Susan + Jason’s wedding – Airlie Center – Warrenton, Virginia
Airlie Center in Warrenton is a bit of a hike but such a beautiful place. Airlie in the spring with everything is bloom is a photographer’s paradise. Add a beautiful bride and a handsome groom and it’s hard to make bad photos. It had been about a year and a half since I’d been to Airlie so I was excited to be back for Susan + Jason’s wedding. From their vows in the garden to wandering the grounds to make romantic portraits, it was just a perfect day. I loved their special touches like Jason’s bespoke suit made especially for the wedding and those adorable flower girls who amazingly all made it down the aisle. It was great to be working again with Elizabeth Duncan who made the day run like clockwork!
Wedding and Reception venue Airlie Center Lisa Albert 540-347-1300
Event coordinator Elizabeth Duncan 202.243.9985
Florist: Growing Wild Barbara Von Elm 540.364.6246
Make-up Tica Beauty – Marti
Hair PR & Partners – Alicia Esposito
DJ Musical DJs – Matt
Cake: Heidelberg Bakery
Photography Deb Lindsey Photography + Preston Keres
Maggie + Roy’s elopement – Washington, DC
I knew I wanted to photograph Maggie + Roy’s wedding/elopement as soon as we started to talk on the phone. She told me it would just be the two of them, a photographer and an officiant. I love little weddings. Maybe because I had one myself but it’s hard to beat the intimacy of two people standing up just for themselves, holding hands and proclaiming their love. And in Maggie’s case, crying a little. I had so much fun walking around with them after the ceremony, just making pretty pictures. And it was a big bonus that their apartment building had such a cool lobby. It was a like a bridal portrait session with the best models ever…two people in love.
Ariana + Al’s wedding – Goose Creek Gardens + Pavillion – Ashburn, Virginia
It’s hard to predict in any given year how many weddings I’ll photograph and which will be my busiest months. Early spring is not generally the most popular time but this year seems to be the exception. And that fact that Ariana found me less than a month before her wedding was a pleasant surprise in an already busy April. And I was especially pleased to find out that she’d been following my work since I photographed her former co-worker Lindsay Nalevanko’s wedding in 2008. And as any frequent blog reader would know, this the same Lindsay who has referred more Virginia Tech brides to me than I can count! Ariana and Al’s wedding was an great mix of Persian and Midwestern culture and made for a very interesting wedding ceremony. The highlight (at least photographically) was the couple at the Sofreh, the elaborate floor spread of food and symbolic decorations. As they sit under a canopy, women who are happily married take sugar cones and softly grind them together above the bride and bridegroom’s head as one of several assurances of a sweet life together. All was going according to tradition until the canopy drooped lower and lower until Ariana was completely hunched over and laughing. It’s definitely one of my favorite photos of the day. There were a few other mishaps during the ceremony—a mirror and a light knocked over, Dad stepping on Ariana’s train—but the couple took it all in with humor. The groom’s Midwest roots were on display with the reception tables named for Ohio sports heros past and present and a bottle of Cleveland whisky and Great Lakes Beer. There was a delicious Persian buffet, lots of Persian dancing on the dance floor and after cutting the cake the couple was showered with rose petals and they danced. I was warned before the wedding that it would be hard to get Al to smile in photos…being photographed is not one of his favorite things. I’m happy to report that I succeeded more than once although I heard later that his gift to Ariana was that he would smile in photos all day long. He was pretty happy…I don’t think he had to try that hard…
Wedding and reception site Goose Creek Gardens & Pavillion, Ashburn, Virginia 703.801.0801
Caterer Farzaneh Catering, Fairfax, Virginia 703.402.5671
Florist Maryam Flowers, Fairfax, Virginia 703.980.2034
Music Violin Soloist during ceremony and cocktail – Chelle Fiddler, 301.366.5579 and DJ Dariush 240.372.8388
Cake Custom Cakes & Confections, 703.326.9235
Elizabeth + Ben’s wedding – Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row – Washington, DC
The end of March is always an iffy weather time in DC. I know, my anniversary is March 30. With Elizabeth and Ben’s wedding, we got a day that’s about as good as it gets—especially this spring where it was ridiculously cold. The Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row was a lovely setting for such an elegant day. It’s always nice to have the run of the place and even to hog an elevator as we did later in the evening for one of my favorite shots of the day. One of the best parts of the day for me was having tons of time for portraits built into the day. We chased the sun a bit on Mass. Ave and really made some lovely photos. My second favorite part of the day was working with the fabulous Andrea Jacobson as my second shooter. I’m excited to get a chance to return the favor in July! And a special shout out to Multiflor who did an incredible chuppah for the couple made out of primarily baby’s breath (I think that’s what it was…I don’t know a ton about flowers…) It really was stunning. Their reception dance floor was packed from the minute the Hora started after a particularly impressive first dance that involved lots of lifts and twirls. Elizabeth and Ben met on their first day at Penn as undergraduates and their college friends jammed the floor, taking time out for some shots at the bar–both the boys and the girls. Some of my favorite photos are below. To see the full slideshow of their wedding, take a look at the previous post. Trying something new (and viewable on iPads)!
