Margaret & Ian - Jennifer McMenamin Photography - Baltimore, Washington and beyond

Margaret & Ian
The Hotel Monaco Baltimore & The Evergreen -- Baltimore wedding photography

Margaret described herself as the anti-bride. A horse veterinarian, she spends most of her days in scrubs or kakis. She initially contemplated getting married at City Hall in Ohio, where she and Ian, an ER nurse, live. And when they were first engaged and Ian asked what her wedding colors would be, “I said, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll wear white,'” Margaret told me the first time we talked. Instead, with the help of her parents, Margaret and Ian threw a gorgeous spring wedding at the Evergreen Museum and Library full of personal touches, many of which traced back to her family’s long involvement with thoroughbred racing. “My father turned out to be the master wedding planner,” Margaret said. “And Mum took over when he had finished the things that he cared about.” There was a bugler to play Call to Post before the bride walked down the aisle. There were caterers from Pimlico and Laurel racetracks, where Margaret’s father works with the Maryland Jockey Club. And there was wedding wine that he began buying 27 years ago — when, as Margaret put it, “I wasn’t dating anyone and had no intention of getting married. But Dad was ready, just in case. Actually, this is probably the third batch of wedding wine as friends and family drank the bottles as they aged. This is a running joke with my family.” We were graced with a gorgeous, if a bit chilly, spring day. A breeze occasionally played with Margaret’s veil. And despite a stated aversion to having her photograph taken, Margaret and Ian appeared comfortable and oh so happy in front of the camera. Here are some of my favorites from their beautiful day:

We started at the Hotel Monaco, where Margaret and Ian got ready together before we arrived and then took some quick portraits with us.

The bride, looking lovely.

We found spectacular light downtown before heading out to the Evergreen. Margaret has a magnificent laughing smile. I was thrilled that Ian kept her laughing all day long.

I love this next image of them as the wind was whipping around her veil.

In addition to photos of the wine, Margaret asked for images of a couple of specific things — the bugle player trilling out Call to Post to start the processional, her dad and his cigars, her parents dancing, her cousin playing the sax during cocktail hour and the Motown band that her father had hired many months before the wedding. In addition to being important to her, these ended up being some of the most fun parts of the wedding to photograph!

After a brief transportation snafu, it was time to get married!

I love this next photo, shot by my assistant Lucas, from the patio overlooking the formal gardens where the ceremony was held.

After a lovely and brief ceremony — just seven minutes elapsed between the bugler announcing the start of the bride’s long walk across the Evergreen’s lawn and the end of the ceremony — the newlyweds and their guests headed to the magnificent patio for cocktails.

Margaret’s cousin, Daniel Weidlein, is an accomplished saxophonist and composer. It was a pleasure to hear him play.

The reception was held in the lovely Carriage House — especially appropriate for a horse-owning family. Here are a few reception details.

The famous wedding wine.

The band Midnight Movers thrilled the dancing enthusiasts in the crowd all night long. (I am a huge fan of a good brass section, so I was pretty happy, too!)