Erin & Chris | DC War Memorial and Darlington House wedding | Washington, DC

Erin and Chris had the kind of simple, heartfelt, honest wedding that practical people dream about. They gathered their closest, put them inside the iconic DC War Memorial, got married by a relative, and then treated everyone to a classy dinner at a cute venue. The flowers were blooming. You couldn't ask for better weather. It was a good day to get married. wedding photojournalist amber wilkie (And I just can't resist adding in this personal note. The above image is one of my favorites in a while. I started this whole photography thing with a strong interest in the street. Mostly I use these skills to photograph weddings, and don't actually get to pull in any strictly "street" elements into my work. This wedding was an exception, as we were able to do portraits around town, including the Metro. I am so into this frame with teenagers clapping and congratulating Erin and Chris and they were super good sports about making out in front of all those strangers.) We started the day at their home in DC. walking to first look in washington dc And had some time before the ceremony to do a few photos near their neighborhood. funky wedding portraits in Southwest DC wedding images with police cars Showtime at the DC War Memorial. greeting their parents at dc war memorial wedding mom looking fondly on as son walks to wedding entering the wedding ceremony at dc war memorial Erin's aunt officiated the wedding. wedding ceremony at dc war memorial wide view at dc war memorial wedding  photojournalism at dc war memorial wedding wide angle view of dc war memorial wedding moment during dc war memorial wedding wide view of dc war memorial wedding ceremony Erin and Chris had a ring-warming ceremony, which is one of my favorite elements people bring into their weddings. The rings are passed around to all guests, who take a second to pray or send out good vibes to the couple, through their rings. ring warming ceremony at dc war memorial wedding bride smiling at dc war memorial wedding wedding at dc war memorial washington dc wedding at wwi memorial hugging at dc war memorial wedding candid moment at dc war memorial wedding Then we hopped across the way to take photos at the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossoms were very reluctantly starting to bloom a little. wedding portraits with the washington monument And I took a pause in the pretty pictures to take some weird ones. funky weird wedding portraits at the tidal basin classic wedding portraiture in washington, dc wedding portraits with magnolias in washington dc wedding portraits with blooming trees in washington, dc magnolia wedding portraits in haupt smithsonian garden silhouette wedding portraits in the dc metro kissing on the dc metro escalators Portraits wrapped, we scooted to Darlington House, where their guests awaited them. first dance at darlington house wedding guests taking pictures during first dance at darlington house wedding And I'm going to end with this amaaaaaazing Dr. Who cake. Yes, those are bride and groom Daleks. Yes, I was spazzing out. cutting an AMAZING dr who cake at darlington house wedding Congratulations guys! Erin & Chris' vendor team: Ceremony venue: DC War Memorial Reception venue: Darlington House Florist: Potomac Floral Wholesale Inc. Officiant: The Rev. Mary E. Perrin (Erin’s aunt) Erin's beautiful dress: Kiyonna Tailoring: Gayle at Cheryl A. Lofton & Associates (Erin highly recommends!) Chris' Suit: Joseph A. Banks Hair: Nikki at Bang Salon

