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Casey & Jeremy – Maryvale Castle – Maryland wedding photography

I met Casey and Jeremy through her friend, Courtney, whose beautiful wedding to Ned I photographed last summer. I had been looking forward to Casey and Jeremy’s big day all year, pretty much since the day we first met last November to discuss their wedding plans. Casey, you see, is an interior designer and works at a wonderful home furnishings store in Baltimore. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing a couple of brides now who work in the interior design field and am always blown away by their weddings. They seem to pull together interesting colors and beautiful textures and fantastic little details that all add up to a real vision for their celebrations. I was certain Casey would do the same.

With the help of her cousin, Alex, an owner of Fleur de Lis Events & Design in Kentucky, she did just that, creating a gorgeous color palette of browns, coraly-oranges and coppers for a spectacular fall affair. It didn’t hurt that the weather was oh so perfect. Or that Casey and Jeremy exchanged their vows on a grand stone staircase outside the Maryvale Castle in Brooklandville. Or that they are obviously crazy about each other. Here are a few — OK, it’s more like many, many — of my favorites from their wonderful day:

Casey, getting gorgeous at Jeremy’s parents’ house with the help of make-up artist Karen Lanham.

Getting into her dress, a beautiful Paloma Blanca design from Gamberdella Bridal Salon. Casey love love loved that it had pockets.

I loved all the frothy layers of crinoline under there. Oh, and those fantastic blue shoes. You’ll see more of them later…

The bride, looking stunning.

Her nephews, Brody and Aiden, could not have been any cuter as ring bearers.

Casey and her girls (in terracotta dresses by Bill Levkoff).

There was a gorgeous, dramatic sliver of golden sunlight in front of the castle before the ceremony. I directed Casey right into it for a few quick portraits.

Here are those fantastic shoes I mentioned before. Casey found them at Piperlime but made them her own style by replacing the embellishments with these stylish shoe clips.

About to get married and Oh. So. Excited.

How beautiful is this spot?

Alex and Paul, the owners of Fleur de Lis Events & Design in Louisville, used their hotel room as their staging area for all the wedding preparations. I was completely enamored of these bouquets they made. Not to mention all the lighting, centerpieces, corsages and boutonnieres that they designed.

The groomsmen wore gray pinstripe suits by Kenneth Cole and orange and gray neckties by Michael Kors.

Both the bride and groom fought their emotions during the ceremony. It’s always fun for me to make beautiful portraits of my clients and artistic detail shots of all the elements they spend so much time and money on to make their wedding their own. But absolutely nothing compares to the beauty of capturing raw emotion and unforgettable moments. (Later in the evening, when Jeremy’s groomsmen teased him about getting choked up during his vows, he responded with the perfect retort: “It’s called having a heart, fellas.”)

Married!

Casey was scheduled to walk down the aisle to Jeremy at 6 p.m. That meant that the ceremony would be ending right at sunset. But with a transportation snafu pushing their schedule back a wee bit, we had mere moments to capture the last few fading rays of daylight with the newlyweds.

Check out the littlest ring bearer in this next shot.

Jeremy and his gents.

I was the photographic equivalent of a kid in a candy store when it came to capturing all the wonderful details that Casey planned with Alex and Paul.

I love the way they’re looking at each other here.

The couple has had a thing for elephants ever since Jeremy’s parents brought them a jade version from a trip abroad. Casey found these cute little guys on The Knot, using them as placecard-holders and tucking them in the roses on her cake.

The embellishment on the cake from Sugarbakers mirrored the design of the bride’s jewelry.

A few toasts.

A dress with pockets!

A first dance — and a few more tears.

A spin around the dance floor with the parents.

And lots and lots of fun.

(Check out the lipsticked kiss mark from Casey on Jeremy’s cheek. So sweet!)

And yes, those little specks in the sky above the castle are stars. It was that clear and perfect of a night!

Congratulations, Casey & Jeremy. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph your beautiful day!