Hmmm, so where do I begin on this one?  The bride is Mary Kate McKenna (of Mary Kate McKenna Photography) and has been a friend of mine since we worked on a wedding way back in 2007.  She and her husband Joe have one of those fantastic love stories that Nicholas Sparks bases his novels on.  He’s in the Army and she’s a world-traveling creative who deserves every little crumb of joy in her life.

To give you a taste of how cute these guys are, here’s what MK posted on her blog just before the wedding:

“I’m going to marry the guy who told me in high school we’d end up together.

The guy who pursued me for 12+ years,

while I traveled the globe and did my own thing.

He waited. He waited a long, long time.

Well, on Saturday, he finally gets his way.

It’s hard to describe how I’m feeling right now.

Excited I guess is the only word that kind of describes it.

I’ve been to so many beautiful weddings,

and I’ve always loved watching the day unfold.

And now it’s our turn. Surreal.”

Being a wedding photographer, naturally MK has been to nearly every wedding in the DC/MD/VA area.  When it came time to pick a venue for her own shindig, ThorpeWood was an easy choice.  This 155-acre retreat in the Catoctin Mountains has multiple buildings and also serves as a camp for at-risk youth.  They’re eco-friendly and proud of it which gave her more than enough reasons to get married there.

Here’s the main building on the grounds:

While being a photographer made it easy to pick a venue, it made picking a photographer really really really hard.  MK and Joe finally decided to work with Christobal & Kathleen Perez of Azul Photography out of Raleigh, NC.   Check out their eye for stunning detail:

While MK got ready inside the main barn, I was busy setting up the ceremony spot.  With 155 acres, you can imagine that there are plenty of places to pick from for an outdoor ceremony!  They chose this little wooded area with a small stone footbridge that goes over a babbling brook.  It was all quite lovely:

Here comes the bride!

The other advantage about being a wedding photographer is that all your friends are photographers too.  MK’s friend Jaime Windon (aka The Blonde Photographer) snapped a few here and there.  I really liked seeing how two photographers can see the same moment differently!  See Christobal’s version above and Jaime’s below:

The happy couple, getting hitched!  Check out their custom-made wooden canopy structure.  Although this was not a Jewish wedding and that’s not a chuppah, it’s a gorgeous piece that framed the ceremony just beautifully.  A big special thanks to Katie Martin at Elegance and Simplicity (and her master-carpenter-husband) who built it:

Married!

After the ceremony, MK & Joe took a few minutes with Christobal to get some portraits:

Then it was time to PAR-TAY!

Look at the size of those peonies in the bouquet!  That thing weighed like 30lbs.  Katie did a really spectacular job on the bridal bouquet and it ranks right up there as of my favorites of all time.

Can you believe that MK made this sign?  Yeah, she really MADE it!  Cut out the wood and everything!

Inside the barn building, the reception’s ready to go:

My favorite detail were these fun poms from Etsy seller Prost to the Host!

MK spent months and months scouring flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores to find all the Mason jars and antique glass for the floral arrangements:

Here’s the first dance.  MK & Joe are cute and all, but the real focus of this picture is the adorable centerpiece box!!!  MK made a white wooden box for each table and those glass jars went inside.  I wish I had a better picture to show you the detail but these guys were really quite adorable!

MK wrote one of those toasts that made everyone, including Joe, need a tissue.  I’ve heard hundreds of wedding toasts and am definitely jaded enough that I usually don’t even listen to them anymore.  MK’s even got me too!

Cheers!  The day was filled with all kinds of emotions but this was a more lighthearted moment:

(This photo was taken by Jaime)

Some more images by Jaime that give you an idea of how fun this party was:

I can’t get over how cute this one is.  Christobal really has an eye for this stuff.  Again with the touching moments!

ThorpeWood just happens to have a ping pong table outside.  And MK just happened to be sure to bring balls for it.  And she also just happened to win:

It was a lovely evening to enjoy the patio and lawn:

Happily ever after!

(this one is Jaime’s too)

Congratulations again, MK & Joe!  You two make quite the perfect new family.  I wish you both all the very best and look forward to watching your love story continue.

Memorial Day weekend arrived VERY early for me this year, as I woke up at 6 am to trek to the Old Town Alexandria Farmer’s Market to buy flowers for Jen and Nate’s casual BBQ wedding.

See, Jen knew she needed help with the bouquets and personal flowers but thought she could handle the centerpieces on her own, and boy was she right!

The peonies and lilacs I bought that morning were SO gorgeous and fragrant, it made me start to consider actually getting married in the summer!  (Until I remembered that I hate being hot…and it’s hot in the summer.)

All photos from fellow Demon Deacon, Christine Meulemans.  Go Deacs!

