Hydrangeas were featured prominently at Elaine and Greg’s wedding. They appeared on everything from their invitations, save the dates, programs, and menu cards to the reception centerpieces. Elaine was inspired by the place where Greg proposed to her on the Eastern Shore, the Inn at Perry’s Cabin. She describes it as “a beautiful spot on the Chesapeake Bay where hydrangeas bloom rampantly and I’ll never forget the day we got engaged because they were in full bloom, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into our wedding decor.”

Elaine and Greg drew from three geographic areas for the food and drink served at their wedding. First they drew on southern inspiration from their time in Nashville where they met while attending Vanderbilt University. They served mint juleps as their signature cocktail and had short ribs with corn souffle at dinner. Second, as an homage to Elaine’s Maryland roots, they also served crab cakes. Finally, for dessert, they passed around an assorted plate of Greek pastries as a tribute to Elaine’s family heritage.

Congratulations Elaine and Greg!

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Wedding Coordinator: Aimee Dominick, A Dominick Events

Ceremony Venue: St George Greek Orthodox Church

Reception Venue: National Museum of Women in the Arts

Florist: Bee Hive Events

Cake: Patisserie Poupon

Caterer: Occasions Caterers

Music: Retrospect

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson and Matt Lisack for The Observatory

You’ll notice from my post that I was quite taken with Kate’s dress and it’s voluminous layers of tulle. It was literally a handful to move around, but very fun to photograph and it seemed Kate enjoyed wearing it. I was also quite taken with the details of their wedding day. I’m not a florist or event stylist, so to the florists and stylists out there, I apologize in advance for my layman terms. To me, the decor was enchanted forest meets glamor and glitz! I absolutely loved the moss  and twig chuppah –being from the Pacific Northwest I’m partial to moss, the fern-lined aisle, as well as the tall branch candelabras with delicate flowers and mushrooms at their base. It was truly striking and very unique!

My favorite part of the evening –aside from the crazy dancing which is always fun to photograph, was when Josh toasted Kate causing tears to well up in her eyes.

Congratulations Kate and Josh!

Wedding Planner: Polly Bomstein Events

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Congressional Country Club

Florist: Janet Flowers

Music: Millennium

Videographer: Dolce Studio Films

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson and Matt Lisack for The Observatory

Joy surprised Greg with an antique car which they rode to their portrait session at Senate Park on Capitol Hill. They were excited about portraits in the park hoping the images would capture the feel of Washington DC.

Joy and Greg planned a very elegant wedding reception with white flowers and black and white details at the Park Hyatt. Their wedding guests represented the most important people in their lives. Each person had shared significant and lasting memories with the couple. The mood of the evening was definitely fun and lively –especially since Joy loves to dance! There was no shortage of people on the dance floor!

Congratulations Joy and Greg!

Ceremony Venue: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church

Reception Venue: Park Hyatt

Cake/Caterer: Blue Duck Tavern

Florist: Da Vinci’s Florist

Music: DC Fusion

Videographer: Blue Sky Films

Photographers: Kevin Dietsch and Nick Gingold for The Observatory

Following the ceremony, we took portraits outside the church in front of old wooden doors with a peaked arch. I really couldn’t get enough of those doors –or Eric and David in front of them, or Erica in her vintage-inspired, sassy-flirty hat and dress! Erica was wearing a custom-made hat by Miss Bené, of Bené Millinery in Washington DC, and a dress made by Aria Dress. David’s tie and handkerchief were made to match.

We moved onto the celebration which took place at the Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria, VA. The music theme continued with the duo playing during cocktail hour. Their tables had musical notes to indicate where guests should sit. To make their favors personal, they provided all of their guests with kale seedlings because everyone who has dined at their home has been fed “Crispy Kale.” They also received a recipe with complete instructions. I think I need to get my hands on this recipe given all the guest’s reactions when the opened their favors!

My favorite part of the evening was during the impromptu toasts. Erica hid behind her napkin when loved ones –like David and her brother, spoke of their love for her. It was touching and wonderful to photograph.

Congratulations!

Ceremony: Grace Episcopal Church

Reception: Columbia Firehouse

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson for The Observatory

Since they met while running, Lon thought it appropriate to propose to Lana while running across the Key Bridge. Given its sentimental value, they wanted to include the bridge in their portraits and revisit the waterfront where they met, so we headed to the Georgetown waterfront following their ceremony at St Agnes Church in Arlington.

We finished portraits at Senate Park, but we had to cut across town to get there. As usual, I was a bit concerned about downtown DC traffic. After all, it was Rolling Thunder — an event which draws hundreds of thousands of motorcyles to DC every Memorial Day weekend to build awareness of POW issues. But they had one of the best driver’s ever — Jim, from Executive Sedan Services. He drove through downtown like it was empty buying us extra time. I was impressed! I hate losing precious portrait time to travel.

They had a lovely dinner reception at Charlie Palmer with no shortage of playful moments! During toasts, Lana’s best friend gave Lon ear plugs since Lana’s known for her ability to talk and Lon is the quieter of the two. They also surprised me when they smeared cake on each others’ face. Most brides don’t allow that to happen, but they had fun with it.

