Ceremony: United States Naval Academy Chapel
Reception: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Florist: Intrigue Design and Decor
Makeup: Amie Decker Beauty

Jennifer and John were married at the United States Naval Academy in the midst of a huge parade on a hazy, hot summer day. It was cool and lovely inside the chapel and we managed to have a fabulous time with portraits around the Academy despite the heat. We arrived at the Beach Club in time for sunset and a fantastic party! Click the link at the bottom for even more images.

Ceremony: USNA chapel
Reception: Loews Annapolis Hotel – Power House
Cake: Sugar Bakers
Florist: Sandi’s Flower Shop
Lighting: Swank
Music: Absolute Entertainment

Shannon and Joe were married at the beautiful United States Naval Academy chapel in Annapolis. After a lovely full mass, we had some time for family photographs and portraits of Shannon and Joe around campus before we headed to the Loews Annapolis Hotel for their celebration.

The Loews Hotel looked absolutely gorgeous with an outdoor dinner setup where Shannon and Joe enjoyed toasts and their first dance. Later as darkness fell, the party moved to the Power House which was lit dramatically with a nightclub atmosphere so that guests could enjoy music, dancing, and a chocolate fountain on three floors!

Location: USNA chapel and the US Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium
Makeup Artist: Amie Decker
Hair Stylist: Kelley Small
Florist: Gateway Florist
Coordinator: Cheryl Haendel, Bo Brooks Catering (at the N* Room)

Alyson and Matt were married on Memorial Day weekend at the United States Naval Academy Chapel. Alyson’s uncle escorted her down the aisle and after saying their vows, the newlyweds had a memorable sword exit! After family portraits and some time for images of Alyson and Matt alone, we headed off via trolley to the reception at the N* Room at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. We had a fabulous time with the beautiful weather, intimate reception, and enthusiastic sparkler send-off!

Shannon and Joe met us for an engagement session at the USNA where they will marry this summer!

Jim and Christine have a fascinating story. They first met over twenty years ago when Jim was on the USNA sailing team and Christine was on vacation with her family in Michigan. After spending time together, Jim inadvertently left his jacket behind when the sailing team departed early for Chicago. Christine, being a very conscientious young woman, drove to Chicago to bring Jim back his jacket.

As the years passed, Christine and Jim found themselves moving in different directions and each married and had children. Years later, they reunited and joined their two beautiful families together during a beautiful ceremony at the US Naval Academy Chapel. Dinner at the USNA Club was followed by some very sentimental toasts by their children and lively dancing by everyone in attendance!

Over the course of photographing more than 100 weddings, we have realized that seemingly minor things have a huge impact on the resulting images. Besides hiring a fantastic wedding photographer, there are more subtle things that you can do to facilitate the most beautiful images. Today, some tips on optimizing your toast pictures.

The toasts are one of our favorite wedding events. We love documenting it because all of the attention is on you and the speaker, which means that no one is paying any attention to us! It’s the perfect opportunity to act as observers and create emotional and meaningful images highlighting those moments.

1. Seating

Ideally the bride and groom should avoid sitting up against a wall, because inevitably this creates shadows if any lighting or flash is used. Giant dark shadows directly behind you makes for a less aesthetically pleasing photograph, unless you are going for Hitchcock genre wedding images.

We recommend placing your sweetheart table or head table at a good distance from the wall (6 or so feet at a minimum). This is particularly true if you have glass or mirrors on the walls – reflective surfaces can catch flash and video lights to the detriment of the photographs. Ideally, sitting nearer to the dance floor is better as it means that some guests will be behind you and it’s nice to photograph the crowd reaction as well as your own as your best man is giving his really embarrassing/heartwarming speech.

If you are at a head table rather than a sweetheart table, or if you have a large centerpiece, it may be useful to sit with your backs to the dance floor. When the time comes for toasts, you can simply turn your chairs around and face the speaker for an ideal view and a great camera angle for your photographer.

2. Obstruction

It is fairly common knowledge among coordinators and florists these days that mid-level centerpieces are less than ideal for photography (not totally evil, but certainly on the road to hell). The reason for this is that they get between your face and the camera lens. No one wants to be peeking out from inbetween the curly willow all night. Ideally for your sweetheart or head table, you would favor a low centerpiece. This would mean that you were completely visible to your guests and the camera, and it eliminates shadows. Very high centerpieces can work because only a thin portion of the vase is present. Again, you can also just turn your chairs around so that your back is to the table and you are facing the speaker.

3. Speaker

We often ask the speaker to stand in a specific place (totally amazing photographs need a little nudge sometimes). Usually the middle of the dance floor is perfect because it gives you and your guests a clear view and keeps the speaker away from walls and speakers.

A wireless mic is important here – a corded mic will mean that your father or your best man will be forced to stay close to the band or dj  with giant speakers protruding from behind them like bizarre electronic tumors. We don’t recommend that the speaker stand directly next to the bride and groom unless there is simply no other choice.

Stay tuned for more tips in the future!