The joy of doing a session after the wedding day is that there are no limits.  No location limits, no time limits…just the bride, groom, me and our creativity.  Claire and Jav wanted something really different from their wedding day photos – urban, but not traditional.  They didn’t want your “typical” DC, do the three of us headed to the U Street corridor to have some fun.

It was an unusual summer day.  I expect mid-July in DC to be hot, sticky…unbearable really.  The kind of day that as a wedding photographer, I sometimes dread.  Instead, a light breeze stifled the heat, despite the fact that the sun was out in full force.  As I arrived at the Grand Hyatt on H St, I was in remarkable good spirits.  It could have been the weather.  It could have been because I was anxiously looking forward to photographing at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.  More likely though, it was because I was getting to spend the day with Claire and Jav.

Claire and Jav have smiles that light up a room.  They have soft voices and loud laughs.  They are reserved, yet openly affectionate with each other.  They have immaculate taste, yet are so laid back that they will trust you in a way that not everyone can trust other individuals, especially when they know exactly what they want.  In one short sentence, they are pure joy to be around.

Much like Claire and Jav, their wedding day started out quiet and reserved and finished loud and with a bang.  From the quiet, peaceful suite where Claire slipped into her wedding gown to the final hours at the Corcoran where that delicate fabric, pinned and laced with 5, 10 and 20 dollar bills, floated across the dance floor to the amazing musical talents of Lost in Paris, everything about July 16th was painted with Claire and Jav’s immaculate taste and style…and personality.

It was an unforgettable summer day in DC.

Ceremony: St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Reception: Corcoran Gallery of Art

Caterer: Well Dunn

Florals: L’Artisan Lily

Cake Designer: Pasty Xpo

Music: Sage String and Lost in Paris

Make-Up: Blend

The perfect Fall afternoon.  A simple, outdoor ceremony on the lawn.  Dinner under the stars.  A rock’n band.  Oh.  And Food Trucks.

I completely heart this wedding…

As I walk in Julie and Justin’s cozy townhouse in Old Town, Alexandria, I immediately notice the framed photograph sitting on their side table in the family room.  It’s unmistakable a photograph from their wedding day – a moment captured during their first dance to be precise.  Julie is laughing and Justin is looking lovingly at her in the frame.  I start humming their first dance song, “God Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, in my head and remember clearly and vividly that sunny (and hot) day just over 3 years ago in Bristol, Rhode Island.  I remember the carriage house, lit up with paper laterns and the brick walls echoing the music as Julie and Justin danced around the floor.  I remember the exact moment that the frame was captured, because I took it.

To be in Julie and Justin’s home 3 years later to capture this next chapter in their lives is something beyond words.  It’s something I think about often but rarely vocalize.  On the outside, I’m a photographer – I take pretty photographs and I create art –  but inside, I know it’s more than that.  It was written all over Julie and Justin’s house in that one single frame sitting quietly in their family room.

As Julie and Justin’s next chapter begins, I feel lucky to be there again.  Especially since Eleanor Kathleen is the cutest little peanut I’ve ever seen!  She’s so tiny and I think she’s going to have her mother’s beautiful smile and her father’s kind eyes.

Meghan and Matt were married last weekend at Trump National Golf Course.  Meghan looked amazing in her dress and when Matt saw her coming down the aisle for the first time, his face just lit up (I promise to share that photo later in their full wedding blog post!).  Everything was beyond beautiful and the view from the clubhouse at Trump was absolutely breathtaking.  They couldn’t have picked a better venue…it was gorgeous.

Brooke quietly fidgets with her dress as she sits on the chaise stool in the bridal suite.  ”I’m nervous,” she tells me.

Nathan, grinning from ear to ear as he anxiously awaits the start of the ceremony tells me, “Tell Brooke that I’m ready.  I’m here.  I’m ready and waiting for her.”

30 minutes later, as Brad Paisley’s “Waiting on a Woman” plays, Brooke, with a new found sense of calmness, walks steadily down the very long aisle to a very happy Nathan, patiently waiting on his woman.

Anna and Dave are such a sweet, fun-loving couple and are two people whom I have come to call friends over the course of the past few months.  They were married last weekend at the Carnegie Institution in downtown DC and despite some chilling winds and on and off again rain, they threw an amazing party for their family and friends.  Just a few teasers for now, but lots more to come!!

This post is very near to my heart and to my personal life.  I have known Allison since we were in 7th grade.  We met in English Class and at first, I thought she was this shy, soft-spoken girl.  So not true!  Allison is silly and sweet, energetic and hilarious – she loves to laugh and is often making the rest of us laugh.  At the same time, she is one of the most thoughtful and caring individuals I know.  She has a warm heart and puts others’ needs in front of her own all the time.  She would do pretty much anything for her friends and family.

Allison is one of my very best friends and we have literally grown up together.  We’ve seen each other through a lot, from our awkward middle school days in braces through our first loves, first heartaches, first jobs, first homes…everything really.  I can still remember sitting in my bedroom with Allison, talking about her future wedding day and what color the dresses were going to be and what her first dance song would  be.  We’ve come a long way from that bedroom 16 years ago, yet we’ve managed to stay close, despite hundreds of miles between us – she stayed in Wisconsin for college and I went off to Boston.  Our friendship is one of the things in my life that I am most proud and protective of.

Chris came into the picture a few years back.  I remember meeting him in Mexico at another friend’s wedding.  First impression of Chris?  He wasn’t shy, that’s for sure!  Oh, and he loved the Texas Longhorns.  Oh how Chris loves the Texas Longhorns!!!  Actually, he pretty much loves anything Texas. Or country. Or cowboys.

Over the years, Chris has been integrated into our longstanding group of friends.  I’m pretty sure he thinks we’re all crazy, but he gets it and he gets our friendship and that’s how I know he loves Allison.  He gets her.

Being able to photograph Allison and Chris’s engagement was something really special and meaningful for me.  I’m so happy for the two of them and cannot wait to stand up next Allison when she marries the love of her life next July.

I met up with Meghan and Matt a few weeks ago for their Love Session.  We decided to do the session in the Clarendon area, stopping at Faccia Luna, the spot where they had their first date, before heading over to the Carillon near the Iwo Jima memorial.  This spot, just off to the side of the Memorial is a little hidden gem and is by far the best view of the city from Arlington.

It had been grey and dreary all day but the sun came out right at the perfect time to catch the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in the background.

This fun, easy going couple is getting married in a few short weeks time and I’m so excited to be sharing it with them!

I heart Christian Louboutins, old School Bentleys and Alice in Wonderland…join me down the rabbit hole for this wedding in a few weeks!