Stephanie & Patrick

Stephanie and Patrick met in Japan! They live a far more glamorous life than I do and it was wonderful to be a part of their beautiful day in Annapolis before they headed off to Turkey on their awesome honeymoon!

Stephanie and her friends got ready at the Marriott Waterfront Annapolis. Her mom and Patrick's mom were also on hand to share in the excitement and anticipation.

Patrick and his groomsmen gathered in the lobby to wait for the trolley to the Naval Academy Chapel.

The girls also traveled via trolley and we arrived in plenty of time. The ceremony was a Catholic Mass which featured some excellent musical talent from the bride's friends and family. Afterwards we had some time for portraits at the Academy.

Then we headed back to the Marriott for cocktails with a view and toasts, dinner and dancing in the ballroom.

Check out more images here:

Alexis & Sander

When you meet Alexis and Sander it's hard not to be struck by his Herculean stature and her petite beauty. The height differences notwithstanding, they were clearly a very special couple. I did not find out until the wedding that they'd been together for 9.5 years (Sander's brother also didn't find out until he was in the middle of his speech actually), but having seen them together it explains the effortless chemistry that they share. The wedding had a few tense moments - it started to rain during family portraits, the limo driver had a less than thorough command of the local streets, and someone took a little spill... but never a tense moment between Alexis and Sander or their family and friends.

Alexis and her bridesmaids got ready at the Westin Annapolis and her dress was just gorgeous and suited her perfectly.

The ceremony took place at the USNA chapel which was beautiful in spite of being under construction. The sword exit went off effortlessly with a little help from Sander's friends.

After family photos we lucked into some sunshine and were able to use the Superintendent's garden for portraits of Alexis and Sander alone.

The reception was at the fabulous Chesapeake Bay Beach Club across the Bay Bridge on Kent Island. Alexis and Sander's 200 guests enjoyed an outdoor cocktail hour at sunset and then dinner inside the dining room. The toasts from family and friends were in some cases hilarious and in others, very touching.

The evening, although stormy, was quite beautiful before the rain arrived (again!)

Alexis and Sander shared their first dance and parent dances before the dance party really got going.

Alexis's little brother is something of a guitar savant - really. He played with the band for a while and I think everyone present was absolutely in awe of his talent. I am so happy to have some images from his rockstar performance!

The entire event was coordinated by Wedding Savvy and the staff of the Beach Club which of course ensured a smooth and effortless day. Check our more images from their preview gallery!

Christina & CJ

Swing kids meets the Naval Academy for this wedding! Christina and CJ both graduated from the Naval Academy on Friday and were married at the USNA chapel on Saturday morning! So all in all, a big week for them and their families! Christina and her family were staying at a house in downtown Annapolis for the week and she prepared for the wedding amid friends and family.

After a lovely ceremony in the beautiful Naval Academy chapel, Christina and CJ had a fabulous sword arch exit.

Christina and CJ showed me a special spot on campus where they'd spent a lot of time together before we headed off to their reception and impressive dance routine at the Calvert House.

Gina and Scott

I absolutely loved Gina from the day we met with her! She's a super interesting person and although we didn't get to meet Scott that day, Gina did prepare us for the awesomeness that is "Scotty T". LOL Gina and Scott chose to be married at the USNA chapel in Annapolis. Although under construction at the moment, the chapel was beautiful as always and the altar area remained unaffected by the work going on in the rear of the building.

After the ceremony and the family photos, we set off with Gina and Scott to their reception at the N*Room, located at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium! I love the N* Room because not only do your guests have a chance to check out the view of the stadium, but I get to take a few photos of the bride and groom hanging out in the stands!

After a well executed first dance and some touching (and some revealing) speeches, everyone enjoyed the festivities!

This was the first time we'd shared clients with 39 Mariner and they rocked! Many of my clients know how particular I am about bands and DJs and I have to compliment 39 Mariner for a great, fun, and professional performance.

Please check out more images in the slideshow below!

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.

WPJA awards

You may remember our blog entry about Jennifer and Sean's wedding a few months ago. We decided to enter one of their beautiful images in the most recent WPJA contest. Although the client's opinion is my first concern, I was thrilled to see it was recognized by the judges as one of the winning images! Here it is:

Welcome back to the Navy...

We didn't get a chance to meet Jennifer and Sean before the big day. When Jennifer contacted us she was about to ship out on what I *believe* is the biggest aircraft carrier in the fleet (I know one of my navy brides or grooms will correct me if I'm wrong!). She decided to hire us (so we knew she was very smart LOL) and then promptly disappeared for several months.

Jennifer and Sean got ready at the Annapolis Waterfront Marriott in downtown Annapolis and then we headed out to the Naval Academy for their ceremony at the beautiful USNA chapel. I don't know if it was by chance or design, but the bridesmaids dresses were a perfect complement to the colors inside the chapel!

I had to ask the swordsmen what they planned to say to Jennifer on her way out - after all, she had already been in the Navy! They informed me that they planned to say "Welcome BACK to the Navy, Mrs. Riordan!" LOL

After some fun photos around the grounds of the academy, we headed off to Jennifer and Sean's waterfront reception at Yellowfin. Their guests had a great view and a great time and the party ended just in time - ten minutes before the rain rolled in!

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

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.