Melissa & Chris - Christ Episcopal Church & Brookeville Farms - Maryland wedding photography - Jennifer McMenamin Photography

Melissa & Chris — Christ Episcopal Church & Brookeville Farms — Maryland wedding photography

I first met Melissa and Chris a little over a year ago at the wedding of Chris’s brother, Scott to Claudia. Held at the swanky Oval Room restaurant amidst the gorgeous colors of fall, with photos at Lafayette Park in front of the White House and the groom in a kilt and the bride in a birdcage veil, it was one of my most favorite weddings from 2009. So I couldn’t have been more thrilled when Melissa contacted me about photographing her wedding to Chris. Inspired by the fall color palette, her Filipino heritage and their engagement during a trip to wine country in California, Melissa planned a wonderful celebration brimming with personal touches. I also had the pleasure of joining them on the eve of their wedding for coverage of their rehearsal and rehearsal dinner — a decision that seemed even more brilliant on Melissa’s part when she shared the church rules on photography, which would prohibit me from shooting from anywhere other than the very back of the church and the choir loft during their wedding ceremony. Being there the night before allowed me to move around and offer them a wider variety of shots from the church. Here are some of my favorites from their celebration:

Melissa and her parents at the wedding rehearsal.

I love Chris’s expression here as he waits for Melissa.

And heeeere comes their little ring bearer.

They incorporated two Catholic customs from the Philippines — the pinning of a veil across the bride and groom’s shoulders (symbolizing his pledge to protect his new wife and their joint commitment to protect their marriage vows) and the placing of a figure-eight cord around them (signifying unity and infinity as well as the couple’s joyful acceptance of their new union). It was a really beautiful part of the ceremony.

Wedding day! Like Claudia, Melissa hired Shawn Nocher at the Floral Studio to design her flowers. Though she creates magnificent work any time of year, Shawn really knocks weddings out of the park with the deep, rich colors available to her in the fall.

Melissa wore a beautiful custom gown made with fabric from her native Philippines. The lace and beadwork was really incredible.

Loved her red shoes!

The bride, looking gorgeous.

And she was off to get married…

A little groom detail.

I loved the grand entrance that Melissa and her parents made at Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville. Here, Melissa and Chris light their unity candle.

Her long, lace veil was so dramatic.

Married!

I couldn’t resist including this shot of the newlyweds with my former clients, Claudia and Scott.

Here’s that cutie-pie ring bearer again!

A few fun portraits of the newlyweds at their reception venue, Brookeville Farms in Olney.

So happy together!

And a little later on, when the light was really gorgeous outside and Melissa had kicked off her shoes and changed into a fun, short dress, we ducked outside to make a few more images.