Event coordinator: Lynn Iannizzi The Finer Points LLC 703.431.9494
Site coordinator: Mitchell Bierbaum The Fairfax at Embassy Row 202.293.2100
Florist: Multiflor 703.645.0090
Hair and makeup: Carola Myers 571.214.5558
Band: Doctor’s Orders 301.340.6206
Cake: Fluffy Thoughts 703.942.5538
Videographer: Thomas Bowen Films 301.294.5300
Elizabeth and Ben’s wedding slide show
Elizabeth + Ben’s slide show!
Patricia + Damon’s winter wedding – Washington, DC
It takes a very chill bride to get married in late February in Washington, DC. That describes Patricia perfectly. What she and Damon got for their wedding day was a typical late winter day around here with a couple lucky breaks. It started as a rainy, misty chilly day but amazingly as soon we headed out from the JW Marriott to Freedom Plaza to attempt a first look between the raindrops–the sky cleared and the sun even popped out for a moment. It was still a little cold but not unbearable. That made the first look, bridal party photos and their couple portraits at both Freedom Plaza and around the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center much more fun and definitely preferable to doing everything inside. I particularly loved the pops of red from Damon’s cufflinks to the red socks for the groomsmen and rich red bouquets–they looked so great against the grayish day. After a lovely ceremony in the Horizon Ballroom guests headed upstairs to the Rotunda, a very interesting room with a wraparound exterior balcony overlooking DC. The room was highlighted by red roses and bamboo centerpieces as a tribute to Patricia’s heritage. And as a special treat for their guests, fortune cookies with trivia about themselves inside. They also made for a cute ring shot–and were delicious…I just had to eat the one we crumbled for the shot!
- Event coordinator Annette Colflesh The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
- Caterer Ronald Reagan building
- Florist MultiFlor 703.465.0090
- Hair and makeup Smitten Salon 571.527.0200
- DJ Michael Bell –MyDeejay, Inc.
- Cake Breeze Bakery Cafe 703.462.9093
Lindsey + Andrew’s wedding – The Fairmont Hotel Washington – Washington, DC
Lindsey and Andrew have the honor of being my last wedding of 2012. They were also my second wedding in two weeks at the Fairmont Hotel Washington in Georgetown. Their day presented a couple challenges…the biggest one was that Daylight Savings time was history and they are a very traditional couple with an evening ceremony. Which meant no seeing each other before the wedding. Lindsey came up with the solution of a few minutes of talking to her husband-to-be behind their hotel suite door. Lindsey was a very expressive bride and two of my favorite photos of her happened right at the start of the ceremony. It was the look of pure joy and excitement as she walked down the aisle and saw Andrew and the quick wink she gave to her mother when she was just about to be handed off by her father. Their ceremony was the first time I’d been in the downstairs ballroom and it was lovely for both the wedding and the reception. The flower arrangements were gorgeous and unique and a great complement to their grey and yellow theme colors. And a special thanks to wedding planner Merril Ridgway who made the day go smoothly.
