I first met Cara and Joe last year, to discuss wedding coverage for their July 2011 date. Immediately I could see the love between the two of them, and their relaxed joy in discussing their big day.

So when I walked into Cara's suite at the ever spectacular Hotel Monaco DC on Saturday morning, and found her relaxed, gorgeous and ready to go, I wasn't the least bit surprised. She showed me the gorgeous vintage earrings that Joe had gifted her that morning. He also found a pitch-perfect hair piece, made by an artist on Etsy who re-purposes broaches. I love how he could match her dress so perfectly, without even having seen it.

 

A QUICK trip to the Lincoln before the ceremony. We got stuck in serious Constitution traffic so had about 5 minutes to grab some shots down on the mall. Luckily, Joe and Cara are gorgeous, so it wasn't too hard. I did this little vintage treatment to compliment the timelessness of her dress and his suit.

The gorgeous ceremony. Such a beautiful space at the Hotel Monaco! I love how they've situated all of the chairs and bridal party to create a circle around the couple. 

 

 

 In my opinion, this recessional picture is in the top three favorites that I've ever taken:

 The following were taken after the ceremony was over...they were so relaxed and excited to have the rest of the night to celebrate!

I showed this image and a few others to Cara and Joe as we were walking back to their reception, and she said "is that us??!! it looks like a magazine!" which indeed, they do look like they just stepped out of.

The ceremony area, converted for the reception...

Their sweet first dance. They had the best songs EVER for their first dance, as well as the parent dances. Joe's really into music, so Cara also had a "music poster" made for him for their wedding that features the date, location and their names, all in rock style font and layout.

An outrageously fun reception followed the big event and capped off a perfect day.

Many, many congratulations Joe and Cara! Have a wonderful time on your honeymoon!

 

The amazing vendor team:
Ceremony and Reception: Hotel Monaco, DC
Second Photographer: the fabulous Christine, of Christine Barker Photography
Florist: Yellow Door Floral
Cake: Heidelberg Bakery
DJ: David Grimm
Dress: Priscilla of Boston
Officiant: Rev. Jeff Maszal, Wedding Ceremonies by Jeff

This past weekend, I had the joy of photographing the wedding of Meg and Marc, two very good friends of my sister.

I was first contacted by Meg after she saw one of my weddings featured on the great blog District Weddings. She was interested in my work and style as a photographer, but it was only after the first contact that we put two and two together that I was the sister of her good friend. DC seems to get smaller by the day.

Marc and Meg pulled together an amazing day, full of heirloom details and tradition.

The bride and her attendants got ready at the DC Hotel Monaco, just around the corner from the couple's home.

The wedding was at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The parish was established in 1794, primarily to meet the needs of Irish immigrants at work on the White House and the Capitol building, and is widely thought to be the oldest parish in the district.

The crown worn by Meg was also worn by her mother and both of her sisters on their wedding day. Although her mom came across the crown while in Germany, before her own wedding, she was told that the master silversmith that created it was from her, and my, home town of Rochester, NY. So she returned stateside and commissioned it from him.

One of their favorite spots is the Einstein Sculpture, little known even by DC residents. Love the forethought of bringing a boutonniere for Einstein!

Endless color

The most adorable nieces, who so PATIENTLY waited through all of the pictures....

The reception was at the incomparable Halcyon House, in Georgetown. It must have been said 100 times throughout the night "look at all the colors in this wedding!", to which someone inevitably responded "would you expect anything less from Meg and Marc?".

Meg's dress was (unbelievably) hand sewn by her mother. Each and every rosette on the dress was hand made. Needless to say, the mother of the bride was asked by every unmarried woman in the room if she would be willing to make theirs, to which she politely responded "this was a labor of love. and a one time deal". Wise, indeed, unless she wanted to be hand-sewing rosettes off into the sunset for the rest of time.

The wedding was created by seemingly everyone in attendance. The 63 balloons adorning the reception hall were blown up by her brother and relatives, as well as hung from the 30 foot cement ceiling by them. Not an easy task, I am told.

The flowers, some of the food, the streamers used throughout the party, the table decorations, all hand crafted. What a lovely day - infused with such heart (and manual labor), and yet still able to come off seamlessly. And all with an uber-relaxed bride, groom, and bridal party. Many congratulations Meg and Marc! It was a true joy to work with you both.

The dance party was rocked by the always awesome Bryan George - who also helped us coordinate this group shot at the end of the night...and THEN got everyone right back on the dance floor!

Vendors:
DJ Bryan George
Caterering by 42 degrees
Event Planning by Jackie Ludden
Lighting by Frost Lighting
Venue by Halcyon House, Hotel Monaco DC, and St. Patrick's Parish