Nice To Meet Me Monday Series | Virginia Wedding Photographer
I am so excited to share my long weekend in Richmond this past December!! I can’t believe it has already been about 2 months since this life changing conference. I have photos sprinkled throughout the post because as I was typing all this out I realized that this is a HUGE post! I thought about leaving out my girls weekend that started this trip to Richmond but I decided that these photos would be worth it!! 🙂 So enjoy my recap from my long weekend in Richmond, Virginia!
The first part of the trip I spent with my Aunt, mom, and sister in law. We shopped till we dropped!! Richmond is such a fun place to shop with all the variety of stores in the Short Pump Mall and stores around town. Last year we went to Richmond and found the cutest little shop called “Through the Garden Gate Vintage”. This charming little shop has handmade furniture, decor, and clothes. It was also attached to a large antique mall which is another reason this was one of our favorite shops!
We were amazed by these large bows at Homegoods
At my grandma’s house after Thanksgiving, we always take a selfie together 🙂
We finished so much of our Christmas shopping which included multiple trips to Homegoods. Why so many trips to Homegoods, you ask? To be honest, you would understand why if you have ever been in one!! This store is for the true adulting woman who loves to redecorate her home, find the cutest kitchen towels, find the weirdest stocking stuffers, and only spend $1,000,000 per trip!
Seriously though, they have great prices on most everything but because the prices are so good, you spend WAAAYYY too much money. So fifty $2.99 items add up quickly…. sorry James! 🙂 I can easily spend 2 hours in this massive store and go the next day because by then, they will have new things put on the shelves (which we may or may not have done…..). I may have a problem or obsession with this store… anyone else feel like this?? I made sure to include a photo of my mom’s car PACKED to the brim from our loot!
We made sure to grab our yearly photo in front of the Christmas tree while shopping at Short Pump
James drove up Sunday and we transferred all my purchases to our car and my girls went home. We then made this conference trip into a much needed mini vacation for us. This busy wedding season has been tough behind the scenes as we both still work day jobs in this season of life. So this trip was great for us to reconnect and relax a bit before meeting the team of educators that transformed this year with us.
One big goal for me was to find a few spots around town that I have seen Katelyn photographed with her couples. I am subscribed to her monthly KJ All Access content where she has her sister & husband videoing their team work on wedding days, engagement sessions, etc. This one spot in particular was this pretty teal color and reminded me of Charleston. After I re-watched some of my video content I found the house on Monument Ave!
The blue shutters on the house are my favorite color (& brand color) teal. So of course I wanted to take some photos there. We had the spot all to ourselves and as we were finishing up two ladies came walking up to the house. Who else would it be other than one of the most talented photographers I wanted to meet from our class?! Madison and her mama came all the way from Alabama and had the same idea we had! I thought it was so cool that we just happened to see each other before the event!
Madison was another one of the photographers in our group that Katelyn interviewed! Madison’s work is absolutely gorgeous and her sweet southern accent just make me love her and her business even more! I made sure to link to her website at the end so you will have to check it out.
Fun fact: We are shooting out first wedding at Main Street Station this May! I am beyond excited to be back at this venue!
The Katelyn James Business Journey in person event started early and so did we!! James was so sweet to capture a few details of our day for this post since we decided not to bring our actual camera. We met so many of the “famous” people in the world of KJ starting with Buddy Powers (Owner of Big Spring Farm). I have always wanted to photograph a wedding at this Lexington, VA Barn and Estate because Buddy & Jill’s venue is GORGEOUS!
Katelyn’s sister Emily and Sister-in-law, Morgan checked everyone in and handed out name tags (which I still have). I’m sure you can imagine but I was geeking out about meeting all these people! James knows most of these “famous” people but I explained each person’s role and relation anyways…
Tyler Herrinton was there doing video coverage and he is another big name in the industry I wanted to meet. I feel like Tyler and James would be best friends if we lived closer because their love for all things technology is so strong! Tyler just announced his YouTube channel, Ty’s Tech Line, this weekend he’s dedicating to all things tech so I know James will be so excited. I’m hoping one day one of our couples books a wedding with them so we have the opportunity to work with Tyler and Ashley on a wedding day! 🙂
The backdrop was such a cool idea!
