Katie & Jeffery’s Chiles Peach Orchard Engagement Session

A Summer Afternoon in Crozet


There are some engagement sessions that feel like they were made for summer in Virginia. Warm sunshine, colorful flowers, green mountains, and just enough time to slow down and enjoy being together.

Katie and Jeffery’s engagement session at Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet was exactly that.

We met up with them on a beautiful summer day and spent the afternoon wandering through the orchard, picking flowers, taking in the mountain views, and eventually making our way through the peach trees. It was relaxed, colorful, and full of those little moments that make an engagement session feel like more than just a photo shoot.

As Charlottesville wedding photographers, we love sessions like this. We get to spend time with our couples before the wedding day, explore somewhere beautiful, and photograph them in a way that feels natural to who they are.

And with Katie and Jeffery, we had plenty to work with.

Hands holding orange zinnia flowers in a lush garden with colorful blooms in the background.

Starting Among the Flowers


We started the session with one of our favorite activities: picking flowers.

Katie and Jeffery wandered through the flower fields, picking sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos while we photographed them. There was something wonderfully simple about starting the session this way. Rather than immediately jumping into traditional posed photographs, they had something to do and somewhere to wander.

It gave us a chance to ease into the afternoon together.

We love incorporating activities into engagement sessions whenever we can. It gives couples something to focus on besides the cameras and creates opportunities for genuine interaction. You can pick a flower, hand it to your partner, laugh about which one is the prettiest, or simply walk along together.

Those little moments often end up being some of our favorite photographs.

And the flowers were gorgeous.

The bright colors of the zinnias and cosmos mixed with the tall sunflowers created such a quintessential summer-in-Virginia backdrop. It was hard not to stop every few feet to photograph something.

Couple walking hand in hand through a colorful flower farm with lush green mountains in the background.
Couple joyfully picking colorful zinnia flowers in a garden with green hills in the background.
Couple walking joyfully through a colorful flower field with mountains in the background on a cloudy day.
Couple among red and white flowers in a lush field with a red barn in the background.
A couple tends to colorful zinnia flowers in a garden, with the woman looking up lovingly at the man holding garden shears.
A bee pollinates vibrant orange zinnia flowers surrounded by lush green foliage in a garden setting.
Couple holding hands in a colorful flower field, sharing a romantic moment outdoors.
Couple embracing in a colorful flower garden with rolling green hills in the background, woman holding vibrant bouquet.

Taking in the Blue Ridge Views


After spending some time among the flowers, we took a walk toward the mountain views.

This is one of the things we love most about a Crozet engagement session. The Blue Ridge Mountains are such an important part of the landscape here, and Chiles Peach Orchard gives you the opportunity to incorporate that scenery without having to travel far from Charlottesville.

We let Katie and Jeffery walk together while we photographed them along the way. Some photographs were wide and scenic, showing off the mountains and surrounding landscape, while others focused on the two of them.

There is something about walking together that makes an engagement session feel especially natural. We can give a little direction, but then couples can simply talk, laugh, and enjoy being together.

And that is really what we want an engagement session to feel like.

Not a series of poses.

Not a performance.

Just the two of you spending an afternoon together while we happen to have cameras in our hands.

A couple dances joyfully in a green farm field with mountain backdrop, woman in black dress holding colorful bouquet.
Couple holding hands walking through green field with mountain backdrop, woman in black dress holding red bouquet.

A Little Time for the Ring


Of course, we had to stop for a few ring photographs along the way.

After all, the engagement ring is a pretty important part of this whole story!

We love finding little opportunities during an engagement session to photograph the details that make this season of life special. Katie’s ring is a small part of the bigger story, but it represents the commitment and excitement that brought them to this point.

And we already know we will be photographing it again in March when Katie and Jeffery say "I do."

Marquise diamond engagement ring with pavé band resting on a ripe peach with green leaves in background.

Peach Picking in the Orchard


From the flowers and mountain views, we eventually made our way into the peach orchard.

There were lots of people around us enjoying the orchard that afternoon, but somehow, once Katie and Jeffery were together in those long rows of peach trees, it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

That is one of our favorite things about photographing in public spaces. We don't need an empty location to create intimate photographs. With a little direction, thoughtful angles, and a couple who is comfortable being together, the rest of the world can seem to disappear.

