Good day in the blogosphere

/in /by

Welcome to our 2012 blog posts. Here at Deb Lindsey Photography World Headquarters we’re very excited for two blog posts today. First, Maura + Patrick’s fabulous Alexandria summer wedding is on the Washingtonian Bridal Party blog.

 

See the full post here!

And if that wasn’t enough, I was honored to be asked to participate in MyDeeJay’s blog post about what to look for when you hire a wedding photographer. You can find that post here.…my input is at the very end so scroll on through! It’s filled with excellent information from the top photographers in the area.

Nicole + Brian’s downtown DC wedding – St. Francis Hall

/in /by

Before I begin my last blog post of 2011, I just want to take a moment and reflect on what an amazing year it’s been. Thank you to all my wonderful brides and grooms for being such great people, so fun to work with and for planning fabulous events that created lovely photographs. I’ve learned so much from the variety of weddings I’ve shot this year and while it’s artistically fulfilling for me to improve as a photographer, more importantly it means better photos for my couples. I’m really looking forward to 2012 and the wonderful couples I’ll be working with and those who just got engaged and haven’t hired me yet!J

Nicole and Brian were my grand finale for 2011. As anyone living in Washington knows, December can be 65 degrees and sunny or 20 degrees and snowing. We hit it at about the halfway point. It was a beautiful sunny day but deceptively cold due to a lot of wind. I’m especially grateful for Nicole and Brian for being such troopers for a couple reasons. First, they arranged their day to factor in the lack of light in mid-December and we did their first look and all their before photos at their very cool reception site—St. Francis Monastery in NE DC. This is one of the city’s hidden gems! The grounds are amazing and the archways that run around the perimeter of the churchyard are about as good as it gets for photos. Nicole gets a special shout out for taking off her wrap and standing outside for a few minutes in her sleeveless gown. Good thing Brian was standing nearby to warm her up! I loved all the creative touches for the wedding, particularly the paper flowers. I knew Nicole was planning on no live blooms, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a vision of the tissue paper flowers I created when I was a kid. But the bouquets and bouts and centerpieces were beyond cool! Another touch that I know was special to Nicole was their cake toppers. They were a surprise for Brian and they were an exact replica of the couple, down to the paper flower bout on Brian! They were adorable. Their whole day was warm and fun and low key…just want you want on a cold winter day!

 

The vendors making their day:

Event coordinator  Hong-Nhu Mai (she created the flowers as well!)

Church: Universalist National Memorial Church, NW DC

Reception Site: St. Francis Hall, St. Francis Monastery, NE DC

Caterer: Main Event Caterers

Hair: Essam at Fringe Hair Studio

Makeup:  Azi Niroo, Cristophe Salon

Band/DJ Chris Laich Music Services

Cake. Olivia Doherty

Photography: Deb Lindsey and Michael Connor

 

Happy New Year to all and we’ll be blogging again in 2012!!

Leslie + George’s winter wedding – McLean and Glenview Mansion

/in /by

I was so impressed with Leslie and George when they came to my house for our initial meeting. Like my best meetings, we had a long conversation about how they met and became engaged and I could easily see how happy and content they were with each other. And when they came to me for advice on others to help them fulfill their wedding dreams, I was happy to offer my two cents and we ended up working with such a fabulous team of vendors. Our day started in Reston with Leslie and her family and then we headed to McLean for the church ceremony. Leslie and George felt very strongly about not seeing each other before the ceremony and it was worth it to see the look on George’s face as he caught a glimpse of Leslie coming down the aisle! Their reception at Glenview Mansion was lovely and Christmas-y. I’ve decided that every wedding reception needs to have twinkling lights in the background…it makes for lovely ring and cake photos! One of the evening’s highlights was the elegant waltz to “Edelweiss” that was Leslie + George’s first dance. The day was a lovely celebration of family and I need to make a special shout out to Sara Bauleke who kept the trains running on time all day long, remade the bride’s bouquet and got everyone together for all the group shots I needed to get at the reception!

