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Hotel Monaco Alexandria Virginia wedding

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I’ve spent a lot of time at the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria over the years documenting bride’s (and grooms) getting ready for their big day. K+J’s wedding was the first time I shot a full wedding there. It was a gorgeously bright sunny day but a little bit on the warm side for late spring. The couple were troopers as we walked through the quaint back streets of Old Town looking for fun portrait settings and cool backdrops for their wedding party. By the time the ceremony arrived the sun was behind the building bathing the courtyard in nice even light and cooling it down quite a bit for family and guests gathered to celebrate. Kudos and thanks to Janice Carnevale at Bellwether Events who made sure everything looked great and ran smoothly. I loved the decor–the flowers in mismatched vases and the mini Adirondack  chairs as place cards and oh yes, the District Doughnut display for a late night snack! Did I mention how much fun the party was? A little sweaty but a blast.

Wedding + Reception Hotel Monaco Alexandria 480 King Street Alexandria, VA

Event coordinator Janice Carnevale Bellwether Events 703.851.9622

Hair + Makeup Alison Harper and Company 301.498.6500

Florist Lynnvale Studios Andrea Gagnon 4475 Sudley Road Gainesville, VA 571.238.4230

Late night snack District Doughnut 749 8th St., SE, Washington, DC 202.750.1955

Music Playlist via Entertainment Exchange for Reception/Cocktail Hour & Paul Bangser Duo via Bialek’s Music ceremony and dinner

Allison + Greg’s Newseum wedding – July 7, 2012

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I’ve been wanting to blog Allison + Greg’s wedding for a while now and it throws my world into a little bit of a tailspin when I post my weddings out of order. I was very excited about this wedding. This was my first Newseum wedding and it is by far my favorite museum in town. I’ve been there several times with my family and since my husband and I are/were both in the newspaper business, we’re like kids in a candy store when we’re there. Allison + Greg have such a great story.  They were briefly boyfriend and girlfriend in the 7th grade in the 1970s and through Facebook they reconnected in the last couple years and the rest as they say, is history. So the wedding was a true reflection of the scope of their relationship with amazing details like adorable place cards that looked like school library checkout cards, their junior high and high school diplomas on display, thei signature heart with initials inside, gluten-free cakes on several of the tables depicting some aspect of their lives both together and separately, a program containing a crossword puzzle all about the couple. Greg proposed to Allison through a crossword so there was a crossword cake and Greg work crossword cufflinks and a crossword tie. Seriously, not a detail was overlooked. Sara Bauleke and her team from Bella Notte transformed the space at the Newseum for a great party. The main floor was used for dinner and dancing and the gigantic screen played a bit part in the décor of the event. Slideshows ran during the first dance with photos of the couple in junior high school, high school, college, together, separate, right up to the present day. Also flashing on the screen was a screen grab from the initial FB contact between the two! It made for a really dramatic backdrop. As I was roaming the museum looking for fun vantage points I also came across the Newseum security control room and it just struck me as funny seeing all the dancing and the heart logo displayed on their multiple screen. And in case all that wasn’t enough, it was a rocking party—lots of oldies playing, a swing dance demonstration and lesson and a flash mob to Pink’s “Raise Your Glass.”

Event coordinator: Sara Bauleke/Bella Notte/703.979.5887 /sara@bellanottedc.com

Wedding and Reception: The Newseum

Site coordinator Jennifer Wilson/202.292.6254

Caterer Mary Cline, Director of Catering, The Newseum/202.292.6253

Florist John Duffy, Yellow Door/703.734.1137

Hair and makeup Circe Bridal Salon/703.519.8528

DJ Aaron Platt at Chris Laich Music Services/571.245.2700

Cakes Kendall’s Cakes/(703)-536-2200; Charm City Cakes/(410) 235-9229;

Paper and signage Paper Zest

 

Ginny + Barrie’s Hotel Monaco wedding – April 21 – Washington, DC

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Ginny and Barrie officially kick off my spring wedding season. I was very excited to be back at the Hotel Monaco after a couple years. Such a cool hotel. The biggest problem is narrowing down the great places to make pictures. Despite the dire predictions of rain, the weather held and we were able to inside and out and take full advantage of being right in the heart of downtown. Their first look took place on the hotel fabulous staircase. They were beyond excited to see each other. We had to remind Barrie to stop looking up the stairs before Ginny arrived and the look of joy on Ginny’s face when she saw her intended was just wonderful. They ceremony was well documented by me and my team but also by Barrie’s mom and stepdad who had better-than-the-average-amateur cameras. Canons, of course. Some of my favorite shots of the day came just after the ceremony. We went outside in front of the National Portrait to take a few more portraits and it reminded me why I like to take some photos after the ceremony. Ginny and Barrie were much more relaxed and even though it finally looked like it was going to rain, it made for just beautiful color. Finally, I need to give a shout out to Barrie’s brother’s who gave a thoroughly embarrassing best man speech. It resonated with me in particular after finding out that Barrie survived solely on toaster waffles and fake maple syrup as a kid. There’s a little boy in my house who could totally relate to that. And Barrie is living proof that you can eat that day in and day out and grow up to be a productive and healthy adult!

Wedding and reception and catering Hotel Monaco  Buddee Clinton /202.449.7014

Florist Barbara Von Elm/Growing Wild  540.364.6246

Hair Hair Salon Revive   202.232.1008

DJ Steve Hoffman/Good Note DJs  202.213.1977

Cupcakes Baked and Wired  202.333.5506

Photography: Deb Lindsey/ Mark Gail/Linda Wang

 

 

Tara + Stephen’s wedding – June 12, 2010

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For the entire month of June it seemed like every Wednesday and Thursday it was sunny and beautiful with low humidity and by the time Friday and Saturday rolled around it was 95 degrees with 100 percent humidity. Which is another argument for getting married in the middle of the week but alas, people tend to want to do it on the weekend! Tara and Stephen’s wedding day was no exception. Hot, sunny, humid. But their calming water themed wedding made it not feel so bad. The day was full of meaningful touches. Tara’s veil was made from the wedding dress of her late mother. The church they were married in was built by Tara’s dad. Lucky for me it was a beautiful and light-filled sanctuary. As Tara and her father came through the massive wooden front door of the church, Stephen teared up. There’s nothing I like better at a wedding than a crying groom. I love the emotion! And every once in awhile he’s take Tara’s hand and kiss it. And through a good part of the ceremony, the bridesmaids were crying as well. For a whimsical touch, they had cupcakes for their guests waiting outside the church after the ceremony. We limoed to Old Town Alexandria for some waterfront photos and got caught in a little rain. Luckily it blew right over and by the time we got to Indigo Landing, the sun had returned and were were able to do shoreline shots there as well. It was a great reception with dancing under a tent overlooking the Potomac River and in the distance the bright lights of the city.

And the vendors who helped make it happen:

Florist: Occasional Flowers, Tonya Evans,

DJ: Norman Voss

Indigo Landing Restaurant

Hotel Monaco, Old Town Alexandria

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Potomac, Maryland

and a special shout out to the bride who did the centerpieces at the reception herself and did a wonderful job on carrying out the water theme!

Michelle + David’s wedding – May 15, 2010

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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