Feature in Wedding and Reception Magazine!

I was excited to hear that Serena and Heath's wedding will be featured in Wedding and Reception Magazine! Serena sent me an email to let me know and Celebrate! events sent me a preview of the feature so here it is! Very exciting. If you remember, Serena and Heath's wedding took place down in St. Augustine, FL and they had a beautiful event with a lot of attention to detail. I really enjoyed working with Celebrate! and the other vendors that put together such a beautiful day! And special thanks to Serena and Heath for being such a fun, gorgeous couple and so easy to work with!

A Chesapeake Winter Wedding!

Here's an update now that we've completed Kelly and Don's wedding. One of the images is now featured on the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club's website.

Kelly and Don were married at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. This was our first wedding at this particular venue, and I have to say that I was impressed! Erin Janes and the staff at CBBC did a fantastic job of putting together a very elegant affair. Kelly and Don had their ceremony in the Garden Room. It has a lovely view of the Bay Bridge, especially at night. The room was decorated seasonally - with garlands and white Christmas lights, and a wreath hung about the fireplace. Kelly and Don lined the windows and the mantle with tea candles, and the aisle leading to the fireplace was illuminated by several large candles. Kelly looked beautiful in her wedding dress as her father escorted her down the candlelit aisle. Because the ceremony was later in the evening, it was dark and the room glowed warmly from the candlelight.

The reception took place in the same building in the Tavern Ballroom. This was particularly nice since it was cold and there was even a brief snow flurry! The tables for dinner were arranged separately from the bar and dance floor. Kelly’s father started the evening with a heartwarming toast to his daughter and her new husband.

A plated dinner followed, and as soon as the food was eaten, everyone boogied toward the dance floor. I have to say that Kelly and Don’s wedding guests could hardly contain their excitement for dancing! The DJ, Dan Hawkins of MusicMasters did an excellent job keeping the guests happy on the dance floor.

By the end of the night, after the last song finished playing, everyone unanimously begged for one last song. The crowd’s selection? “Shout!” There was so much enthusiasm that I am certain this group continued to party long after the reception!

With so many family and friends present to celebrate this special day, it is obvious how much Kelly and Don are loved and how much they love each other! See below for a short slideshow of some of our favorite images.

Erin and Chris

Erin and Chris got married at the Loyola College Chapel, a location that was very special to the couple. Erin arrived to the chapel via limo and carefully waited until all the guests were inside before making her way to the chapel.

The ceremony was a full mass, allowing us plenty of time to take photos : )

After the ceremony, Erin and Chris wanted photos at Federal Hill, so we climbed into the trolley with the bride, groom, and their bridal party. It was late afternoon and the sunlight was really gorgeous.

The reception was held at the Tremont Grand and was separated in two different rooms. The cocktail hour took place in the Marble Room. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres were served to all the guests. Afterwards, dinner and dancing were upstairs in the Corinthian Room - which appropriately has large columns and very high ceilings. Erin and Chris were announced and immediately had their first dance.

The bridal party lined the dance floor and watched as the couple enjoyed their dance. Erin and Chris opted for a live band as opposed to a dj. The room lent itself nicely to a band, as it is very spacious. There was plenty of room for everyone - musicians, dancing guests, and guests who remained at the dinner tables. A plated dinner followed the first dance after which the newlyweds cut their cake.

To open the dance floor, Erin and her father danced and Chris danced with his mother. Erin and Chris danced with their family and friends for the remainder of the night. Erin and Chris are a lovely couple. It was exciting being able to photograph their day in two locations that were new to us! Below you will find a slideshow of some of our favorites from their special day.

Greer and Dave

Greer and Dave were married on a truly gorgeous autumn day. From the beginning, it was apparent how excited everyone was for Greer and Dave’s wedding day.

A rarely seen photo of Jen on the day, helping Greer with her jewelry!

The ceremony was held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown. This church is really beautiful, and its architecture is impressive without being gigantic, thus creating an intimate setting for the ceremony. The aisle is intricately tiled, a feature that I found to be unique. Their ceremony was held at just the right time of day so that the sunlight came in the windows and fell upon the bride and groom on the altar.

