Maryland Archives - Page 7 of 8 - Deb Lindsey Photography

Yuan + Jonathan’s Rockville wedding and DC reception

October 11, 2011/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

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

Kristen + Victor’s Turf Valley wedding

September 18, 2011/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

For most of us in the wedding business 9-10-11 was a can’t miss date. Kristen and Victor realized the popularity of their date and came to me early via one of my trusted second shooters Ricky Carioti. Ricky had grown up with Kristen and her brothers in Hyattsville and so he sent them my way. It was especially fun for me (and I think for Kristen and her family) that Ricky was there helping me throughout the day. After a week of horrendous rains, the wedding date dawned bright and sunny (and a little warm). But we were happy to have it! Kristin and Victor win my award for the biggest bridal party I think I’ve ever shot—29 in all including bridesmaids, groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, flower girls and ring bearer. I loved the ring bearer—he was adorable in his little shorts and bow tie! It was interesting to watch Victor as Kristen waiting off to the side of the ceremony area for her bridesmaids to come down the aisle. He was trying as hard as possible not to see her until she was really on her way down the aisle. One of the highlights from the day for me was Victor and his mother’s mother-son dance. She was crying during their song and I have to admit, it got to me. This is the one point in the day that I tend to get emotional…it’s the dance I can envision with my son one day. But I was wiping away tears watching them. It’s obviously a close relationship and made for a good photo—I was crying but not hard enough to miss the shot!!

Wedding and reception site and caterer Turf Valley Resort

Florist Nancy Wyandt

Makeup Holly Tolino

Hair Erica Ritchie

DJ Crow Entertainment, CJ Curtis

Cake Sugar Bakers

Engagements!

August 19, 2011/in Engagements /by lindseydeb

I know there’s been a lot of blog silence from me this summer. I had a very leisurely mid-July through mid-August and that allowed me to get almost completely caught up. Galleries and albums and blog submissions–oh my! Anyway, I have been horribly remiss in posting any engagement photos shot this summer so here they are. I can’t wait to catch up with all these wonderful couples for their fall weddings. Keep an eye out for more regular postings as my fall season gets underway starting with Maura + Pat’s wedding coming up tomorrow!!

On another not really related note–I’m now tweeting so if you’re on Twitter please follow me @deb_lindsey.

Katy + Paul’s Strong Mansion wedding – May 14, 2011

May 26, 2011/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Katy and Paul’s wedding was my second time at Strong Mansion in the month of May. And unfortunately, just like the first one, the forecast was not promising. Spitting rain, drizzle and an ominous forecast for later in the day had me more upset than usual. There’s always a rain plan but Strong Mansion is such a gorgeous place, it seemed criminal to have to shoot the ceremony inside a tent! As I waited with Paul by the stone steps for Katy to sneak up behind him for their first look, I heard her voice from the house telling the caterer that unless it was raining, raining…the ceremony would be outside. A woman after my own heart! The other thing that struck me as I waited with Paul is that at the sound of Katy’s voice, he burst into the broadest smile. And that smile didn’t let up the whole day—except for maybe a few emotional moments during the ceremony. After the ceremony the bridal party headed down to the lower garden on the grounds and we took a ton of fun shots. I’m not usually a big fan on formal group shots but this group was game for anything. I don’t do many jumping shots at weddings but they ended up being among my favorites of the day. Special thanks to my wonderful second photographer Ricky Carioti who carted my light up and down the big hill and held back tree branches so I could get my shots. And there was a four-legged member of the bridal party as well. Katy’s dog Chloe. She was walked down the aisle, greeted the newlyweds right after their vows (one of my favorite shots from the day) and even looked weary at the end of a long night of partying. Oh, and it started to pour about 8 p.m.—just in time for dinner and dancing under the tent. So no one even seemed to notice.

Those helping Katy + Paul with their special day:

Wedding and reception: Strong Mansion

Food and cake: Canapes

Flowers: Blossom and Basket

DJ: Shew-sical Entertainment

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Sarah + Mikey’s Buddhist and Woodend weddings – May 6+7, 2011

May 19, 2011/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

My departure almost a year ago (!!) from the Post was the event that brought Sarah and I together. In my email to the newsroom saying goodbye, I happened to mention that if anyone needed a wedding photographer to be sure and give me a call. Sarah’s response was pretty quick for her wedding to Mikey the following year. We’d managed to work in the same newsroom and never had a chance to meet before. I was excited about Sarah + Mikey’s wedding since it was a two parter—Friday morning a Buddhist ceremony to honor Mikey’s heritage and on Saturday morning a Jewish ceremony for Sarah’s. This was my first experience with a Buddhist ceremony and it didn’t disappoint. The monks chanted and the couple and the guests sat on the floor. A lovely part of the ceremony was when the couple bowed to their parents and grandparents, to show their respect. After the monks were fed, there was a delicious Burmese lunch and that concluded the festivities for Friday. The weather totally cooperated for the Saturday morning Woodend ceremony. After Sarah made her way down the aisle to the Beatles “Here Comes the Sun,” their ceremony was emotional (both cried) and funny (Mikey took a couple tries to break the glass). As a send off, Sarah and Mikey left in Sarah’s red Mini that had been appropriately decorated. But first they had to run the gauntlet of their guests throwing sunflower seeds. Those suckers are pretty big and showed up nicely in photos—those are some of my favorites from the day! I was especially thrilled to have the help of Jonathan Newton at the last minute as my second shooter. He made some amazing photos.

