Golden Hour on the Water: Elena + Jackson's Boathouse at Sunday Park Wedding
Elena and Jackson got married this past May at The Boathouse at Sunday Park in Midlothian, just outside Richmond, and these two are BPP-certified cuties. From the second I arrived, their day had this easy, joyful energy running through it, and it's exactly the kind of wedding that reminds me why I love this job.
A venue we could shoot at every single weekend
The Boathouse sits right on Lake Woodlake, the 1,700-acre lake that gives Sunday Park its name and its view, and it is genuinely one of our favorite venues to work at. We've photographed weddings here more times than we can count, and no matter the season, it delivers the same thing every time: glowy, gorgeous light and a water view that makes every portrait look like it belongs on a postcard. Their team is so attentive and wonderful to their guests and their vendors that it always feels like a treat to be back.
Blue everywhere, and it paired perfectly with the water…
Elena and Jackson leaned into a blue palette that felt made for this setting: soft light blue bridesmaid dresses, deep blue hydrangeas tucked in with white roses, and just enough blue woven through the day to echo the lake behind them. We've shot a lot of color palettes on this dock, and this one might be our favorite pairing yet.
The sunset that made our favorite photos at this venue, period.
We've photographed a lot of golden hours at the Boathouse, and the one on Elena and Jackson's wedding day might be the best we've ever gotten here. The sky did everything right that evening, and their sunset portraits are some of our all-time favorite frames taken at this venue. That kind of light you can't plan for. You can only get lucky, and we got very lucky.
They did the hora, and the energy was unmatched
We've only gotten to photograph a handful of weddings with a hora, and every time, it completely changes the room. Elena and Jackson's guests brought it: chairs lifted overhead, everyone dancing in circles, pure celebration. It's one of those traditions that turns a reception up several notches, and we had the best time photographing it.
A little behind-the-scenes secret…
Here's something Elena and Jackson didn't know at the time (and won’t know unless they read this): I was under the weather all day, enough that I squeezed in a quick doctor's call during my drive down before anything even started, just to get ahead of it. My best friend's husband swung by with what the doctor ordered so I could stay on my feet, and by the end of the night my parents drove down to pick me up because I was too worn out to make the drive home myself. And somehow, some of my favorite images I've ever taken came out of that exact day.
Funny how that works.
Pro tip: pair your bubble exit with a bubble machine
Instead of relying on guests alone, Elena and Jackson added a bubble machine to their exit alongside everyone blowing bubbles by hand, and it completely changed the effect. More bubbles, more magic, and one of the prettiest exits we've ever photographed. If a bubble exit is on your list, this is the way to do it, and it’s the method we recommend to all of our clients.
Huge congratulations to Elena and Jackson. Thank you for letting us be part of a day this joyful, this beautiful, and this entirely yours.
The team behind the day
Venue: The Boathouse at Sunday Park · Officiant: Pastor Rudy Tucker · Florist: Vogue Flowers · Cake: Pearl's Bake Shoppe · Music: The Bachelor Boys · Hair & Makeup: FBJWeddings · Transportation: James Limousine Service
Black Pepper Photography is a full-service wedding photography and videography team serving Charlottesville, Richmond, Northern Virginia, and DC. Dreaming of a wedding on the water with a sunset to match? Reach out - we'd love to help you build a day that feels just like you.