 

 

 

 

Event coordinator: Sara Bauleke, Bella Notte DC www.bellanottedc.com 

Wedding ceremony site: McLean Presbyterian Church

 

Reception site: Glenview Mansion

Caterer: Occasions Caterers www.occasionscaterers.com

Florist. Nick’s Flowers www.nicksflowers.com

Hair: Maude’s of Herndon/Tina Jay www.maudehair.com;

Make Up: Dina Gardizi, dgardizi@yahoo.com

Music: Celebrated Strings www.strings4.com

 

Invitations: Paper Zest

Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy

DJ: Dabe and Janelle Swing Dance Instruction and DJ www.dabe-and-janelle.com

Cake: Occasions Caterers

Videographer: Blue Sky Films www.blueskyfilms.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marisa + Raimonds wedding – Rockville, Maryland

/in /by

I first met Marisa a couple days before she left for St. Petersburg Russia where Raimonds is posted for the State Department. That takes long distance wedding planning to a new level! So I didn’t get to meet the groom until the wedding day and when I did he and his groomsmen were holding the biggest beer mugs I’d ever seen. That made for a fun picture and unfortunately there wasn’t a videographer along to capture the song (in Latvian I assume) that went before the drinking. We lucked into a gorgeous mid-November day but a lot of the beautiful foliage had already passed it’s peak. Except for one glowing orange tree right in front of the church. I think you can see by the photos that I took full advantage of the pop of color. The ceremony was in Latvian and the highlight for me was Marisa’s walk down the aisle. She was so anxious to see Raimonds that she was peeking around everyone standing up as she made her way down the aisle and the look on Raimonds face as he saw her was priceless. He was literally beaming. I have to say that the reception hall was really lovely. They made full use of draping and uplighting to make the room colorful and glowing. The dance floor came alive for polkas and mid-way through the reception came the traditional stealing of the bride. Friends of the couple took Marisa to an undisclosed location until Raimonds came up with an appropriate payment to get her back. Which I believe included Maker’s Mark Whiskey.  He then serenaded his bride and they were happily reunited!

Wedding and Reception venue: Latvian Lutheran Church of Washington, DC

Caterer: Tracy Toth at Quite A Stir Catering

Florist:  Maryann Sheridan

Hair and makeup: Jessica at Alchemy Hair Salon,

Band: Last Train

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Deb + Drew’s Omni Shoreham wedding

/in /by

In the spirit of the holiday I’m offering my Black Friday blog post.  And stay tuned to the blog in the next couple weeks (if not sooner) I’ll be unveiling some design changes and a spanking new website!

There’s a fairly unusual reason that Deb and Drew came to me when they were on the hunt for a wedding photographer. First was Deb and then there was her sister (and Matron of Honor) Lindsey. When she saw my name she had to get in touch. And then it turns out that my parents grew up with her parents so it seemed we were meant to work together! Their wedding was my first at the Omni Shoreham and what a wonderful venue! Full of history for those born and bred Washingtonians like myself. We lucked out with the weather, it was a gorgeous sunny day which allowed us to use the grounds of the hotel for first look and family photos before heading inside for the ceremony. There was a certain amount of chaos during the day courtesy of the adorable flower girls all under age 5. The ceremony started with the four girls coming down the aisle and stopping dead at the top of the runner where they proceeded to studiously drop all their flowers there. Eventually they made it down the walkway but it was a pretty funny scene. Another funny moment came courtesy of the groom. Deb and Drew are at the cake table doing the usual cutting and when it comes time to feed the bride some cake, Drew calls an audible and feeds himself! It caught everyone by surprise but Deb was laughing the hardest. The whole day was filled with tears and laughter.

It’s always a pleasure to work again with Janice Carnavale of Bellweather Events who made the day run so smoothly!

