Top 10 Offbeat, Creative & DIY DC, MD, & VA Weddings from 2012

Closing out the week with our Top 10 Offbeat, Creative & DIY Maryland, Virginia, & Washington DC Wedding Features from 2012. Man, if I thought narrowing down the engagement sessions to 10 was hard …. this task was nearly impossible. So much so, that I HAD to have “honorable” mentions – because I just couldn’t pick only 10.

Which, in retrospect of why I started this DC wedding blog ~ and what my mission is [to find creative, DIY, & offbeat DCArea weddings], it’s actually a REALLY good thing. It means that the landscape of Washington DC area weddings IS changing – and couples in our often traditional [and expensive] wedding scene are finally getting outside the white wedding box, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about that.

So keep those offbeat DC, VA, & MD weddings coming 2013, and in the meantime, enjoy some seriously amazing offbeat weddings from 2012.

My Top 10 Offbeat & DIY Washington, DC, Maryland, & Virginia Wedding Features

 The bride wore green, the food was from food trucks, the best man & maid of honor were dogs … oh yeah & the entire wedding was a SURPRISE! Ben & Jen’s Offbeat Washington DC wedding by Leslie Maron Photography tops our list!

Bridesmaids in yellow & green, DIY wedding details, and almost everything handmade, Taylor & Stuart’s DIY Maryland wedding by Rebekah J. Murray was a shoe-in [Part 1 here, Part 2 here].

When I was designing my booth for Borrowed, I scoured the ends of the internet for “industrial wedding” inspiration. Nothing I found came close to Harmonie & Vi’s seriously amazing, industrial wedding at the Gutierrez Studio in Baltimore, MD by Voula Trip Photography. An umbrella chandelier, custom glasses, handmade wire signs, mismatched bridesmaids, & so much more. As their favors said, “let the series begin”:

This one made the list due to one of the most “offbeat” and budget-friendly DC wedding venues I have ever seen … the couple’s apartment complex! Charles & Scott’s Offbeat, Apartment Complex Wedding in Washington, DC was one just so cool – and really emphasized how the WEDDING is the most important part of your wedding day. This one by Red Shoes Photography.

Now we go hip … like SUPER hip & stylish, with Cecelia & Wasim’s Modern, Stylish Washington DC wedding by Megan Noonan Photography. My favorite element of this modern DC wedding was that Cecelia had her maids hold clutches, instead of bouquets – but there is SO much more to love in this wedding too.

Fiddles, flannel & food trucks, Natalie & Kahlis’ Eclectic, Handmade River Wedding in Virginia knocked my socks off. Thanks to Sara Sultan Photography, I got to share a seriously beautiful VA wedding by a river with a ton of handmade and heartfelt details, and a completely customized Quaker wedding ceremony. I am sure this will be one of your favs too.

 Emailing with this bride was one of my favorite highlights of 2012 – we shared SO many common thoughts on the wedding scene in DC and I was honored that she submitted her insanely awesome wedding to MY blog. Sarah & Steve’s Offbeat Vintage Baseball Maryland wedding was a serious highlight of my 2012 features. The bridesmaids wore mismatched dresses in neutral tones, with lace and the groomsmen wore whatever suit they wanted. The entire wedding was centered around Steve’s love of baseball and Sarah’s love of vintage things. The combination was something truly special [with some seriously awesome wedding songs chosen too!].

There was so much awesomeness that we split this feature into 2! Images by Barnyard Photography, Part 1 here, Part 2 here.

I am in awe of this next couple’s talent. The bride is an interior designer, and the groom is a carpenter. You can only imagine how stunning their DIY Virginia wedding was then. Katie & Andy’s DIY, Whimsical Travel Themed Virginia wedding by Heather Bee Photo was such an amazing feature [ Part 1 here, Part 2 here]. The groom handmade SO many of their decor details [escort cards in an old door, chalkboards for signage, & more] and they travel themed wedding invitations are a must see. Also, the whimsical color scheme of coral, blue, & tan perfectly complimented the completely outdoor Virginia reception design!