Making Sarah + Mikey’s day fabulous were:

Janice Carnevale at Bellweather Events

Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chast

Caterer: Marco Polo

Cake: Cakes Plus

Ceremony musicians: Elan Artists

Officiant: Harold White

Reception entertainment: Jeff Furnas at MyDeejay

Flowers: Fiore Floral

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Abi + Eileen’s Strong Mansion wedding – May 1, 2011

May 12, 2011/in Gay Weddings, Weddings /by lindseydeb

Abi and Eileen’s (collectively known as Abileen) true wedding day was actually the day before their celebration at Strong Mansion near Sugarloaf Mountain. Since same sex marriage isn’t legal in Maryland, they had a small ceremony the day before in DC. Rabbi Fred performed both ceremonies but waited to officially sign the marriage certificate during the Ketubah signing on Sunday with all friends and family there to witness. Abi and Eileen’s day started with them getting ready together and helping each other pick our their jewelry for the day and their shoes. Eileen wore a necklace that belonged to Abi’s mother and Abi wore a Richard Nixon tie clip that had belonged to Eileen’s father on the bow of her dress! The most unfortunate part of the day was that the weather didn’t cooperate. Both women were great about doing their portraits in the drizzle but it was just too much to ask everyone to sit outside in the rain for the ceremony. So it was moved inside the house which turned out to be lovely. Highlights of the ceremony for me were the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors that decided who would place the antique house ring on whose finger first. The rings themselves were very cool…literally houses and they’d been in Abi’s family forever. The real rings went missing during the ceremony so they had a very intimate ring exchange during their Yechud (private time) with only me as a witness. The other shot from the ceremony that I loved was the two of them simultaneously breaking the glass. The reception really got underway with the Hora and the look on Eileen’s face while she was on the chair, was priceless. The guests entertained the two of them while everyone clapped and cheered. Right before the pie cutting (a beautiful heart shaped strawberry-rhubarb pie), the brides entertained their guests with a rendition of “Abba Dabba Honeymoon” on the ukelele.

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Uta + Will’s wedding – November 26, 2010

December 8, 2010/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

While everyone was hitting the stores for Black Friday, Uta and Will decided to get married. Their celebration is not my smallest wedding ever (that honor goes to Melissa and Craig’s wedding where I was the witness!) but it’s close. There were less than twenty people gathered at the little chapel on the campus of St. Alban’s, including Rev. Hundley, the organist and me, but the warm little sanctuary turned out to be the perfect spot for a family-only wedding. Uta beamed as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her dad while Will looked a teensy bit nervous before she made her appearance. I was originally told there would be no photos allowed but since it was such a small crowd I got permission to stay in the back and capture the joy. My favorite part of the short day was wandering around the grounds of the National Cathedral with the couple after the ceremony. It was getting colder and dark but the two of them didn’t seem to mind. As I was editing the photos it seemed like I had a lot of kissing shots. I think that captures the two of them perfectly. Will couldn’t stop kissing his bride. After the portraits, we headed to Columbia Country Club for a lovely family dinner and a Power Point slide show that was a joint effort between both sets of parents, documenting where Uta and Will came from, how they met and how their lives are now intertwined.

Christine + Ted’s wedding – October 23, 2010

November 16, 2010/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

I remember very clearly the first phone call I had from Christine. I was scouting River Farm for the April wedding of Lesley and Chris when she called. It was a gorgeous day and I found a bench overlooking the Potomac River and she proceeded to tell me about her plans. And it was a glorious day in October for Ted and Christine’s Baltimore wedding. The theme of the day was sort of the clash between Baltimore where she grew up and St. Louis where Ted is from. That was reflected in the programs and particularly in the beer served at the reception and the one must have photo was the bride and groom with their respective hometown beers! The ceremony was in the beautiful and historical Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in downtown Baltimore. I think the only ones not crying were Ted and Christine…I saw Mom, Dad and Grandma with tears. That actually continued during the reception with Christine’s sister Ali crying during the toasts and eventually even Christine was tearing up as well. One part of the evening that seemed to have half the audience crying was the couple’s first dance which was the song “Landslide” sung by Christine’s sister Ali. There’s really not much better than a wedding with a lot of happy tears. The reception was at a private home in Baltimore County that belongs to a family friend of Christine’s. The house itself was stunning and the big tent in the backyard was intimate and perfect for the rocking reception. And as always, it was a pleasure to work with Katherine Frey as my second shooter.

