Celebrating 13 years of weddings!

2013-2026

Hi, I'm Emily Johanson

Photographer & floral artist

Photography

Floral Design!

I believe taking photos should be fun—and I’ll make sure of it.

I’m a Winchester, VA photographer, but I promise

I’ll never ask you to “smile” or “say cheese.”

Say what?!

That’s just not my style 😉

Instead, I create a relaxed, joyful, and exciting environment where you can feel totally comfortable being yourself. The result? Real emotions, genuine laughter, and authentic moments you’ll actually love looking back on.

No stiff posing.
No forced smiles.
Just you—having a great time.

As a wedding florist and photographer serving Winchester, VA and surrounding areas, I design florals that photograph beautifully and photos that capture every meaningful detail. From bridal bouquets to full wedding galleries, everything is created with the same artistic vision.

Emily

Photo by: Joseph Paul Media

Good news! I’ve officially graduated with my master’s degree! 🙌🏻

I am a photographer, a florist, and now—a mental health therapist! 🥳

It’s been a long 3.5 years to get here, and there’s still a journey ahead (3,400 hours 😳) in my residency before I’m fully licensed. But I’m SO happy to be done with school, and I truly appreciate all the support so many of you have given me over these past few years 🫶🏻

And don’t worry—I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always keep my business. I love being part of weddings and meeting all the incredible people who make them so special. Photography and flowers will always be part of who I am.

🧡 Emily

Photo credit: @shelbyfanningphoto

The results 📸&💐= 🤩🥰👌🏻💯💁🏻‍♀️
#oldtownwinchester #winchesterva

Meet a few of my favorite wedding friends! 🙌🏻

I’m a member of this AMAZING wedding professionals group called @shenandoahweddingprofessionals

If you’re planning a wedding, or know someone who is, this is the place to find all your vendors. I’d recommend every one of them! 😍😍😍

I have worked along side several of the SWP members and have been so impressed by the results they bring to their clients. The best of the best 💯

Enjoy these crazy selfies with some amazing friends 🥰🥰🥰

🧡Emily

Thank you to @barrel_oak_winery for hosting the SWP at your gorgeous venue. Check them out too!

Sometimes things work out perfectly and a dear friend magically plans their wedding day for a date you’re already planning to be in California for.

Could it get any better?! 🤩🤩🤩

I wouldn’t miss it for the world 🥰🥰🥰

🧡Emily

Photos and flowers by: Me 💁🏻‍♀️ @thephotoandflowergirl

Hey there I’m Emily Johanson, The Photo & Flower Girl LLC 💁🏻‍♀️

I am a photographer AND a florist 📸&💐

Weddings are most definitely my VERY favorite events to shoot and do flowers for, but I do also love taking photos of couples, families, and portraits.

Building strong relationships with people is the essence of life and the most important thing to me.

I have been told OVER and OVER again after I shoot a wedding, that it was “like we’ve known you forever, like we were just hanging out with one of our old friends again.”

That’s exactly how I want it to be.

The more comfortable you are with me, the more comfortable you will be with showing real emotions and the real you. Let’s document THAT instead of stiff posing and unnatural smiles - bleh. No thanks. 📸

Let’s have some fun instead 😉

Every photo shoot with me is going to be filled with tons of active movement, jokes, serious snuggling, coaching, and laughter.

If you’re not sure how to look good in front of a camera, I’ll coach you through the whole process. I talk to you the entire time while I’m shooting and I tell you what to do with your body so that you not only look natural but that you look DANG GOOD too.

📸 since 2013
Located in Winchester, VA

View my photography and floral portfolios on my website - link in bio 😘

I’ve been published on over 10 different websites/print/blogs etc including Martha Stewart Weddings, BuzzFeed, The Knot, and Strictly Weddings 🤩

Let’s chat ☺️

🧡 Emily

Q: What’s your number 1 tip for looking natural in photos?

A: 👏🏻Never.👏🏻Stop.👏🏻Moving.
That is one of the very first things I say to ALL my clients.

When you stop moving while taking pictures your muscles start to tense up more and more the longer you try and hold a pose. This results in stiff muscles and people looking awkward and uncomfortable. 🤦🏻‍♀️

If you keep moving (even a little bit!) your muscles will stay relaxed and you’ll look WAY more natural. You have the freedom to be yourself and you look more confident 💯🤩

Also, look for a photographer who values movement and candid moments… like me! 💁🏻‍♀️

🧡 Emily

📸 Photos: Me @thephotoandflowergirl
💐 Flowers: Me @thephotoandflowergirl
🏛️ Venue: @foxmeadowbarn
🎧 DJ and Day of Coordinator: @summiteventsco

Yep, I do both 📸 & 💐 for weddings 😉

I also love cats 😻… and emojis 🙃

In my opinion, candid photos will always trump posed photos. It’s taken me a few years to learn the exact right moment to take a picture 📸

A true candid photo has all the right facial muscles activated, in all the right places (yes I actually study about facial muscles and what they mean!). That’s how you get genuine emotions captured in a photo.