This next DIY wedding was so jammed packed full of inspiration & DIY details, it was a no brainer to add to this list. The bride is an art teacher, and most of the items they used for their wedding decor, centerpieces & details, came from the bride’s own backyard! Amanda & Keith’s DIY Woodland Maryland Wedding by ZADesignz is a dream for any couple looking to create wedding decor from trees, wood & branches. Almost every element of their wedding included branches & tree – so check it out!

And last, but not least ~ TWO intimate weddings BOTH at the Tabard Inn in Washington, DC [yes, I know I am cheating hardcore here, but I adored BOTH these weddings and just couldn't pick one ... so deal with it ;-p ]. Both featured intimate receptions and both featured brides in some seriously awesome short wedding dresses. See, you can’t pick one over the other either, right?!

Rebecca & Matt’s Intimate, Offbeat Washington, DC wedding at the Tabard Inn by Red Shoes Photography

Jess & Mitch’s Offbeat, Intimate Washington DC Wedding at the Tabard Inn by Michelle VanTine Photography

HOLY COW! We did it … we narrowed down our favorite features to 11. Can you believe it?! I don’t think I can. Just like with our engagement features, I need to thank again all the amazing area wedding photographers that submit these amazing weddings to my blog. Every feature on my blog is truly special to me and  I cannot thank all the photographers that share their images with me to post here. So thank you all and I am SO excited to see what 2013 brings us!

Top 10 Washington DC, Virginia, & Maryland Engagement Features from 2012

Today we are recapping our favorite “Top 10″ DC, MD, & VA Engagement Features from 2012.

This was next to impossible to do – as I have featured so many beautiful, amazing, and unique couples this year. I tried to pick my favorites for their variety, uniqueness, and true representation of an offbeat couple in the DC Metro Area. Let’s see how I did! [*these are in no particular order*]

My Top 10 Favorite DC, MD & VA Engagement Session Features of 2012

Jay & Kalsoom’s U St, Washington DC Engagement by An Endless Pursuit

 Tony & Connor’s Laid Back DC Love Shoot by Live It Out Photography

Michael & Layna’s Quirky & Offbeat Richmond, VA Engagement by IYQ Photography

Heidi & Steve’s Library Engagement in Alexandria, VA by Maggie Winters Photography

Katie & Hondo’sFun  Torpedo Factory Engagement in Alexandria, VA by Anna D Bruce Photography

Dave  & Lauren’s Stunning Sunset Engagement on Tilghman Island, MD by Leo Druker Photography

Mike & Jolie’s P St, Washington DC Engagement by Porter Watkins Photography

Christiana & Aaron’s Glen Echo Park MD Engagement by SoftBox Media Photography

Melissa & Trey’s Casual Brookside Gardens, MD Engagement by Tim Riddick Photography

And last … but certainly not least:

Melanie & Justin’s Vintage Amusement Park Engagement by Live It Out Photography

Wowzers! What a bunch of stunning and amazing couples we featured this year! Also, some seriously diverse and insanely talented photographers. As always, I cannot thank the wonderful photographers that submit their work to this blog, enough. They are the sole reason that this blog can function – so thank you to ALL photographers that submit images and features to my blog every day. You are all the best.

Check back tomorrow for our Top 10 Offbeat & DIY Washington, DC, Virginia & Maryland Wedding Features!

Let’s Get Personal: My 2012 Holiday Break

Another Christmas holiday has come and gone – I cannot believe it.

We will be back to regular posting next week, but for the rest of this week I thought I would share some highlights from my 2012 Holiday Break in New Jersey with my family and then close out the week with my “Best Of” 2012 Engagements and Weddings features tomorrow and Friday.

