Weddings

I could write novels about how special weddings are to me. The honor, the joy of walking alongside you during these incredible moments in life is a vast and tremendous blessing. Instead of gushing forever, I'll just let you scroll through here and see some truly beautiful people and places I've been lucky enough to know.

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Featured Weddings

Engagements

Engagement sessions are nothin' but fun. We get to celebrate the fact that you're about to marry your favorite person and frolic about and explore a cool spot together, all while looking awesome! (Okay, you'll be looking awesome, I'm just along for the ride.) Engagement sessions rock because it's a chance for us to get to know each other before the big day. This way you'll feel more comfortable hangin' with me, and take comfort in the fact that this is all just one big beautiful adventure - and I can't wait to be there with you. 

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Featured Engagements

 
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About

Based out of Virginia, Ray Photography Co. has a huge heart for people, traveling, and adventure.

I'm Ray, the freckle-faced photographer behind the lens of Ray Photography Co. I hope you've enjoyed cruising around my website! A few things you should know about me:

↟ I love people, and I love
making people happy, especially
by giving them beautiful
and meaningful photographs. 

↟ I am happiest with
my hiking boots on,
autumn in the air,
and my camera in my hand. 

↟ I married my best friend
in October of 2017
in the middle of the mountains
on a wild autumnal afternoon.
Best. Day. Ever.

↟ My philosophy involves capturing
real + genuine moments
and establishing a friendship
with my couples so that
they feel free to be themselves.

Currently, I am based in Arlington, Virginia but I love traveling to new and unique places.

Let's make something beautiful.

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EMAIL

ray.photography.co@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM

@ray.photography.co

e-mail Hours

Monday - Friday

9:00AM - 5:00PM

A few of my favorite things...

Mountains, craft beer, big sweaters, mornings, my fluffy cat Cleo, wind, opera, tacos, community, Wes Anderson movies, laughing till my belly hurts, contra dancing, campfires, Grey's Anatomy, harmonizing and seeing live music.

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Couples love us! See our reviews on The Knot.
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Instagram Land

Proof that this weekend’s wedding wasn’t a dream after all 🖤
As our dear friend Mary Oliver once said, “Breathe it all in, and LOVE it ALL out.” Dang Mary, what an incredible concept. I’ve been meditating on this quote all day after hearing of this wildly transformative poet’s passing, and I wanted to share a couple thoughts on it. - Whether it’s the inner workings of your heart: your hopes, your fears, the scary thoughts or the good ones, and everything in between: breathe it ALL in, and LOVE it all out. So often we are told how we SHOULD or SHOULDN’T be; how we should or shouldn’t FEEL. And when we feel or do something different than what is expected of us, we often place this shame on ourselves; we end up JUDGING those feelings, when in fact they are a part of us and exist for a reason. LOVE it ALL OUT. - We often operate under this immensely powerful societal pressure to behave or perform in a certain way; like what social media begs of us, or how we THINK others want us to be. Take this picture, for example. What did you see when you saw this portrait of me? For those who don’t know me, you probably thought that I seem so calm and collected. Peaceful, even. Little did you know, about 99.9% of the time, I am bouncing around, yelling silly sounds and rolling around in the dirt. In this picture, you can’t possibly see my restless brain racing with endless lists of to-dos, guilting me for not completing something as planned, worrying about tomorrow. - Those are parts of me that I am learning to breathe in and love out. And if you take away anything from this, it’s that: hold yourself to a standard of grace, not perfection. Hold your journey gently in patient hands. Breathe in your day however it is given to you, and love ALL of it out.
JUST ANNOUNCED | 2K GIVEAWAY!! Ray Photography Co. is teaming up with @strawberryfieldsrva to give away a rad couples photoshoot in the mountains of Virginia and the flower crown of your dreams for the session!! How to enter: 1. Follow @ray.photography.co AND @strawberryfieldsrva 2. Tag three friends below 3. BONUS ENTRY: Share this post in your IG story and tag @ray.photographay.co and @strawberryfieldsrva Winner will be announced on Friday!! Good luck and follow/tag away!!🖤
Just a couple of cuties romancin’ in the rhododendron 🍃
“Close your eyes and picture the sun. That’s what it felt like to love her; warmth.” -Atticus
Already dreaming of 2020 and photographing these beautiful souls at this magical place on their wedding day✨
Tonight with these three made my heart sing ✨
Running to the weekend like ^ 🖤
Let 2019 take you someplace magical ✨
Ditch the resolutions. To resolve means to find a solution to a problem. You are not a problem. The way you showed up for your life the past year was necessary for your growth. Now is a time to reflect. To learn. To create an intention, a positive call to shift, a spark of magic + manifestation rooted in self-love and backed with action. -Danielle Doby
When you’re genuinely not sure if you’re on set for a photoshoot with Vogue or you’re photographing Kathryn + Max for their engagement session...maybe a little of both 🖤
One of the most epically beautiful walks down the aisle ✨ Just as Sara + Kyl’s ceremony started, the sun showed her face, the rain tucked behind the clouds, and this dream-like sky graced us with her presence and snuggled up to those misty and magical Blue Ridge Mountains 🖤

LOVE NOTES

“Ray was exceedingly easy to work with, and made us both feel so comfortable. Her photos were the perfect mix of creative and traditional, and her eye for composition and light is obvious. Our day was so beautifully captured! ”
— Kaitlin M.
“One of the best things about working with Rachel is how quickly her sunny disposition can put you at ease. Neither of us are very comfortable in front of the camera, but we ended up with a stunning collection of photographs that felt 100% genuine. Her joy is truly contagious—no forced smiles in sight! ”
— Sara C.
“She is timely, professional, personable, and incredibly talented. My husband and I had our engagement and our wedding photos done by Ray Photography Co. and still look at them almost every day. Any event, any time, she will produce what you want and will exceed all expectations! THANK YOU RAY!!”
— Emily M.
“Her upbeat personality and genuine love for people made our experience absolutely phenomenal. AND on top of everything else, we had all of our pictures back and edited within 2 weeks! She’s the best!”
— Kitty R.
“She was able to meet us at any location and had our engagement and wedding pictures back to us within a couple of weeks. She was unbelievably professional and I never felt as though I had to worry about what she was doing. If you are looking for someone to add to your wedding experience, look no further. She is truly the best!”
— Summer S.
 
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Contact

Write Ray! Let's go on an adventure.

I've loved photographing love for over 6 years now. I met my husband studying art in college. We got married in the mountains on a wild autumnal afternoon in October of 2017. I know what it's like to be in your shoes: super excited, a little nervous, and totally in love. Your pictures aren't just pictures; they're sacred moments frozen in time. They're a way for you to re-live these precious moments the way you love watching your favorite movies over and over...because you love the way they make you feel.  

Let's go somewhere beautiful. Let's have an awesome time together. Let's celebrate YOU!

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Wedding or Session Date
 
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