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Sima & Nadim’s Wedding in Brides Magazine

We’re excited to have Sima and Nadim’s wedding featured in the current issue of Brides Magazine. Their wedding ceremony took place at Dahlgren Chapel on the campus of Georgetown University and was followed by a reception at the Chevy Chase Club in Maryland. You can see more of their wedding images in this slideshow.

Heather & Mike – A Brittland Manor Wedding

Heather and Mike first met five years ago at The Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar in Dewey Beach, Delaware. According to them,

“Mike had driven down from New York City and Heather from Arlington, VA, to celebrate the first official beach weekend of summer. On Saturday night we both went to The Lighthouse with our friends to enjoy the great wrap-around deck set right on the bay, the fun music and famous Orange Crushes. It was later that evening on the deck steps that we happened to meet and immediately hit it off. We had a great time the rest of the long weekend getting together and knew this was the start of something special!”

Heather and Mike held their ceremony at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Centerville, MD. They wanted to incorporate a beach theme and memories from their first meeting into their wedding reception on the eastern shore of Maryland at Brittland Manor in Chestertown. Orange Crushes were the signature drink for the night. And similarly, there was lots of fun music and dancing with friends and family along with a view of a bay.

One of the most touching moments of the night was when Heather’s father sang to her before the father-daughter dance. There weren’t many dry eyes around.

Congratulations Heather and Mike! Thanks for letting me be a part of your wedding!

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I love post-ceremony euphoria!

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Yes, it was another toasty wedding day in July. Those wedding dresses feel hotter than one would guess!

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Brittland-Manor-Wedding-ReceptionMission Accomplished!

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Ceremony Venue:  Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church

Reception Venue: Brittland Manor

Band: Spectrum

Briana & Billy – A National Cathedral Wedding

Briana and Billy met while attending the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University – the same program where I received my Masters of Public Policy, but that’s another story for another day. She was enrolled in the Masters of Arts Management program and he in the Masters of Public Policy and Management. After grad school, they moved to Washington DC where Briana now works at the Kennedy Center and Billy for the Department of Homeland Security. We all hit it off immediately with our shared policy backgrounds, appreciation of Washington DC, and what I would learn on their wedding day – a love of Margaritas!

Briana and Billy were married in July at the National Cathedral. It was my first time photographing a wedding at the cathedral, so I scouted out all the nooks and crannies the day before so I’d know just where I wanted to go for portraits, and where I should be positioned during the ceremony. I was shooting solo, so I needed to choose my spots wisely. You certainly don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during the ceremony! As for portraits, the Bishop’s Garden is gorgeous, but I fell in love with the lookout on the top floor of the north tower. I’m sure everyone else appreciates it for the view looking out, but I loved it for the light streaming in. Yum!

For the reception, Briana wanted a festive Tex-Mex theme. Guests entered the reception to find chips, salsa, guacamole and pitchers of Margaritas on the table! I don’t drink on the job, so I took it all in with my eyes (and camera of course). I loved the instant party effect –guests could eat immediately and refill their own drinks as needed.

There was tons of dancing. It never cleared out once. In fact, if the dance floor was twice the size, it still would have been full! The evening ended with something unexpected. Briana’s mother surprised the couple by having a horse and carriage take them from the reception to their hotel in Dupont Circle.

Congratulations Briana and Billy!

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Briana’s parents used the same topper on their wedding cake.

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Caterer: Festive Foods

Cake: Jennifer’s Pastries

Florist: Greenworks

Ceremony Venue: National Cathedral

Reception Venue: Hearst Hall

Band: Rollex

Hair: Brown’s Hair Designs

Alison & Slav – A Saint Nicholas Cathedral Wedding

Kevin Dietsch photographed Alison and Slav’s Russian Orthodox wedding ceremony at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Washington DC in July. Following the ceremony they took portraits around town starting at the Bulgarian Embassy, Slav’s home country, and then headed down embassy row to finish portraits at Dupont Circle. They brought an umbrella in case of rain, but used it instead to provide shade from the sun. Thankfully the rainy, cloudy skies from that morning had moved on.

Alison and Slav celebrated their wedding with a reception at the Park Hyatt dancing through the night with Slaveya, a women’s ensemble specializing in Bulgarian folk music, and Jag Singh their DJ from Event EQ. There were some serious dance moves as well as some surprising ones!

Congratulations Alison & Slav! Thanks for allowing us to capture your wedding day.

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Ceremony Venue: Saint Nicholas Cathedral

Reception Venue: Park Hyatt

Florist: Philippa Tarrant Floral Design

Band: Slaveya

DJ: Event EQ

Virdina & Kevin’s Wedding on Essence.com

We’re excited that Essence Magazine is featuring Virdina and Kevin’s green wedding in the relationship section of their website. The story includes how they met and all the details of their proposal. Take a look!

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Allee & Lawrence – A Strathmore Wedding

Barbara Salisbury, along with help from one of our second photographers Aaron, captured the peak emotional moments of Allee and Lawrence’s wedding at Strathmore Music Center in July. A mother’s embrace, dabbing tearful eyes, a congratulatory touch from a guest during the processional, hugs between bridesmaids, and cutting loose on the dance floor were just some of the raw feelings and fun times photographed throughout the day.

