Bethesda Archives - Deb Lindsey Photography

Glen Echo Park elopement

August 6, 2017/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

When Pamela called me from her home in New Orlean this winter to talk about her Glen Echo Park elopement in June, I was very excited. It’s surprising to me that I’ve never photographed a wedding (big or small) at the site. I grew up nearby in Bethesda and spent hours riding my bike there and hopping on and off the carousel with friends. I’ve done several wedding engagement sessions and portrait there over the years but never a wedding! It’s such a unique and instantly recognizable spot in the metropolitan DC area and really a photographer’s playground. Of course getting married in DC at the end of June can be a little sweltering and it was definitely a hot, hot day. But the joy of Pamela + David was evident despite the heat and it was so fun to play with the Dentzel carousel for their portraits and to use the painted animals as a backdrop for their sweet and personal vows. Once the ceremony was done we wandered around the park making photographs and looking for whatever stray breeze we could find. Congrats to P+D on their destination elopement. It’s always such a treat for me to be the witness to such a wonderfully intimate day.

Congressional Country Club wedding – Bethesda, Maryland

May 31, 2016/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

It’s always a good spring when I get to photograph a wedding at Congressional Country Club! It’s such a gorgeous venue and just a few minutes from home. April 30th was a little cooler than usual — although this spring has hardly been the usual in DC and at least it wasn’t raining!! It was also one of the most popular dates of the season this year. Kate started the day surrounded by her girls and her family at her parent’s house in Potomac and the weather cooperated enough for us to take advantage of their lovely backyard and the blooming pink dogwoods. The boys gathered at Congressional Country Club then headed to The Chapel at Our Lady of Lourdes on the campus of Georgetown Prep where Justin attended school. After years of my kids swimming at the Prep pool, this was my first time shooting a wedding in their chapel. I just loved the ironwork on the doors and some of my favorite photos of the day were framed by those doors (see above). One of the highlights of the ceremony was the look on Justin’s face as he caught a glimpse of his bride for the first time. After the ceremony we headed to the club to take some portraits around the clubhouse and on the 18^th green with the clubhouse in the background. Kate surprised her groom with a wedding cake decorated with sailboats and together they wowed their guests with their first dance (dips and all!). And you know it’s a serious party when the groom breaks out the Budweiser jacket midway through the reception. After many weddings at Congressional I’m not sure I’ve ever shot a bouquet toss there and this one looked really cool from above. I’d love to say I took the photo but it’s a real reason why I have such talented second shooters with me–to get every angle.

Wedding The Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes at Georgetown Prep 10900 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD

Reception Congressional Country Club, 8500 River Rd. Bethesda, MD, Marlene Gusella, site coordinator 301.469.2000

Event coordinator Jean Thomae 781.635.5530

Caterer & Cake Congressional Country Club

Florist Kelly Shore Petals by the Shore 240.389.5722

Hair Victoria Elizabeth Designs

Makeup Kathy at Blend Makeup Artistry

Band The Bachelor Boys Band 443.822.5323

Family Portraits – Washington, DC

February 10, 2016/in Families, Kids /by lindseydeb

It seems to me that the dead of winter is a good time change up the blog a bit and post some of the fun family and baby portrait portraits I had in the late fall and early winter of last year. And a little hint for the mini baby boom going on amongst my brides from 2-3 years ago that have just come out with announcements for summer babies! I was fortunate to photograph so many expressive babies and toddlers this year–such sweet faces and personalities! I don’t know why I prefer black and white photography for children but it feels so timeless and classic. These photos could have been taken in 2015 or decades earlier. I love doing family portraits and the group below is a mix of my former brides and grooms who have now grown their families as well as new families who find me through word of mouth.

