With grace given to me through a recent lull, I've been able to process and upload a few new wedding shots for my portfolio! Among them, I found a series of favorites from the preparation photos for a gorgeous Orthodox wedding about a month ago. The calm you see in these shots contrasts greatly with the energy and celebration later on in the evening. It was quite a day!

On 7/7/07, I had the distinct pleasure of taking part in the Redmond-Morgan nuptial affair in downtown Baltimore.

Getting all ten bridesmaids ready involved quite a great deal of time and attention, but everyone looked gorgeous, even down to their shoes.

Kuren made her way to the limo, and her veil caught the wind.

The sun was setting as the ceremony ended, but the festivities had just begun!

You can view the rest of the photographs at my client galleries.

Assisting me, Benjamin Jancewicz took care of the groom and his groomsmen. Latrice Dixon, of Favored Events (reach her at favoredevents [at] yahoo [dot] com, took care of the coordination; the reception was held at the 1840's Ballroom. I am thankful to the family for allowing me to be a part of this special occasion.

Last Sunday, Paul and Shelli got married. It was a small Orthodox affair at Holy Cross Church in Linthicum, MD. The bride and groom dressed simply. The reception was potluck. But it was a great deal of fun and lovely to shoot such a small church wedding.

The highlight of the Orthodox wedding ceremony is the crowning of the couple; after they are betrothed, they are crowned with martyrdom and their eternal destinies are joined together.

The crowns are then removed, and then placed on the altar; the crowns liturgically move ahead of them into heaven, symbolizing that the couple is aspiring to spiritual perfection.

After the ceremony, I took the couple outside to a historic magnolia tree, and took a few portraits.

Simple, but gorgeous wedding.

On September 8th, I was invited to attend a ceremony for Jim Berros and Rachel Thorpe in Rocky Gap State Park, MD. It was hot hot hot, and very humid, but friends and family were happy to attend.

Rachel wore her grandmother's wedding gown, and her engagement ring was a vintage pearl piece that oozed time-worn affection.

And even though the park was hot, Jim wore a full tuxedo. I took the two of them down by the lakeside for the views and the shade, and caught some lovely moments between them.

The low-key reception was accented by beautiful gourmet food, provided by Laura's Sweet Gourmet, a catering service specializing in vegetarian and vegan foods. The cake was a magnificent rich chocolate.

Of course, good things must always come to an end...

...but for Jim and Rachel, the adventure had just begun. After the reception, the two of them embarked on a kayaking trip straightaway, on their way up to their new home in Alaska.

Laura and Jon got hitched one day in Media, PA.

Second, shooting with me was my friend and assistant, Mindy. We arrived at the bride's house early and had plenty of time to document all the little preparation details.

Laura and her bridesmaids gave us great smiles & willing poses.

The Orthodox ceremony was in the Russian tradition, with the heavy crowns needing to be held in stasis over the bride and groom's heads.

After the ceremony, Laura and Jon enjoyed a few quiet moments together after we had finished the family portraits...

...only to later throw cake in each others' faces.

On October 6, 2007, Jonathan and Nyana invited their dear friends and family to western Maryland for their wedding. I counted myself fortunate to be in attendance for what was going to be a very elegant affair.

The ceremony took place at Strong Mansion in Dickerson. It was an outdoor affair, quite hot, but in a beautiful setting by a large pond. A trio of musicians played a prelude to the ceremony: flute, violin, and cello.

The reception was a gorgeous palette of chocolate brown and sky blue, with vegetarian catering and a relaxed environment.

I stole the bride and groom away for a few minutes after the family portraits were done. They were quite tired of all the smiling and hubbub, and looking forward to relaxing with friends.

Nyana gave me a delicious amount of sass when taking her pictures, and soon afterwards we joined everyone under the big white reception tent. View the event at my proofing site!

On October 13, 2007, Sofia and Tony got ready at separate houses, eagerly awaiting the moment that they would meet at St. Nicholas Church in Baltimore.

The ring-bearers and young men in attendance were antsy.

Sonja adjusts her veil in the basement of the church.

The Orthodox ceremony begins!

The beautiful couple.

Eager celebrations began late in the evening, and continued into the early hours of the morning!

The rings glinted in the evening lighting of the hall.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to be there for Sofia and Tony's special day.

I photographed Kathryn and Zach's wedding when I was nearly 8 months pregnant--it was my last wedding prior to self-imposed maternity leave. It was a simply exquisite clear fall day, which accented their simple tastes and fun-loving personalities perfectly.

The women eagerly helped Kathryn into her dress.

The couple refused to see each other before the ceremony to preserve surprise, so all photography of the bride and groom had to be done in a covert fashion, constantly on the lookout for the other.

Separate sessions with the women and the men resulted in both elegance, and laughter.

After the hijinx and the ceremony were all over, Kathryn and Zach were ready for a few quiet moments together.

From there, it was on to the reception, where an evening of energetic dancing was to commence! I must say, I was blessed to meet both Kathryn and Zach, both of whom were so thoughtful and genuine; it was obvious that they had surrounded themselves with marvelous, loyal friends and family. I wish them many years of bliss!

This past Saturday, I trekked my way up to New Jersey for the wedding of a college friend of mine.

Melody and Christopher had their legal marriage on the Wednesday before their wedding date, so that their Saturday ceremony was a casual gathering of friends and family for a handfasting.

Most everyone brought various kinds of ribbon with which to tie the couples' hands together. Each person had something different to say; some sang a song, some wrote or recited poems, others had well wishes, verses from the Bible, or some other blessing to bestow on the happy two.

Afterwards, Melody and Christopher and I escaped out behind the church hall to take photographs in the woodsy area nearby. Melody specially requested that I incorporate the fallen birch tree somehow; "I love birch," she said, "The bark is just so lovely."

It's plain to see that she and Christopher will be happy for a long, long time. They are so at ease with each other, and made conversation with grace and comfort while I photographed.

The two of them are returning to Ireland (Christopher's native land), where a small house with a bright red door awaits them. I wish them the best.

At the Hilton in Linthicum, Maryland, Melanie and Brad tied the knot!

It was a short ceremony and an intimate reception of maybe 30 people. On record, the smallest wedding I've ever photographed, and for the shortest amount of time--only two hours.

An interesting sidenote: Melanie's dress is one of the first strapped dresses I've seen in recent years! She also mentioned that she bought the coverup separate from the dress. When photographing Melody's wedding just a few weeks ago, she too was noting how difficult it was to find something with sleeves, and had to get her long sleeves specially made. Could this be a new trend in bridal fashion?

Since I've been photographing smaller weddings lately, I've found that I really enjoy these smaller affairs. They tend to be low-key, but highly demanding and exciting for a photographer. With no down time, there's always something to photograph and do, and it's a neat challenge to remain unobtrusive when you're one out of thirty, versus one out of a hundred.

The new baby that one family member brought along, of course, barely noticed me.

This past Saturday, on a gorgeous day in downtown Annapolis, Danielle and Arthur tied the knot at St. Mary's Church.

After the ceremony and the family portraits, the couple, bridal party, and I, wandered through the busy downtown streets. People shouted their congratulations. Young girls, especially, excitedly pointed to Danielle and oohed over her dress.

We dismissed the bridal party, and then I had a few moments alone with the couple in the backyard garden at a historic house. Arthur and Danielle were so very low-key and fun to be around. They were up for almost anything, and took direction very eagerly and naturally.

It's so marvelous to be a part of someone's special day, especially when they're relaxed and enjoying themselves; that energy transfers to the pictures while at the same time helping to make the day a beautiful memory.