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Andrea + Chris | New Year’s Eve Wedding in Maryland

Leah Stern — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:32:15 +0000

Andrea + Chris are two of the sweetest and kindest people I’ve ever met – they’re also full of silliness and fun! Their engagement session from this past spring was a blast and it’s not surprising that their festive New Year’s Eve wedding was a ton of fun for everyone! These two have the cutest story – they were best friends for years before they finally started dating. And they’re clearly so perfect for each other – it wasn’t surprising when the officiant during their ceremony said “it’s about time!” as they exchanged vows. Andrea + Chris’ wedding day was chock full of laughter, smiles and tons of fun and celebration – we were lucky to be there!

Getting Ready, Ceremony & Reception Venue: Governor Calvert House in Annapolis, Maryland

Dress: Marisa

Hair: Maria from Behind the Veil

Invitation Design: Allison Barnhill Designs

Florist: Intrigue Designs

Videographer: The Wood Room

DJ: Karl from C&J Entertainment

Cake: Fiona’s Cakes

Andrea + Chris’ invitations were custom-designed by Allison Barnhill Designs, and then personalized by using Andrea’s moms hand-written calligraphy!

This from Andrea about her gorgeous Chinese dress: “My Chinese relatives found a Chinese tailor in NY Chinatown to make the Chinese dress for me. It was made from fabric that my Popo (Grandma in Chinese) brought back from China over 50 years ago.”

I love the Chinese fabric wrapped around Andrea’s bouquet – such a unique touch

I loved that Andrea wrote on the bottom of her shoes. She even wrote in blue ink so she’d have her “something blue!”

After family shots, we booked it out to the Statehouse lawn for some preview fireworks fun.

The next two shots require a little explanation. Andrea and her dad danced to “Swinging on a Star.” They actually acted out each of the animals during the dance! In the 2nd shot, they are exhibiting the line in the lyrics:

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He ain’t got no manners when he eats his food
He’s fat and lazy and extremely rude

They also passed little cards to the guests with the lyrics written on them so everyone could sing along!

Super cute wedding favors! These are chocolates with their vows on one side of the wrapper and engagement photos on the other side!

And as the night wore on and midnight loomed closer, things just got crazier and crazier! I’ve never seen such a packed dance floor!

Countdown to midnight! 3….2….1……

……HAPPY NEW YEAR!

These guys are definitely going to be living happily ever after!

Meredith + Matt | Washington DC Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:48:07 +0000

I thought Meredith & Matt really deserved to have a beautiful wedding day given the bravery of choosing a mid-November date. So when the big day dawned and the weather was unseasonably gorgeous, I felt so happy for them! Meredith & Matt’s wedding was tinged with a beautiful vibrant shade of pink, which gave everything a wonderfully celebratory feel. Their reception at The Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel near Dupont Circle was so much fun – we were thrilled to be a part of it!

Wedding Planning: Laura Ritchie of Events in the City

Hair: Beautiful Hair by Beverly

Makeup: Kim Giammaria of Beauty Mark

Dress: Watters

Ceremony: St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church in Washington, DC

Florist: Da Vinci’s Florist

Reception: The Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel

Music: NightLife Band

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcake

Faye + Henry | Chesapeake Bay Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:54:22 +0000

There’s just one perfect word to describe Faye + Henry’s wedding day: beautiful. In every sense. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and everything went off without a hitch! It was just a simple, wonderful and gorgeous day. Faye + Henry have wonderful families who had such a great time taking pictures, giving lots of toasts and reveling in Faye + Henry’s happiness – it was wonderful to be a part of such a fantastic day!

Wedding Planning: Elizabeth Leibundguth of Cherry Blossom Events

Dress: Monique Lhuillier

Hair: Kass Benedick

Makeup: Gustavo Mottola

Florist: Wicked Willow

Ceremony & Reception: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club

Deejay: Jaime Mizell Easson of E2 Events

Big thank you to Dana for these great shots of the guys getting ready!