Georgetown is filled with brick sidewalks and the fall foliage complimented them nicely. The weather was absolutely perfect and it made for some lovely photos of the couple outside after their wedding.

The reception was held in Washington, D.C. at the McLean Gardens Ballroom . This venue is elegant with a central wooden dance floor bordered by four massive white columns. The ceilings are 40 feet high and there are five chandeliers. There are two fireplaces and a large mirror hangs above each. The walls are a very light yellow, which adds to the warm ambiance provided by the chandeliers. Greer and Dave chose to use mini cakes as the centerpieces for their tables. I thought this was a really good idea - dual purpose! Not only are they cute, but edible, too!

Greer and Dave had their first dance immediately upon entering their reception after which dinner was served with the catering services of 3 Citron . Following dinner were the toasts and the parent dances. We were particularly impressed with the dj services of Chris Laich.  After the cake cutting, the guests and the newly married couple hardly left the dance floor, and such a good time was being had that the reception was extended for an extra hour! At the end of the night, the guests lined the sidewalk in front of the building. Greer and Dave walked out amidst lit sparklers and their family and friends as they ended their night with a special exit.

Below we have posted a slideshow of our favorites from Greer and Dave’s wedding. Enjoy!

Kate & Rocco at the Meridian House

Kate and Rocco had a gorgeous wedding at the Meridian House in DC. They handled their wedding plans perfectly - during the planning they considered all the little details, picked great vendors like us :D LOL, and then on their wedding day they relaxed and let everyone do their jobs while they enjoyed their beautiful day.

The Meridian House is an absolutely fantastic site for an event. It's very peaceful there, and large parts of the grounds are shaded by a canopy of tall trees. Kate and Rocco had their ceremony in the garden area behind Meridian House.

Inside and out, the venue was elegant and comfortable. Khoa Le from Festive Foods did an excellent job overseeing all the details of the setup and the food and drinks. Everything was absolutely delicious, and set up well ahead of time! Efficient and professional!

The yellow linens were unique and worked beautifully with the abundant flowers and the colors of Meridian House. Kate and Rocco decorated outside with colorful chinese lanterns of different shapes and sizes. The atmosphere was perfect. Everyone absolutely loved the afrofunk band Chopteeth - I don't think I've ever seen so much uninterrupted dancing!

Want to see more photos from their wedding? Visit their gallery or click any photo.

Cathy & Matt

Friday afternoon began with a trip to the top of the Beacon Hotel where Matt and his groomsmen were enjoying drinks (and the view!) at the Sky-Bar. The hotel was located within walking distance of the Cathedral of St. Matthew’s and after settling their tab, Matt and his groomsmen set off to the church on foot. They were followed closely by Cathy and her bridesmaids who sang “Chapel of Love” all the way to the church, much to the amusement of passersby. St. Matthew’s is beautifully decorated, perhaps most impressively by a large mosaic of St. Matthew which is of central focus in the church. It's a beautiful place to photograph. Cathy and her dad waited outside the the front doors for their cue.

Following the ceremony buses took the guests to the Daughters of the American Revolution building (Constitution Hall) for the reception. In addition to traditional wedding festivities Matt and Cathy incorporated Polish traditions into the reception.

Dinner was served inside, and the bar was set up outside, where everyone enjoyed the view of the Washington Monument. Dancing took place underneath the lofty portico, which made for a unique dance floor. The DJ for the evening was Evan Reitmeyer (mydeejay.com) who despite being stationed far away from the dance floor, still managed to keep everyone entertained!

Matt and Cathy requested a few casual portraits after their reception ended, and we were able to take them to a couple of nearby sites, notably the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue (with the Capitol in the background). DC is particularly gorgeous at night. Nothing like a midnight (well 1 am) tour of DC to end a very lovely evening! The rain started just as we dropped Matt and Cathy off at their hotel.

