Kate & Brad

Kate and Brad celebrated their wedding at Swan Harbor Farm in Havre de Grace, Maryland. It was a very pretty rustic setting for their ceremony. They had family in town to celebrate with them from as far away as South Africa and Australia. It was very emotional as Kate's dad saw her for the first time in her wedding gown just before he escorted her down the aisle.

The day was very warm and sunny and Kate and Brad exchanged vows and rings on the lawn as their family and friends watched. Afterwards we took a few casual portraits before the reception began.

There were three excellent and touching speeches, given by the father of the bride, best man and maid of honor.

I have to say that at this wedding I took one of the funniest images I've ever taken or seen from a wedding. Ah, sisters. See below.

The party tent looked especially beautiful at dusk as the dancing began. Everyone had a blast!

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.

WPJA winners

I've been a bit behind in posting this :) WPJA announced their contest results a few weeks ago and we were thrilled to see that two of my images were among those chosen! One from Liz and Pete's wedding in August at the USNA and one from Lindsay and Sean's wedding in July at Herrington on the Bay. I am now ranked number one in Maryland for WPJA, which is very flattering!

Here are the recent winners:

And a quick note for those of you looking for me on Twitter - LOL I am bad at Twitter, I really am. But you can find me and egomedia photography on Facebook HERE.

Elizabeth and Matthew

There is nothing nicer on a cold winter day that to see two people who are completely in love. This was most certainly the case with Elizabeth and Matthew, who were married at the USNA Chapel on Saturday. The day began at the Calvert House, where Elizabeth was getting ready. She and Matthew planned to see each other ahead of the ceremony, but Elizabeth had a surprise. She greeted her soon-to-be-husband in a beautiful purple dress, instead of the wedding dress Matthew was expecting to see. The bridal party arrived at the chapel via trolley.

The academy chapel is always beautiful, but it was particularly so with its festive wreaths, candles, and other Christmas decorations. Elizabeth looked lovely in her strapless wedding dress, and very smartly wore a winter cape to keep her warm during the moments to and from the Chapel.

  

She and Matthew were really enthusiastic about their day (and their photos!) and even volunteered to stand outside Bancroft Hall despite the frigid weather.

The reception was held at the Calvert House in State Circle. The cocktail hour began in the Atrium and the bridal party and newlyweds were announced officially before the guests were seated for dinner. The tables were decorated with red table cloths and frosty centerpieces illuminated with blue lights. The resulting ambiance was perfect for their winter-themed wedding! Before dinner, there were toasts. Elizabeth's sister, and maid-of-honor began with a sweet and heartfelt toast. Matthew's best man followed and had the entire room laughing for the duration of his speech. After dinner, the dancing was kicked off with the first dance and the parent dances.

The band, Mutual Fun, played a variety of familiar dance tunes and successfully got the guests on the dance floor. Shortly after, there was the cake cutting, where Elizabeth and Matthew very politely gave one another the teeniest bites of cake! It was very sweet they they were careful not to make a mess! Their cake was very pretty. The top portions of each layer were decorated with sparkles, giving the illusion of wintery frost. The sides were decorated with white snowflakes, make it a wintery treat nobody could resist!

It was such a pleasure to be a part of this lovely couple's wedding day! Below is a short slideshow of Elizabeth and Matthew's preview photos!

Marie & Fred

Marie and her parents came to meet with us a year ago and I was really struck by how enthusiastic and excited they were about Marie and Fred's wedding plans. The meeting was a lot of fun and we were thrilled when they let us know that they had chosen us to document the wedding day!

The ceremony site was up in the air initially, and then a few months later I got an email letting me know that they'd chosen the Baltimore Basilica. Officially, it's called the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wow. That is a mouthful. A long name for a beautiful place. I went to scout the Basilica since it was our first time photographing a ceremony there and I noticed how gorgeous and light and airy it is. Light and airy is rare among enormous intricate Catholic churches/cathedrals/basilicas. I just stood around saying "preeeettttty" to myself. LOL.

Here's Dena's account of the day, which is more entertaining than mine LOL.