Bobbie & Tim | Flying Bridge wedding | Washington, DC

Bobbie and Tim rocked out some major classic DC views for their wedding, starting at the DC War Memorial and ending the night with some pretty sweet action overlooking the Capitol and Union Station. In-between we dodged tourists at the kite festival and even got some friendly souls to loan us a panda kite for portraits. Then Bobbie and Tim hosted a rockin' dance party on a rooftop. It was a great night. wedding portraits with glass reflections They got ready at the Willard Intercontinental, which had some exceptional light going on. getting ready at the willard in washington dc Bobbie's niece did a little show-stealing. willard in washington dc getting ready pictures little girl gets hairspray at the willard intercontinental first look at the willard in washington, dc The DC War Memorial is one of three places the National Park Service will allow you to have a wedding ceremony in/near the monuments. Which is cool with me because I love the huge columns and the rotunda that allows for 360* views. It's also theoretically tucked away in a corner that not too many tourists visit, though during popular weekends, that's sort of out the window. father of the groom taking pictures at the wedding dc war memorial wedding photography wedding ceremony at the dc war memorial The light at the memorial is really out-of-this-world. wedding guests at the dc war memorial wedding ceremony at the dc war memorial dc war memorial wedding ceremony The cherry blossoms still weren't doing their thing, so we just hopped right across the way for portraits. wedding portraits in washington dc And then we borrowed a panda kite. Because no one denies a wedding couple. wedding portraits at the kite festival little kid pulling a door at the wedding reception bride reflected in her friend's sunglasses The Flying Bridge is a brand new venue in DC, on a rooftop, with an amazing view of the Capitol (you can see it below) and Union Station. first dance at the flying bridge with capitol view parents dancing at washington dc wedding reception kids playing with photobooth props ring shot at washington dc wedding toast reactions at flying bridge wedding reception father daughter dance at washington dc wedding reception mother son dance at flying bridge wedding reception flying bridge wedding photography little boy covering his ears during dancing bride and groom dancing at flying bridge wedding People start making funny faces while dancing at a really young age. dancing with a little girl at flying bridge wedding And, you know, they just go with it after that. dance party at washington dc wedding reception bride and groom dancing at washington dc wedding little boy tired at flying bridge wedding Not only did Tim get to celebrate his wedding day, but Bobbie arranged for a birthday cupcake for him too. happy birthday cupcake at flying bridge wedding mom and her son dancing at washington dc wedding flying bridge wedding dance party taking off his tie at flying bridge wedding This was my first time operating a photobooth at a wedding. I don't think I was quite prepared for how popular it would be. photobooth fun at flying bridge wedding The props went everywhere. kids and friends playing at flying bridge wedding wedding guests singing at flying bridge wedding dancing with photobooth props at flying bridge wedding slow dancing at flying bridge wedding And this was really neat. At the end of the night, since many of their guests were from out of town, Bobbie and Tim piled everybody in trolley buses and gave them a driving tour of major sights of the city, including the corner where Bobbie and Tim first met. It was pretty tricky to photograph (*dark*!) but I super-dig this triple action frame. eating cupcakes on the trolley tour Congratulations guys! Bobbie & Tim's vendor team: Planning: Candy of Candy & Co. (who did an amazing job and worked tirelessly and without complaint, like some kind of planning angel) Ceremony venue: DC War Memorial Reception venue: Flying Bridge Catering: Ken's Creative Kitchen Cupcakes: Sprinkles DJ: JD the DJ Officiant: Bonnie Berger with Ring in Love Ceremony Music: Taylor Carson Transportation: Sunny's Chauffeured Transportation Hair: Get Gorgeous by Zia Makeup: Diti Devi Makeup Artistry Florist: Greenworks Bobbie's dress: Ann Taylor (and shoes from Toms!) Tim's suit: Jos. A. Banks

Heather & Gary | DC War Memorial wedding

Heather and Gary got married on a day that should have been uncharacteristically warm for winter, but was instead blustery and frigid. But Heather stuck with it in her awesome bright pink dress and we shuffled off to the National Gallery of Art for portraits after their ceremony at the DC War Memorial. These two are so sweet to each other - it was really cool to document their wedding. intimate wedding at the dc war memorial dc war memorial wedding They hired one of my favorite officiants in DC - Sue Mosher. She always does a great job and tailors each ceremony to the couple's believes and history. dc war memorial wedding elopement at the dc war memorial washington dc wedding at the dc war memorial intimate wedding at the dc war memorial wedding portraits at the dc war memorial Love this candid frame. candid image from a dc war memorial wedding "We got married, yeah!" excitement at the dc war memorial wedding army uniform for wedding portraits We were well done with being outside, so we shuffled to the National Gallery of Art for some quirky portraits. wedding portraits at the national gallery of art fun times at the national gallery of art wedding portrait shoot dancing for wedding portraits at the national gallery of art And today I learned how to make a gif in Photoshop! dancing at the national gallery of art gif simple black and white intimate portraiture colors and light stone at the national gallery of art Revising old favorites. This is such a great hallway. modern wedding portraits at the national gallery of art wedding portraits and reflections at the national gallery of art Congratulations Heather and Gary!