When Olivia contacted me over Instagram to capture her anniversary, I immediately knew we would have a great time. She and her husband Claudio were getting ready to celebrate 2 years of marriage and they wanted to cut cake and pop some bubbly during their stay-cation at the Hotel Roanoke! She asked if I thought it would be a good idea…and I was like, “YES GIRL YES!”

We had the best time celebrating. Olivia found a local baker – Katie Cakes – to make a beautiful cake covered in roses and gold leaf. It was as delicious as it was beautiful! Pink champagne was set on a mirrored tile, beautiful fluted glasses waited to be filled, and lots of rose petals covered the table. How fun is that?

In between shooting, Claudio and Olivia shared their love story with me. A girl from a small town in Southern Virginia and a boy from Rome, Italy met at a college football party and the rest was history. 🙂 Five years (and two years of marriage) later, they are just the picture of love! (No pun intended, but I’m kinda proud of that one.) They laughed with each other the entire time. It was infectious! They just love each other and being together.

They also told me all about their rings! Custom made in Rome, these rings are truly heirloom pieces. The diamonds belonged to Claudio’s grandmother! Isn’t that incredible? Both of their rings have diamonds. I love sentimental stories like this so much.

When I was dating, I received some advice from a friend. She told me to find the person I could laugh with, no matter what the situation. Claudio and Olivia have found that in each other, and it was just pure joy to capture.