Wedding planner Janice Carnevale www.bellweatherevents.com

Omni Shoreham coordinator  Haydee Gamez/202-756-5164

Caterer Omni Shoreham Hotel

Florist Dever’s Design www.deversdesign.com

Hair Jessica Sarno/ Headlines Hair Design

Makeup Suellen Kay Totally Polished

Ceremony music Tim Metz- www.Timmymetz.com

Reception music Prime Time/Bialak’s Music

Cake Pastries By Randolph

Kate + Matt’s Carnegie Institution of Science wedding – Washington, DC

/in /by

It’s tempting to say that the third time was the charm for me at Carnegie Institution of Science but really each of the three weddings I’ve shot there this year has been wonderful and different. Kate and Matt were the second part of my Columbus Day weekend doubleheader, and like Carla and Ed’s wedding the day before, the weather was amazing. That is one significant difference from the other weddings I’d had at Carnegie. We actually go to go outside! One of the most memorable parts of the day for me was when we left the building after the ceremony to head to Meridian Hill Park for photos. There was supposed to be a car waiting to take the three of us up the street. Kate and Matt waved goodbye to their guests and rounded the corner on P St. and found no car so Matt hailed a cab and we were on our way. I was impressed by the fact that they went completely with the flow, didn’t sweat a small snag and that Matt had money with him on his wedding day! As we approached the park we heard noise but I assumed it was the drum circle that happens on weekends at the park. Turns out it was the start of the Occupy DC march that was heading down 16th St. towards the White House. We couldn’t get right in front of them but close enough to see the police car escort and parade in the background! Another of my favorite photos that was a special request from the couple is the ring photo. Kate’s work for the Dept. of Defense takes her often to Afghanistan and so, of course, that’s where we put the rings on the cool globe that sits in the Carnegie library.

Wedding and Reception: Carnegie Institution of Science, Washington, DC

Caterer: Uptown Catering

Florist: Gretchen Wade

Hair and Makeup: Barbara Hill and Sonia

DJ: Mike Bell from MyDeeJay

Cake: Sugarbakers

Carla + Ed – St. John Neumann Catholic Church + Belmont Country Club wedding – Virginia

/in /by

Carla + Ed were the first of my two Columbus Day weekend weddings. And the weather was finally cooperating. What an amazing day for a wedding!  I made one of my favorite photos of the day 10 minutes after arriving at Carla’s parent’s house in Virginia. Usually I’m the one taking the wrapping off the wedding dress and arranging it somewhere with pretty light. When Carla’s dad climbed up on the bench to hang the dress I just had to laugh—and shoot! Carla + Ed were married at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston. I had been there in June and it’s a lovely bright church. It was sweet that Ed was so enthusiastic that he gave Carla a kiss when she arrived at the altar…I’m pretty sure he was supposed to wait until the end of the service! And as it turns out, he was right to get one in early. The service which was performed by 3 (!) priests had a little snafu when they forgot to have the couple present their gifts to the statue of the Virgin Mary. Once that was taken care of, they never told Ed he could kiss the bride—so he didn’t! From the church we headed to Belmont Country Club in Ashburn.  A lovely manor house is attached to a more traditional country club facility so of course, we took all the fun portraits outside the house and with the rolling hills of the golf course as the background. And did I mention how gorgeous the light was. I think my favorite photo of the day is Ed + Carla from behind, full length with the rays of sun shining on them! And the party was tons of fun with awesome DJ Aaron, one of my favs!