Caroline Fox of Engaged Legal
As soon as we entered the event, we saw all the businesses that Katelyn and her team have worked with for years which are the businesses we now use! The thing I was so shocked by was the OWNERS of each brand were there! CloudSpot is our gallery company and KISS BOOKS is our new album company. Meeting Gavin and Shaun was the coolest thing and we were able to hear their passion for the products as well as hear how they serve their clients!
These businesses love Katelyn just as much as we do and to take time out of their busy schedules to meet with all of us was just mind blowing! Honestly, meeting the people behind the brands we use strengthened our love and respect for the products and services!!
Katelyn even had a local coffee shop handing out coffee and tea! Because of the Mix house, I know now that I have one more thing in common with James. We both like Chai Tea!! I am still so happy about this discovery!!
The Mix House coffee station
The conference was an all day thing but if I am being honest, it felt like only a few hours long! I have never been to a multi day conference before but this really peaked my interest to go to one!! We sat at a table with other Virginia based photographers and did some networking. The sessions were broken up a bit with breaks, lunch, and networking but I could’ve stayed a few days more hearing my industry leaders speak wisdom!
This was our first of many conference type events for our industry and I have to say we picked a good one to start out! I kept most of my SWAG for the event to keep for memory sake because this past year has truly been such a huge transformation for not just business but for our marriage!
The details and planning that went into this event just blew me away! I cannot imagine doing something like this but you can tell Katelyn LOVES it! She has really been my encouragement to be bold and share more about our personal life as well as business. This meant that I had to step up and show my face on social media!
I have seen the results of being personal and have made so many new friends through my Instagram stories. I even met one of MY fan girls (yes I apparently have fan girls and never knew it?!) at this conference! I was just shocked when April found me in the crowd of people just to meet me and get a photo together! Talk about a humbling experience! April you made my day girl!!
This is honestly not the most flattering for anyone in this photo but its proof I got a hug from Katelyn haha
After all the hard work, planning, and speaking, Katelyn waited to hug all 400+ people with her back drop! I mean how sweet is this soul?! James and I were in the back and noticed most of the crowd jumped in line right away.
As we were packing up, we noticed Katelyn’s friends and family cleaning up so James and I along with a handful of other photographers stayed behind and helped clean up! I enjoyed connecting with photographers in my area but I think the ones that stayed behind to help clean up are MY people. Ya know??
I am SO glad we did because I connected with some really genuine people from all over! I even link their websites below so you can check out their work! Natasha, Madison, April, and Chenoa Allyse you guys are the sweetest and if this post ever finds you, just know that I loved meeting you and look forward to watching your businesses grow!! 🙂
Staying behind to clean up meant we were the last ones to get a photo and hug from Katelyn which meant we also were able to get extra photos with their team! I think waiting patiently and helping clean up was WELL worth it.
Thanks so much Katelyn (and the KJ Team) for setting up such an incredible event! It exceeded all expectations and more! I will forever remember this moment and I am so blessed to have had my best friend and husband share it with me!
Ever since the very first KJ blog post I found (back in 2014!!) I have loved watching you grow and thrive in life and in business! You are such a blessing to your students and I can’t wait for another KJ Event (because we all know it’s gonna happen again… right?? 😉
Check out and follow my new friends from the event here!!
April of ADF Photography
Chenoa Allyse of Let There Be Light Photography
Natasha of Honeysuckle Creek Photography
Madison of Madison Martin Photography
Photographers this is for you!
I proudly support and recommend these businesses and brands to all my photography friends! The people behind each brand are so genuine and have a higher expectation of their business and products which is something I look for for sure! So if you are a photographer looking to improve your albums sales and deliver your images in a professional and modern way please check them out!
Try out KISS BOOKS HERE and receive $50 credit towards your first album!
Try out CloudSpot HERE to get 20% off your first year’s subscription!
Caroline Fox of Engaged Legal provides solid legal advice and contracts!
Want to level up your business? Check out Katelyn’s Business Collection!
Until next time,
Emily
Watch the recap of this event on Katelyn’s Youtube Channel here!
*Please note some links above may be affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you purchase from these links. This helps us out and offers you a discount if you decide to purchase.*
Hey there, I’m Emily! James, and I are a husband and wife wedding photography team based in Lynchburg, Virginia. We specialize in weddings and engagements and serve Virginia, DC Area, South Carolina, and beyond!
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