Alyson and John's Wedding: Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum Of Art

Light clouds on an early summer afternoon provided wonderfully soft light in the BMA sculpture gardens for Alyson and John.  Rennie from Simply Beautiful Flowers prepared elegant arrangements that matched beautifully with our couple’s clothing as well as the surroundings.

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

Alyson and John are both in love with the arts and having their ceremony in an outdoor setting was essential.  This venue is the best of both worlds!  The visual elements of these renowned sculptures in nature were an excellent backdrop for so many pictures.

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

The soft clouds turned darker as the sun set and light rain began to fall.  Alyson was determined to not let that force the ceremony indoors, and when the appointed time came, the rain stopped!  They stepped across a waterway to a huppa surrounded by flowers and candlelight to exchange their vows.

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

The entire event was coordinated by Jean Wade Mayer, owner of Boutique Events. Drawing from her experience in catering and event planning, she brought Alyson’s vision into clear focus on this lovely day.  Lovers of good food and diverse music were not disappointed.  Gertrude’s restaurant prepared eye-catching and tasty food, Carl Brashears of Classic Disc Jockeys provided a great range of dinner and dancing music, a clarinetist (Dr. Eyal Bor) played traditional melodies before and after the ceremony and there were operatic voices singing spontaneously throughout the night.  John is a great devotee of opera and there were several guests that are opera singers!

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

wedding at the baltimore museum of art BMA

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Tena and Ryan’s Wedding at Evergreen House

I first met Tena and Ryan last summer at our  studio. As soon as we sat down and started to talk, I began to see how dynamic this couple is and knew their wedding would be a wonderful celebration.

Wedding Inspiration Board

We began at Tena and Ryan’s house where Tena prepared for the day.  Tena’s bouquet (provided by Flowers & Fancies) were accented by a brooch pin that was her Great Grandmother’s (Something Old, Something New…).  The bridesmaids assisted and with finishing touches from Tena’s mother, we then headed down to St. Ignatius in Mount Vernon.

bride getting ready with detail of white dress and pearl brooch

Tena and her father stylishly arrived in his red Corvette!

bride with red corvette

St Ignatius has an excellent quality of light, along with the classical elegant interior, which lends itself as a timeless setting.

bride walking down the aisle

bride hugging father

groom kissing bride

From there it was onto the reception…at Evergreen House, a former Gilded Age mansion surrounded by Italian-style gardens located along North Charles Street in Baltimore.

wedding at Evergreen House Baltimore Maryland

The grounds at Evergreen lend themselves to excellent photographic opportunities to preserve this special day.  The upper gardens at Evergreen balance the architectural presence of the Main house.

bride and groom by columns

bride in front of sculpture

Evergreen House is also the host of Sculpture at Evergreen 6: Simultaneous Presence, a curated group of sculptural installations.  These works are found throughout the historic grounds.  Above, Tena is showing her excitement in front of the Brooklyn architecture firm Matter Practice‘s work Fallen Fruit.

bride and groom kissing

bride with bridesmaids with green dresses

Tena found her elegant strapless bridal gown at Betsy Robinson‘s while her bridesmaids’ vibrant green and white dresses were discovered at Mount Washingon’s Garnish Boutique.

bride and groomsmen

bride and groom and groomsmen

Wedding Reception Inspiration Board Evergreen House

The reception was held at Evergreen’s carriage house. The bright green table linens in the vaulted tent liven up the space to give it a relaxed, yet elegant feel.  Catering was provided by Linwoods. Talia and her team worked with the couple to develop a detailed dining experience focusing on a family centered event from the prepared antipasto to through the individual table service.

bride and groom dancing

Tena and Ryan joined together with family and close friends in a beautiful setting that truly made it a wedding of their own.

The sun faded and the band (Paradise of Hero Entertainment) was swinging.

bride embracing groom

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Spotlight – Venues: Irvine Nature Center

The Irvine Nature Center moved to it’s present location approximately two years ago and it’s not generally known that it offers a good location for a variety of social events.  I attended a National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) monthly meeting there last Monday night.  The interior exhibit space lends itself well to cocktail mingling.  Small conference rooms available and there are a variety of outdoor “nature” spaces.  Of special note is the semi-permanent tent that was very nicely decorated by Victoria Clausen’s Romance of Flowers with lighting by Gene Perkins of Perkins Productions.  The pictures bear out the eye appeal!  Carl Brashears of Classic Disc Jockeys provided the theme-specific tunes.  The ever capable Putting on the Ritz catering crew put on a very tasty spread.  Also, many thanks to Cate Buscher of Plan It Perfect for organizing this fabulous event.  There were about 100 attendees and the tent could have held more.  I could easily see this venue for bar/bat mitzvahs, and other wedding/events with a nature (or “green”) theme.  Think of the Museum of Industry and place it in the county with less traffic!

Irvine Nature Center

Inside The Tent At Irvine Nature Center

The Event Tent At Irvine Nature Center

Inside the Tent at an Irvine Nature Center Event

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A Classic Wedding At The Elkridge Furnace Inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

Last September, I had the joy of being able to work at one of my favorite venues, The Elkridge Furnace Inn. Over the years, my team and I have discovered the diverse beauty of this historic property. With the summer winding down and fall at the doorstep, Heather and Todd said, “I do.”

I first spoke with Heather and Todd over the phone and once we began discussing the vision of their day, I was hooked! They met with me the next day and that is where the fun began. I could see right away that they both found the one they had dreamed of.

In the quiet of the late afternoon, we gathered the rings and started to write the story of the day.

Heather and her girls prepared on site, in the Bridal Suite. From this vantage point, on the third floor, the bridesmaids could observe Todd’s arrival. Soon after, I began to work with Heather. The windows in the suite lent to amazing light in the room; this allowed me to capture a natural look. These tender moments give their beauty to you, if you are open and looking for it. With some final words from Heather’s father, the girls headed outside for a more formal session, of course out of view from Todd, who was preparing in the Groom’s Room.

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

The sun was just starting to set as Heather’s father walked her down the aisle. The serene surrounding and cool evening air lent to the energetic feeling this union had brought forth in the gathering of family, friends, and loved ones.

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

As the guests enjoyed cocktail hour, we played with the warm glow of the setting sun and beautiful landscape to capture timeless images for the newlyweds. The party kicked off with a bang and went well into the night!

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

wedding at the elkridge furnace inn

See more photos of Heather and Todd’s wedding here.

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