Emilie & Zack | DC courthouse wedding

[Self-promotional note since Google loves this wedding: I would be thrilled to photograph your courthouse wedding!  You can check out my pricing and FAQ and things right here.  Please don't hesitate to write if you have any questions! Now, onto this most awesome courthouse wedding...] I think I might have freaked Emilie out a little bit by how excited I was when she wrote me about her courthouse wedding followed by Segway photo session.  Not gonna lie, this was one of the best wedding days ever.  Emilie and Zack took care of the getting-married bit at the DC courthouse and then we hopped on some segs and rode around the cherry blossoms.  I even got them to hop inside the National Gallery of Art modern wing - I think those might be my favorite images from the day. geometric wedding photography This was my first wedding at the DC courthouse.  It's a nice enough place, even if the ceremony room was pretty cheesy. bride and groom walking to dc courthouse bride and groom exchange rings Emilie and Zack were trying to play it cool like "oh can we just get our paperwork and go" thing.  Didn't work at all. wedding ceremony at dc courthouse Then it was time for Segways! segway wedding! bride riding a segway wedding portait at jefferson memorial washington dc wedding photography wedding portraits in washington, dc cherry blossom wedding pictures Yowza. gorgeous bride in black and white cherry blossom wedding photographywalking along the potomac on hains point national gallery of art wedding photos wedding photographer Amber Wilkie wedding photos in the national gallery of art silhouette with modern art and bride and groom dramatic wedding photography Okay and yeah I'm going to post these, too.  My job is cooler than your job, neener-neener. dorky photographer on a segway nerdy photographer girl on a segway Congratulations, Emilie & Zack!  Thanks for having me along - it was a blast!

Trisha & Geoff | U.S. Naval Academy wedding

It's been a crazy winter. I've photographed three weddings this year and all three of them have had absolutely stunning weather, considering it has been January and February! Many thanks to Cassidy DuHon for having me out to second shoot Trisha and Geoff's incredibly beautiful wedding at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel. I hadn't been before and it is one of the most striking churches I've seen (okay, in this country - I did just take a 3-week trip to Italy). Most brides can't just sit around and do portraits in a strapless dress on their February wedding day. Luckily for these two (and me!), it was a balmy 50-something out. wedding photographer Amber Wilkie Trisha's bridesmaids were so bubbly and happy and adorable. Plus, they got all their makeup on in this bathroom with an incredible overhead light. bridesmaids get ready at home mother of the bride getting ready for the wedding bride framed with her stepfather bride in front of a hummer limo The U.S. Naval Academy was absolutely stunning. I hope to be back there some day. Great architecture, not too many people and really brilliant light. Definite wedding win. bridesmaids getting excited about first look bride and bridesmaids at u.s. naval academy blue wedge heel wedding shoes bride and groom at u.s. naval academy white wedding bouquet U.S. Naval Academy wedding bridal party with white bouquets bridesmaids helping bride with wedding dress Look at the smile on this man! Even from the super-far-back vantage point we were allowed by the chapel, you can tell he's super-pumped to be marrying his lady. groom very excited at u.s. naval academy chapel bride comes down the aisle at us naval academy chapel us naval academy chapel wedding photography bride and groom with swords first dance at country club This is probably my favorite father-daughter picture to date. Thanks for the uplighting, band. best father-daughter dance photo to date cutting the cake with incredibly beautiful couple passionate cake cutting dancing at the wedding reception party at the country club wedding reception party

Karen & David | Mayflower DC wedding

Warm. Kind. Generous. Tall. Short. Loving.  The bride's sister Liz read off a huge list of adjectives Karen and David's friends and family had used to describe them.  I looked around the room and saw a lot of tears and a lot of nodding heads.  Some came all the way from Egypt to see these two tie the knot and it was truly an honor to be their wedding photographer. wedding photographer Amber Wilkie Karen and David were married at the Mayflower in DC, a beautiful historic hotel with quite a bit of history and a ton of class.  Karen was an incredibly sweet and very composed bride.  David didn't seem the least bit nervous, an admirable trait in any groom.  I was struck by the graciousness of their families.  And even though I saw it plenty in their engagement session, they once again won me the heck over with how ridiculously cute they are once you tell them "go stand over there and hug." These cool cats were upgraded from some other swanky bridal suite to the Presidental Suite, which they informed me is one of only two hotel rooms in the city that is bullet-proof!  This here room where Karen's getting dressed?  That is their hallway, y'all. bride puts on her shoes in mayflower suite Karen's gorgeous ring is an antique and was picked out by David alone because he knew she would love it. bride's shoes and rings wedding day preparation in the mayflower hotel mother of the bride in the washington, dc hotel mayflower putting the boutenniere on the father of the bride bridal portrait at the mayflower, washington, dc bride and her sister on the mayflower suite balcony Karen and David didn't have a lot of bridesmaids and groomsmen, so they went all-out on the bouquets.  Check out Karen's on the left full of anemones (I learned this flower word that day), and two other kinds (the tendril-things and the fern things).  I don't know all this technical flower stuff, but I was super-impressed with these bangin', unusual bouquets. beautiful wedding bouquet with anenomes and feathers bride on the way to the ceremony at holy rosary church So much thanks to Kelly for helping me out.  Love this frame she grabbed right before they walked in the doors! bride and her father at dc holy rosary church parents of the groom walk down the aisle parents of the bride walk down the aisle here comes the bride! at holy rosary church groom sees his bride for the first time They were married at the gorgeous Holy Rosary Church on Third street right downtown. wedding at holy rosary church, washington dc bride and groom at holy rosary church ring ceremony at holy rosary church in washington, dc wedding at holy rosary church wedding photography at Holy Rosary Church priest at dc holy rosary church bride and groom inside holy rosary churchfather of the groom praying at holy rosary church ceremony scenes from dc catholic ceremony little girl during the wedding ceremony end of the wedding ceremony at holy rosary church hugging after the wedding ceremony adorable little girl with bride bride and groom portraits at mayflower hotel black and white portraits of bride and groom wedding portraits in mayflower elevator room decorations at mayflower hotel wedding cake from mayflower in dc first dance holding hands first dance in the mayflower hotel father-daughter dance wedding photography I love their families.  Everyone was so gracious. parents of the couple at the wedding bride and groom listening to speeches David's brother brought down the house. bride and groom and her mother at the wedding reception best man giving a speech at the mayflower emotional moments after best man speech And then Karen's sister made everybody cry. maid of honor speech And then there was a surprise belly dancer!  With a candelabra on her head!  She did the splits balancing this monstrosity on her head.  I photograph the coolest weddings. belly dancer at the wedding ceremony couple dancing at the wedding reception at the mayflower belly dancer at wedding reception wedding couple laughing father of the bride with the belly dancer dancing at the mayflower wedding reception dancing at the dc wedding reception guests dancing and singing at the mayflower This is what happens to the photobooth at the end of the night. photobooth party bride and groom dancing on their wedding day groom being hoisted in a chair bride being carried by crowd Karen & David, your wedding was spectacular and so filled with love and good wishes and kindness.  Thanks for being you and good luck with everything!! You can see even more of Karen and David's day in this little slideshow action right here: Mad props to the fabulous vendors who helped with this wedding: Ceremony - Holy Rosary Church Reception - Mayflower Hotel Cake - Fancy Cakes by Leslie DJ - David Grimm with Signature Talent Flowers - Mayflower Hair and makeup - Salon Blu Karen's fantastic dress - Lazaro