You may remember Robert and Krissy from their engagement photos at Downs Park. They got engaged and planned their wedding rather quickly, but weathered the excitement very well and finally got hitched on the 24th! It's simply amazing what they accomplished in two months of planning--a very beautiful, family-oriented and fun-filled party!

And that's just a preview! More to come in the next few days.

Okay, so I promised more photos from Robert and Krissy's super-quickly-planned wedding, and here they are!

Krissy and her attendants got ready at a friend's house near the church. Her sisters, Beth and Cece, have gorgeous long hair, that each of them braided differently.

That lovely lady in pink? That's Krissy's official wedding helper, Naomi.

Robert also prepared himself right around the corner from the church, and walked straight in with his brothers/groomsmen after saying a quick prayer. What a handsome bunch!

The ceremony took place at Holy Cross Orthodox Church, in Linthicum, where Robert serves as a subdeacon, and where many of the couples' friends attend. It was packed that Sunday afternoon!

After the ceremony, everyone traveled to Nixon's Farm for the reception, taking some time out for family portraits on the grounds. Things got a little silly with the sisters and the flower girls.

Isn't Krissy's hair just gorgeous? What fabulous braids.

Reception highlights included some fabulous English country dancing (also known as contra dance), which you can see if you watch the video-slideshow of the event. Not everyone had done it before, but everyone learned pretty quickly, and had a blast!

And of course, I stole Robert & Krissy away from the action for awhile to walk the grounds. We found old abandoned playground equipment, and some beautiful old backlit trees to enjoy.

I love that last shot; I think it shows how beautifully contented they are.

Recently, my husband Steve and I celebrated our five-year anniversary. We had a grand ol' time out at a Brazillian restaurant, paying the babysitter to keep an eye on little Ruthie. Definitely liberating, and definitely fun.

Of course, date nights out on the town aren't the only way we have fun; my husband is quite the big kid himself, as evidenced by these portraits. I had found a set of finger puppets at Ikea that I couldn't resist, and brought them home to Ruthie, only to have Steve bogart them and ask me to take his portrait.

Aren't these finger puppets adorable? Oh, and Steve is too. Ah yes, it's been five interesting and wonderful years so far, with many more ahead!

The other evening, I was joined by Jenny and Cliff and their new addition to the family: Oscar. Oscar is a rescue dog; Jenny had been wanting a dog "for twenty-six years!" and finally was able to get one. With the help of some chicken treats, Oscar and I got acquainted, and he started posing for me.

Jenny and Cliff purchased a cute doggie tie off of Etsy from Whisker Kisses, which added a bit of variety to his "look". Very business like, although in that particular shot it looks like he could use a little happy hour!

But check out those EARS!

What a fabulous silhouette he has! I think my favorites are of him in profile, because his nose simply oozes character. And of course because of his ears, he casts a magnificent shadow, too.

Oscar has a magnificent story too. Jenny and Cliff got him from Boston Terrier Club of Maryland, who worked with Oscar for a year to get him used to people after a frightening life in a landfill. "He was thrown into a dumpster when he was a puppy," said Jenny, and that's why the Terrier Club named him Oscar, after Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street.

But this Oscar is quite different from his namesake. "He's our little cuddle-bug every night on the couch snorting away. Cliff and I are now his forever home and are so happy to have him part of our family," said Jenny. "We are so glad we got him through a rescue... all of their proceeds go directly to helping other 'Oscars' to find their forever home... what's better than that?"

Indeed, what could be better than helping a companion in need, and then having extra love in the family?

Jenny, Cliff, Oscar and I wandered around Fells Point for almost an hour as the sun set. Everything became so picturesque, and the weather was balmy and not too hot. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to the day; with a simple walk, and a friendly dog and his family.

Did you know that for $10, plus some silly string, you can have a grand old time in a graveyard? That is, if you're willing to wear a dress, hang from a fence, and have the silly string shot at you.

