Sometimes, when you’ve been together forever, the big wedding with traditional events and plated dinner just seems off. These two chose to celebrate their union in a very different way – with the most intimate ceremony possible (that is still photographed), followed a month later by a huge party for all their friends and family. A massive shout-out to their brilliant planner Vicky with Event Accomplished who helped them turn the Newseum from a conference center with great views into a rockin’ nightclub with fantastic food. And, guys, for real, we got to shoot in the Newseum after hours:

Julia and Alex were married at The Oaks Waterfront Inn near Easton, MD with an absolutely spectacular outdoor ceremony overlooking the lake. Julia and I go all the way back to college, where we shared an apartment, and her wedding rounded up tons of folks I hadn’t seen in years. I was photographing their escort cards going “Oh hey! Wow, she’s coming!” Also, shooting a friend’s wedding is different than shooting a near-stranger’s wedding. While editing this set of images, I was struck frequently with a compulsion to email Julia yet another preview going “LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE!!” I managed to hold back until right now. Julia and Alex:

Kaitlin and Andrew were married at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Clarendon, and then took a quick hop across the street to Clarendon Ballroom to party. It also happened to be Clarendon Day, which meant the street in front of their venue was filled with screaming children and drunk fratty guys and three enormous bounce houses. Our fearless couple, along with their tireless coordinator, handled this very well. For one day, they were the unofficial Mr. and Mrs. of Clarendon.