Kristen & Peter

Kristen and Peter had their ceremony and reception at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The weather was beautiful, and though there was little relief from the heat, this did not stop Kristen, Peter, and their guests from enjoying the day. Always prepared, Peter brought three different shirts to ensure that he looked his best throughout the night!

The beach at CBF looks particularly beautiful at sunset, and we were able to get a few photos of Kristen and Peter walking along the beach after their ceremony.

Throughout the day, Kristen had an army of nieces helping with all the little details. Their pre-ceremony roles included make-up artist and hairstylist, and during the reception they joined together and sang a song in honor of Kristen and Peter. What a talented group!

In planning the reception, Peter and Kristen took special care to ensure that their guests were entertained. Bruce Jacques, was a performer/actor/singer/musician extraordinaire. He came fully equipped with costumes and props which he used to act out a variety of songs for his audience. Seriously - he was hilarious!

The dance floor remained packed for the duration of the reception. At the end of the night, guests danced their way to the front of the building to send Kristen and Peter off with a sparkler exit.

Natalie & Jordan

When we first met Natalie and Jordan, it was apparent that they were very excited about planning their wedding. We couldn’t wait to see their unique “foodie/journalist” themed plans for their special day. The wedding took place in Philadelphia on a gorgeous sunny day. Before the ceremony, we photographed them during a whirlwind tour of some of their favorite places in Philadelphia. Among the stops were Love Park, Rittenhouse Square, and City Hall - all recognized as some of the city’s most famous locations. Perhaps the most entertaining stop was DiBruno Brothers, a specialty store filled with gourmet cheeses and a locale frequented by Natalie and Jordan.

We paraded through the store, photographing them as they looked at the cheeses, made their selections, waited in line, and paid. As we were leaving, an employee looked at our entourage and said, “You know, you aren’t allowed to take photos in here.” As we say, its always better to ask for forgiveness after the fact rather than permission before hand.

The ceremony and reception took place at the Sofitel Philadelphia. In fact, both the ceremony and the reception were held in the same room! The differences before and after never cease to amaze me, and the speed at which the room was transformed by the Sofitel staff is always truly impressive.

Worth noting was a photo booth located just outside the cocktail room. Guests were able to take a series of photos, and received a strip to keep and one to include in Natalie and Jordan’s guestbook! We couldn’t resist an opportunity to participate in the fun.

The reception was lively and there were several special dances - including a New Orleans Second Line - complete with handkerchiefs and tiny umbrellas! “Love is in the Air” brought the evening to a close as all the guests crowded onto the dance floor, participating in the tradition of surrounding the happy couple throwing hundreds of napkins in the air everytime the words “love is in the air” are sung.

Leaving the reception, guests passed a table filled with scrumptious hot, soft pretzels - a salty treat for the trip home! Definitely much needed after all the dancing!

Alisa & Steve

Alisa and Steve were married in Annapolis at the United States Naval Academy Chapel on a beautiful April day. In spite of the limo driver getting lost, with a little intervention from yours truly, we managed to adhere to the Navy's strictly punctual schedule and arrive at the chapel with a little time to spare. Alisa had a few moments to watch the beginning of the recessional on close circuit TV in the bride's room.

After a few casual portraits around the USNA campus we were getting ready to head off to the reception when Steve asked if we could take one photo in downtown Annapolis with the state capitol in the background. "Sure! no problem" we thought. We know this super cool alley right off of Main Street that leads right up to the capitol. So, have you ever tried to park a stretch limo on the quaint brick streets of downtown Annapolis on a Saturday in April? Well I give full credit to the limo driver and she half parked / half blocked traffic as we jumped out to quickly take the requested image. At least it wasn't June.

Alisa and Steve chose to have their reception in a unique green building - the Merrill Center at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation which overlooks (appropriately) the Chesapeake Bay! After a fantastic dinner, and much dancing they made a grand albeit somewhat harrowing exit through an arch of sparklers held aloft by their guests.

Want to see more photos from their wedding? Visit their gallery.