Erin and Chris had the kind of simple, heartfelt, honest wedding that practical people dream about. They gathered their closest, put them inside the iconic
DC War Memorial, got married by a relative, and then treated everyone to a classy dinner at a cute venue. The flowers were blooming. You couldn't ask for better weather. It was a good day to get married.
(And I just can't resist adding in this personal note. The above image is one of my favorites in a while. I started this whole photography thing with a strong interest in the
street. Mostly I use these skills to photograph weddings, and don't actually get to pull in any strictly "street" elements into my work. This wedding was an exception, as we were able to do portraits around town, including the Metro. I am so into this frame with teenagers clapping and congratulating Erin and Chris and they were super good sports about making out in front of all those strangers.)
We started the day at their home in DC.
And had some time before the ceremony to do a few photos near their neighborhood.
Showtime at the DC War Memorial.
Erin's aunt officiated the wedding.
Erin and Chris had a ring-warming ceremony, which is one of my favorite elements people bring into their weddings. The rings are passed around to all guests, who take a second to pray or send out good vibes to the couple, through their rings.
Then we hopped across the way to take photos at the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossoms were very reluctantly starting to bloom a little.
And I took a pause in the pretty pictures to take some weird ones.
Portraits wrapped, we scooted to
Darlington House, where their guests awaited them.
And I'm going to end with this amaaaaaazing Dr. Who cake. Yes, those are bride and groom Daleks. Yes, I was spazzing out.
Congratulations guys!
Erin & Chris' vendor team:
Ceremony venue:
DC War Memorial
Reception venue:
Darlington House
Florist:
Potomac Floral Wholesale Inc.
Officiant: The Rev. Mary E. Perrin (Erin’s aunt)
Erin's beautiful dress:
Kiyonna
Tailoring: Gayle at
Cheryl A. Lofton & Associates (Erin highly recommends!)
Chris' Suit: Joseph A. Banks
Hair: Nikki at
Bang Salon
They got ready at the 
Bobbie's niece did a little show-stealing.
The 
The light at the memorial is really out-of-this-world.
The cherry blossoms still weren't doing their thing, so we just hopped right across the way for portraits.
And then we borrowed a panda kite. Because no one denies a wedding couple.
The 
People start making funny faces while dancing at a really young age.
And, you know, they just go with it after that.
Not only did Tim get to celebrate his wedding day, but Bobbie arranged for a birthday cupcake for him too.
This was my first time operating a photobooth at a wedding. I don't think I was quite prepared for how popular it would be.
The props went everywhere.
And this was really neat. At the end of the night, since many of their guests were from out of town, Bobbie and Tim piled everybody in trolley buses and gave them a driving tour of major sights of the city, including the corner where Bobbie and Tim first met. It was pretty tricky to photograph (*dark*!) but I super-dig this triple action frame.
Congratulations guys!
Bobbie & Tim's vendor team:
Planning: 
They got ready at the very fancy 
Big shout-out to 
Then we scooted onto Bluemont to take in the views and get these two hitched and stuff.
I don't know I've ever seen two people have more fun at their ceremony.
I just had to grab them for a handful more portraits in the awesome late afternoon light.
Toasts.
Bluemont does a whole bunch of weddings, so I was happy to finally see it in person. I love that they outfit the poles and ceiling beams with sparkly lights to create some great atmosphere. I'm pretty sure the paper lanterns are theirs too. It has a beautiful old barn feel without any of the inconveniences of actually being in a barn.
Gotta love 'em.
Congratulations Emily and Matt! It was awesome being your wedding photographer.
Emily & Matt's kick-ass, hardworking vendor team:
Getting ready: