Category Archives: photojournalism

i’m just bursting to tell you this: the king came to this wedding. yes, mk and i photographed elvis singing to, and dancing with, amanda and mike. and it was AWESOME. but first things first…

amanda and mike got married at the woodend sanctuary in chevy chase last friday evening. the woodend is a unique spot, and the lush green grove where the ceremony took place had the feel of a secluded sanctuary. it was so beautiful in the early evening, and so calm…no indication of the wild reception that would follow!

the ceremony was short and sweet, during which amanda’s mother read an amazing poem (read it in mk’s blog here) that was written by a friend of the family – it was so moving that even as i climbed through the trees to get the best angle i couldn’t help but notice how eloquent and and meaningful those words were.

formals were a fast and furious race against the clock – our long summer days are coming to an end! as the sun slipped away we caught one last shot of mike dipping amanda, and into the reception we went.

mk and i were so excited to see one of our favorite caterers, marco polo, who have the nicest, most professional staff, not to mention amazing food.

amanda and mike made a grand entrance down the wooden staircase and onto the dance floor for a perfect first dance! their foxtrot skills were surpassed only by the huge smiles on their faces – a joy to watch.

the dancing continued after dinner, and really got underway when mike announced a surprise guest: since amanda had wanted to get married in vegas, mike was bringing a little bit of vegas to her…and in came elvis e – elvis impersonator extraordinare!

as he performed hit after hit, guests had a blast dancing with him – especially amanda’s 90-year-old grandmother, who never left the dance floor. unbelievable!

it was one of the craziest dance floors i have ever photographed at a wedding- i only stopped shooting long enough to look around and smile…

enjoy!

the newly wedded mr + mrs pitts: what can i say about these two?

they are literally either laughing or kissing in every photo from their wedding last sunday…absolutely amazing.

the ceremony took place in the stunning gardens of the groom’s parents home in baltimore, md – the reception followed at the frederick douglass-isaac myers maritime park. (fantastic venue! killer views, and such NICE people!)

immediately following the ceremony john and mary set to popping bottles of champagne – and serving all of their guests before addressing the crowd with their individual toasts to each other. they were both very sweet and very funny, making me laugh and loud, and even tear up (twice!) – it was easy to see how much they loved and admired each other, and that they truly complement one another. perfect match!

after arriving at the maritime park, mary and john walked around the docks laughing, kissing, and waving at passing boats and the local water taxi (see previous post) – you can tell just by looking at the photos that they were having a blast.

inside the reception guests had a pretty good time as well! they were entertained by mary and john’s hilarious families, (check out MK’s blog about the couple’s first wedding present…) and proceeded to eat, drink and dance the night away…as it should be.

enjoy this lovely baltimore couple!

this photo from mary + john’s wedding – taken on the docks of fells point in baltimore last weekend – is simply awesome. how fantastic is this moment!

i’m SO excited about it.

more to come…

bidemi and adrian’s wedding was exceptional.

first of all, it was a true, all out celebration of love and family, seeped in old african tradition. the festivities began earlier in the week with parties every night leading up to the ceremony – family and friends came from all over the world to attend this wedding, from across the states, europe, africa, and beyond.

the thursday before the ceremony MK and i attended a very traditional pre-wedding ritual event at bidemi’s house, giving us the opportunity to meet her family and understand more about their heritage and culture. both bidemi and adrian are from sierra leone, and are actually moving back there in the fall. their families and friends were so warm and fun, it made me want to visit west africa more than ever – although being at the wedding felt like we were in africa, it was great.

after a methodist church ceremony, it was on to the wild reception…everyone looked absolutely amazing in all their colorful, unique outfits, many changing into traditional african dress for the reception, including the wedding party and bidemi and adrian, who emerged in bright green and gold, looking stunning surrounded by the massive crowd on the dance floor.

the dance floor! it was like riding a wave in there! everyone was grooving, and bidemi made it her mission to dance with every guest, and since the party went on until the early morning, i’m sure she probably did!

the celebration was fantastic: but above all else, i was profoundly struck by how much adrian absolutely adores bidemi. he never took his eyes off her, and he started his speech by first pausing to kiss her, saying “i have always wanted to put the entire world on hold for bidemi” and then added ” i also have always wanted to start a speech by saying ‘my wife and i’…” and you could see just how proud he was, and how much he really meant it. when adrian wasn’t gazing at his beautiful bride he was on stage with the microphone urging the crowd to dance with and admire “my gorgeous wife!” the photos really show his enthusiasm and energy, espcially the ones where he is lifted up by the crowd withhis arms spread wide: a moment of sheer exhiliration.

“love never loses it’s way home” – that was the theme of the wedding. how perfect. here are two people who found their way to each other and in turn back to their roots – their families have apparently been friends for hundreds of years, and will continue on as adrian and bidemi begin their married life back in sierra leone.

what a wedding! i loved the tradition, i loved the closeness of the families, and i loved being a part of bidemi and adrian’s wedding!

enjoy!