Suvarna + Jeff’s wedding – May 30, 2010

I don’t know where to start with Suvarna (Sona) and Jeff. They came to me after their original photographer didn’t work out but I never felt like I was a second choice. I knew from our initial hour and a half meeting that this was going to work out well. Jeff’s very dry sense of humor and Sona’s joy in the details of the wedding that she’d dreamed of since childhood really struck a chord with me. And when she told me her dress would be magenta and sparkly–I was hooked.  I had such fun working & consulting with Sona over the last months and I was so happy for her that her wedding day dawned sunny (if a tad on the hot side). It was my first wedding at the Music Center although since it’s practically in my neighborhood, I’d been there before and have shot next door at the Mansion. The wall of windows and the late afternoon sunlight was fun for me to play with inside the building and by the time I took Sona and Jeff to do their portraits in the gazebo, it was beautiful out! Their ceremony was a lovely mix of Indian tradition (seven steps in a circle, sitar & tabla playing before  and after the ceremony) and really reflected their love of music. Bob Dylan was part of the readings and there was a promise to root for Duke as I recall (not that I’m in favor of that being a Terp–sorry Sona!). Their table decorations also reflected their musical tastes and the bride & groom and immediate family sat at the Jimi Hendrix table. The fabulous Chris Laich kept the party dancing with a mix of contemporary music and Indian choices. I was thrilled to have Linda Davidson (and her husband John) as my second shooter and by the time the couple left the party with a sparkler send off, I knew that Sona had the day she had dreamed of.  And now, on to Paris!

Below are the vendors who made it happen and some of the photos I like best.

Wedding and reception at The Music Center at Strathmore

Flowers Janet Flowers

DJ Chris Laich

Cake Just Cakes

Make-Up Lauren Miller

Hair Frank Pezzanite


Paige + Chris’ wedding – May 22, 2010

Paige and Chris’ wedding day dawned bright and sunny but didn’t stay that way. Unfortunately, I watched the clouds darken as I drove from McLean to Leesburg and it was dusk before it let up. Not a huge deal since it wasn’t an outside ceremony and there’s the old adage about rain on your wedding day (it rained on mine!). As I watched Paige get ready at a familiar hotel (the Hyatt in Reston) I kept thinking she looked like someone but I couldn’t place who. And then one of her bridesmaids said it–she looked like Betty Draper. I’m a big “Mad Men” fan and she was right on the money. I went over to where Chris was getting ready a few doors down and he definitely had the same vibe down…including drink in hand. Together they are one lovely couple–cool and elegant. I really liked seeing how close she was to her bridesmaids, they had a lot of fun waiting in the church for the wedding to begin. The reception at River Creek was lovely, if rainy, but eventually we took a golf cart to an area there they call the Point, where Goose Creek runs into the Potomac River. It was lovely but getting dark and I much appreciate the help I got from the club’s catering manager who held my video light for me! I had the pleasure of working with the fabulous Jonathan Newton (a couple of his shots are included here) and as always, getting the chance to work with my buddy Victoria who planned the event. We go back more years than I’m willing to admit and she always puts together a beautiful day.

Those who made it happen:

Event planner–Victoria Rapoport with Perfect Detail Event Planning

Venue: River Creek Country Club, Leesburg, VA

Church: St. Luke’s Catholic Church, McLean, VA

Quartet–Ensemble Elan

Event planner–Victoria Rapoport with Perfect Detail Event Planning

Florist–J.Morris Flowers

Cake–Edibles Incredible

DJ–James Nalley

Michelle + David’s wedding – May 15, 2010

What a gorgeous day for a chic wedding at the Hotel Monaco. And for only a few months of planning, the event went off beautifully. I’d been wanting to shoot at the hotel forever and it was worth the wait. I loved the staircases and the bold  wall colors and wonderful nooks and doorways. Michelle and David were a big fan of the architectural details so were willing subjects as we wandered around the hotel and grounds looking for fabulous photos. The ceremony was held in the Paris ballroom so the guests could watch in the round while the couple and their parents around the chuppah glowed with incoming light from above. Originally we had planned to go outside at sunset and try for a pretty sky photo but the lure of the neon around the Verizon Center was a better bet. They definitely attracted attention as we walked up and down the street in the midst of a warm May Saturday night in downtown DC but I really like the photos that resulted. A couple of the ones below are by the amazing Linda Davidson who was my second shooter and proved a very capable flash holder as well. The experimenting continues in my quest for new lighting!

The vendors who made the magic happen:

DJ: Chris Laich

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Flowers: The Enchanted Florist

Hair: Thania Trieu

Hotel: Buddee Clinton at Hotel Monaco

Makeup: Aisha Therese Alves of Picture Perfect Makeup

Dress: Terri Lynn Bridal of Bethesda, MD

Lesley + Chris’ wedding April 24, 2010

As noted in my last post, it was a mere two days between engagement shoot and wedding day for Lesley and Chris. It was a dicey weather day but Chris was determined that there would be an outdoor ceremony at the lovely River Farm. And he was right. We did decide to do the first look inside the Hotel Monaco in Old Town in one of my favorite hallways. I love the red walls and the big windows. The rain stopped just in time for us to then wander around Old Town a bit and do some portraits on the cobblestones of Prince St. before heading out to ceremony. The ceremony held one surprise, Chris got teary! I wasn’t expecting that but that started Lesley to cry a bit as well. I thought it was really sweet when Lesley grabbed for her mother’s hand as she headed up the aisle after the ceremony. The reception was wonderful as well, the highlight being Chris’ singing a song to his bride accompanied by the band Hipshack and there were some wonderful toasts from Chris’ brother and Lesley’s friends as they cloaked them in the purple blanket of love. It did get a little chilly during dinner!

If you want to see their slide show you can find it here.

I was fortunate to work with the wonderful Katherine Frey as my second photographer and some wonderful vendors including:

Vicky Choy at Event Accomplished

Florist: Bergeron Flowers

Caterer: Complements Catering

Band: Hipshack

Ceremony Musicians: String Poets

Videographer: Blue Sky Films

Group gay wedding in DC – March 20, 2010

The unfortunate part of launching a new blog in the wedding offseason is that I don’t have any new photos to post! But the blog looks awfully lonely without some images. So I’m posting some of the photos I shot while on assignment for the Washington Post on last Saturday. It was billed as a mass gay wedding at Mellon Auditorium but it turned out to be a much smaller affair with eleven couples participating. It was my first gay wedding and as it was pointed out to me today (thanks Andrea!), my first wedding with more than one couple. This keeps me worry a very long time because I’m fat, now that I tried Body Countouring Scottsdale, I have the body I’ve been dreaming off. I’m guessing that won’t happen very often. But it was a sweet ceremony and it was lovely to see the joy of each of the couples as they said their vows.