That's Doanh, you see, one of my friends and wonderful model volunteers! Former dancer, now studying to be a dentist, and quite the performer! We began our session at the Baltimore National Cemetary on a very foggy and wet day; not exactly what I had hoped for our session, but Doanh was up for getting grimy. She even knew the shortcut to get there on foot!

We started with shots that used the graves as graphic elements in the background. I gave Doanh a scarf to wave around that my mother had received as a gift from a friend from India. It went quite well with the dress (found at a thrift store for $10!).

These, according to Doanh, were her favorite shots. "I thought that the light-hearted poses and playful props done with the somber setting of the cemetary all pointed to the joy of the resurrection. Thus, I am given liberty to prance in the graveyard." (Doanh is Eastern Orthodox.) "My favorite part was waving the scarf around while running bare-footed in the dew."

The fence around the graveyard turned out to be full of opportunity, too, as well as a small pathway leading off into the woods. We checked for poison ivy first, and then I had our assistant, Garth, hold a light off of camera right to light Doanh a little more in the middle of all the greenery and fencing; it was dark in the woods!

On our way back from the graveyard, we found these nifty garages with peeling paint. I asked Doanh to jump, and she added some fancy stuff that really made these shots sing. "I loved these," Doanh said, "because it looked like I was suspended in the air or levatating."

I can't thank Garth (below) enough for toting all of our stuff with us; he held a bag with the silly string, manned the flash, and also shot video of our silly string destruction for your enjoyment.

Garth actually makes an appearance in this shoot mostly because Doanh had a good question, "How does he know exactly when to make the flash go off?" she asked me. "Well, I said, "it's a radio transmitter, actually, and I'll show you what it does!" I asked Garth to light himself so Doanh could see a before-and-after comparison of what the flash did while Garth was holding it.

Thanks, Garth! And thank you, Doanh, for your willingness to get grimy!

If any of you are familiar with my work, you've seen these two before, but probably not together! I've photographed Stephanie wicked cute daughter Julia while in-utero and out, and Meghan totally humored me a few years ago when I wanted to discard my old bridesmaid's dresses in an unusual way.

This excursion took us to an alleyway in Fells Point. Stephanie and I had scoped out a few promising locations, but we ended up spending most of our time using the variety of textures within a 200 foot radius!

Part of what inspired me was that I found Meghan's at a thrift store for a grand total of $15 (not kidding). Being pregnant at the time, I knew I couldn't wear it, but had to take pictures of it, so I asked Meghan to model it for me. But that, of course, wasn't until after I purchased a parasol to match on eBay for $10 (with shipping). The result: total hotness!

Not to be outdone, Stephanie had found a gorgeous jewel-green dress at Target on the cheap, and cranked the sexy up with a lovely white floppy hat that framed her face so well. "I never thought that old air conditioner units would make for a pretty picture," Steph told me, "You proved me wrong!" Hah! I triumph!

Meghan's shots came out a little more serious, and I thought with a hint of dangerous glamour. I loved it when she fixed her hair...

I asked my pals afterward how they felt about the shot. "I felt awkward," said Steph, "but I always make up for that by being silly." A good policy, in my opinion, and she pulled it off well. She also had this to say: "It is incredibly difficult to make an attractive face when throwing confetti. Period."

Afterward, we got some ice cream as a reward for all our hard work. I especially want to thank my two models, who not only did such a fabulous job, but who also shot video for me. (It makes me self-conscious; I keep getting more and more pregnant, gak!) You can see how the alley we were in had all different colors and neat things in it; it was perfect!

Not bad for around $50 eh? (And that includes the ice cream afterwards!)

Our day began at Leslie's house, where all the ladies were in various stages of hair and make-up. It was quite a scene!

Cicely Procopio was my assistant for the day, and she hung around the guys at South Shore Baptist Church while I was stashed away in the church with the girls.

What a beautiful and loving ceremony; Leslie's dad gave her away, and Chris had a big grin across his face the whole time.

Chris and Leslie drove these gorgeous antique cars from the ceremony to their reception; we had to take a few moments to swoon over them and the newlyweds!