Loved the cake topper!! It was a custom-made tiny version of Henry + Faye wearing Caps jerseys!

Once the dance floor opened, Faye changed into this gorgeous, plum-colored, floor-length, fabulous gown!

Faith + Aaron | Virginia Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:01:18 +0000

Faith and Aaron are just about the most easy-going and all-around friendly people you’ll ever meet! They wanted their wedding to be fun, easy and relaxed – just a memorable and beautiful get-together with their family and friends. Hendry House in Arlington VA was the perfect location for just that atmosphere. The pre-ceremony cocktail hour complete with lawn games followed by a laid-back reception with barbecue from Rockland’s and a pie bar for dessert helped create the perfect setting. Faith and Aaron’s joie de vivre was infectious and combined with the absolutely perfect weather, their wedding day was unforgettable!

Wedding Planning: Sara Bauleke with Bella Notte

Catering: Rockland’s Barbecue & Grilling Company

Venue: Hendry House, Arlington VA

After the ceremony, Faith had a surprise when she took a closer look at her wedding ring and discovered that Aaron had secretly had them engraved with each others’ names an their wedding date.

Laura + Ryan | Maryland Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:16:42 +0000

When Laura + Ryan told me they were getting married at Shadetrees & Evergreens, I said, “where?” It’s not a place I’d heard of and not many people have. But it’s a hidden gem up near Frederick MD and is just one of the most natural, simple, and beautifully organic venues I’ve seen. It was perfect for Laura + Ryan, who love nature and the woods – check out their forest-y engagement session! Their wedding was full of beautiful, warm details – my favorite was the pie bar, although the apple tree was a close second. The weather was not so cooperative and it rained all day long, pretty non-stop. But at Shadetrees, the pavilion has a glass roof. So even under the pavilion, you can still see everything outside and you feel like you’re in a beautiful clearing in the woods. And the sound of the rain on the roof was so enchanting during their ceremony!

Wedding Planning: Tiffany Parry of Ribbon Box Events

Venue: Shadetrees & Evergreens

Dress: Wtoo

Florist: Ory Custom Florals

Caterer: Canapes Catering

DJ: Luciano’s Entertainment

Love the look on Laura’s dad’s face when he sees her ready to walk down that aisle!

During the ceremony, Laura & Ryan combined dirt from each parents’ yard into the pot of an apple tree that they’ll plant in their own yard. It was so sweet and so perfect for these two!

The steaming hot food was delicious!

Christine + Justin | Washington DC Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:16:02 +0000

Christine + Justin are such zen people – they’re so easy to be around and so comfortable together that being in the room with them just makes you feel relaxed. Seeing them so full of happiness on their wedding day was such a treat! We had a ton of fun taking photos in Dupont Circle before heading to the gorgeous Dumbarton House in Georgetown for their ceremony and reception. Everything couldn’t have been more perfectly lovely than it was!

Dress: Paloma Blanca

Makeup: Leah McKay

Hair: KC Felton, The Elegant Artisan

Getting Ready: Hotel Palomar, Dupont Circle

Ceremony & Reception: Dumbarton House, Washington DC

Florist: Rick’s Flowers

String Quartet: Sage String Quartet

DJ: Ed Witles, The Elegant DJ

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts Cakes

Cristin + Derek | Chesapeake Bay Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:22:09 +0000

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am obsessed with boats and especially sailing. I don’t actually really know how to sail, but anytime I see sailboats or container ships, I get so excited and start blabbering about how one day I’m going to sell everything I own and go live on a boat. These outburts are generally met with a fair amount of eye rolling. But I can’t help it, there’s just something about wide open skies combined with salt water and wind that just gets right to my core! So when I went out to the bay to meet with Cristin + Derek before their wedding, I couldn’t help but get SO excited about being near the water all day and getting to cross the bay bridge multiple times in one day! And Cristin + Derek are such sweet and fun people and the day was so gorgeous – how could we not love this wedding! And wait till you see all the details – everything was so perfect!