You cannot force this. You must let this organically happen. Through the years, I’ve gotten reeeallllly good at pulling this out of people without telling them to “smile!” or “say cheese!” 👎🏻

How do I do it? That’s something you’ll need to experience for yourself 😉

If this sounds like the type of photography experience you’re interested in, reach out to me 🥰

🧡Emily

2023 was a big year for me. I’ve met some incredible people who have opened my mind and heart to new experiences. I’m grateful for what 2023 has taught me, it’s definitely been a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m taking an open heart into 2024 and I can’t wait to see what this year brings. 🧡 Emily

I realllllly want to go to Tibet now 😍😍😍

Their clothing, culture, and wedding traditions are the COOLEST! I love that Jordan and Tenzin mixed both American culture with Tenzin’s Tibetan culture. So many colors, delicious food, and love 🥰🥰🥰 @themonumentva has also become one of my very favorite venues to shoot a wedding at - I was so impressed! It did not disappoint with the amazing variety of photo spots, plus, @handleyregional was within walking distance. Can’t beat that!

Congrats you two!

🧡Emily

A few recent floral designs 🤩

I think they turned out pretty good 😉

🧡 Emily

Sneak peeks delivered 🤩🤩🤩
@madsterr33 #M&MGetMarried

This wedding was filled with dancing 🙌🏻 This group danced ALL. NIGHT. LONG. I was impressed 😉

Shout out to all the incredible vendors! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@impact_collective
@georgetownocm
@dumbartonhouse
@elevencoursescatering
@poppyflowersco
@refeyeance
@poppygeorgetown
@thephotoandflowergirl
@pointtopointlimo

MOVE. YOUR. BODY. 🤩

You can expect to be moving constantly when we do a photo shoot together. If you stop moving, I will ask you to start moving again 😂😂😂

Why?

Well, when you stop moving, your muscles tend to get stiffer and stiffer when you’re in front of a camera… which then leads to awkward and forced looking photos. 👎🏻

If you keep moving, your muscles stay activated, relaxed, and you’ll feel more like yourself. The photos look way more authentic and fun 👍🏻

Trust me on this one ☺️

Rachel and James didn’t stop moving during our shoot together and things turned out pretty good 😉

🧡 Emily

Your wedding photos should reflect your personality. In my opinion 😉

🧡 Emily

I LOVE this color pallet!! So bright and fun, perfect to match Kim’s personality 🤩🤩🤩

I did the photos and flowers for this stunning wedding @airlieva - excellent venue!

I love how it all turned out 😍😍😍

🧡Emily

10 things I’ve learned from being a part of HUNDREDS of weddings in the past 10 years. Some might surprise you ☺️

In no particular order:

🔸 God cares about my business and cares about the success of a wedding day

🔸Everything improves after people are fed

🔸Birds of a feather flock together

🔸Plan the vast amount of your wedding timeline around photography

🔸 Forget about the trends. What do YOU want?

🔸 The more I look at other photographers, the less confident I become in my own skills. I have learned to stop looking at others’ work. I have my own style!

🔸 The way you FEEL while taking photos will VASTLY affect how you feel about your wedding day when you see the photos after all is said and done.

🔸 You will spend the most amount of time with your photographer on your wedding day. Choose someone who truly loves shooting weddings. They will actually want to be there and you’ll feel that from them.

🔸 How a vendor treats you the first time you talk to them will be how they treat you the rest of the time you work with them.

🔸The people you love who have passed away are at your ceremony. They are right there with you.

I have learned SO much more than this. My heart is filled with gratitude thinking about all I have learned and the incredible people I’ve met 😍

10 years feels good!

🧡 Emily

Sent off a few sneak peeks today from Saturday’s wedding 🤩🤩�🤩

Getting ready photos are so much fun to shoot ✨🥰😍

🧡Emily

@katpetrill

Oh hey! Happy to have this for yet another year! Let’s go 2023! 🥳🥳🥳

A few more top favs from the past 10 years 🤩

🧡Emily

Wow, what a year! My heart is filled with gratitude 🧡🧡🧡

You wouldn’t know it, but we only had about 15mins for bride and groom photos on this wedding day. Woah!