As we left Annapolis, ominous black clouds welcomed us onto the highway. The closer we got to Baltimore, the more threatening they became until finally, we found ourselves in the midst of a torrential downpour. By the time we got to the Baltimore Basilica, the rain continued at a fairly steady rate, and the bridal party was ushered into the church underneath umbrellas!

The Basilica is a gorgeous, recently restored, 200 year old church, situated in the heart of Baltimore. The church staff was gracious and very accommodating.

With Sam and Jen already in their positions on the ground level, I set about finding the highest balcony. After trekking up several flights of steep stairs, I discovered that the doors were locked. Quickly, I ran down the stairs and back up on the other side, relieved to find this door to the balcony was unlocked. Note to self (and future visitors to the Basilica) only use stairs on the left-hand side of the building! In these few minutes of stillness, I began to suspect that I was either really out of shape, or there was no air-conditioning in the church! I'll stick with the latter, and say that all the hot air does indeed rise. The architecture of the church is truly impressive, and the rotunda, vaulted ceilings, and lengthy aisle made for a both a beautifully dramatic entrance and an inspiring ceremony.

By the end of the ceremony, the rain still had not lessened, but the guests crowded excitedly outside the church to welcome Marie and Fred through the sword arch. Marie, Fred, and Jen were lucky to be scooped up by the limo.

Sam however, found himself clutching the gold umbrella and making a mad dash for the car, which was a block away. Everyone scrambled to their cars as quickly as possible, eager to continue celebrating at the reception.

Marie and Fred wanted some photos at the Naval Academy, and by the time we made it there, the rain had nearly stopped. Sam and Jen were able to get some nice photos of the couple at several locations at Bancroft Hall.

For over a year, Marie had her heart set on getting a photograph on the rocks at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. After a little convincing, Fred put on waders and carried Marie through the water and out to the rocks.

Marie gave us a heads up early in the evening that her family would be dancing to “Cotton Eye Joe” during the reception. Little did we know that this “family tradition” was no ordinary dance. When the first notes of the song began, guests took turns dancing acrobatically with a chair! It definitely won the award for the most original dance interpretation of this popular party song.

AJ & Jackson

Just for fun while we're working through the holiday weekend, we thought we'd put up a fun portrait that we took last month. AJ, who was married at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, has a great dog named Jackson. We'd met Jackson during our initial meeting with AJ and her stepmom. AJ bought Jackson a little tuxedo but was disappointed when she found out he couldn't attend the nuptials. Sam had the idea of doing a little photo session with AJ and Jackson just before the big day. This was our favorite shot.

Wedding planning - hyperspeed!

Esther and Se got married on Sam's birthday! They put their wedding plans together quickly because of Esther's parents' important work abroad. We met with them in person just two weeks before their wedding at the Renaissance Harborplace in Baltimore. Despite the short planning time Esther and Se were the epitome of laid back and easygoing.

Edward Good, the event manager at the Renaissance Harborplace worked with Esther and Se to create a beautiful event in record time. When we arrived on the scene for the big day they were in the midst of the final rehearsal! That was a first but made perfect sense given the short time in which they pulled everything together.

After the ceremony we headed out for what we thought would be a quick walk to the Inner Harbor for a few portraits. Unfortunately after walking through the mall which is attached to the hotel we found ourselves locked in with Esther, Se, and the entire bridal party. Everyone took it in stride and we managed to capture some really great photos of them and their journey through the totally vacant mall. After a much longer than anticipated walk and some dangerous and illegal street crossings, we final made it to the inner harbor where Esther and Se received the appropriate amount of attention from passersby.

Once the reception was in full swing, guests were treated to a very elegant multi-course meal, as well as some amusing (best man) and emotional (maid of honor) toasts to the bride and groom and their families.

Like clockwork, immediately after the cake cutting many of the parents and older relatives bid farewell to the bride and groom. Evan (an excellent DJ by the way) from mydeejay kicked the music into high gear, and soon thereafter it would be fair to say that Esther, Se, and their friends got down to the serious partying.

We wish you all the best! As always clicking on any of the images will take you to Esther and Se's gallery.