Natalie + Hank's wedding - Washington, DC and Great Falls, Virginia

Some brides plan their weddings for years and sweat all the little details. Natalie planned her wedding in four months. I think it’s fair to say she just wasn’t that into the planning process but thankfully, her mother Linda, more than took up the mantle they were able to plan an amazing affair. Natalie + Hank’s day was elegant and formal and tons of fun. One of my many day weddings this year, they started with their full Mass at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. Natalie is a Georgetown Visitation girl so it really wouldn’t have been any other way. Then we were off to the Capitol for group shots and finally on to Natalie’s parents house in Great Falls. To say they have an amazing spread there doesn’t do it justice. And the tent that was erected for the reception was easily one of the best I’ve ever seen. With the Bloody Mary Bar, the Oyster Bar, the Mason jars of salad (!!) cigar and Adirondack chairs outside and the exquisite flower throughout the tent—I was just bowled over. Of course, I was very happy to catch up with Natalie’s bridesmaid Maura (and her husband Pat) at the wedding…Maura was one of my favorite brides from last year and is particularly memorable for the photos we did of her and Pat and their adorable doggies. Sometimes day wedding receptions are sedate affairs with little dancing–something to do with not enough alcohol consumed so early in the day. But I wasn’t worried…those Visi girls know how to have fun. Some of my favorite photos of the day came when Natalie and her girls were the dancing stage. Maybe one reason Natalie wasn’t so wedding-obsessed is because days after the wedding, she and Hank headed to Paris for his next State Department posting. A honeymoon and a new adventure rolled into one.