Welcome back to Dee and Patrick as we introduce their wedding celebration to the blog.  You may remember their engagement session from it’s recent publication in the Washingtonian Bridal Blog.  Well, we were so happy for them when their wedding day arrived, not just because they’re a fantastic couple and have been a joy to photograph and be around, but also because we knew what details and venues they had in store for their family and guests.  It was two firsts for Lindsay and I when it came to locations.  First, the ceremony was held in the historic, famous, and elegantly designed Monumental Church.  Then it we all took off for the first wedding event in the newly opened Old Dominion Railway Museum just across the 14th Street Bridge in Manchester.  Special thanks to CCS Events for the coordination and delightful designs and to Imperial Catering for the delicious spread.

Enjoy!

I thought Sara and Casler (James for the uninitiated) had such a fun story that I’d let them write up a little bit about themselves and how we got where we all are today.  So…welcome guest writer Sara Cox 🙂

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“We met in the summer of 1999 while working at the same summer camp in the Blue Ride Mountains.  James was one of the few boys who had the privilege of working at girls’ camp, so in general, all the girls knew he he was.  He likes to think of himself as a regular ol’ camp celebrity.  Anyhow, everyone called James by his last name, Casler, so that’s what I call him today.  When we met at camp, Casler was four years older and in college at NC State – I was 15!  But don’t get it twisted, we were JUST friends, and I gave him a hard time about trying to date the older counselors.  We worked together for three summers, but after we stopped returning to camp, we lost touch over the years.

I went to school in upstate New York, moved to NYC, and decided I wanted to pursue my master’s.  I chose to attend Virginia Commonwealth University, and spend some time with my parents since I had lived so far away for over 7 years.  Casler was born in raised in Richmond, and this man IS Richmond, VA in every way.  We met again when I ran into some fellow camp girls at a movie theater in Richmond, and they still kept in touch with Casler.  I told them to have his people call my people; he did, and it turns out we were meant to be more than friends – ten years after we had met at summer camp.
We dated in Richmond, but I moved to Seattle shortly after we began dating to take a three-month internship between grad school semesters.  While we didn’t intend to, we talked every day and that’s how we fell in love.  We reunited in Richmond and spent one more year there until Casler was unexpectedly asked to relocate to Nebraska for work.  And that’s not a typo, yes, Nebraska.

Even though it was a tough decision, with our families both conveniently located in Richmond, we decided to go for it, I tagged along, and we’ve lived in Nebraska for a year and a half now.  We’ve made incredible friends, we both love our jobs, and after Casler proposed, we even bought a house!  As it turns out, Nebraska was the best choice for us, and it really opened our eyes to the idea that Home is Where the Heart Is, and for us, our home is wherever we are together.
We wanted to bring that concept into the details of our wedding, to honor our relationships with friends and family all over the country, and our relationship which blossomed even in the face of great geographical separations.  The concept will be reflected in things like “luggage tag favors,” “Virginia/Nebraska themed welcome baskets,” and even our Save-The-Date, which is a map to home explaining the story of how we met through various direction checkpoints on the map.

Photography plays a huge part of our lives; I am always the one taking a million photos at other people’s weddings, trying to capture the most intimate and candid expressions.  I knew that one day at my own wedding, I wanted a photographer who could bring life to our photographs through color and creative perspective, but also to find a way to catch the very real moments that happen when no one else is looking.  In my first conversation with Don, he explained that at our wedding, he would capture all the things I never knew were happening, and that his goal is to capture moments as they actually happen.  I had initially contacted Don through referral of friend and fellow Richmond bride, but after our first conversation, I knew I wanted to look no further.
This shoot down by the James River reflects both of our personalities, and our connection to Richmond, where pieces of our heart will always lie.”

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Thank you Sara and thank you Casler.  Great images are a team effort.   Lindsay and I are so happy to be a part of your team and can’t wait for all our future fun conversations and planning your wedding day.

Everyone else, enjoy!

Lindsay and I have always thought that one of the perks of living in Richmond was how easy it is to hop a train or simply drive up to D.C. for the day or a weekend.  And, when it comes to weddings, there are no shortages of wonderful venues and historic churches for our couples to choose.  Alison and Dan chose Holy Trinity Catholic and the Halcyon House, two iconic Georgetown settings.  Between their cross cultural themes, vibrant colors throughout the details, and energetic guests, it was delight to document their day.  We even had a quick trip over to the gardens at Tudor Place during the cocktail hour for a little portrait session.  The night was that much better because we had our friend and genius coordinator, Ryan Michael Hayes of Blue Canary, in on the fun.

Also, congratulations to Alison and Dan for getting selected for the Washingtonian’s Bridal blog.  I think it was an easy choice given their wonderful mixture of contemporary details fused with traditional Peruvian customs and food.  Here’s a link to their feature:  http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/weddings/bridalparty/22232.html

Enjoy the slideshow!

I didn’t mind one bit waiting to publish this lovely event to the blog when we heard the news that Southern Weddings had chosen Alex and Paul to be featured this month.  Their gorgeous summer wedding was the perfect blend of East and West Coast styles that typified this Long Island bride and California groom.  The ceremony was at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, always a favorite of ours for the unique lighting, architecture, and very easy to work with clergy and staff.    Then it was off to Maymont with a twist for the location.  A beautiful three-pole Sperry tent was set up just outside the Stone Barn for the reception, with the Italian Gardens as a backdrop for the cocktail hour.

Here is the link to Part 1 on the Southern Weddings blog:

http://iloveswmag.com/2012/01/03/colorful-virginia-wedding-from-don-mears-and-merriment-events/

And here are more highlights from the festivities to enjoy!