Sharyn & Matt's Wedding

Sharyn & Matt are amazing people. I tried to come up with some clever analogy to somehow describe why they are so amazing, but everything just seemed to fall short of being an accurate summation of their amazingness. Let me put it this way... these are the kind of people who change the world, for the better. Now that I've completely built them up, let me show you just how cool, humble, and down to earth their wedding was and why I have such a crush on them...

The day started off with Matt getting ready with his family at a nearby hotel while Sharyn got ready with at home with the help of her mom. The bookshelf gives you a sneak peek into this couple's brilliance and sense of humor. ;-)





They decided to have their ceremony at the Netherlands Carillon in Washington, DC, which is also in the same park as the Iwo Jima / Marine Corps War Memorial, where Sharyn's family laid flowers in honor of Sharyn's father, and where Matt & Sharyn saw each other for the first time on their wedding day...



From the memorial, they casually walked together to their guests where two small rows of chairs and a table with coffee were the simple makings of their ceremony site that overlooked the District of Columbia...







One of the things that Matt & Sharyn had mentioned was how happy everyone seemed in my photos. They feared that they might not look as outwardly happy as the other people they had seen, so they practiced a fake-laugh just in case... which ended up making ME laugh more than anything!


Sharyn's bright orange Kate Spades were picking up leaves as we walked back through the park...


How stylish are these two?!


Matt navigated us through some construction traffic and a back alley as we made our way to the Tabard Inn, where a lovely and intimate brunch was served for the close family members who attended the ceremony...






After brunch, there was a bit of down time that allowed everyone to get into more formal attire for a larger evening reception at the fabulously retro Clarendon Ballroom. To set the mood, The Grandsons were on hand to play some of their signature tunes, such as Party With The Rich, and Hip Replacement. You've gotta check out their album on iTunes to hear their curiously quirky lyrics and rockabilly tunes. After hearing them at the reception, I bought their album from iTunes as soon as I got home!


Orange and red were the colors du jour and I just love the many ways in which it played out, even down to the selection of bottled water and the mashed sweet potatoes! Also, if you look closely, you can see their fabulous Ann Wood Handmade Bird toppers dressed to look just like Sharyn & Matt!


Now THIS is their REAL laugh, genuinely captured during an entertaining toast...


Look at them tear up that dance floor!


What I love most about Sharyn & Matt's wedding is that while they certainly had a fabulous day with oodles of unique style, it was never about the "things"... it was always about the people they loved and were celebrating with, and that's just one reason why I think they're amazing.


Matt & Sharyn, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me to share such a special day with you!! I consider you good friends and hope you always stay in touch!!

WEDDINGS: Ann Wood Handmade Birds

Ann Wood's handmade birds are the most fabulous things I've ever seen on the top of a cake!! The image above comes to you from Sharyn & Matt's wedding in Washington, DC, which I won't be blogging until forever, but I had to share this with you NOW in case you fall in love and want Ann to do one for you before the wedding season hits and she's so crazy busy that you won't be able to order one!


Ann created glasses for the groom that look just like Matt's and the fabric for the bride's dress is exactly the same as Sharyn's reception dress! Seriously.. could they be any more stylish!?

She doesn't do just wedding cake toppers, these little birdies would make great personalized gifts for any bird lover in your life! Check out some of her other fabulous recent work.....



This owl amazes me from the patterns, to the texture, to the layers, and he even has an incredibly clever name: Chuzzlewit! (photos are from Ann Wood's blog- click an image to go to the original post)

Look at this one all bundled up for winter and ready to go! He even has snow on his hat!

NEW: The Totally Green Wedding Photography Collection

The environment has been on my mind a lot lately. Last weekend when I was in Indiana for a wedding, there were very noticeable amounts of pollutants in the air and an unusually large number of people coughing and sneezing at the wedding. You could chalk it up to the season if you want, but as the plane flew over the city, I noticed exactly how much impact various manufacturing plants had on the environment around them as they spewed their chemicals into the air and let them fall on the surrounding communities. Since moving out of Indiana, I've had fewer allergy problems, and I don't doubt that it has something to do with Indiana's lack of recycling and environmental protection policies. Same thing happened while I was driving in Manitoba for a wedding this weekend, and noticed how the emissions stemming from the manufacturing plants would just linger in the air, forming clouds of waste, which would then settle on the surrounding farmland, often causing areas of dense fog around the plant. I can't help but think these emissions could somehow be harnessed into creating more energy in a way that doesn't dump them into the environment. Call me crazy, but I think we need to demand more from our policy makers.



So, after thinking about how much waste there is in the world, I decided that it was time to create a Totally Green Wedding Photography Collection that essentially eliminated all possibility of waste. What does that mean? No printing of prints that aren't absolutely going to be framed, no packaging or shipping materials which need to be discarded, and no mailing of products across many miles in a truck or plane. Some people are going to think this is outrageous, but I think it's exactly what we need right now.



What does the Totally Green Collection include? An online gallery that allows you, your family and friends FREE High Resolution downloads of any and all wedding photos directly to your computer from anywhere in the world with internet acess (great for the recessionistas), an online slideshow album available for download in digital format, and carbon offset credits for the projected energy usage and carbon waste produced by the wedding. All images are fully color-corrected, exposure enhanced, and include creative cropping and toning- making each one its own little piece of sentimental art. Current clients are welcome to trade in their wedding album for the FREE digital downloads gallery if they'd prefer, or can simply add it onto their package for an additional fee (to cover hosting and bandwidth usage). In just a few weeks, all current and future clients will also have the ability to purchase digital downloads from their current galleries as well- WOO HOO!!



