alexandria va wedding photography

Jen and Joel's Old Town Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peeks!

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My awesome couple from the weekend, Jen and Joel, are off on an incredible three week honeymoon.  However, I couldn't resist posting these two sneak peeks from their wedding this past weekend.  Their Old Town Alexandria wedding was so much fun, and I especially love the storm that rolled in at the end.  You'll see why!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Amanda and Adam's Westin Alexandria Wedding!

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Happy Friday, everyone!  Today I'm blogging on two very awesome people, Amanda and Adam!  Amanda and Adam were married at the Westin Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia on one of the hottest days of the summer, so you can imagine how excited I was when the entire celebration was indoors!  Of course, I'm sure they (and their guests) were equally as excited! Amanda and Adam wanted to start their day off with a first look, and since it's been quite a few weddings since I've actually had a first look, I was thrilled with theirs!  I've never done a first look with a couple perfectly back-to-back, and I thought their reactions were just so cute!  You could tell how happy their were to see each other and it definitely created a calm over them before their ceremony.  Also, can I just say that I love Amanda's wreath that she wore? I haven't seen a bride wear a wreath/veil combination before, and I thought she looked amazing with it!

Amanda and Adam's wedding ceremony was simple and beautiful.  They both were all smiles during the entire event which made for some super cute photos.  After their ceremony, we did make the brave decision to go outside for a few photographs in the courtyard in front of the Westin.  Even though it was incredibly hot, we were in the shade and were mayyyybe outside for 10 minutes max.  But I think it was worth it because Amanda and Adam just look so darn great in their photos!

Once we were back inside it was clear the party was on!  Everyone had an incredible time dancing and letting loose.  At the end of the night I decided to take a shot with one of the Westin windows that had a clear, beautiful view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial (a staple view in Alexandria) and I was really pleased with how the photo turned out!

Many thanks to Amanda and Adam, their family and friends for having me along for the ride!  Also, I have to give a huge shout out to Graceful Weddings who kept the day moving along smoothly and who were always willing to step in as my test subjects when I needed them.  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Amanda and Adam's Westin Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peek!

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This past Saturday was a scorcher!  Luckily, Amanda and Adam's wedding was all indoors at the Westin Alexandria in Old Town.  Although we did make it outside for five minutes (and no more...the heat index was 110!), I really loved some of the photos we were able to get inside with the two of them.  The first shot in these sneak peeks is from their first look, and I just adore it.  More to come from these two lovebirds!  Enjoy! Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

 

Alexis and Andrew's Oxon Hill Manor Wedding!

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It's pretty crazy to think that I met Alexis and Andrew almost a year and a half ago!  Alexis found me through the amazing local area blog, United with Love, and I couldn't be more thankful for that!  I've enjoyed each time I have spent with this couple, whether that was at their engagement session or just meeting to go over wedding logistics.  They're just awesome! Alexis and Andrew's wedding day began at the Embassy Suites in Old Town, a gorgeous hotel not too far from Oxon Hill Manor.  I really loved some of the getting ready photos, just because you could really feel the emotion of the day in them.  Alexis looked absolutely stunning in her wedding gown, and you could see how excited all her bridesmaids were for her!  Once we all arrived at Oxon Hill I was able to take a few bridal portraits of Alexis which I just looooooooove.  She just has this old Hollywood glamour about her that is hard to stop photographing!  But I think my favorite getting ready photo was of Alexis and her dad in her suite.  Taken through the mirror on the wall, you can see her father's excitement seeing her for the first time in her dress.  It's just so sweet!

The rest of the wedding day was absolutely beautiful.  Alexis and Andrew's ceremony was a traditional Ukrainian ceremony, which had a lot of elements I enjoyed.  My favorite part was probably the crowning of Alexis and Andrew.  This was when Alexis and Andrew were both crowned with wreaths, which symbolizes that they will be the king and queen of their own family kingdom, ruling side by side.  Who wouldn't love that?  :)  After the ceremony we took lots of awesome photos, and it you'll notice through the photos you see that the wedding instantly turned into a fun celebration.  Everyone was just having an amazing time, even before we started the reception!  Once the reception started rolling though, more fun was to be had for sure.  One of my favorite parts of the reception was her maid of honor starting her toast to Alexis, but then launching into a dance sequence with the other bridesmaids and dancing around Alexis.  It was amaaaaaazing!  But I can't forget about one of my favorite guest appearances, Morton the mallard.  It's a tradition with Alexis and her Boston University gals to bring Morton to every wedding they attend and make sure he's photographed throughout the reception.  I think Morton had a great time (as did I!).

