Outdoor Ceremony

We were so thrilled to check in with Sunny & Erik who were married way back in October of 2013 so they just very recently celebrated 11 years of marriage! We have very fond memories of their wedding so it was such a treat to get to revisit their photos, as well as hear how married life has been treating them. They were our first and only couple who married at Blue Ridge Overlook on Wintergreen Mountain! Even though we now get to photograph weddings on slightly bigger mountains, this Virginia overlook is truly spectacular with some of the best views of those famed Blue Ridge peaks. We were so happy to see that Sunny, a former model is racing stock cars again which she was doing at the time of their wedding, too. How cool is that?!

What challenges have you both faced & how did you handle them &/or learn from them? Have you had any unexpected joys?

Our challenges and unexpected joys are actually the same – we were surprised and blessed with identical twin girls after 4 years of marriage, and what a roller coaster of a few years that was! The girls are beautiful and wonderful, and luckily I went what is considered “full-term” with them, so they were born healthy. Our son was born not long after – they are only 18 months apart, so we felt like we had triplets for a while, which logistically and emotionally can be a huge challenge, but the silver lining is not only the immense love we have for our children but the strength it created in our marriage. Erik and I were simply “teammates” for a while, with diapers, feedings, and all the juggling that goes with the development of three little ones and that was ok, because our focus was on the kids, and now we have come out the other side of it stronger and able to focus on ourselves as well as our children.

Where has life found you since your wedding day?

We moved outside of Richmond to a rural county and we enjoy living in the country. My parents moved to the same county, so we luckily have them close by! I have resumed my love of motorsports by working for a sports car race team as well a picking up my own stock car racing again, which is my passion. Erik has been able to get back into fishing and we take the kids out on the boat alot.

What do you remember most about your wedding day when you look at your photos?

Erik says he remembers how happy our parents were. You can see the smile on my moms face and feel it. They were happy and proud. I remember how perfect it was. The day was just what I wished for a as a little girl, all my family and friends, on the side of a mountain, Puccini, in my mother’s fur stole, the leaves turned bright and beautiful for autumn, my dress, dancing with my father, my brother and my girlfriends! it was all perfect!

Have your little ones seen your wedding photos and if so, did they have any comments you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Yes, they have looked at the book, and it’s funny because the little white gloves that came with the album fit them perfectly! Finally, someone can wear those gloves! They don the gloves, turn the pages and point out all the people they know, that are still in our lives.They want to eat up the chocolate cake (one of the best we’ve ever had! -Ed.)! And they ask why people are throwing stuff at us? (birdseed was thrown instead of rice). We plan to vacation at the same resort this year.

I just wanted to let you know that Erik and I have commented often over the years that the money we spent with you and Bill was money well spent, it was the best decision we made about our wedding, it was the largest percentage of our budget, and it was SO worth it. We look at those photos every anniversary, and more with the kids now, but I can’t thank you enough for capturing those moments for us. It means a lot to me. Still.

Happiest of anniversaries to you S&E! You have such a beautiful family and we’re tickled pink that you and your kiddos love looking at your wedding photos so often!

xoxo,
..a&b