Katie and Jeffery walked through the long pathways with peaches surrounding them on either side. The rows of trees created beautiful natural lines, framing the two of them and giving the photographs that expansive Central Virginia feeling we love.

And you could smell the peaches.

They were everywhere, and the warm summer air carried that unmistakable sweet smell through the orchard. It was one of those details that photographs can never quite capture, but it made the entire experience feel even more memorable.

This was definitely one of those sessions where we wished we could bottle up the smell of summer and put it in the gallery.

Couple dancing joyfully in a peach orchard, man lifting woman in black dress holding pink flowers.
Couple dancing in a peach orchard, woman in black dress holding colorful bouquet, man in white shirt, surrounded by fruit trees.
A hand reaching through lush green leaves to pick a ripe red peach from a fruit tree.
Two people picking ripe peaches in a lush orchard, with vibrant red and orange fruit hanging from green leafy branches.

When the Rest of the World Disappears


One of the things we hear from couples before their engagement session is that they are nervous about being photographed.

We get it.

Most people aren't used to having two photographers following them around with cameras.

But our goal is never to make you feel like you have to perform for us. We give you enough direction to keep things moving, then let you interact naturally.

That is especially important when we are photographing somewhere busy.

Chiles Peach Orchard had plenty of people around us, but Katie and Jeffery were so focused on each other that the rest of the orchard seemed to fade away. We could move around them, find different angles, and create photographs that felt private and intimate even with other people enjoying the orchard nearby.

Those are the moments we love most.

The ones where you forget we're there.

Couple sitting together in an orchard on grass, holding apples, surrounded by fruit trees in a romantic outdoor setting.
A couple shares a tender kiss while sitting in grass, holding a vibrant bouquet of pink and orange flowers.
Couple sharing an intimate moment in an orchard, woman in black dress leaning head on mans shoulder holding colorful bouquet.
Couple sitting in a peach orchard, woman holding red flowers while man kisses her cheek on green grass.
Couple relaxing in a lush orchard, woman lying in mans lap surrounded by fruit trees in a romantic outdoor setting.
Woman lying on grass in a dark green dress, resting her hand on her knee in a serene outdoor setting.
A couple shares a romantic moment kissing behind a fresh ripe peach held between them outdoors.

From a Summer Engagement Session to a Spring Wedding

There is something especially exciting about photographing a couple's engagement session when their wedding is already on the horizon.

Katie and Jeffery are getting married in March at The Forum Hotel, and we cannot wait to see how their story continues.

Their summer engagement session gave us a chance to spend an afternoon together before the wedding day. They got to see how we work, we got to learn how they naturally interact in front of the camera, and everyone got a little more comfortable with each other.

That relationship matters.

When the wedding day arrives, we won't be two strangers showing up with cameras. We'll already have spent time together. We'll know how they move, how they interact, and what makes them laugh.

And hopefully, when they see us walk through the door on their wedding day, it will feel a little more like seeing friends.

Why We Love Chiles Peach Orchard Engagement Sessions


There is so much to love about an engagement session in Crozet.

You have the Blue Ridge Mountains, open farmland, seasonal flowers, orchards, and plenty of opportunities to make the session feel like an actual experience instead of simply showing up somewhere and taking photographs.

Chiles Peach Orchard is particularly fun because there are so many ways to incorporate the setting into your photographs. Flower picking, peach picking, walking through the orchard, and enjoying the mountain views all give couples something natural to do while we photograph them.

And every season brings something different.

For Katie and Jeffery, summer meant sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and peaches. Another couple might experience the orchard completely differently depending on the time of year.

That is part of the fun.

Couple sharing a tender moment in a sunflower field, holding a sunflower with misty mountains in the background.

We Can't Wait for March


Katie and Jeffery, we loved spending this summer afternoon with you.

From picking flowers to wandering through the peach orchard, your engagement session was such a perfect little snapshot of this season of your lives. We hope that years from now, you look back at these photographs and remember not just how you looked, but how that afternoon felt.

The warmth.

The flowers.

The mountains.

The smell of peaches.

And the feeling of being so excited for what was coming next.

Now we get to look forward to March and your Forum Kimpton wedding!

We cannot wait to celebrate with you both and photograph the next chapter of your story.