We moved on to the reception at the historic Baldwin Hall in Millersville, Maryland. Chris and Leslie had the entire place decked out with songbird-themed fanciness. It was very beautiful, light, and airy decor.

And what a cute couple they made during their first dance.

Of course, things picked up quite a bit after that first dance; Cicely shot some video of the dancing and other moments, and I put it all together in a little slideshow...

Chris and Leslie's friends had (unbeknownst to them) filled their car with balloons prior to their exit; in order to leave, they had to release quite a few into the crisp evening air.

I love that last shot, of the whole family enthusiastic and happy; many blessings to everyone!

I don't usually update my blog on Fridays, but Chris and Leslie's wedding was too adorable not to at least share a sneak peek of what's to come next week. Their wedding colors were a beautiful robin's egg blue, and a deep chocolate brown, which fit in perfectly with their songbird-themed wedding.

You'll see more of these two and their absolutely adorable affection later on; plus, the car-decorating antics of their friends!

It was an amazing day for Brian and Katie to get married. They arrived, relaxed and ready, at Strong Mansion (one of my favorite places to photograph!) in Dickerson, Maryland, for what would prove to be an eventful evening.

Later on, I asked Katie about what made the day special for her, and the first thing she mentioned was that her friend Melanie ("an amazing friend I've had since high school" and "newly-minted social worker") was the officiant as well as her bridesmaid. I caught Melanie rehearsing a "personal, beautifully written ceremony" in the upper rooms of the mansion. It made quite the impression, too! "I had lots of guests asking me if she was a professional celebrant," said Katie.

Katie's preparation was simple and elegant; her long brown hair swept up and decorated with flowers, and heirloom family jewelry to add a special touch and presence to the day. Check out those gold shoes!

Brian arrived later on, and my wonderful second photographer Leah Stern took charge of photographing the groomsmen down in the gardens. Katie and Brian didn't want to see each other before the wedding, so we played a little cat-and-mouse in the mansion house as a result. No surprises were lost, though!

Guests filtered in and the ceremony began. A Shakespeare poem was read, a kiss of peace exchanged, and Brian borrowed from Jewish tradition and smashed a glass at the end of the ceremony.

Afterwards, Leah and I snuck away with the family and the bridal party to catch shots of the girls all together, in addition to a few private moments for Brian and Katie.

The best of the action was yet to come, though. "Our crazy cousins and relatives were the life of the party," said Katie. "Brian's aunt Mimi gave a scarf dance to one of the groomsman," she remembered, "and Brian's father's cousin Trevor, who came from Northern Ireland to attend our wedding and gave a rollicking toast in Irish brogue that ended in an Irish blessing."

More than one sweet moment was in store, too. Taylor, Katie's maid of honor, gave a beautiful toast. "[It] had me sobbing," Katie said, "and the one by Brian's dad ended in a song from the Baillie men to me."

Needless to say, it was such fun to be a part of such a beautiful, uproarious, and joyous day. Congratulations to Brian and Katie!

Benjamin & Kim had a wedding in the Bahamas. I didn't get to go (boooooo), and neither did some of their beloved family members (boooooo), but these two wonderful lovebirds threw their family a wicked killer reception at Centennial Park in Columbia, renting out an entire pavilion, and decking it out with amazing elegance.

Everything was so scrumptious-looking, I wanted to eat it! The afternoon was heavy with humidity and the grass was wet from rain all week, but the sun stayed out and shone happily upon everyone that day.

Ben and Kim had a second cake to cut and celebrate (made by a neighbor), their dog had a little too much fun romping in the mud, and they created orange-flavored candy table full of old-fashioned goodness for favors for everyone! Too sweet!

Being the adventurous people they are, Kim and Ben were up for a little walk around the slightly muddy field; I took some quick portraits before we walked over to the gaming area for some horseshoes.

I'm no good at horseshoes, but it's fun to photograph!

Lastly, Ben and Kim danced their "first" dance again together, complete with choreography! Man, these guys were good. And their family all watched with love as they embraced tenderly.

Thanks for making me a part of your celebration guys! Many years of bliss to you.