Annie + Scott’s River Plantation wedding – Queenstown, MD

/in /by

It’s not a stretch to say that the Wye River in Maryland will always hold a special place in the hearts of Annie + Scott. They got engaged while sailing on the river and got married on it’s shores at River Plantation’s Pintail Point on October 1. Would it have been great if the weather had been sunny and warm? Sure, but the overcast skies and early fall chill in the air didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Especially true for the happy couple. Except for a few sprinkles as Annie made her long walk from the manor house to Scott waiting by the river, the weather cooperated.  Tears were flowing early as Annie’s 86-year-old Irish grandmother pinned on the veil she made for her granddaughter. Annie’s Mom was in on the action as well and it was a special point of pride that some of the beading from her wedding dress was now on Annie’s veil. I loved the cute sailing details that were everywhere throughout the day including the name tags hung on a nautical chart, cookies shaped like sailboats and their A&S logo. I have to admit that my favorite part of the reception (other than the sweet first dance and toasts) was the Brusters ice cream bar. Scott’s family owns a couple of stores in Richmond and yes, the detail shot of the cup of ice cream I shot was delicious! The day was filled with lots of Annie’s Irish relatives and my one regret was that there was a mention of Irish dancing that never came to pass. It would have been fun to shoot! As I was packing up to make the journey home, a guest pointed me in the direction of the last shot I took—Annie’s mom reading “The Pokey Little Puppy” to one of the adorable flower girls. It made such a sweet photo and was not a scene I see often at a wedding.

Wedding and Reception venue and catering: The River Plantation

Bouquets: Homestead Gardens

DJ  Rusty with DJ D-Mac

Cake Julie Bakes

Yuan + Jonathan’s Rockville wedding and DC reception

/in /by

When I first spoke to Jonathan and Yuan on the phone from their current home in Atlanta I was intrigued by their wedding plans. In 10 years of wedding photography, I’d never shot a civil ceremony. They were married on a recent Friday at the Rockville Circuit Courthouse surrounded by their immediate families. It was such an interesting scene there, watching the full bridal parties come and go for their quick service. Jonathan and Yuan’s nuptials lasted maybe five minutes but it was very thoroughly documented, not just by me but by everyone of the nine people there to witness for them! Day two of the wedding weekend started at the National Cathedral for their first look. We found a spot not affected by earthquake damage and Jonathan saw Yuan in her white dress for the first time. She had worn a fabulous red dress for the civil ceremony as part of her Chinese heritage. After some sweet photos there we headed to La Maison Francaise at the French Embassy in Georgetown for their reception with family and friends. The night was filled with fun little details like the colorful postcards that friends and family used to wish the couple well and the adorable cake toppers for the wedding cakes made by the bride’s sister Julia.

 

Site coordinator French Embassy Catering – Cindy Fuller

Caterer Sodexo, Henri Lubet

DJ DJ Atticus (Patrick Miranda

Cake Julia Shu

Marija + Mike’s Middleburg, Virginia wedding

/in /by

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Marija + Mike’s wedding. Both the church and the reception were places I hadn’t seen and the church had mega-restrictions on what I could shoot. In fact, they would have preferred I didn’t shoot at all. But I was thrilled when I pulled up to Trinity Episcopal Church and saw what a quaint and scenic spot the couple had chosen to get married. And it turns out that Marija’s parents had also been married there. I’m a sucker for that family tradition. The church was surrounded by rock walls and rolling hills and had lots of fun archways and doorways to shoot through. And it was a complete bonus that the couple was gorgeous and very comfortable in front of the camera, it just made my job easy. From the church we headed to Stoke Farm, a private residence. To say this was just someone’s home, doesn’t do it justice. It was an amazing layout with a boxwood garden, pergola and more of those rolling hills. It turns out the place is owned by Marija’s cousin and has been in the family since the Civil War. It was just unbelievable. Mike got the party started with a Sambuca toast and the dance floor was packed from beginning to end. I don’t often give a shout out to the band but their band, the Venture Rays from Richmond, VA were terrific. I was completely surprised by their cover of  “Bad Things,” aka the theme to True Blood. The last dance of the night was “American Girl” by Tom Petty which I thought was a pretty inspired choice. In my recent post about Maura + Pat’s wedding I mentioned that I had never seen a groom being carried horizontally around the dance floor—now I’ve witnessed it being done with the bride! It reminds me a little of the Hora just without the chairs. Or maybe it’s closer to planking. In any event, Marija was a good sport and it made for some fun photos.

Church: Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville, VA

Caterer:  Six Star Catering

Band: The Venture Rays

Florist: Country Way Flowers

Cake: Hollin Hall Pastry Shop