Bethesda Country Club spring wedding – Maryland

May 21, 2015/1 Comment/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

On a cooler than usual almost Memorial Day, it seems like a good time to look back on Lauren + Manny’s sophisticated and classic early spring wedding. The leaves were not quite on the trees for their big day but it was warmer than usual and the late afternoon light once we got to Bethesda Country Club was soft and romantic, just like their wedding. I loved their elegant palette of soft greys for the bridal party, white flowers with just a hint of blush and candelabras and candlelight for the reception room. Manny was incredibly dapper in his white jacket and Lauren was gorgeous in her fitted gown. The two of them together just looked so timeless and classic. Special thanks to event planner Kay at Howerton + Wooten Events for keeping everything on track and attending to all the little details that made their day so stunning.

Event coordinator Howerton + Wooten Events Kay Wooten 202-706-7953

Wedding site Resurrection Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD

Reception site Bethesda Country Club Emily Allore 301-365-1700

Florist Da Vinci Florist 301-588-8900

Hair and makeup Beauty ‘N The Bride – Nikki Fraser

Band Out of Town Blues Band

Cake Cake Plus 301-490-3600

Videographer Adora

@howertonwooten

@beautynthebride

@vegasloungedc

Sarah + Nate – Congressional Country Club wedding

May 6, 2014/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Early spring weddings in this area can be a little hit and miss. And this year it felt like spring would never come. But Sarah + Nate’s early spring wedding day was a definite hit. Temperatures in the 60s and the gorgeous backdrop of Congressional Country Club made for a fabulous day. Their patio ceremony began with a violin processional by one of their bridal party and their ceremony was performed by the judge they had both clerked for. They were married under a clear blue sky. A sunset cocktail hour followed by a jam packed dance floor. It was a pleasure to work with so many of my favorite wedding pros (see the list below) and finally, a special shout out goes to Jackie and Claire who became my go to gals throughout the day.

Wedding and reception venue Congressional Country Club, Marlene Gusella 301.469.2027

Hair Hair by Giselle

Makeup Nikki Fraser Beauty ‘n The Bride

Florist Petal’s Edge 703.518.8488

Band Sound Nation 301.869.8855

Brenna + Joe’s wedding – St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church + Congressional Country Club

December 20, 2013/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Brenna and Joe were not my last wedding of 2013 but they will be my last blog post as I prepare to shoot my last wedding of the year tomorrow. 2013 has been a wonderful year of weddings and Brenna + Joe’s day was a truly a highlight. Their wedding felt like a real homecoming for me. With three of my former brides (Maura. Natalie and Dara) in attendance it was so amazing to know so many people and to catch up with everyone. A gorgeous (but chilly) October day during peak fall foliage at Congressional Country Club made it an unforgettable day. Some of my favorites photos: portraits in a windy leaf storm, found light in the basement of the church for a portrait of Brenna against a stained glass window, and tears during the Matron of Honor speech by Bethany. There were so many great moments and it was such a beautiful day. And to all, Happy Holidays and see you in 2014!

Wedding St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church 202.336.7200

Reception Congressional Country Club Site coordinator Marlene Gusella 301.469.2000

Florist Karen Kallmyer 240.535.4312

Hair and makeup Paabo 301.654.5538

Band High Society Jan Davis 703.461.7253

Engagements Part 2

August 23, 2012/in Engagements /by lindseydeb

After taking a week off for a family trip to Maine, it’s time to post a few more engagement shoots. These are a little more recent than the last post–all were taken in late July and August. The biggest challenge with these sessions was back to back Brookside Gardens shoots. Lucky for me it’s such a pretty place with lots of options for wonderful photos. And the third was at Glen Echo, one of my childhood haunt so it’s always fun to go back.

Andra + Daniel’s wedding – North Bethesda Marriott – June 17, 2012

July 9, 2012/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Andra + Daniel were married on a glorious Father’s Day evening. Seriously, for mid-June in DC and considering the sweltering heat that was to follow, it really was a perfect day. The Bethesda North Marriott was the scene of all the events of the day and I knew things would go well as soon as the couple saw each other. The sneak peek I posted on FB of the two seeing each other brought a comment from one of Andra’s friends that they were “cuter than a basket full of puppies!” I thought that summed them up perfectly. Daniel just couldn’t stop kissing his bride. Which is a good problem for a wedding photographer to have. They had a traditional Conservative Jewish ceremony with a modified tish where the bride and groom separated during cocktails and came together for the bedecken (groom putting the veil on the bride) and then the ceremony. And speaking of cute…when the ring bearer came down the aisle holding toy cars in both hands he then decided as he neared the chuppah that the aisle runner was a great racetrack and he proceeded to get down and play! Loved that. In another twist on tradition, as soon as the ceremony was over the whole wedding headed into the reception and immediately started a rousing Hora. It created great energy for dancing the rest of the night.