Many thanks to Alexis and Andrew for having me photograph their big day!  I had an absolute blast!  Also a huge thank you to Maria at HJ Planners for all of her hard work, along with Zack Pope of Roundz Catering for making some of the best food I've ever had at a wedding!  I hope you enjoy the photos!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maria and Wayne's Old Town Alexandria Wedding!

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Today I get to blog about a really amazing couple, Maria and Wayne!  Just a short time ago, Maria and Wayne were married at the Hilton Old Town Alexandria, and as I'm sure you'll tell from the photos, they were beyond excited about becoming husband and wife! On the day of their wedding we were hoping to have the ceremony outdoors, but there was just too much of a rain threat, so we brought it all inside!  Maria was as cool as a cucumber up in her suite, and I about died when I saw and photographed her wedding dress.  Honestly, I'd never seen a dress quite like it (I guess if I had to compare it to something, it made me reminisce about Jennifer Connolly's white satin dress in the Rocketeer...even though the material and fit was a little different).  Maria just looked stunning in her dress, so I made sure we got some gorgeous photographs of her before we headed downstairs for her and Wayne's ceremony!

The ceremony was full of tons of laughter, which made the whole experience so much fun.  Afterward,  we went outside while the weather was cooperating for and took some photos with family and, of course, the happy couple.  Maria and Wayne were really like pros when it came to modeling, and so far Maria's pose with her veil as a filter (her looking off in the distance) is one of my favorite shots this year!

The reception was probably one of the best parts of Maria and Wayne's wedding day though, as everyone really just breathed easy and let loose!  Maria and Wayne had a mariachi band at their cocktail hour which her father accompanied for a few songs.  They also had a frozen margarita machine (!!!!) and then wondered why in the world no one utilized that at other weddings I've photographed!  The reception room was absolutely stunning, filled with lots of details that echoed how much Maria and Wayne love to travel (note the couple sitting on suitcases on their cake!). It was such a joy to see everyone party on the dance floor and have a great time.  Everyone in that room loved and cared for Maria and Wayne so much, and nothing could make this photographer happier!

Congrats, Maria and Wayne!  Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your special day!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maria and Wayne's Old Town Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peeks!

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This past weekend I got to work with the incredibly adorable couple, Maria and Wayne, in Old Town Alexandria!  While more photos are on the way from their wedding,  I just had to share these sneak peeks with you all.  I really hope you enjoy them!  More to come!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maggie and Lucas' Northern Virginia Wedding!

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It's time for the full blog post of Maggie and Lucas' amazing wedding!  Yay! First off, let me just say how excited I was to work with this couple.  Maggie contacted me a few months ago about their wedding, and she booked me without ever meeting me.  However, I could tell by our emailing what a down-to-earth gal she was, and by the time we met I went straight in for a hug!  She's just the kind of person you feel like you've been friends with your whole life, that's how awesome she is.  Also amazingly, I met Lucas and the rest of the family by chance on a trip to Chipotle!  Lucas actually lives in Connecticut (and Maggie is moving there), but in a purely coincidental moment, Lucas, his family and Maggie's family happened to all travel to Alexandria to hang out about a two months before the big day...and I ran into them!  What can I say, I get hungry after consults sometimes, and I was so excited to meet Lucas and Co., even if it was at a Chipotle!  I knew right then and there that their wedding was going to be an incredible time for me.

The big day was amazing.  It was fairly warm outside for a March day, and Maggie and Lucas were so kind and easy-going on the day of.  Whatever I wanted them to try out, they did.  Even leading right up to the wedding, I dragged Lucas and Maggie to this amazing window for some portraits that I told them would be worth it, and they totally trusted me!  Their wedding party was equally as awesome, cooperating fully and even helping me out with carrying some equipment around!  How awesome is that?!

There's so much I love about this wedding.  I love the colors of pink, grey, black and white.  I love the details, including a handkerchief that Maggie's mom made for her on the day of her wedding.  But I think most of all I just love this couple.  The energy that their wedding had was something special, and it really resonated with me.  Maybe that's why I'm blogging so many of their images!  :D  I think you'll see what I mean though when you scroll through.

Maggie and Lucas, thank you so much for including me in your wedding day!  I was honored to be a part of it, and I hope you love the photos!

Vendors include:  Great Falls Florist, Ali Wear Hair & Makeup, McLean Presbyterian and the Torpedo Factory

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maggie and Lucas' Northern Virginia Wedding - Sneak Peeks!

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This past Saturday I had the joy of photographing two very awesome people: Maggie and Lucas!  Their wedding ceremony was at McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia, and their ceremony was at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia.  These two sneak peek shots were both taken at McLean Presbyterian, and I'm super excited about them.  I almost passed up the opportunity to work with this window, and both of these shots were taken in that same window at different times of the day.  I was really pleased with the results!  I hope you like them!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa