It's time to revisit The Lorien Hotel and Spa again in gorgeous Alexandria, Virginia! Only this time I get to stay past the getting ready photos for Nikki and Chris' wedding! Yay! I met with Nikki back in the spring about her wedding that would take place at this gorgeous Kimpton Hotel on King Street, and instantly fell in love with her and the location! I was excited to see a complete wedding take place at the Lorien, and she and Chris did not disappoint! They had some of the most unique details I've seen to date, and I loved the bright colors that Nikki and Chris used throughout their entire wedding. It really dressed up the minimalist design that the Lorien goes for, which I thought was fabulous.

Nikki and Chris were such a fun and playful couple to work with, and I'm so glad I got to photograph their special day! As you'll see from the photos, they really have such a great sense of humor (read: the shot group shot where she's biting his finger and the bridesmaid shot where they'reÂ gnawingÂ on some lamb bone). But they could also really turn on their inner model for me for some dramatic shots which I loved too. Perfect combination!

Nikki and Chris, thanks so much for letting me photograph your wedding! I hope you and everyone else enjoy the photos below!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Gillian and Dave's wedding in Alexandria, VA, along with Mike Boggs, and we had a wonderful time! What I loved about their wedding is that they started at the Lorien Hotel & Spa and ended up at River Farm just down the Potomac. Why did I love it? Because those locations were two totally different backdrops! The Lorien is incredibly minimalist and modern, with it's very simplistic palette of light blue, chocolate brown and white (with a few neutrals thrown in there as well). It's so different from River Farm, which is this amazing historic house in Alexandria that has an incredible array of landscaping and flowers. The history involved with the house and property is pretty cool too, if you want to read about it from the above link! Anyway, my mind was on photographic overload the whole time, because both places were just an endless supply of beautiful shots, which you'll see below. I loved what Gillian had put together in terms of color in her wedding. What I remember most are greens and oranges. She specifically used green in her bouquet and the bridal bouquets, but also carried that through to the groomsmen belts. And, sidenote, this is the first time I have ever seen an artichoke in a bridal bouquet (which is below). It is Gillian's favorite food, and she was able to incorporate that in her bouquet...and it looked gorgeous! The oranges were in used in her shoes and then carried through Dave's tie, all of which were J. Crew and awesome looking (isn't J. Crew always awesome looking?). :)

Gillian and Dave were amazing to work with, and I wish they lived closer (they're up in Boston) so I could hang out with them after the fact! Not only were they a gorgeous pair, but they were just very easy going and willing to do whatever we needed them to! Their wedding party, family and friends were just as equally awesome, so a big thanks to them as well! Please enjoy the photos below and stay tuned for the Part II to follow where you can see some of the reception and even more gorgeous details!