Tuesday, July 08, 2008

danielle & gregg's wedding day!

well, it's been an insane year!!

as many of you know (and many of you may not!) -- i'm expecting my first baby in september!
and while this was QUITE exciting news for my husband and i -- it also involved making a
number of phone calls to my Fall brides to let them know that i'd be a little bit booked, giving birth and all.

when i was asking my assistants when i should work till -- they confirmed i shouldn't shoot any weddings past 30 weeks!

so who was my lucky cut-off bride??!!

DANIELLE!! :)
we snuck her into the schedule as the last wedding of the year for me (unless you count December 13th, when i return to shoot my first wedding POST-pregnancy!) and it was beautiful and a lovely way to close out a summer schedule!!!

i'm not going to lie -- it was a HOT DAY!!! without the heat index, it was 99 degrees. but add all the humidity, and sweltering sun into the mix -- i KNOW it had to exceed 100+!!!! but danielle and gregg were troopers and allowed us to get them outside for some fun candids and i have to admit -- the day pretty much went off without a hitch!

here are some of the highlights -- we hope you're both enjoying the newlywed life!!!

thanks for allowing us to be a part of your big day!!!









































































Friday, May 09, 2008

Marielle & Carlos

ok, marielle MAY just be the cutest bride in the world. along with pretty down to earth.
but all that aside -- this girl can DANCE :)

julie and i shot this wedding and must admit we were VERY curious to see how it would turn out because it RAINED SO HARD on the way to ceremony, we had to sit in our cars and wait until we could actually SEE two feet ahead of us as we crossed the street, so that we wouldn't get blindly hit by cars. cats and dogs, people. sheets of rain.

but somehow, we still managed to have ALOT of fun :)
and you know -- there honestly was something really romantic about having the thunder crashing during the ceremony in this ancient cathedral type location in downtown DC, for an evening wedding.

it was just NEAT. and gorgeous.
carlos, on the other hand owns a dance studio and they put on the most original and exciting reception we've been to in a long time!! we had dance-offs, choreographed routines, costume changes and a crowd on the dance floor that can't be matched!!! honestly, julie and i would have gotten caught up in the whole ordeal and danced the night away ourselves, but feared we'd get trampled by the masses!!! WHAT A FUN RECEPTION!!

and i have to make a comment about what WE were served for dinner :)
NOTHING says motivation to your photographer, DJ, and videographer like a THREE COURSE MEAL including, salad, cous cous, asparagus, salmon, crab cakes, italian rolls, anything you want to drink, we even ate cake :) sure as heck beats the cold "boxed meal" that we're sometimes fed after spending 8 hours on our feet and starving!!! THANK YOU marielle and carlos for taking such FANTASTIC care of us!!!

final note == future brides, you will NEVER be able to go wrong with:
1) First Baptist Church in NW DC
2) The St. Regis Hotel in NW DC

both were top notch with STUNNING light for photography!!!

ENJOY MARRIED LIFE, marielle and carlos and we hope you had a wonderful honeymoon!!!




























































Lisa & Mike

lisa is an event planner :)
need i say more??!
the day was organized down to the final detail and I LOVE THAT!!!
we were always on time, things were so calm, and "order" must be her middle name!!!

it was a gorgeous day -- honestly -- some days are just MADE to be wedding days.
the weather was breathtaking and we had alot of fun shooting some of the bridal portraits out by Jefferson Memorial in DC!! (thanks Seth for helping out BIGTIME!!!)

the night was concluded looking over the city skyline, dancing away!!!
thanks lisa and mike for allowing us to document your day!!!
here are are a few highlights!!!









































































Erin & Dan

WOW! i haven't updated this blog in some time and i am so sorry!!!
my husband and i found out we are expecting our first baby in SEPTEMBER! ...and in addition to that.... we moved to a new house! so things have been busy, weddings have been keeping me busy and i'm trying to catch up!!!

i wanted to try to play catch up with all my spring weddings, by giving you a sneak peak into a few of them!!!

erin and dan got married at the lansdowne resort -- which was gorgeous!!!

enjoy some of the highlights!!!












































































Thursday, December 20, 2007

julia & blake ;)

sorry this post is coming late....
there are just THAT many photos to sift through.
and i haven't even gotten joelle's pictures yet.
these are all of mine.

i need to apologize in advance to all of my other brides that i work with, because this post is going to be longer than any of your wedding overviews ever will be....this is going to be a personal post, for a personal friend.

julia and i went to church together, worked together, and then she got engaged and asked me to shoot her wedding. i was so thrilled, but wondering how i was going to pull it off professionally, while really staying in the moment and celebrating this massive covenant between the two of them!

i honestly do not have a clue where i should start, but i am going to go in chronological order and begin with the rehearsal dinner.
mr. schwarz did SUCH a wonderful job -- i was incredibly impressed!!!!! the decor was southwestern/tex-mex and it was simply adorable. the slideshow, the toasts, the anticipation of what the next day would bring...it was SO special for julia and such a thrill that i was there to share in that with them!!!






































the next morning, we all joined in the Wedding Day Brunch fun being held at Maggiano's....I wasn't really paying too much attention, as I was eating more than snapping pictures....but that's ok, right Mrs Flowers?? (she wanted me to have fun and not worry about this portion of the weekend festivities!)





then we headed back to the Flowers residence where the girls starting preparing to be shuttled to the church....



julia was dressed and ready to roll by the time i arrived!!!



and of course -- these are the shoes....





