Posts
Maggie + Roy’s elopement – Washington, DC
I knew I wanted to photograph Maggie + Roy’s wedding/elopement as soon as we started to talk on the phone. She told me it would just be the two of them, a photographer and an officiant. I love little weddings. Maybe because I had one myself but it’s hard to beat the intimacy of two people standing up just for themselves, holding hands and proclaiming their love. And in Maggie’s case, crying a little. I had so much fun walking around with them after the ceremony, just making pretty pictures. And it was a big bonus that their apartment building had such a cool lobby. It was a like a bridal portrait session with the best models ever…two people in love.
Ariana + Al’s wedding – Goose Creek Gardens + Pavillion – Ashburn, Virginia
It’s hard to predict in any given year how many weddings I’ll photograph and which will be my busiest months. Early spring is not generally the most popular time but this year seems to be the exception. And that fact that Ariana found me less than a month before her wedding was a pleasant surprise in an already busy April. And I was especially pleased to find out that she’d been following my work since I photographed her former co-worker Lindsay Nalevanko’s wedding in 2008. And as any frequent blog reader would know, this the same Lindsay who has referred more Virginia Tech brides to me than I can count! Ariana and Al’s wedding was an great mix of Persian and Midwestern culture and made for a very interesting wedding ceremony. The highlight (at least photographically) was the couple at the Sofreh, the elaborate floor spread of food and symbolic decorations. As they sit under a canopy, women who are happily married take sugar cones and softly grind them together above the bride and bridegroom’s head as one of several assurances of a sweet life together. All was going according to tradition until the canopy drooped lower and lower until Ariana was completely hunched over and laughing. It’s definitely one of my favorite photos of the day. There were a few other mishaps during the ceremony—a mirror and a light knocked over, Dad stepping on Ariana’s train—but the couple took it all in with humor. The groom’s Midwest roots were on display with the reception tables named for Ohio sports heros past and present and a bottle of Cleveland whisky and Great Lakes Beer. There was a delicious Persian buffet, lots of Persian dancing on the dance floor and after cutting the cake the couple was showered with rose petals and they danced. I was warned before the wedding that it would be hard to get Al to smile in photos…being photographed is not one of his favorite things. I’m happy to report that I succeeded more than once although I heard later that his gift to Ariana was that he would smile in photos all day long. He was pretty happy…I don’t think he had to try that hard…
Wedding and reception site Goose Creek Gardens & Pavillion, Ashburn, Virginia 703.801.0801
Caterer Farzaneh Catering, Fairfax, Virginia 703.402.5671
Florist Maryam Flowers, Fairfax, Virginia 703.980.2034
Music Violin Soloist during ceremony and cocktail – Chelle Fiddler, 301.366.5579 and DJ Dariush 240.372.8388
Cake Custom Cakes & Confections, 703.326.9235
Patricia + Damon’s winter wedding – Washington, DC
It takes a very chill bride to get married in late February in Washington, DC. That describes Patricia perfectly. What she and Damon got for their wedding day was a typical late winter day around here with a couple lucky breaks. It started as a rainy, misty chilly day but amazingly as soon we headed out from the JW Marriott to Freedom Plaza to attempt a first look between the raindrops–the sky cleared and the sun even popped out for a moment. It was still a little cold but not unbearable. That made the first look, bridal party photos and their couple portraits at both Freedom Plaza and around the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center much more fun and definitely preferable to doing everything inside. I particularly loved the pops of red from Damon’s cufflinks to the red socks for the groomsmen and rich red bouquets–they looked so great against the grayish day. After a lovely ceremony in the Horizon Ballroom guests headed upstairs to the Rotunda, a very interesting room with a wraparound exterior balcony overlooking DC. The room was highlighted by red roses and bamboo centerpieces as a tribute to Patricia’s heritage. And as a special treat for their guests, fortune cookies with trivia about themselves inside. They also made for a cute ring shot–and were delicious…I just had to eat the one we crumbled for the shot!
- Event coordinator Annette Colflesh The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
- Caterer Ronald Reagan building
- Florist MultiFlor 703.465.0090
- Hair and makeup Smitten Salon 571.527.0200
- DJ Michael Bell –MyDeejay, Inc.
- Cake Breeze Bakery Cafe 703.462.9093
Lindsey + Andrew’s wedding – The Fairmont Hotel Washington – Washington, DC
Lindsey and Andrew have the honor of being my last wedding of 2012. They were also my second wedding in two weeks at the Fairmont Hotel Washington in Georgetown. Their day presented a couple challenges…the biggest one was that Daylight Savings time was history and they are a very traditional couple with an evening ceremony. Which meant no seeing each other before the wedding. Lindsey came up with the solution of a few minutes of talking to her husband-to-be behind their hotel suite door. Lindsey was a very expressive bride and two of my favorite photos of her happened right at the start of the ceremony. It was the look of pure joy and excitement as she walked down the aisle and saw Andrew and the quick wink she gave to her mother when she was just about to be handed off by her father. Their ceremony was the first time I’d been in the downstairs ballroom and it was lovely for both the wedding and the reception. The flower arrangements were gorgeous and unique and a great complement to their grey and yellow theme colors. And a special thanks to wedding planner Merril Ridgway who made the day go smoothly.