The couples’ colors were bold –bright pink, yellow, and orange with some purple accents and made their creative details pop!  Their escort cards were pinched by clothespins, the centerpieces were striking and tall, and there was a plentiful and very playful candy bar –which I wish I could have sampled!

Congratulations Allee and Lawrence! Thanks for letting us be a part of your wedding day.

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Planner: Sidni Greenblat, Rave Reviews

Florist: Yellow Door

Cake: Fancy Cakes by Leslie

Caterer: Restaurant Associates

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Strathmore Music Center

Band: Spectrum

Videographer: Matheson Communications

Suzanne & Rob – Decatur House Wedding

Suzanne and Rob were married at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown on a scorching hot June day. But now that I think about it, which day hasn’t been scorching hot since then? It’s been an accurate description of most Saturdays this summer.

They braved the heat as we toured Washington DC for portraits, including stops at the Lincoln Memorial and near the US Capitol. We rounded out the portrait session at the original National Geographic Building. Suzanne and Rob first met four years ago while they were working for National Geographic and they thought it would be fitting to include the building as a backdrop in their portraits.

They held a cocktail-style reception at the Decatur House with a refreshing green and white decor that offered guests a place to lounge and relax. The dance floor was full throughout the evening. It was an emotional day that brought out tears of joy and ear-to-ear smiles — all of which Rachael and I truly enjoyed capturing!

Congratulations Suzanne and Rob! Hope you had a wonderful time in Hawaii.

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Planner: Laura Weatherly, Engaging Affairs

Florist: Philippa Tarrant Floral Design

Catering: Main Event Caterers

Cake: Kendall’s Cakes

Ceremony Venue: Holy Trinity Church

Reception Venue: Decatur House

Cocktail Music: MSE Productions

Reception Band: New Monopoly

Makeup & Hair: Gustavo Mottola

Tenting: Sugarplum

Transportation: Atlantic Services, Capital Pedicabs

John & John – Marry at Halcyon House

John and John see their wedding as a celebration of their relationship. Instead of marking the beginning, it was jubilant recognition of the 15 years they’ve been together.

Marvin Joseph started photographing the celebration at the couple’s home with their two dogs. The dogs also made a cameo appearance at the wedding on the back of the ceremony programs which also served as fans. Guests used them to cool themselves during the very warm June day.

Instead of processing down the aisle as their guests watched, John and John decided to reverse things by taking their place before guests filled the outdoor ceremony at Halcyon House in Georgetown. Afterward the party got underway inside where the couple and their friends and family danced the night away. There was a bar out in the alley along with a selection of desserts that continually rotated by on a conveyor belt. I’ve never seen anything so brilliant and have taken note!

Congratulations John and John! Thank you for letting us photograph the celebration of your 15 year anniversary.

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Wedding Coordination: Sara Bauleke, Bella Notte

Venue: Halcyon House

Flowers: Spot Floral Design

Caterer: Occasions Caterers

Lighting/Sound:  John Farr Lighting Design

DJ/Music: Music 1 DC

Candace & Nick – Capitol Hill Portraits

Candace, Nick and I got together for a portrait session on Capitol Hill one beautiful Friday morning. They live within blocks of the Capitol and the Supreme Court and wanted to include those landmarks as well as other favorite spots in their neighborhood as the backdrops for their portraits.

We started the session at Eastern Market because it’s a place of particular importance to them. Candace and Nick started dating shortly before the market burned in a fire. They volunteered with the Capitol Hill Community Foundation to help raise funds to support the vendors and the rebuilding.

We wrapped up our session at the Supreme Court with some splashing in their fountains. Unfortunately, due to increased security measures the Supreme court closed the front entrance to the public in May, so we weren’t able to walk up the steps and use the columns in the background like I did with Sara and Dustin. I’ll spare you my opinion of the “security measures,” but you can see we were still able to get some great shots!

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Elise & David – Pretty in Pink at the Park Hyatt

Elise and David were married in June at the Park Hyatt in Washington DC. I saw immediately why David married Elise. Who can resist that smile?! Thankfully that smile was infectious and present the entire day. In fact, when I asked Elise not to smile for one of her portraits she replied, “I don’t do serious that well.” That’s no problem with me! I’ll take a bride who can’t stop smiling.

Elise and David had a wonderful time at their wedding as did their guests. There was much joy bestowed on the couple by family and friends. The band kept people hopping! But I cannot neglect to say that Michael Deltette, the Park Hyatt’s catering director, contributed significantly to the tone of the day. Attentive, omnipresent, proactive. He’s there when you need him and his mission is to make your wedding day carefree. He swooped in to pin boutonnieres, reattach a fallen veil, clean a tarnished wedding dress, among many other things in addition to the standard event orchestration that goes on behind the scenes at a wedding. While I personally do not believe perfection is attainable, Michael gets pretty darn close!

Congratulations Elise and David! Welcome back from your honeymoon!

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Floral: Da Vinci Florist

Venue: Park Hyatt

Cake: Blue Duck Tavern

Music: Sterling ArtistsThe BS&M Band

Hair: Bridal Hair by Remona Soleimani

Make up: Jan Scott Professional Makeup Artist