If you've ever wondered what a wedding day looks like when cherry blossom season hits exactly right, it's this one.
Aya and Brian got married at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in March, right as the cherry blossoms were at their absolute peak: lush, bright, and apparently irresistible to every bee in Richmond. We're not exaggerating when we say there were a lot of bees that day, and honestly, it made total sense once you saw how full and alive those trees were. Petals were coming down with every breeze, catching the light, landing in hair and on shoulders without anyone having to pose for it. Aya's dress even had cherry blossoms worked into the detailing, which felt like it was made for this exact day at this exact venue. It's one of those rare moments where the dress, the season, and the venue all line up on their own, and all we had to do was be there to catch it.
This was a full team day for us. Chayil was there shooting, with her husband Ledo as second shooter, and Michael was there with his wife Erin as his second shooter on video. When we say we're a team-based company, this is what that actually looks like in practice: two pairs of us, moving through the garden together, covering different angles and catching different reactions, making sure nothing got missed while everyone else got to just enjoy the day. It's part of why we built Black Pepper Photography this way from the start. One photographer can only be in one place at a time, and a wedding never happens in just one place. Having a full crew on a day like this meant Aya and Brian got coverage of the ceremony, the portraits, and the reception all at once, from people who already know how to work alongside each other without getting in each other's way.
And that golden hour light, if you know Lewis Ginter in the late afternoon, you know. The way the light moves through the garden as the sun drops is some of the most beautiful natural light we get to work with all year, and it's a huge part of why this venue photographs the way it does. Combine that with a tunnel of blooming cherry trees, and you get the kind of light that does most of the work for you. We just had to know where to stand and when to wait.
Lewis Ginter has become one of our favorite Richmond venues for exactly this reason. Between the formal gardens, the conservatory, and the open lawns, it gives a wedding day this layered, seasonal backdrop that changes completely depending on when you book. Cherry blossom season only lasts a few weeks a year, so a March wedding here is its own kind of lucky timing, and we loved getting to document it.
Want to see it in motion? Watch Aya + Brian's wedding video here:
Planning a Lewis Ginter wedding of your own? We'd love to talk through it with you. Reach out here and let's chat.
- Bride: @ayakellam
- Venue: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, @lewisginterweddingsandevents
- DJ: @signaturedjs757
- Planning/Stationery: @thesignaturedetails
- Florist: @strawberryfieldsrva
- Desserts: @pearlsbakeshoppe
- Videography: Michael Slater, @slaterbass
- Photography: Black Pepper Photography, @blackpepperphoto