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Shannon & John — The Governor Calvert House & St. John’s The Evangelist Church — Annapolis wedding photography

Shannon and I met two years ago at the wedding of her good friend, Jen who married Justin in a lovely ceremony at the chapel of their (and my!) alma mater, the University of Maryland.  So I was thrilled when Shannon contacted me last year to share that she was engaged and planning a spring wedding for Annapolis. We had a great time shooting their engagement session in Baltimore last fall. And the more she told me about her wedding plans, the more excited I grew to work with her and John again. It’s been a rainy, gray spring this year and there was more rain in the forecast for their wedding day. But the showers held off until well after we had finished shooting outside and all their guests were tucked inside the Governor Calvert House, enjoying the reception. Here are some of my favorites from the day:

I was scheduled to start shooting Shannon and her bridesmaids getting ready at the bride’s parents’ house in Annapolis. But Shannon was too excited to wait for me and was fully dressed, veiled and ready to leave for the church when my assistant and I arrived. I love this image of her hunting for something in her room.

A few touch-ups.

Ringbearer Cameron showed off his super cool Spiderman cufflinks.

And flowergirl McKenzie just showed off. She really couldn’t have been any cuter.

A few quick portraits of the bride looking gorgeous.

At our very first meeting, Shannon told me that one of the most important moments that she wanted photographed was John’s reaction to seeing her for the first time as she and her dad made their way down the aisle at her church. His look spoke volumes.

I love this next image from Meghan, who helped out as my assistant for the day. (Thanks, Meghan!) The reflection in the aisle is perfection.

Shannon had warned me in advance that her church was a little dimly lit. It was. But it also made for some really nice, dramatic images, particularly involving the unity candle.

Pure joy.

I love this image of McKenzie. She was just doing her own, twirly thing while I was photographing Shannon and the bridesmaids. It was too sweet to not capture on its own.

And then there was the moment when one of John’s groomsmen accidentally walloped Shannon in the head with the sash of her dress. Ooops.

Gorgeous light in the limo on the way back to Annapolis.

Loved Shannon’s blue shoes. And all the layers of petticoats and crinoline under her dress.

It was pretty gray and overcast by the time we got back to Annapolis for some casual portraits of the newlyweds. But we found one little spot of good light near the Statehouse and made the most of it. It helped, of course, that Shannon and John couldn’t have looked any happier together!

Neil Benjers, of Blue Sky Films, and I had a great time getting some wonderful relaxed images (and footage, respectively) of them. (Side note: I can’t wait to see Shannon & John’s highlight film. Neil was shooting a little Super8 Motion Picture Film as well as regular film. So cool!)

Shannon took on a lot of projects herself for this wedding. One of my favorites was the tablecards, which featured photos of places in New Orleans that meant something to them. One of the most touching was this seemingly ordinary park bench. As the back of the tablecard explained, it was there that Shannon and John sat every day to enjoy beignets on their first trip together to NoLa and where John asked Shannon to marry him a year later.

The middle layer of their cake, from Sweet bakery, was iced with the lyrics, ‘You are the best thing that ever happened to me.’ Sweet indeed!

A first dance.

A few emotional toasts.

A pair of parent dances.

And a whole lot of fun with their family and friends.

Congratulations, Shannon & John. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and document such meaningful moments in your engagement and marriage!

Vendor Credits:

Photography: Jennifer McMenamin Photography

Ceremony: St. John the Evangelist Church

Reception & catering: Governor Calvert House

Bridal attire: Betsy Robinson Bridal Collection

Make-up: Trena Makell at Live Love and Dream LLC

Hair: Sheela Lal at Ooh La Lal Salon

Groom’s attire: Calvin Klein from Men’s Warehouse

Florist: Severna Flowers

Cake: Sweet bakery

DJ: C&J Entertainment

Videographer: Neil Benjers of Blue Sky Films

Invitations: Paper in the Park