And a great big thanks as well to all who made 2012 such a wonderful year of weddings. From my fabulous second shooters to the great venues I was got to photograph and especially to all my wonderful brides and grooms who chose me to make the photographic memories of their big day. It was great fun, made for some wonderful photographs and I look forward to all my new couples and new challenges in 2013. The blog will be a little less regular in my offseason (except for some portraits and mitzvahs) but keep an eye out for my photos in The Washington Post‘s food section. The holiday cookie section (a personal favorite) is coming out soon and if you ever want to know if a recipe was as good as it looks, drop me a line. I get to taste most of them!
Event Planner Merril Ridgway 571.294.6477
Wedding and Reception site The Fairmont Washington Mark Medrick 202.429.2400
Florals and Décor Capital Décor and Events 443.465.7118
Equipment: Party Rentals Ltd 301.440.8761
Cocktail/Reception Music Round Midnight 410.340.9243
Hair and Makeup Carola Myers 571.214.5558
Wedding Cake Fancy Cakes by Leslie 301.652.9390
Invitations and Additional Paper Pieces Instinct Design 703.323.5781
Photography Deb Lindsey Photography 202.412.8909
Katie + Jake’s DC wedding – The Fairmont Hotel Washington – Washington, DC
One last post before Thanksgiving is officially upon us! Katie + Jake got married on one of the most popular wedding dates of the fall–November 3. Not sure why…no numerical reason a la 9.10.11…but there is something special about the first weekend in November in DC or maybe it’s because it’s the last weekend before the time change. The couple now lives in Richmond but they had such a fun and elegant and thoroughly DC day. Beginning and ending at The Fairmont Hotel Washington, we only had to make a quick trip to the church near GWU. The first thing that struck me about the church was the massive stained glass wall over the front door. I’m so glad we had a few minutes to make what has become one of my favorite photos of the year. The day was just a tad on the chilly side (OK, it was cold!) as we headed out to Upper Senate Park to make some iconic DC photos. The bridesmaids were troopers in their short strapless dresses as the wind whipped through them…one shot made by my fabulous 2nd shooter, Mark Gail, was the girls scrambling for their coats as soon as I told them they were done. The other shot from there that I love is how the groomsmen all gathered around the bride while I shot the groom + the bridesmaids. Just that natural protective instinct! Back to the hotel for a very fun party and my 2nd favorite photo of the day…the amazing courtyard at night and a spontaneous kiss that to me just summed up Katie + Jake’s happiness.
Ceremony Saint Stephen Martyr Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Reception + Catering Fairmont Hotel/Mark Medrick/202.429.2400
Florist Yellow Door Floral Designs/703.734.1137
Hair and makeup Bride – Alexandra Wear/240.463.4234 /Bridesmaids – http://www.bridalartistryDC.com/Barbara Hill 703.380.9961
Band 10 Spot /434.321.4779
Cake Fluffy Thoughts 703.942.5538
Debbie + Paul’s elegant Georgetown wedding – Four Seasons, Washington, DC – October 28, 2012
Debbie + Paul were wedding number two for me on the last weekend in October. Which under normal circumstances is an incredibly lovely time to get married in Washington. But with Hurricane Sandy forecast to be making a beeline for the middle Atlantic things looked a little dicey. The very good news for us was that the skies looked threatening but nothing started until we were safely in the ballroom during the ceremony. We were able to roam the streets of Georgetown a bit and do all the portraits outside. Unfortunately it impacted the wedding a bit with some guests unable to attend but Debbie + Paul’s enthusiasm for their day wasn’t dimmed a bit. Both of them are huge sports fans…DC in particular but UNC for Debbie as well. Their photobooth was well stocked with Wizards and Caps gear—the Rock the Red towel made for a fun ring shot. The band kept the dance floor crowded ..culminated with the couple on stage singing along.
Wedding and Reception Four Seasons Georgetown/202.944.2015
Florist Greenworks/202.265.3335
Hair and makeup Bridal Beauty Associates/703.334.6711
Band/DJ Rollex
Kathleen + Chris’ Chevy Chase wedding – October 27, 2012
It’s hard not to admire a family that knows exactly what they want. By the time Kathleen and Chris got married on October 27, her family had been through this three previous times with Kathleen’s sisters. Each time the girls were married at Blessed Sacrament in Chevy Chase—just blocks from their house—with the reception at Chevy Chase Club. Special thanks to Kathleen’s dad who kept the trains running on time all day long. It may have been only blocks between home, church and reception but moving a large bridal party can be like herding cats. The day started at Kathleen’s family home with “Going to the Chapel” playing on a loop on the front porch of the house. One of my favorite little details from the house was the sign Kathleen had posted about all the things she was going to miss about living at home. After the ceremony it was a quick bus trip (with champagne) to the Club. We lucked into a gorgeous fall day with wonderful yellow leaves strewn across the back lawn. Needless to say, I took full advantage of the foliage. And in what I now know is Georgetown Visitation tradition (all the bride’s family when there!), the party was rocking. Particularly amusing was when the band handed out microphones so everyone could channel their inner rock star. The evening concluded with the last dance with paper flower petals thrown. In what I think was supposed to be a solo dance, the couple instead was mobbed on the floor for one last rollicking song.
