Ready for 2010!

With my first wedding of the year coming up this weekend, I've been thinking more and more about how excited I am for 2010! I'm still editing and designing albums from last year and I can tell you without hesitation that 2009 was such a wonderful year and I'm more than a little sad to see these final albums go out the door. Every time I receive a finished album for one of my clients, it's like opening a present! (And more than once I've needed to order a second copy to keep at the studio just because I am so happy with the finished album!) But the best part about this time of year is getting to look ahead to all the amazing weddings that I'll be photographing in the year to come. I am SO excited for 2010! I can't wait to finally work with the fantastic clients that booked me many many months ago! And I'm so thrilled to be photographing at some spectacular venues! Some are old favorites, while others I'm looking forward to shooting at for the first time. Just in case you're curious and will be visiting the blog throughout this upcoming year, here are a few of the locations that you'll be seeing (and some you'll be seeing even more than once!):

Halcyon House
River Farm
Woodend Sanctuary
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The Omni Shoreham
Brookside Gardens
The Westin Grand
Strathmore
Hotel Monaco
Airlie Center
Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Admiral Fell Inn
Grandview Manor
The Willard
Key Bridge Marriott
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
The River Plantation
Antrim 1844
A couple of private homes
And one private family farm!

Is it any wonder I'm so excited about 2010?!?! I just know it's going to be a great year filled with many memorable moments, favorite images, and a heck of a lot of fun! We do still have availability for a few dates, so please feel free to contact us if you are having a 2010 wedding. Oh, and because this is a photography blog and I knew I couldn't post without an image, here's a fun one from last fall. The processing is a little different than my usual look, but I'm loving it for a fine-art print! Don't you just adore those yellow shoes?

Sarah & Nick - A blizzard wedding at St. Matthews and the Carnegie Institute

Ceremony: St. Matthew's Cathedral
Reception: Carnegie Institution for Science
Co-ordinator: Heidi with Entertain Me
DJ: Kirk with Kirkabees
Hair and Make-up: Up Dos for I Do
Flowers: Brookhill Florist

With over 20 inches of snow on the ground, this was certainly a wedding to remember! (Though perhaps not in the exact way that Sarah and Nick had originally imagined as they planned their December wedding celebration.) I think it's pretty safe the say that we were all rather amazed and shocked as the city was blanketed by one of the largest snow storms to hit the DC area this decade. I admit that I was more than a little worried that my car would get stuck in a snow drift as I drove into the city that morning. But Sarah and Nick couldn't have been more relaxed about the whole thing! This was the perfect example of remembering the most important part of the day...that you end up married to your love and best friend. On this crazy day, the rest was just a bonus to these two. Which is exactly why I was so thrilled to be there to photograph it all for them! And yes, my car did get stuck a couple of times. But thanks to the generous help of everyone there (and a little creative parking), we just kept on going! Congrats again, Sarah and Nick! And what an amazing wedding to end the year on!

Sarah's bridesmaids reaction as she finished getting into her gown.

And Sarah's mom. I love how the same moment can bring both smiles and tears!

This is what happened when we attempted to go outside for a few shots. The snow was getting whipped around so hard that Sarah couldn't keep her eyes open!

But we still had to make sure we got this one shot since this is also where Nick proposed to Sarah.

This group was VERY ready to dance the night away and forget the storm outside!

I think you had to be there for this one. I was laughing so hard that my eyes were tearing up behind the camera!

And this was the scene outside as I left for the night. Crazy!

Lastly, some details. Their theme was based on the book, "A Christmas Carol." Even the cake-toppers were made out of pages from the book! Love it!

Qiao & Chris

Ceremony: St. Columba Catholic Church
Reception: China Garden
Hair and Make-up: Romance Wedding Service

I've been traveling and as much fun as it's been to get away, I am sooooo glad to be back! I've been away from my blog for too long! But I'm excited to kick off the new year with Qiao and Chris' beautiful December wedding. These two are photographers themselves, so I'm sure they are really looking forward to this blog post! What a crazy and exciting day they had! This was the first of many snowstorms that we have gotten this winter, so we moved our portrait time inside the awesome Hotel Palomar in Arlington. That's also where we started the day with Qiao and her bridesmaids getting ready. Let's start with Qiao's fantastic shoes (both pairs)...love these!

This could be my favorite image of the day that I captured as Qiao inspected her dress. Gorgeous!

I love this little smile on Chris' face as he says his vows.

The bridal party did a group high-five in celebration after the ceremony!

Qiao's eyes just pooled with tears listening to her maid of honor speak.

Time for the money dance!

I laugh out loud everytime I see this image...love it!