And a great big thanks as well to all who made 2012 such a wonderful year of weddings. From my fabulous second shooters to the great venues I was got to photograph and especially to all my wonderful brides and grooms who chose me to make the photographic memories of their big day. It was great fun, made for some wonderful photographs and I look forward to all my new couples and new challenges in 2013. The blog will be a little less regular in my offseason (except for some portraits and mitzvahs) but keep an eye out for my photos in The Washington Post‘s food section. The holiday cookie section (a personal favorite) is coming out soon and if you ever want to know if a recipe was as good as it looks, drop me a line. I get to taste most of them!
Event Planner Merril Ridgway 571.294.6477
Wedding and Reception site The Fairmont Washington Mark Medrick 202.429.2400
Florals and Décor Capital Décor and Events 443.465.7118
Equipment: Party Rentals Ltd 301.440.8761
Cocktail/Reception Music Round Midnight 410.340.9243
Hair and Makeup Carola Myers 571.214.5558
Wedding Cake Fancy Cakes by Leslie 301.652.9390
Invitations and Additional Paper Pieces Instinct Design 703.323.5781
Photography Deb Lindsey Photography 202.412.8909
Katie + Jake’s DC wedding – The Fairmont Hotel Washington – Washington, DC
One last post before Thanksgiving is officially upon us! Katie + Jake got married on one of the most popular wedding dates of the fall–November 3. Not sure why…no numerical reason a la 9.10.11…but there is something special about the first weekend in November in DC or maybe it’s because it’s the last weekend before the time change. The couple now lives in Richmond but they had such a fun and elegant and thoroughly DC day. Beginning and ending at The Fairmont Hotel Washington, we only had to make a quick trip to the church near GWU. The first thing that struck me about the church was the massive stained glass wall over the front door. I’m so glad we had a few minutes to make what has become one of my favorite photos of the year. The day was just a tad on the chilly side (OK, it was cold!) as we headed out to Upper Senate Park to make some iconic DC photos. The bridesmaids were troopers in their short strapless dresses as the wind whipped through them…one shot made by my fabulous 2nd shooter, Mark Gail, was the girls scrambling for their coats as soon as I told them they were done. The other shot from there that I love is how the groomsmen all gathered around the bride while I shot the groom + the bridesmaids. Just that natural protective instinct! Back to the hotel for a very fun party and my 2nd favorite photo of the day…the amazing courtyard at night and a spontaneous kiss that to me just summed up Katie + Jake’s happiness.
Ceremony Saint Stephen Martyr Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Reception + Catering Fairmont Hotel/Mark Medrick/202.429.2400
Florist Yellow Door Floral Designs/703.734.1137
Hair and makeup Bride – Alexandra Wear/240.463.4234 /Bridesmaids – http://www.bridalartistryDC.com/Barbara Hill 703.380.9961
Band 10 Spot /434.321.4779
Cake Fluffy Thoughts 703.942.5538
Debbie + Paul’s elegant Georgetown wedding – Four Seasons, Washington, DC – October 28, 2012
Debbie + Paul were wedding number two for me on the last weekend in October. Which under normal circumstances is an incredibly lovely time to get married in Washington. But with Hurricane Sandy forecast to be making a beeline for the middle Atlantic things looked a little dicey. The very good news for us was that the skies looked threatening but nothing started until we were safely in the ballroom during the ceremony. We were able to roam the streets of Georgetown a bit and do all the portraits outside. Unfortunately it impacted the wedding a bit with some guests unable to attend but Debbie + Paul’s enthusiasm for their day wasn’t dimmed a bit. Both of them are huge sports fans…DC in particular but UNC for Debbie as well. Their photobooth was well stocked with Wizards and Caps gear—the Rock the Red towel made for a fun ring shot. The band kept the dance floor crowded ..culminated with the couple on stage singing along.
Wedding and Reception Four Seasons Georgetown/202.944.2015
Florist Greenworks/202.265.3335
Hair and makeup Bridal Beauty Associates/703.334.6711
Band/DJ Rollex