Jen and Nate met learning to sail on the Potomac, so it was only natural for them to have their wedding on the river at the beautiful Collingwood Library:

The ceremony was held where Christine is standing while taking this picture, down on the waterfront, with the cocktail hour on the patio at the side of the house (which you can see guests enjoying here), and the reception inside the Conference Center.  (I’ll be honest…I miss the days when you could have your reception outside on the patio at Collingwood.  You still can, but you can’t have amplified music, so if anyone knows a good jazz trio or Dixieland Jazz Band, this is your place!!)

Jen and Nate wanted to make lots of use of the water, so Nate arrived via a groomsman’s sailboat!

He then took a little zodiac-dinghy thing to the property, where he ran up to get changed into his custom-made suit!

Meanwhile, Jen and the girls were getting ready in the beautiful bride’s room inside the house:

I am SO in love with her Grecian-inspired dress, which she got OFF THE RACK at Bloomingdale’s!  And she didn’t even need to have it altered — it fit her PERFECTLY!  So jealous!

The fun, summery bouquets were provided by one of our favorite florists, Maryam’s Flowers.  I had just worked with Maryam on another wedding a few weeks earlier, which you’ll get to see shortly!

Soon, it was time for the ceremony to start — guests had made their way down the hill and just as the ceremony was about to start, the clouds parted and created the beautiful sunny setting for Jen and Nate’s vows.

Jen had her girls choose whatever dresses they wanted, as long as they were seersucker.  They did SUCH a great job, including her sister, who had hers custom-made.  I LOVE the lace peeking out from underneath!

The flower girl and ring bearer did a great job…

And then it was time for Jen and her dad to walk down the aisle.  The problem?  Remember that gorgeous dress?  Well, the grass was a little wet, and naturally Jen didn’t want the dress to be ruined.  So she did what any sensible bride wearing Havaianas would do…

She hitched up that dress and walked right down the aisle!  And she looked GORGEOUS doing it, with hair and makeup from one of our favorite day spas, Sugar House.

LOVE this shot of Nate nervously waiting for his bride, while her sister excitedly looks down the aisle

After a beautiful ceremony, Nate and Jen were pronounced husband and wife, and they set off down the aisle…until breaking into the most adorable run I’ve ever seen.

After the ceremony, Christine was able to take some time to get some AMAZING shots of the bride and groom:

This last one is probably my favorite…it just shows Jen’s playfulness perfectly…

Afterward, Jen and Nate got to sample some of the appetizers:

The guests made their way inside to the Conference Center, which our awesome team of Wish assistants helped me decorate.  Christine did a fantastic job of getting pictures of the details — we love it when our photographers do this!

Jen ordered these adorable stickers to go on Hershey’s kisses, which we put a bowl of on each table.

When Nate proposed, he wrote a message on a sail and flew it off the boat for Jen to see.  Jen brought that sail to the wedding for all to appreciate (thanks to Jen’s VERY tall brother for helping me hang this up!)

Jen wasn’t sure if their guests were a big dancing crowd, but she wanted to make sure they were entertained (as well as take advantage of the gorgeous grounds at Collingwood). She brought along a croquet set and a couple of bocce sets, which Jamie, one of our super assistants, made adorable signs for!

As you can see, the guests (especially the kids) definitely took advantage of it!

Before she cut the cake, Jen changed into a traditional Vietnamese outfit, which Nate’s family had brought her.  Unfortunately, no one told her how to put the hat on, so it ended up upside down!  Nate straightened her out, though…

Then it was time for the newlyweds to cut the DELICIOUS cake, provided by Balducci’s in Alexandria.

Don’t you LOVE the sailing rope coiled around the cake as a nod to their shared love?  Too cute

After the cake was cut, one of Nate’s groomsmen (and owner of the boat that delivered him to the ceremony!) offered a toast and dedicated the perfect song to Jen and Nate, the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes in the Water.”

Jen and Nate, thanks for letting me be part of your special day.  Congratulations!

Amy & Alex are planning their spring 2009 wedding at Historic Long Branch.  Since I had never been there, we all took a visit to the estate to meet the on-site events coordinator and figure out the logistics of the day.

Long Branch holds it’s place in Virginia history.  The land was surveyed by a young George Washington and the property’s neighbors included notable figures such as Lord Culpeper, Lord Fairfax, and Robert “King” Carter.  Here is a map of where the estate is located.  It’s approximately 30 minutes west of Middleburg and 20 minutes east of Winchester:

The building we see today was built in the very early 1800s.  It changed hands over the years and finally was purchased in 1986 and restored by Harry Z. Isaacs, a Baltimore textile executive.  Before his death in 1990 he created a private foundation to maintain and manage the property.

From the driveway you actually arrive at the back of the house.  Around the right is where the brick patio is for large tents.  The ‘front’ door of the house is actually around the backside.  Here’s the side facing the parking area and main driveway:

See where that Ryder truck is?  Just behind it is the brick patio perfect for tenting.  Event Rentals was just setting up this huge tent when we were visiting.  They can seat about 250 guests out here under a tent or more if you want to put the tent on grass:

Check out the gorgeous Virginia vistas!  Rolling meadows make for amazing portrait backgrounds:

On the other side we actually see the front!  Isn’t it gorgeous?