Wedding and Reception: Bethesda North Marriott/Randi Jacobs/301-822-9271

Florist Chevy Chase Florist/301-986-0986

Hair and makeup: Art and Chemistry Hair/Sinia Cruz/301-437-3882

Band: Millenium- Washington Talent/301-762-1800×110

Cake Creative Cakes/301-587-1599

Photography: Deb Lindsey Photography/202-412-8909

Kelly + Andrew’s wedding – Congressional Country Club – May 27, 2012

June 14, 2012/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Memorial Day weekend wedding #2—Kelly and Andrew get married at Congressional Country Club. It’s one of my favorite places to shoot—and not just because it’s minutes from my house (although that doesn’t hurt!). It was another warm but beautiful sunny day and I’ll take that over rain any day. Especially if it’s an outdoor wedding and a venue that has lovely grounds. Kelly was well assisted in getting ready by bridesmaids (2 of which were her sisters) and there were a few smiles but a little air of nervousness. Not terribly unusual on a wedding day. The first real smile I saw from Kelly was when she finally got to see Andrew. They are a great argument for having a first look. I’m not sure she could have held out until the ceremony started. Once they saw each other, they were both all smiles. It was a bit of a sun-soaked ceremony on the back patio of the country club—a blue sky without a cloud in sight. After the ceremony they were anxious to join friends and family for cocktails but we did manage to squeeze in some of my favorite shots from the day of the two of them in one Adirondack chair on the putting green. The décor was romantic with wrought iron candelabras and very pretty small arrangements of flowers on the tables. I particularly loved the mint used in some of the vases and used that to shoot one of my ring shots. The couple had a big hit with their choreographed first dance and another highlight of the night was a performance by medical school friends of Andrews who have a band that plays gigs around NYC. It’s not everyday you see a group of surgeons jamming. And they were really good!

Wedding and Reception: Congressional Country Club

Event coordinator: A Trendy Wedding/Anne Kelley 703.932.2185

Florist: Beehive Events /Shawn Cossette 434.286.4509

Hair and makeup: Belle Soeur/Alison Souza 301.549.3454

Band: Rhythm Collective, Elan Artists 888.800.3526

Photography: Deb Lindsey Photography 202.412.8909

Lindsay + Dan’s wedding – August 21, 2010

September 10, 2010/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

I was excited and a little nervous as I arrived at the iconic Mormon Temple in Kensington. I’ve driven by the building more times that I can count and even went into the Temple when it first opened. But it was the first time for me shooting a Mormon wedding. Well, actually, not shooting because no photography is allowed during the ceremony or sealing. So I waited outside with other non-Mormons for the couple to come out. The tricky part is that others are getting married at the same time and it’s hard to know who’s there for my bride and groom and who’s there for someone else. I had only met Lindsay once before when we did a walkthrough of the grounds but I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the moment when they came through the tinted sliding doors. What I didn’t anticipate was that you could see people waiting reflected in the dark doors as the happy couple finally came out. We took photos around the grounds and then headed to the Pooks Hill Marriott for the reception. It was a small event (about 50 guests) but the room looked beautiful draped in white and filled with purple and white flowers. They served signature drinks of non-alcoholic strawberry daquiris and lemonade and had a very fun ice cream bar for dessert.

Making the day special for Lindsay and Dan were:

Decor, Draping, Lighting, Florals and Day Of Coordinating – Gala Events, Inc.
DJ Brian at Washington Talent Agency
Food and service the Bethesda Marriott

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