For Erynne & George, we last got together for an engagement session on a cold fall morning at Erynne’s  alma mater, St. Francis College in Loretto, PA.  In spite of us all about freezing, I had a wonderful time with them.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see them again on their wedding day.

During her planning, Erynne sent me a fantastic inspiration board which gave me a little peak into what to expect for their wedding day…this was a fantastic thing to get – I love getting a feel for what the couple has in mind for their wedding. 

The day started off with Erynne getting ready at the lovely Cameron Estate in Marietta, PA…truly a beautiful location.  We had to deal with a bit of drizzle throughout the day, but everybody just took it in stride.

Love the image with Erynne having her makeup applied – if you look to the right, you can make out her dress hanging in the background just waiting.  And, I loved her sweet Stuart Weitzman shoes. It seems that many of my brides wear the same shoe size as me…I think it’s so that they can torture me more was I wear my super practical Danskos.

Loved the variety of flowers and berries used in Erynne’s bouquet.  Crystals from Erynne’s grandmother’s necklace were incorporated into her bouquet and with the gardenias, it smelled absolutely amazing. My macro lens is wonderful for getting the close up details of the flowers..they would be fantastic printed up as square canvas to decorate an area.

With the photo on the left, I turned away from everyone and shot through the mirror to create a bit of a frame to draw your eye in – you can just feel the Erynne’s anticipation rising as finishing touches are completed on her dress. When Erynne was facing away from the windows, the room was very dim, so to light her, I believe that my assistant was holding off camera lighting in that photo.

Love big, beautiful churches with balconies.

During ceremonies – small moments are easily forgotten…the soft loving touch on the back, the glances as the officiant is talking…these are things that just take you back to the day immediately and help rekindle all the feelings.

The drizzle continued throughout the day, but we were able to get out for just a few minutes to get a few pictures with the Rolls Royce before it left for the day. The grounds are so beautiful at Cameron Estate – wish that we could have gone out to get some additional photos.

Father and daughter during their dance together…really, words would just take from the moments.

The bakery did a fantastic job in matching the theme of the invitations with the cake decorations.  Lovely!

Ceremony: Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Columbia, PA
Reception: Cameron Estate, Marietta, PA
Reception Entertainment: Jam on Sound Production
Floral Designer: Floral Designs by Heather Anne, Lititz, PA
Bakery: House of Clarendon, Lancaster, PA
Transportation: 1964 White Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, Classic British Limosine, Spring City, PA
Hair Stylist: Melissa Diaz 
Flowers used: gardenia, white hydrangeas, stephanotis, gerber daisies
Colors: white, green, magenta/fuschia
First Dance: Love is on the Way, Saigon Kick
Father/Daughter Dance: Wind Beneath My Wings
Mother/Son Dance: Simple Man

Jessica + John were married at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church and held their reception at Bethesda Country Club. Last year, we got together for their engagement session at the Country Club as well and you may remember it from here: Jessica + John: engaged

I received a call from Jessica back when she was JUST starting to plan the wedding day…even before she and John had set a date so that she could make certain I would be available on their wedding day.  During their planning, many things changed, most notably  finding out that Jessica’s mom (who was battling cancer) was not doing so well.  At one point, Jessica sent me an email with a photo showing Gwyneth Paltrow and her mom, Blythe, in a photo taken by Annie Leibowitz and wanted to have a photo created similar to it…yeah, no pressure there!!!  We discussed how and when we would create it to make it our own…yet, sadly, Jessica’s mom passed away before the wedding day.  It’s moments like that which are a reminder as to why the job of a photographer is so important and it’s why I always do my best to capture any photos with loved ones that my couples request.

The day started out at Bethesda Country Club where Jessica and her bridesmaids got ready and I had an opportunity to get a few of the detail photos I always like to get. An interesting thing to note: Jessica selected her gown at Hitched during a trunk show for Judd Waddell…she was the first to purchase the gown AND super bonus…the designer did a sketch and gave it to her of her in the gown!  How awesome is that?

I love these two photos – Jessica was just looking down as her dress was being buttoned and the other photo is of her Aunt (who is Jessica’s mom’s twin) and Jessica’s dad looking on as the transformation into a bride on her wedding day took place.  One of my favorite parts of the day is seeing those few moments when people recognize a woman is becoming a “bride” after all the planning.

Though I couldn’t hear what was being said, I think that John was telling Jessica how gorgeous she looked in the photo in the upper left. 

After the ceremony, they had a nice toast and ride to the country club where we took a few photos. The tree covered lane was perfect for capturing a photo of the Rolls.

What a great bridal party!

A few more with just Jessica and John before they went in to mingle with guests during their cocktail hour. (They planned a little longer break in time so that they would be able to get photos AND attend the cocktail hour.)

Loved the candlestick vases with a profusion of baby’s breath.  Hydrangea’s were the secondary flower and were used as a decoration for the back of Jessica & John’s chairs and also as a centerpiece for the center table during cocktail hour.  BTW, the vibrant fuschia color of the hydrangea’s was produced by the florist spray painting them! Such an excellent idea to make a donation in the honor of their guests to the John R. Marsh Cancer Center.

First dance as husband and wife – after taking one dance lesson and deciding that it was one too many, they opted to dance to God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.

The band had everyone up and moving – everyone was having too much fun.  And hopefully there are no photos of me as I danced around a bit while I took photos!

Probably some of my very favorite time to take photos is toward evening and dark.  Jessica and John came out for a few minutes…John dipped her without prompting on my part!  I was impressed!  Just shortly thereafter, the sky was turning dark and I asked Jessica to just give me a simple pose with a bit of attitude…she did a great job!

Great warm glow from the lights and candles during the reception as well as a few more glimpses of the fun people were having dancing.  The photo of the sign and looking back at the country club and lane was taken as I was leaving for the night…Jessica emailed me to let me know that she had meant to ask me about taking a photo of the sign for the country club, but her boss was driving down the lane at night while I was taking the photo and already relayed to her that I got it! 

Congratulations, Jessica and John!  Wishing you many, many years of happiness!  Thank you for allowing me to get to know you and play an important role in your wedding day.

–
Ceremony: St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Bethesda, MD
Reception: Bethesda Country Club, Bethesda, MD
Gown: Judd Waddell through Hitched Wedding Salon, Georgetown, Washington D.C.
Ceremony Musicians: Cherry Blossom Strings
Reception Entertainment: Midnight Movers
Floral Designer:  Da Vinci Florist, Silver Spring, MD
Bakery: Georgetown Cupcake, Georgetown, Washington D.C.
Hair Stylist: Salon Red, Christi, Gaithersburg, MD  
Makeup Artist: Make-up Design, Meredith Seidel
Transportation: Lasting Impressions, Westminster, MD
Flowers used: baby’s breath, hydrangeas, roses
Colors: magenta/fuschia, white, and gold accents