The kids were outfitted with disposable cameras, but soon commandeered their parents’ iPhones and digital SLRs. Thankfully it was very cute and friendly competition for me. Guess what they had? My favorite — Georgetown Cupcakes! When I first met with Lana and Lon to talk with them about photographing their wedding we spent at least half, if not more, of our time talking about cupcakes! Next to Nordstrom, it’s a subject I can gab on and on about. Based on my recommendation and possibly a taste test or two, they went with Georgetown Cupcake as favors for the kids and the groom.

We finished the evening with portraits of Lana and Lon on the roof top at Charlie Palmer with a spectacular view of the Capitol.  What a way to end the night!

Congratulations Lana & Lon!

Ceremony Venue: St Agnes Church

Reception Venue: Charlie Palmer

Cake: Pastries by Randolph

Florist: Park Florist

Transportation: Jim Khun Khieu, Executive Sedan Services

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson for The Observatory

Being a car-free person, I appreciated this story. When Jennie first met Pat at a party he –being what I like to call a “car person,” teased her when she pulled out a bicycle seat from her backpack to head home. It must have been a playful taunt since they are now married. Their differences didn’t end at bicycles and cars. She lived in Washington DC, he lived in Virginia. She’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican. I loved photographing them, their love was apparent in the way they looked at each other. Perhaps their sense of humor was an ingredient that allowed them to transcend their differences. Certainly their playfulness continued all the way to his marriage proposal with her favorite milk shake in hand, the ring around the straw.

As an aside, I was very curious to see where the couple would land after the wedding — DC or Virginia. They ended up in neutral territory — New York City!

They married at Pat’s alma mater Georgetown University. The couple saw each other for the first time that day on campus near a coy pond and a tree with beautiful white blossoms. We made a quick trip to Senate Park for portraits and then returned for their ceremony at Dahlgren Chapel followed by a cocktail reception at Riggs Library. That may be the only wedding reception I get to photograph there because Riggs Library is usually only available to Georgetown’s president and deans. Since they held their wedding in a library, their favors incorporated a literary theme –little notebooks that say “Jennie and Pat write a new chapter.” And of course my favorite –they served Georgetown Cupcakes with little fondant open books with their initials on them. They served Pimm’s Cup in honor of her British heritage.

Overall, the wedding reflected Jennie and Pat very well — elegant, but low-key without any fuss. My favorite part of the day was photographing so many friendly and familiar faces. It was like a mini OMB reunion.

Congratulations Jennie and Pat!

Ceremony Venue: Dahlgren Chapel

Reception Venue: Riggs Library

Catering: Susan Gage Caterers

Cake: Georgetown Cupcakes

Florist: Little Shop of Flowers

Hair & Makeup: Talio Salon and Jasmine Ibrahim Makeup Artist

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson for The Observatory

They were married at the Hay Adams Hotel downtown Washington DC. They had a very intimate ceremony with immediate family and a couple of friends followed by dinner on the new roof top of the hotel. It’s always had a spectacular view of the White House, but the renovation makes it even more of a breath-taking experience. And for those of you who dreaded taking the stairs, there is now an elevator to take you up!

In general, little kids are fun to photograph at weddings, but their young nieces were irresistible! Fortunately, I think the couple and their family love the little girls so much they won’t mind all the pictures I took of them! Who would? But Marli argues her father may be cuter!

Speaking of little ones, Marli and JA had big news of their own to share. They’d confided in me earlier in the week during our pre-wedding consultation so I would be prepared to capture reactions when they announced they are expecting a baby in the fall. They surprised family and friends during dinner. The reaction was no short of jubilation –and my favorite part of the day. The pictures say it better than I can.

Congratulations on your marriage Marli and JA and for the wee little one on the way!

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Hay Adams Hotel

Cake: Kendall’s Cakes

Florist: Philippa Tarrant Floral Design

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson for The Observatory

We made our way to Woodend Sanctuary where Jen and Jason held their wedding ceremony and reception. But the first order of business was for Jen to surprise Jason with a groom’s cake in the form of Nationals Park from Charm City Cakes. Jason had wanted their wedding to take place at the stadium. Since that didn’t happen, Jen got him the cake so the stadium would still be a part of their wedding. Jason was surprised and stood around it first in awe then quickly doubled over in laughter. I think he was both tickled and impressed.

There was more than one occasion when Jason struggled to hold back tears. Those tears –of happiness and joy, finally ran down his cheeks during the ceremony. If you look closely, you can see them in a couple of the images below. I like to say that the post-ceremony euphoria is one of my favorite parts of the day –and there was no shortage of it with Jen and Jason, but a tearful groom beats all!

Congratulations Jen and Jason!

Coordinator: Lauren Levine, Festive Foods

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Woodend Sanctuary

Cake/Caterer: Festive Foods

Florist: Yellow Door Flowers

Music: Sage Strings Quartet, Invitation

Photographers: Andrea Jacobson and Matt Lisack for The Observatory

I love how Jen and Jason met — online. However, while most couples find each other on the same site (ie, Match, eHarmony, etc.), that was not the case for them. Jason created a profile on the Onion’s personals page while Jen registered on a site created by former non-profit executives hoping to meet a socially-minded and community oriented guy. Little did they know the sites cross match memberships! Despite registering for very different dating sites, the algorithms got it right! They’re a perfect pair.

Obviously there was no shortage of playful smiles during their portrait session. And I enjoyed seeing those big smiles reappear at their wedding!