Dress: Essence of Australia

Florist: Black Eyed Susan

Ceremony: St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Reception: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club

DJ: Anthony Simpson with My Deejay

Cake: Cake and Confections

Thanks to Dana Morgan, my second photographer, for the shots of the guys getting ready!

I loved this little detail – a creative way for the ring bearer to announce to the guests what comes next!

We all headed to the Annapolis harbor for some fun shots and were surprised to find a Corvette show going on!

What a great remembrance for Cristin + Derek to have from their wedding. Derek made these Adirondack chairs with his grandfather and they had all their guests write little messages on them!

There’s something I love about this cute beer shot of Dana’s!

In lieu of a speech, Derek’s brother sang a really hilarious song about Cristin + Derek that he wrote himself

Yay for candy bars!

Robin + Marlon | Baltimore MD Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:23:22 +0000

Robin + Marlon are such fun and happy people and their wedding day was filled with enthusiasm, laughter and the most amazing and unique DIY details! I am definitely not a crafty sort of person, so I was so impressed at all the really creative details Robin came up with and put together so well. Their family and friends were such a sweet and fun group to be around and despite the rain pouring down on Baltimore, their wedding was absolutely radiant!

Getting Ready: Hotel Monaco Baltimore

Bridesmaids’ Makeup: Monica Cook

Bride’s Makeup: Stephanie Quiring

Hair: Toni Austin at Daniel’s Hair Salon, Washington DC

Dress: La Sposa

Florist: Fleur de Lis

Ceremony: The George Peabody Library, Baltimore MD

Reception: Gramercy Mansion, Baltimore MD

Catering: Absolutely Perfect Catering

Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcake, Washington DC

Dana got some great shots of the guys getting ready!

Robin & Marlon love the George Peabody Library in Baltimore and these beautifully decorated books were perfect in place of bridemaids’ bouquets for their library ceremony!

They also decorated the aisle with strings of paper flowers, made with paper from books!

I love all the expressions of joy and happiness right after a wedding ceremony!

It was a little bit of a rainy day….

….but that just made it all the cozier indoors!

I have no words to express how incredibly delicious these ribs were! Seriously – I think about them a lot….

Many thanks to my talented second shooter, Dana, for this next great shot! I love the atmosphere!

When things started heating up, Robin changed into this great dress! This is a fantastic way to go – those wedding dresses get warm!

Sarah + Nathan | Annapolis MD Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:20:26 +0000

When I was making this post, I couldn’t decide what to write. Everything I could think of sounded sappy. And what I am writing will probably end up sounding sappy too, but what are you gonna do about it, you know?

The thing is, Sarah & Nathan are my friends and my neighbors. I can see their back porch from my back porch. The weekend we shot their wedding, I also took care of their (super cute) dogs, Magoo & Hilda, and their (sweet and adorable) cats, Batman & Mama. I can see into their back room and they can see into mine, so they know what we like to watch on TV and I know what they’re cooking for dinner! I can’t even tell you how many times I have texted with Sarah in the middle of the night when one of us is out chasing cats in dark allies. So photographing their wedding was just supremely awesome – it truly was an experience I’d never had in some ways! I’d heard so much about all their friends and family and it was so fantastic to put faces with names. And watching the two of them get married meant so much to me! Because for me, Sarah & Nathan are more than just two really super people who were having a fantastic wedding, they are two really super people whose life I know outside of their wedding. And context brings so much meaning! So congratulations you guys – your wedding was beautiful and I was honored to be there. And you have the nicest friends and family in the world, so thank you to all of you guys for giving Sarah & Nathan a fantastic party!