I love the front door.  A wedding ceremony here on the steps would be just beautiful:

The interior of the house is decorated with period pieces and is really beautiful.  It reminds me of Mt. Vernon or Gunston Hall, if you’ve ever toured those estates.  My favorite feature is this spiral staircase:

If you’re considering a wedding in Virginia’s ‘Hunt Country,’ Historic Long Branch is a perfect fit.  Check out their website for more information or go see it for yourself!

Remember when we visited the River House back in January?  This amazing venue in Queenstown, MD held Lindsay & Sam’s big bash this weekend.  They tied the knot bay-side and celebrated under a beautiful glowing tent.  I’ll have better photos from photographer Greg Gibson soon but for now I’ll share the ones I took.

The ceremony site, all ready for some chairs:

Ray L. of Party Perfect hooked us up with this fantastic 60′x90′ tent!  The walls went all the way around since it was rather gusty on the bay.  They even left a Tent Attendant all night in case there were any problems:

Inside the tent.  Mike B. with Blondell’s Accents on Events set up these beautiful Chinese paper lanterns inside the tent.  He also handled the uplighting in the tent and on some trees, which you can see in full effect in the night photos later:

Like a lot of DC caterers, Capitol Catering gets their rentals from DC Rental.  They are reliable, have great equipment, and carry just about anything you need!  Here we have some glassware racks on the left, our table linens in the center, some plates in the black crates, who knows what’s in those gray bins (serving utensils?), and high chairs down in the front:

Can you believe that all these racks are JUST glassware?  Each stack has about 8 racks of 25-36 glasses each!

Bobby’s Pottys provided this wonderful luxury restroom trailer.  I’m not kidding — these were nicer than the facilities inside the house!  If you have an outdoor venue and limited restroom options, Bobby’s Pottys did a great job and provided an attendant to stay with the trailer all night:

Alison from Capitol Catering and me, getting started on some of the guest tables inside the tent:

John from Spot Floral Design came up with this beautiful canopy for the ceremony.  It was made of bamboo, curly willow, and had strands of orchids hanging from three sides:

The centerpieces had three low vases of flowers and three cylindrical vases with gold floating candles.  They were gorgeous!

Chatting with the musician from Entertainment Exchange about our cues for the ceremony:

Unfortunately no matter how much you confirm details, plan, and confirm again, things will inevitably ALWAYS go wrong on the wedding day.  This is where having a wedding planner truly makes a difference!  Twice before the ceremony, the wind caught our beautiful canopy and blew it over.  The fall broke every connection between the poles each time.  Unfortunately our florist was long gone to their next delivery and were were left to our devices to fix it.  A roll of clear duct tape ended up being our savior both times:

After the second fall, Rebecca was assigned to standing with the canopy to avoid further disaster:

Sam & Lindsay tying the knot!  They chose to incorporate Sam’s Indian culture into the service by lighting a traditional fire and walking around it.  Rev. Amanda Tate did a phenomenal job with their custom-made ceremony:

After the ceremony Lindsay & Sam escaped to take some portraits.  They chose to see each other before the ceremony so they took the big family shots earlier:

Remember how great Arienne & Rahman’s photos were?  It was a pleasure to work with Greg Gibson again.  Here he is getting “The Shot” with his assistant Rebecca:

Here’s what I saw through my lens.  I can’t wait to see what they captured!

Meanwhile inside the tent, the finishing touches are almost done.  Here, the chef from Capitol Catering dresses each of the salads individually after they’ve been set on the tables:

The catering team is folding napkins to fit Lindsay’s menu cards.  Here you can see just how windy it was!  Check out that tent wall behind them:

Thanks to our wonderful assistant Tracey, the escort card table looked beautiful!  She laid out strips of ribbon, pinned them to the table linen, then slipped each card’s back underneath to hold them in place.  The idea was to set this table outside and let guests find their card during the outdoor cocktail hour.  Unfortunately with the wind, even those ribbons wouldn’t have done their job very well.  I think they looked nice anyhow:

Can you believe our bride Lindsay made all these gorgeous cards?

Here’s a closeup of one of the salads.  Those are figs there around the edges.  Mmm!

The tent looks gorgeous!  Let’s have a party!

David from MyDeejay.com did a great job mixing the traditional American reception music with some great dance music for the Indian guests.  He was a little camera-shy but this is what his setup looks like:

Once the sun went down, the tent really looked amazing!

I was thrilled when I learned that Kendall’s Cakes would be bringing the cake.  Kendall is very talented and does a phenomenal job.  Lindsay and Sam chose to serve sheet cake as a cost-cutting method.  Can you believe that three layers of this cake are styrofoam?  Can you guess which one is real?

Outside, the lighting on the trees was very dramatic:

Congratulations, Lindsay & Sam!  Your big day was so gorgeous and I heard so many wonderful compliments on the food, the decor, and your personal ceremony.  I’m so glad we were able to be a part of your big day.