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Christine + Michael’s wedding – The Fairmont Hotel

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I’ve got some restrictions on what I can show from Christine + Michael’s lovely wedding at Holy Rosary Church and the Fairmont Hotel but I wanted to share some of Christine’s portraits. They had a very small bridal party so we had time built into the schedule to do a half hour session with just the bride in the lobby of the hotel. She had a pretty reception venue with lots of natural light. It was a gorgeous day but we did everything inside and just had fun with it. It was a treat for me because I usually grab my bride portraits before we leave the hotel or they wait until later in the day when I’m doing the couple solo photos. I loved her big poufy blush-colored dress. She looked like a princess and we did several shots that maximized the volume of the dress. So allow a little extra time for a nice bridal portrait–you won’t regret it!

a few engagements

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Just a random sampling of recent engagement shoots to start off the week! I was thrilled to finally photograph Ashley and Michael. We’ve tried to do this at least twice before and were plagued with lousy weather. It was worth waiting for! We wandered around the Mall and found some great locations and for at least part of the time had some fabulous light. I love the photos we got and can’t wait ’til their wedding in October in DC. I also had the pleasure of photographing Susie and Gabe in NYC in August in their upper West Side neighborhood and Central Park. I was ably assisted by my son Wyatt who proved to be a minor distraction and then ultimately no help at all once we made it to Bethesda Fountain and ran across some folks blowing gigantic bubbles. After that, he was done! I’ll have the pleasure of shooting Susie and Gabe’s wedding in Washington in December.  I recently got a chance to catch up with Uzma and Aman who’s wedding I shot last year. Rather than do an engagement shoot, we decided to do an after-the-wedding shoot in Reston several months after the big day. I’m happy to report they are doing well and are (obviously) very happy! 

Matt + Paul’s wedding – July 11, 2010

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I was very excited to be shooting my first legal gay wedding in DC. Matt and Paul’s wedding was a beautiful and reverant day filled with music and family and friends. Unlike most of my weddings, I didn’t shoot any preparation photos before the ceremony so the first glimpse I got of the couple was as they entered the church arm and arm. Before the ceremony they snuck away into the balcony, framed by a huge stained glass window so they could watch their guests and make an entrance after the ceremony had started. They came down the aisle together, beaming and holding hands—that’s one of my favorite photos from the day. Paul’s love of music was evident as friends performed during the ceremony. As they were pronounced legally wed, they made their way back up the aisle and sang one last song as they faced their guests near the doors to the church. It was a really nice way to be able to acknowledge everyone who came to the church and to take in the moment. Their reception at the Washington Arts Club was a big cocktail party—none of those pesky formal photos to be taken, I just had fun shooting everyone talking and dancing and having a good time.

Katie Martin of Elegance and Simplicity Wedding and Event Designers, Inc. sent Matt and Paul my way and did all the planning and flowers for the event. As always, it was gorgeous and ran like clockwork!

Other vendors who made Matt and Paul’s day special:

Church: Augustana Lutheran church, Pastor John Kidd

Cake: Cakes by Design

Music: Interlude Swing Band

Reception: Washington Arts Club

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

Rebecca + Kevin engagement

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I’m going a little bit out of order here but will be posting Michelle + David’s 5-15 wedding tomorrow. Kevin and Rebecca and I had fun wandering around the Mall last Sunday (5-16) trying to capture the amazing late day light. We stopped at the World War I memorial, an old favorite of mine and then headed over to World War II. I’d never shot there before other than just wandering around with the family so it was a pleasant surprise to find the vantage point with the Lincoln Memorial. I remembered it from Bill O’Leary’s fabulous coverage of the opening of the memorial so I’ll give credit where it’s due. But it made a cool photo. This was my first time meeting Kevin and he’s kept me laughing. More importantly, he keeps Rebecca laughing and I know their September wedding at Oatlands is going to be a blast!

Anna + Tim engagement photos

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Driving to the National Cathedral on May 2 I kept a close eye on the skies. The further I got down Mass. Ave. the brighter the skies but it still looked pretty overcast. And I really like to shoot my engagement shots on bright sunny days! Luckily, the clouds broke just in time for my shoot with Anna and Tim. Anna looked gorgeous in her wedding makeup (not too much and she looks great without it too!) and she and Tim had a spring-y theme going on that worked well in the flower gardens next to the Cathedral. It’s one of my favorite places for engagements shoots–every time I’m there I discover a new little spot around the grounds that makes for a nice photo. The challenge with Anna and Tim is their height difference…she’s about 5’3″ and he’s got to be at last 6’7″. I particularly liked the shots of Tim by the little bitty stone archway on the side of the Cathedral ground. He couldn’t even stand upright. But we had fun shooting and getting to know each other a bit. Tim is very funny and I just love the way he looks at his soon-to-be bride. I’m definitely looking forward to shooting their wedding on September 5.

Janine + Ajit engagement

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Let’s start with full disclosure. I am not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. But sometimes, just sometimes, I have to get up early. And I appreciate it that Janine and Ajit made it fun for me. And some cupcakes definitely helped! We started out bright and early in Georgetown along the canal and Cady’s Alley and then strolled down M St. to the Old Stone House. A couple bright sides to getting up early…no problem parking in Gtown, no traffic and my shooting day is done by 10:30! Conveniently I’d parked my car near Georgetown Cupcake which I’d just discovered (very belatedly, I know) a few weeks earlier at Pam + Josh’s engagement shoot and I thought it would be fun to incorporate cupcakes into one of our shots. It turns out that Janine + Ajit were huge cupcake fans and we’re all for it. So we waiting in line for a few minutes before they opened at 10 and then had the bright idea to ask if we could scoot in early to do some shooting. And it only costs them a dozen red velvet cupcakes! A bargain!! I really had a great time shooting and talking and sharing various obsessions (The Wire for example) and I’m hoping Janine + Ajit like the photos as much as I do. I’m really looking forward to their bicultural wedding in July.