Rainy Engagement | Sarah Kane Photography

I love when my couples find their own locations for engagement shoots and Jaci & Dylan found the perfect place! Jaci & Dylan are having a "Secret Garden" themed wedding at a quaint bed & breakfast in Clarksville Va. They wanted a location for their engagement session that complimented their theme and I can't think of a more perfect place than Bertha's Country Lane nestled in the museum district of Richmond. Jaci learned about this hidden gem from a news segment about Bertha and her country lane.

Bertha's Country Lane named after Bertha Bourke April, 28 2014

92 - year - old Bertha Burke has lived in Richmond for 70 years and planted all of the beautiful flowers in this alley. We were lucky enough to meet Bertha during the shoot and she was as sweet and lovely as her garden. She was on her way to deliver flowers to her neighbor and let Jaci borrow the bouquet for a picture! Bertha told us she grew up in the country and is a country girl at heart. In 1954 Bertha planted grass in the alley and has been keeping it going ever since. Even after the death of her husband in 2012 and a recent foot injury Bertha continues to take care of the alley. She looks forward to spring and all of the visitors that walk through the alley to admire her flowers.

Last March City Councilman Jon Baliles noticed Bertha's alley and all of the work she does and said, "I'm going to name this alley after you" which Bertha replied, "I don't like the word alley. This is my country lane."

This is just one of the many things I love about Richmond. There is such a sense of community here. Having relocated to Richmond 6 years ago I am finding more and more things about it that I love! From the amazing tacky light tours in the winter to this beautiful country lane in the middle of Richmond. It's a beautiful thing to watch people open their homes for the community to enjoy.

Speaking of enjoying, this engagement session was so amazing! Not only was the location beautiful, but Jaci & Dylan were so sweet! I love when men get involved and was excited that Dylan had a few cute ideas that really added to the shoot! What makes this session and the couple even more unique is that it was dreary and raining all day, but Jaci & Dylan decided to go ahead with the shoot anyway and thought the rain would add character. They were so right! It started to pour on my way to the shoot and I thought we were going to have to cancel, but it slowed down when I got there and we were able to get amazing shots! I absolutely cannot wait for this wedding!