrett Levesh (Groom’s best friend)

Invitations: Greenvelope (Online e-invites)

Cake/Desserts: Cheesecakes By Alex