all the girls had been given lip gloss and i couldn't resist this line-up shot :)









her bouquet probably weighed 20lbs....
i'm not even kidding....







walking to the sanctuary!!



i love this picture. LOVE.
so much about it....capturing the SECOND before the doors open, i totally remember that feeling from my own wedding and MY stomach was having butterflies, so it's neat to remember that moment!



before i continue....i have to tell you....i'm hard to impress when it comes to weddings.
as a wedding photographer, i've seen it all.
granted - i still get choked up at times....it's hard to really throw me for a loop.
with that said...i've never...eeever...heard an organ like this.
it took my breath away.
julia walked down this aisle not only looking like an angel, but the music was astounding, full, magestic, and so so so powerful.



and i'll probably get choked up even typing this, because i DEFINITELY got teary-eyed in the balcony at this next part.
once she got to blake at the end of the aisle...the organ swelled to a thundering volume (at least in the balcony it did!!) and flowed into congregational singing with "O Come All Ye Faithful."

now, when i think of that song, i think of light violins on Christmas Eve.
not this version.
it sounded as though we were entering heaven.
i get chills even reliving it.

i've never been so thrilled that there are 4 stanzas to a song, and i could have stood up there and sung it over and over again all night.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.


it was truly magnificent.
julia, you were radiant, beyond imagination...
but even more radiant was the message...your example to everybody...
because we WILL adore Him forever and i could have stood in that balcony, and started forever RIGHT THEN!



i love this shot....



she glows when she smiles!!!























i was and still am so honored to have been able to witness this event with you both and with your families!!!! it was nothing but a joy and i hope you're having a wonderful time on your honeymoon!!!!!

much love always -- allison (& joelle)

Monday, November 26, 2007

Melanie & Matthew

i'm not certain that old town, alexandria will ever be the same after this past saturday's wedding, celebrating melanie and matthew!!!!

...but is that such a bad thing? ;)
i have to start by publicly thanking seth for helping out on saturday as my second shooter!! as a wedding photographer trying to anticipate each moment, calculate each factor, accommodate all the requests, i can say it's such a comfort to head into each wedding with a partner who 'gets it.' whenever he, or his wife, julie, pitch in as second shooters -- the day is THAT much smoother for me! THANKS SETH!!! you make my job so much easier....! (you too julz)

now -- this wedding was actually ALOT of fun! we started out in the bridal suite at the Old Town Hilton to get ready! we had hair...we had makeup...we had pets...we had it all! melanie is incredibly organized, and the morning went off without a hitch! when time isn't really a pressing problem -- i have that much more liberty to be creative with my photography and i feel this wedding in particular shows that!

the wedding was beautiful -- seth and i commented that this church, BY FAR, has the best overall lighting conditions out of ALL the churches we've shot in so far (hint, hint, future brides!!) and obviously, nothing beats the Old Town waterfront for some bridal party portraits. sure, everybody was reluctant in the beginning, after all, it was BARELY 50 degrees. but with some begging, we got some fantastic shots -- and before we knew it -- THE BRIDAL PARTY was offering crazy picture ideas!! i'm assuming that after a while, you go numb in those dresses and figure, WHAT THE HECK......and it worked out perfectly!!

i haven't even UPLOADED my reception photos yet -- these were simply the ones we showed at the reception while everybody was eating dinner....i have HUNDREDS MORE! but i'm a little behind with the holiday and all....so that will have to be Blog Part 2, for this wedding....

Melanie, you were a GORGEOUS bride and SO accommodating and it was our pleasure to capture your big day!!!!! Matthew, I'm sure Seth can comment more about his one-on-one time he had with you and the boys that morning but you were also a great sport, and I wish you all the best in the world!!!! Enjoy!!!

















































Thursday, November 15, 2007

Alexandra & Philip

first and foremost:
i have to commend the entire family on their patience, while waiting for this blog entry to go up!!! so many personal sagas have been popping up and i'm just now getting around to posting some of alexandra & philip's photographs from their big day a few saturday's back!!!!

it turned out to be a GORGEOUS day and the families was very energetic, excited, and loving about their children exchanging vows! and of course, the odyssey boat is always a fun place to hold a wedding!! and it doesn't hurt when the bride and groom are drop dead gorgeous as well!!!

i hope you've enjoy your first few days of wedded bliss and that you're able to relive a few of those moments with these pictures!

THANKS A & P!! :)






















































Tuesday, October 23, 2007

robin & skip



you know...every once in a while, i shoot a wedding that REALLY makes me wish i had done things differently at my OWN wedding. every once in a while...a wedding day is sheer perfection. from the orange and red painted trees, to the crisp morning air, to the calm serenity that descends on the entire day, to the tears of happiness from just about every single person present...

of course, there were the unbelievable details that were also breathtaking! robin did SUCH a fabulous job crossing EVERY "t" and dotting EVERY "i" and i'm not going to lie, Pam Barefoot, her wedding planner/coordinator (atrendywedding.com) did NOT miss a beat either! things ran incredibly smoothly, and i'm absolutely positive it had alot to do with pam tirelessly working her wedding-day magic as well!

why on EARTH did i not have a fall outdoor wedding?!!
i had never done a wedding at the Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast out in Middleburg, VA = BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! everybody wore smiles from morning till night...and i truly just cannot say enough about how MUCH FUN i had!

(that is saying ALOT too, since i had undergone emergency oral surgery not even 24 hours before this wedding, so i was starving, in pain, and considerably drugged. but maybe it was for the best or i would have been bouncing off the walls!)