Kara Coleen

Marriott Ranch Wedding - Elise and Ben

As soon as I pulled up to the Marriott Ranch I fell head over heels in love with the place, as I'm sure Ben and Elise did when they first visited. The Marriott Ranch is in the heart of Virgina's wine country, just down the road from Washington DC. It offers breathtaking hillside views of beautiful foliage and grazing cattle. I was so happy to be back on the east coast in time to get a taste of Fall. I'd missed seeing the brilliant reds and yellows of the leaves against a muted sky.

The Marriott Ranch has a rural feel and the Manor House and Pavilion offer a classic elegance. It is the perfect blend of rustic and romantic. Elise and Ben are two of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, but are very classic and romantic. This location was very them.

The whole wedding weekend was so much fun, and their wedding day, despite a little drizzling and wind, turned out to be absolutely perfect.

Elise looked so radiant from the moment I started photographing her at the beginning of the day until the end of the night. Being in love really agrees with her. I am so thrilled that my friend found someone as amazing as Ben, and was happy to have gotten to know him throughout the wedding planning process.

Congratulations Elise and Ben! So excited to share this wedding preview with you!

Special thanks to all of the amazing vendors to helped pulled this fabulous affair together.

Venue: Marriott Ranch in Hume, VA

Hair and Makeup: Ana Buitrago and Team

Cake and Cupcakes: Fluffy Thoughts Bakery

Music: Musical DJs
Wedding Dress: Robert Bullock

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The guys started out the day with skeet shooting on the grounds, and only because this proved to be such an great photo op, I'll overlook the injustice that is the wedding prep time required for men vs women.

It looked like so much fun! They asked if I wanted to shoot, but I told them I'd stick to shooting with my Nikon.