My holiday break started with our annual drive to New Jersey. Sadie wanted to make sure we didn’t forget her, so while Andy & I relaxed a bit with a movie the night before our drive, Sadie took a snooze in my duffel bag:

We arrived in New Jersey and soon after started reading tweets of the snow hitting DC. I was SO BUMMED that DC was getting snow and that I wasn’t. But then – just like in my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, snow came to NJ too!! It was the perfect amount.

I love going to my parents house for Christmas – my mom always has the best decorations. Here is a shot of all our stockings hung on the stairs (we have always done stairs instead of the fireplace for some reason).

There were multiple rounds of intense Wii Sports tournaments held. I forgot how good Andy was at Wii Sports.

This year we waited for almost all the Harrison kids to be home to “trim the tree”.

On Christmas Eve, instead of falling asleep in front of a movie – we spiced things up with playing “Minute to Win It” games with the family. It got pretty competitive and intense, but it was also TONS of fun.

Here is my brother trying to stack as many cups as her can in a minute … with just one hand! [Notice the full bottle of wine in his other hand hahaha!]

On Christmas Day we traveled to Andy’s sisters house to spend time with his family. Here we got to meet our new niece, Eleanor.

Andy was a natural with little Ella.

After Christmas we headed out to Deep Creek MD to celebrate the new year with some of our best high school friends. Deep Creek had about a foot of snow and next to no plowing … we actually had to walk up a huge hill a few times with our stuff because the cars couldn’t make it.

Regardless, the view from our lake house was STUNNING:

And then it was over. Our 2012 and holiday break has come to an end. HOWEVER we already have SO MANY amazing things on the horizon for 2013. We have 4 weddings to work this year, and 4 to attend. We are hosting our very first “wedding vendor day of service” and will tentatively be speaking at a Two Bright Lights bootcamp in Baltimore.

We have trips to Vermont and Mexico planned already and are hoping to go to San Francisco this year for our anniversary.

We also officially signed up for our very first half-marathon! Something Andy and I always wanted to do before we turned 30. So here goes nothing …. bring it on 2013!

Capitol Advice: Wedding Photography Shot Lists

It’s been too long since I’ve written an advice piece. However, a few weeks ago I started working on a timeline guide for my wedding consulting clients and I had a photographer give me some feedback on my line item concerning “shot lists.”

She shared,

“… as a photographer, one of the biggest problems I have run into is couples that are really “in love” with their shot lists.  I think many of them get that idea from online wedding sites and magazines who recommend making a shot list for the photographer”

After getting that feedback I thought it would be useful to blog about this – the important difference between giving your wedding photographer a list of important portrait shots…. and giving your wedding photographer a detailed list of EVERY picture you want taken that day.

Our expert photographer continued:

I know each photographer is different, but I personally cringe when I see lists suggest making a “shot list” or “must-have” list because then I receive a list like “my mom’s hands as she zips up my dress” and “me putting my shoes on” and “a shot of our rings” – I work with each of my couples to get their list of “out of the ordinary” shots that aren’t standard shots that I am obviously going to get, and as I do that I explain to them why I don’t take a shot list.

Here is my advice:

1. First and foremost, make sure you have this conversation with your wedding photographer early on. Manage both yours and their expectations.

2. Do not become married to the idea of “shot lists” [like what i did there?]. While it’s OK to want certain groupings of your family in portraits, you should not expect a photographer, who is a talented, professional artist, to stick to a long list of the shots YOU want. You are not the photographer, they are!

3. Do not pin “pose shots” on Pinterest. This will only cause you to want your photos to look like other couples’ photos … and why would you? Don’t even tempt yourself here!

4. Realize that your photographer is the professional and most likely knows better than you.

I think in the end you will be 100% happier with your wedding pictures if you don’t create a shot list. You won’t be driven mad that your photographer didn’t get that carbon copy picture of a pose you saw on Pinterest and instead you will be enlightened by the amazing, UNIQUE, and personalized shots that the professional photographer captured of YOUR day.

I mean plus, you just can’t plan for pictures like THIS on a shot list: