Not too long ago I had the honor of photographing Sarah and Justin's wedding at Woodend Nature Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, Maryland! What I love about Sarah and Justin is that they're two of the most sincere people you'll ever meet. There's no denying that they love each other with all that they have, and I absolutely loved seeing that translate in their photos! Sarah and Justin both elected to not see each other before their big Chuppah ceremony, and they even chose to not see each other during the traditional Jewish Ketubah signing! I had no idea how those photos were going to turn out (their families and friends held up a barrier between them), but I actually really liked them! At one point Justin winked at the camera which was just so dang cute. The Chuppah ceremony outside looked amazing, especially with the pops of navy and yellow in the decor that Sarah and Justin included in the ceremony! Both Sarah and Justin each had the most touching sentiments toward one another during their vows (and yes, even I got weepy), and you can tell in the photos how much they care for each other. They looked just as stunning in their outdoor portraits before we came inside to par-tay! And of course, Sarah completely stunned everyone later in the night with her worm dance that was, I'm sure, the best I've ever seen. I mean, when a bride is willing to do that on the dance floor in her dress...she clearly is the winner of all the worm dances...ever. :) We wrapped up the night with a gorgeous night time shot under one of the huge trees at Woodend, and I could not have been happier!

Many thanks to Sarah and Justin and their families and friends for having myself and Mike tag along for this special event! We had a blast!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm back to blog on Brooke and Aaron's wedding the gorgeous Hendry House in Arlington, Virginia! I had a little sneak peek here, but it definitely does no justice to the entirety of their wedding! Brooke and Aaron not only had some of the prettiest DIY details I've seen in a while, but they also had two ceremonies at their traditional Jewish wedding. It was delightfully jam-packed with gorgeous photo opportunities, of which I reeeeeeeeally took advantage of. I'm sure you'll be able to tell, with the crazy abundance of photos below! To start our day, we went outside for Brooke and Aaron's first look, of which was amazing. I haven't had a bride cry yet during the first look, and I almost cried myself when Brooke started crying! It was just too sweet! Aaron was quick with a handkerchief though to take care of his sweet bride. :) After first-look and group photos we headed inside for Brooke and Aaron's Ketubah signing. It's the first major part of a traditional Jewish wedding, and only close friends and family attend while the witnesses, bride, groom and rabbi sign the marriage contract. The wedding is not complete though until the next ceremony under the Chuppah! This part of the wedding is widely known for the seven circles, the ring ceremony (in which the couple places the ring on the index fingers), and the breaking of the glass (one of my favorite parts!). There's a huge list with everything else that goes on in a traditional Jewish wedding, so go here to check it out!

After the wedding was complete, we headed off to the gorgeous reception tent on another part of the Hendry House property! This tent was decked out with amaaaaaazing DIY details, and all those details revolved around a book theme that Brooke and Aaron wanted to incorporate. They had books on the table, bookmark wedding favors, and (my personal favorite) library cards as seating cards for the guests. They even had a mini card catalog to hold all of the library cards! Eeek! So stinkin' cute! The reception as a whole was just amazing, and I can't begin to describe how exciting it was to be there! :)

Thank you so much to Brooke, Aaron and their family and friends for letting me be a part of their special day! Also, many thanks to Courtney and her assistant Janice of A Sweet Soiree for their amazing planning skills, and to Dan Goldman for his awesome DJ skills (and more vendors below!). Enjoy!