This might scare a lot of photographers, but since I’ve been photographing weddings for almost 10 years, I’ve learned how to make any amount of time work 🙌🏻💯

Sometimes things change on wedding days, it happens! I’ve learned how to roll with any timeline and make the most of it 🤩🥰

🧡Emily

Ps. That giant cut out of their dog was a hilarious addition to the dance floor. Highly recommend! 😂😂😂

Sometimes I just want to deliver the whole wedding gallery in black and white 😍🥰😍

This is my infomercial for rose petals 🙃

It’s just the BEST when my brides let me be creative 🥰🥰🥰

Sarah told me her color pallet, how much texture she wanted, and the shape of the bouquet and then let me work my magic 🤩🤩🤩

It means the world when a bride trusts me and the creative process and lets me design! Beautiful things come from it 👌🏻💯

🧡 Emily

Photos and flowers: me! @thephotoandflowergirl
Venue: @rillhurstweddings @rillhurstfarms

I really loved this venue, check them out! 😍

You deserve to have incredible wedding photos no matter how old you are, how many times you’ve been married, or if it’s pouring down rain (like it was on this day, but you’d never know that… 😂) ☔️

If you’ve found someone you love enough to marry, that should be celebrated and documented in the most authentic way possible.

Real emotions look way better in photos 💯👌🏻

🧡 Emily

Photos & flowers: me! @thephotoandflowergirl
Venue: @magnoliavineyards

You guys have to go check out one of my very favorite wedding venues @brenwoodlakeweddings2

Brenwood Lake is one of the few wedding venues around here that will let you have a fireworks show at the end of the night 🤩🤩🤩

Amber and David’s wedding was epic! What a perfect pair 🥰👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻

🧡 Emily

I have shot SO many weddings this year and have posted very few of them 🙃😂

BUT! Here is my most recent wedding! I’m not sure Leah and Stephen could be any more adorable 😍😍😍

That stained glass 😱🤩 The sun was shining right through it at the exact time I needed it to 🙌🏻

🧡Emily

I can't believe I've had my business for 9 years now! 😍😍😍 Since starting my business back in 2013, I have been a part of hundreds and HUNDREDS of weddings 🤟 It's pretty much the best thing ever. Truly such a beautiful blessing I never saw coming but it has expanded my heart and added so much joy to my life 🥰🥰🥰

🧡 Emily

See, it’s not so bad if it rains on your wedding day 😉

🧡Emily

So far this year, I’ve been a part of 14 weddings and 9 other events 🙌🏻 It’s been SO busy, in a very good way! I’ve met so many incredible people 🥰🥰🥰

I’m pretty sure Sarah couldn’t look any more beautiful in these photos 😍😍😍 Sarah, thank you for trusting me and my methods- aka never stop moving while I’m taking your photo! It might feel a little strange at first but believe me, it leads to some 💯💯💯 results like these 🤩🤩🤩

🧡Emily

Photos: me! @thephotoandflowergirl
Flowers: me! @thephotoandflowergirl
Venue: @rillhurstweddings
@sarahjkoch

A math lesson for you…

City + Maggie & Luke = MAGIC 🤩🤩🤩🤩

In my book, candid moments will always be far greater than anything posed. 😍😍😍

Candid photos > posed

During any photo shoot with me, I want you constantly moving. Whether that’s dancing in place, looking around, swinging your dress or continually giving a bunch of little hugs and snuggles. Believe me, it’s WAY more fun, feels better, and the final photos look 💯💯💯

Real emotion > fake emotion

🧡Emily

I’ll let you ready my text messages this once 😉

When I get text messages like these from my brides it makes me feel all sorts of 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I’m going to share a piece of advice ☺️

I think one of the biggest mistakes couples make is not planning what type of *experience* they want to have on their wedding day - how do they want to *FEEL*?

When you decide this first, you plan everything around that, including your guests and all your vendors. 🙌🏻

If you want to feel excited, energized, loved, joyful, and confident while taking photos, I’m your girl 😉

….. wait….. is it even possible to feel energized while taking photos….? Why yes, yes it is 😉😂

Let’s go have some FUN!!

A lot of people dread all the photos on the wedding day…. My response to that is, well, then you have the wrong photographer 😂😂😂 It should never feel like that while you’re taking pictures, especially on your wedding day! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂😂

Go find a photographer who will give you the *experience* you want. How do you feel when you talk to them? 🤔

Yes, portfolio and photography style is important, but don’t get caught up in that too much.

