Nicole + Brian celebrated an outdoor wedding ceremony and reception overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at the Eastern Shore wedding venue Hemmingway’s and the Bay Bridge Marina Yacht Club. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the sunset was to die for. Enjoy this sneak peek of a few of my favorites.
It seemed like hours… That was the amount of time I spent driving around Washington DC trying to find a parking spot during the hiatus of the Cherry Blossom festival. After finally making, it I can honestly say I would have done it time and time again just to capture how amazing Allison + Jesse are together. I am always thrilled when couples pick amazing locations and show so much affection for each other during sessions. Not only does it make my job easy but just look at these photos! If this engagement session is any indication of how great the photos will be at the wedding I can’t wait for June!
Beautiful work guys. Awesome lighting and thanks for sharing.
When Jessica called and asked if I would be interested in photographing her one year wedding anniversary I jumped on the opportunity. Jessica mentioned she and Mike had saved their wedding cake and wanted to eat it at the session. Immediately I started thinking wouldn’t it be great if they had a picnic? Apparently Jessica thought the same thing too! While this couple married on the Eastern Shore they now call northern Virginia home. This made Washington DC and the National Mall an ideal location of choice. I had such an amazing time hanging out with you both. So next year about this time… Call Me Maybe?
With wedding season kicking off this week, I wanted to blog an amazing trip my girlfriend and I took over the “off season.” Angela is in Physician Assistant school in Syracuse, NY so for her spring break we traveled to New Orleans, a location that was on both of our bucket lists. We visited “The Big Easy” two weeks after the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras and you could still feel the energy in the air. From the moment we arrived, it was cold and windy… isn’t spring break supposed to be warm and sunny (esp for Ang who lives in the snow capital of NY)? Regardless, we made the best of the weather and wandered the streets in the French Quarter, Marigny, and Garden District enjoying the food, music, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention, the ability to drink in the street. It was awesome!! (Ang wanted me to add in that this was her favorite part!) We tried to make rough plans each day of what we wanted to accomplish- one of our favorite day trips was about an hour away to Oak Alley Plantation where we took a step back in time and toured a historic mansion on the Mississippi River and enjoyed a delicious mint julep! We also decided to drive out to see for ourselves the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After a little research we learned the Lower 9th Ward was the hardest hit and after just a few moments there, it is obvious the devastation they endured and are continuing to endure today.
All in all we had a great time. Here are our top 10 tips/places to see if you visit New Orleans…
Tip # 1. The roads everywhere are horrible… be careful of the pot holes if you decide to rent a car! And do not try to cross Bourbon Street at night unless you want to wait 20 minutes.
Tip # 2. Go to Pat O’Briens and have a hurricane.
Tip # 3. Ride the streetcars. It’s a great way to see the city and get to the famous above ground cemeteries.
Tip # 4. Try a beignet from Cafe Du Monde
Tip # 5. Wear good walking shoes and don’t worry about dressing up to go out at night. Ang brought heels and never wore them (except to dinner) because everyone in NOLA was dressed so casually at night.
Tip # 6. The food everywhere was amazing. Our must try list is Commanders Palace and The Embers Bourbon House Restaurant and The Ruby Slipper Cafe.
Tip # 7. Rent your room on Airbnb. We rented an apartment on Burgundy Street in walking distance to everything with none of the hassles of a hotel.
Tip # 8. The hole in the wall bars were our favorite. For jazz, we loved Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub at the end of Bourbon and we really liked all the bars along Frenchmen Street.
Tip # 9. Hold the Big Ass Beer sign while yourself drinking a big ass beer (the side streets have the cheapest to-go drinks… $4.00 for 32oz Bud Light, you can’t beat that!)
Tip # 10. Eat lots of jambalaya
I was able to be a guest at a wedding! Last weekend, my girlfriend Angela’s good friends Colleen and Tony were married in Spencerville, Maryland and had their reception at the Warehouse at Camden Yards in Baltimore. I met Colleen and Tony at a super bowl party two years ago and learned about their upcoming wedding. A few months later, they inquired about me shooting their wedding, but said they would understand if I just wanted to be Angela’s date and have a good time. The last time I had been a guest at a wedding was in 2001 just after graduating college. It seems that whenever my friends get married, either they ask me to be their photographer or I am already booked that weekend. I knew I was well overdue to sit back and let someone else do the job, so I decided to be Ang’s date (which is what she wanted anyhow!). That being said, Angela was the wedding coordinator so like a good boyfriend, I offered to be her assistant for the day (she is always my third shooter/assistant at weddings so I figured I should repay the favor). When wedding day rolled around, I just couldn’t completely leave the cameras at home… I have to admit, it was hard for me to just sit there and be a guest! So I tried not to intrude upon the hired photographer and only took a few detail photos of the venue and some at the ceremony. Congrats Colleen + Tony, your wedding was gorgeous and so much fun. Enjoy your honeymoon in Mexico!
What great photos. Keep up the amazing work.