Ceremony Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Chevy Chase, MD
Reception, Catering & Cake Chevy Chase Club, Site coordinator: Leanne Hartzell 301.652.8105
Flowers Lilac Lane Designs, Chevy Chase, MD, owner Sue Vita
Hair PR at Partners for Hair, Friendship Heights
Makeup Kathy Schultz at Blend
Band Amaretto Band– David Norris
Nicole + Michael’s wedding – October 13, 2012 – Vienna, VA and Washington Golf and Country Club, Arlington, VA
Finally–a swimming bride! That sounds like an odd statement but considering how immersed my family has become in swimming over the last 4-5 years I felt like I’d met kindred spirits in Nicole and her mom. Nicole is a swim coach for York Swim Club in Arlington, a group that my kids see often at swim meets in the metropolitan area. We both live in the world of swim practice, meets, chlorine and carpools. Nicole’s bridal party was a great reflection lasting friendships formed at the pool—they all were swimmers. I have great admiration for these coaches who like teachers play such a critical role in the lives of the young kids they spend time with daily.
Enough about swimming, on to the wedding! Nicole and Michael picked a glorious fall day to get married in their hometown of Vienna. I was a little jealous of the groom and groomsmen who got to go to the Vienna Inn before the ceremony. That’s another long story for a different blog post but I used to hang out there—more for the atmosphere than the famous chili dogs. The day started with a lovely ceremony at Vienna Presbyterian Church followed by a little hiking around the church for portraits and then the trip to Washington Golf and Country Club for the reception. It’d been a couple years since I’d been there and I was happy to make good use of the white Adirondack chairs and the balcony with columns overlooking the golf course. And one last swimming note and maybe a cautionary lesson for me…those swimmers (and everyone else there) know how to have a good time. The dance floor was packed all night long and yes, I saw the York group having a particularly good time!!
Ceremony Vienna Presbyterian Church, Vienna, VA
Reception Washington Golf and Country Club, Arlington, VA, 703.524.4600
Florist Kathy McGuiness 703.523.3114
Hair Betsy Allen – 703.389.0280
Make-up –Marti Wright 703.282.1347
Band Keynote – 410.697.4931
Cake Pastries by Randolph 703.243.0070
Heidi + Brian’s wedding – October 6, 2012 – Gaithersburg, Maryland
I’m sure I first saw Heidi several years ago at her best friend’s Jackie’s wedding. Jackie and Sean’s wedding was one of the first I photographed after starting my own business. It definitely felt like a family affair when Julia, another former bride–and Jackie’s sister –did Heidi’s wedding day makeup (impeccably I might add). Jackie and Sean’s adorable daughter Kaelyn was the flower girl. Heidi and Brian are such a fun couple and their wedding day was filled with laughs. Starting with the bride’s walk down the aisle. Kaelyn made it down the aisle but didn’t throw any rose petals. Luckily Heidi’s dad had snagged a few and threw them as they walked. Heidi and Brian were very expressive and laughed a lot during the ceremony until the tears began to flow as the couple made their presentation to the Virgin Mary. I’d like to give a shout out to Heidi who was totally agreeable to getting into a swan paddle boat in her wedding dress. The Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg adjacent to their reception site has a little lake and I thought it would be a very cool picture. It turned out to be of my favorites of the day and she didn’t hesitate for a bit. Heidi is a kickboxer and she and Brian incorporated that into their reception entrance. Brian came out first and was handed a pad while Heidi ran in, purple boxing gloves on for a friendly one-two punch. The dance floor was rocking all night and it was the first time—and not the last for this wedding season—I’d seen everyone doing the dance to “Gangam Style.” And I’m not usually a huge fan of the bouquet and garter toss but the sequence of Brian taking the garter off was great and the garter part of the ritual is usually uncomfortable and quick. This time, the couple was an actual couple and boy, did he get into it! Again, it made for funny photos. One thing that made me laugh out loud as I was editing the wedding photos was something I didn’t notice while I was shooting. Heidi’s Grammy—who spent a good part of the night on the dance floor—is in the single girl line up to catch the bouquet!!
Wedding ceremony: St. Francis of Assisi Church, 6701 Muncaster Mill Rd. Derwood, MD
Reception site & caterer: Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, MD/301.590.0044
Caterer: Marriott
Florist: Edge Event Designers/301.330.5232
Hair and makeup: Kindle and Boom/Nancy 301.770.0404 Jackie’s sister (Julia)
DJ: Jason Wallace, Absolute Entertainment/443.621.9260
Cake: Custom Cake Design/301.216.1100