I can already see the chaos this is going to cause with some wedding photographers who still can't fathom letting their clients have any of the digital images, and to them I say: get with the program! As an artist, I definitely struggle with the idea of giving up creative control and allowing clients to reproduce my work on sub-par printers or with poor-quality album makers, but the fact is that most of my clients who have received high resolution files in the last few years really haven't done much more than kept them on their computer to look at anyway. To be honest, I can't even remember the last time I printed something for myself- but I do know that I look at my favorite images online all the time! I live such a digital lifestyle that I would be a hypocrite to tell others that they HAD to have their images in physical prints or albums. Of course I'm still offering professional prints and professionally bound albums because I really just don't think there's anything more beautiful and romantic than seeing photos in physical form away from the eye-numbing glow of the computer screen, which is why I still give photo gifts to friends and family in prints and albums even if I don't print much for myself. But for those who embrace the digital lifestyle as much as I do, now there's something for you that embraces the commissioning of the artist's work up front so that it can be freely available for everyone to enjoy later. (Please note that images are available under a creative commons license for personal use only.)

Now that I've put this idea out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts!! What do you think about The Totally Green Collection?



Brides: If you'd like to calculate the total Carbon Emissions for your wedding day, check out this carbon calculator from CarbonFund.org: http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/individuals/category/Weddings/

Video Project Preview

I've been planning a video project for quite some time and this weekend everything finally came together to make it all happen. ;-) The project included three couples: Sally & Rodney, Rochelle & Alex, and Sharyn & Matt as well as the videography team of John & Jennifer Moon of Northernlight Filmworks from Indianapolis. My husband played the part of James Lipton and our dog, Misty, kept everyone off-camera entertained. ;-)

I couldn't have asked for more amazing people to work with... the whole time I just kept thinking: how did I get so lucky?!! Everyone did an awesome job on camera... except for me- I was a train wreck!!! What a far cry from the days when I wanted to be a Broadway actress! I was so nervous that I completely forgot everything I wanted to say and I just ended up nervously rambling the whole time!! Thankfully, I know John & Jennifer will make it seem great no matter what actually happened on camera. However, I have a feeling that my gag reel will actually be longer than my usable footage-HA!

Without giving too much away, here's an itty bitty preview of what we were doing (press play to begin slideshow)...

PDN: Top Knots of Wedding Photography

I'm very honored to be recognized as one of the 2008 Top Knots: New School of Wedding Photography, by Photo District News. Thousands of photographers enter images for judging, and only a handful make it in!! This contest is unique in that it is judged by magazine editors who are responsible for selecting images for wedding publications like The Knot, Brides, and Elegant Bride. Thank you to all of the editors who valued my work and selected my images!!!

I was fortunate enough to have TWO of my images selected to be featured in the publication and online!! Here they are:

From Holly & Sam's wedding... "Life is Short, Eat Candy."


From Matt & Sharyn's wedding... "Stylish Birds at the Clarendon Ballroom"


The magazine (PDN, April 2008) should be on the newsstands for another week or two- so go check it out to see it in print!! I also want to congratulate my good friends who were recognized in the Top Knots this year as well: Abbe Rose, Anna Kuperberg, Sergio, Mary Marantz, and Bill Holland!! I'm honored to be featured among such talented artists!!!

Fabulous Wedding Planning Blogs!

I have to give a big THANK YOU to the wedding bloggers out there who have been inspired by my awesome clients' weddings, and have used their images as a source of inspiration in putting together their own wedding plans and style ideas!! These wedding bloggers are always on the search for something unique and fashionable- so, if you like my blog, you will also love these fabulous bridal and wedding blogs!!


Lucky Me, a graphic designer always on the search for fabulous inspirations, was inspired by the quaint yellow historic James Monroe home at Ash Lawn-Highland from Beth & Fred's wedding...
http://eluckydesigns.blogspot.com/2008/08/shades-of-yellow.html


Exquisite Affairs, a wedding coordinator and event planner with impeccable style, loved Sharyn's orange Kate Spades as much as I did...
http://exquisiteaffairsproductions.com/blog/?p=221


Miss Champagne, on the queen bee of all wedding blogs, was mad for the handmade mantilla veil from Tanya & Matt's Spanish inspired wedding...
http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/25/mad-for-mantilla/


Jenna's That Bride who loved Lauren's dress like I did (but not as much as her own!)...
http://thatbride.blogspot.com/2008/06/love-your-dress-lauren.html


Style Me Pretty, known for fabulous inspiration boards, featured Tracy & Jeff's natural lavender place cards in her purple dragonfly board...
http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/07/02/color-palette-contest-day-3-6/


Kristin, The Fairmount Bride may be planning her own fabulous wedding on her blog, but she's also wonderfully resourceful and scours the net for awesome ideas to share with other brides! She thinks fur wraps like the one Megan wore on her wedding day are a great way to enhance your winter wedding wardrobe...
http://thefairmountbride.typepad.com/the_fairmount_bride/2008/09/why-a-winter-wedding-rocks.html

This definitely isn't a comprehensive list, so please forgive me if I've left someone out!! I just wanted to share a little love with the people who have recently given me some love! Thank you so much!!!