Thanks to the fabulous Elizabeth Duncan for a) sending Christine and Ted my way in the first place and b) making sure everything ran smoothly in both the planning of the day and the wedding itself. Check out Elizabeth’s new venture: Elizabeth Duncan Events. And I just want to mention that Christine’s gardenia bouquet made by florist Phillipa Tarrant was beautiful and smelled amazing. Unfortunately the flowers turn brown very quickly which is why they aren’t generally in bouquets but while it lasted it was gorgeous.

Kerry + Danny’s wedding – September 18, 2010

October 8, 2010/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

I knew as soon as I met Kerry and Danny that I wanted to photograph their wedding. And not just because it was going to be in Potomac! They are so adorable together and have a wonderful energy and were really excited about having me photograph their day for them. We didn’t do an engagement shoot but I did get to spend time with them as we met over details for the wedding and I knew it was going to be a blast.

By the time I arrived at Kerry’s parents house the place was buzzing with family and kids and bridesmaids. There’s something that’s kind of special about getting ready in the house you grew up in. I was thrilled to be shooting with Michael Connor again and he got to spend time with Danny and the boys at the church before the service. Special gifts for the groom included a Jose Canseco bat and a couple Shake Weights. That made for some pretty humorous photos on the bus ride back to Potomac.

The church service was sweet and funny and especially lovely when the groom’s sister sang at the opening and closing of the ceremony. The priest also added some humor joking about the very large Catholic families both bride and groom come from. I believe it’s 10 siblings for Kerry’s mom and 11 for Danny’s dad. If that’s not right, it’s close. And it also explains the extended family group shots after the ceremony of 75 people each. I think it wins the award for my largest group shots that didn’t include everyone attending On our way back to Potomac we commandeered Bethesda Row for some group shots and then headed to the Bolger Center for the reception. A few highlights night for me were the father-daughter dance, the brother of the groom toast and being sandwiched danced by two of Danny’s friends right before I left. Actually, I don’t think the last one was a highlight—more like a first time for me. Kerry’s dad had been very ill about a year ago and when they danced together, there were few dry eyes in the house. As I was shooting I noticed the whole family crying at the side of the dance floor and it’s one of my favorite moments on the night. And the groom’s brother’s toast was a standout—lots of inside baseball stuff but the first time I’ve heard “The Wire” referenced at a wedding. And Danny’s parents reaction to the speech also made some lovely photos.

And I was happy that I had a few minutes at the reception to catch up with Kristina and John whose wedding led Kerry and Danny to me in the first place. Gotta love that Gonzaga connection.

The people and places making their day special:

Ceremony: Annunciation Catholic Church

Reception: Annette Fulmore at the Bolger Center in Potomac, MD

Florist: Tierra Floral Design

Dee Jay: Brendan Kelley

Cake: Marry Cakes by the Sea

Anna + Tim’s wedding – Columbia Country Club

October 4, 2010/in Weddings /by lindseydeb

Anna and Tim’s Labor Day Sunday wedding was part two of my double header weekend. It was another glorious day as Anna and her bridesmaids walked from her parents house to the church. We were under very tight restrictions at the church (no photos basically) but with the help of my second shooter the wonderful Jonathan Newton, we managed to make a few photos from the balcony. But the rest of the day made up for the lack of photos at the church. The reception at Columbia Country Club was gorgeous. I loved the big chandelier in the ballroom and the backdrop of the golf course for the group photos. And the party was very high energy, with a particularly raucous garter toss. It was a first for me to see the groom wearing at various points in the day both the veil and the garter.

One very cute detail from the wedding were the red Adironack chairs. There were little red chairs as card holders at the tables and a large one was on display in the lobby of the club. Anna and Tim met as students at Dickinson College where there are red Adirondack chairs all over the campus. At the very end of the evening Tim and his groomsmen dragged the big chair outside so I could make a romantic portrait of the happy couple sitting together. You don’t see much of the chair but I liked the resulting photo!

And as a final note, I realized as I was editing the photos that I shot more vertical photos at this wedding than I think I ever have before. I guess that’s what happens when the groom is at least a foot taller than the bride (and she was wearing killer heels!).

And some of the folks who made it a great day:

Christ Episcopal Church, Kensington, Maryland

Columbia Country Club

DJ: Washington Talent, Doug Sandler
Flowers: Philippa Tarrant
Cake: Just Cakes
Dress: Hitched
Bridesmaids: J. Crew
Make up: Lauren Miller
Hair: Whitney Neier