One photographer might have a killer portfolio but… how do you *feel* about *them* as a person? Do you want to spend hours and hours with them on your wedding day? 🤔

Believe me, it’s worth considering! 🤩🤩

You’ll spend a lot of time taking photos on your wedding day, make sure it’s an excellent experience for everyone 🥰🥰🥰

🧡Emily

Swipe ➡️ 😍😍😍
LOVED Marina and Eric’s wedding! Their wedding celebration has been a long time coming… as in, the first time I talked to Marina was back in 2019 😱 Covid really put a wrench in all that 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 Boy was this a celebration!! We made it! 🙌🏻

In case you’re wondering… yes I did the flowers and yes I took these photos and yes I lovvvveee weddings 🥰🥰🥰

🧡Emily
@redfoxinntavern
@thephotoandflowergirl
@cloverhillevents

Ahh yes, the first dance 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 It’s such a dreamy moment 😍😍😍

You never know what you’re going to photograph during the first dance. Some couples love to dance around the entire floor, hug the entire time, cry, smile and laugh, or do a choreographed routine.

They are all different but so, so beautiful to witness.

🧡Emily

Hi, I’m Emily 💁🏻‍♀️

I love change.

I love to redecorate rooms, change my hair, change the way I dress, change the way I think, read lots of self help books, have deep conversations with people, travel new places, try new restaurants etc.

I love to influence change in other people.

I love transformation. I thrive on it. This can probably be confusing for some people because I’ve probably changed since the last time we’ve talked.

I love to keep evolving into my higher self - I want to find out what that is!

I’m curious, very curious about myself and others. I love to “people watch” and try and understand why people do what they do. It’s fascinating to me.

A lot of people think that I’m a photographer because I must LOVE taking pictures….. big shocker here….that’s not why I do it.

I’ve never really taken on the identity of “photographer” 😂😂😂 because I don’t see what I do as someone who shows up and clicks a button.

Yes, I’ve gotten really good at clicking that button and getting beautiful results… but what I love the most about photography is the transformation.

I love taking pictures of someone who is initially very nervous in front of a camera and hates getting their picture taken…. and then transforming that experience into something uplifting.

An experience where they come away feeling beautiful, confident, and loved for who they are.

I love pulling this out of people and transforming what they thought would be a very stressful experience, into a positive experience.

The cool thing about photography is that you get tangible proof of that experience. Pretty great 😉

🧡 Emily

Thank you to @emilymarcellaphoto for taking these lovely photos of me. You’re the best 😻

Flowers arranged by me ☺️

It happened again! YAY!! The #1 wedding app in the world has awarded me “Best of Weddings” for 2022! HUZZAH!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Here’s to another epic year! My calendar is getting booked up very quickly so if you’re thinking about reaching out to me, do it! I’d love to meet you 🥰🥰🥰

🧡Emily

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MARTHA STEWART

WEDDINGS

floral

artistry

"It was everything I wanted... [Emily's] creativity and passion for her job is something you don't see every day.
She will make you look marvelous." - Eliza J.

Contact me

Emily was incredible. We felt so comfortable doing our photos. We did a first look and we were never told to hold still or pose. We were always moving and interacting which made us open up. She made us laugh and feel as though we'd known her for years. Our wedding was really unique and she didn't miss a beat capturing it. Plus her flowers were spot on for the vision I had.

Marelle H.

What makes me

different?

You’ll notice right away that I truly love what I do. Weddings are 100% my element, and as a Winchester, VA wedding photographer and florist, I’m endlessly grateful to have found a career that combines my two biggest passions—wedding photography and floral design.

Serving couples searching for Winchester VA photographers and florists, I bring both creativity and heart into every wedding day.

I strongly believe that when I take the time to get to know my couples on a personal level, they feel more comfortable around me—and that comfort leads to real emotions, authentic moments, and incredible wedding photos. You truly can’t go wrong with that.

As a professional wedding photographer and florist serving Winchester, VA and surrounding areas, I know when to step in and guide you—how to hold your bouquet, where to stand, and how to find the most flattering angles.

And I also know when to step back, stay quiet, and let you share a meaningful moment together.

Both are equally important to me.

Emily

I want to hear from you!

"I am obsessed with my photos!!! Where do I start?! Well first off, you can tell that Emily truly loves what she does. She made the whole process SO easy!

I was scared that my dress was not going to flatter me. But, [the photos] came out gorgeous! I felt beautiful on my wedding day, and I truly believe she captured how me and my husband felt about each other perfectly. Her style is bright, romantic, and whimsical. If you're getting married, PLEASE book your wedding with Emily. You will not regret it!"

- Holli P.

Kind Words

"Emily was very sweet and made me feel so comfortable in the photos (knowing me I'm awkward) so that worked out great! She was patient, and did not rush. she actually seemed happy to be there.

She made us laugh and the photos turned out natural and so beautiful. I recommend Emily if you're looking for a photographer that cares." 🙂

Kacie C.