Ok hopefully the sappiness level was tolerable there

Getting Ready: O’Callaghan Hotel, Annapolis MD

Dress: Mary’s of Annapolis, dress by Mary

Hair & Makeup: Friend of the bride, Jessica Castro

Florist: Silverstems

Invitations/Stationary: Allison Barnhill Designs

Ceremony & Reception: St. John’s College, Annapolis MD

DJ/Vocalists: Lovestory

Catering: Ken’s Creative Kitchen

Cupcakes: Baked & Wired, Washington DC

Sarah & Nathan actually got ready in the same room, which I thought was really sweet. They just wanted to be near each other all day. But when it was time to put Sarah’s dress on and Nathan tried to come in, the bridesmaids shooed him out – but not before he got a small peek!

The campus of St. John’s College in Annapolis is really gorgeous – what a fantastic venue! And an extra bonus – lots of chalkboard space available for any kind of self-expression while you wait for the wedding to start.

Dana had a great view from the balcony!

As guests filed out of the hall, they were greeted by trays full of delicious spiked lemonade!

Everyone loved these adorable little grass birdies, so cute! Sarah’s mom was largely responsible for all of the inspiration and decor in the wedding and she did an amazing job. The details were beautiful and the whole event tied together so well!

I loved the feel of these long dinner tables at the reception – there was such a sense of community and shared experience.

And the food, by Ken’s Creative Kitchen, was aaaamazing – so delicious!

The DJs, Lovestory, were so fantastic and different from every DJ I’ve seen at weddings. Thomas & Danita are a vocalist duo and they are everything a good DJ can be and more, because they actually sing and perform in addition to playing music! They play whatever music you like, but provide all the vocals for some of the songs, moving around the room and bringing the energy of live performance. They were a big hit!

Danielle + Randy | Washington DC Wedding Photography

Leah Stern — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:08:05 +0000

When I got to know Danielle + Randy during their engagement session last fall, I could tell right away that they were both such really super people and so much fun that I would LOVE shooting their wedding. And I was right! Danielle has a ton of energy and passion and poured it all into planning the wedding – everything was perfect and gorgeous and the bright colors had me dizzy with happiness! Thanks, as always, to my super fabulous second shooter, Dana!

Planner: Kelley Cannon of Kelley Cannon Events

Getting Ready: The Westin, Alexandria VA

Dress: Two by Rosa Clara

Hair: KC Felton of The Elegant Artisan

Makeup: Jan Scott

Invitations/Stationary/Reception Art: Lindsay Amerault of RadWorks Studios

Florist: The Enchanted Florist

Ceremony: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Alexandria VA

Reception: The Carlyle Club, Alexandria VA

Cake: Sweet Ladies Bakery

Danielle’s friend Lindsay did all of the amazing graphic design for her wedding and the art deco design really tied the whole event together and matched perfectly with the atmosphere at The Carlyle Club, their reception venue.

We LOVED the purple argyle socks!

First stop for photos in Old Town was the Lavender Moon Cupcakery. This was entirely Danielle’s idea and I couldn’t have been more excited. I have to take a moment here to salute the amazing deliciousness of their cupcakes! I fancy myself to be a tiny bit of a cupcake officianado. When Danielle suggested the idea of going to have cupcakes with her wedding party right after the ceremony, I volunteered to take on the hardship of visiting the various cupcakeries in Alexandria and judging which would be the best for photos. This task of course required me to taste a lot of cupcakes. I fell in love when I saw Lavender Moon in all its adorable glory! And then I bought an entire carton of cupcakes and I will tell you, ladies & gentleman, that I believe they just might be the best cupcakes I have ever enjoyed in the DC metro area. And I have enjoyed a LOT of cupcakes! But back to the wedding! It’s just like Danielle + Randy to choose to do something so fun and unique during their photo time and these are some of my favorite shots from the day.

And then for a little stroll around Old Town Alexandria…

This shot was a special request of Danielle’s and it turned out so cute, I had to share!

Oh, and they hired a bus to drive their wedding party around. They thought they would get a plain old white bus. But no, the Nationals bus showed up! Apparently it was the only bus available!

And remember the art deco design on the invitations – here it is again on their fabulous cake!