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Stephanie & Dan — Meadowlark Botanical Gardens — DC Wedding Photography

Held at the always-lovely Meadowlark Botanical Gardens outside of DC on the first day of September with a color palette of whites and oranges, Stephanie & Dan’s wedding was an elegant nod to late summer and early fall. The weather did its best to remind us that it wasn’t quite fall just yet with humidity levels in the high 90s and thunderstorms that threatened to burst upon us all day and all night. No matter. Steph and Dan didn’t let it bother them one bit. They had a gorgeous celebration full of personal touches. Two friends of the bride from Carnegie Mellon University — Liam Bonner of the Metropolitan Opera and Samantha Britt, an accomplished soprano — sang during the ceremony. The maid of honor and best man regaled guests with humorous and touching tales of the couple’s courtship. The bride kicked off her fancy wedding shoes just as soon as she could to slip into the footwear she was really excited about — no, not the usual flipflops but rather brand new purple running shoes! And at the end of the night, Steph and Dan dashed from the atrium through a gauntlet of waving and whirling glow sticks. Event designer Elizabeth Leibundguth of Cherry Blossom Events did a marvelous job of pulling everything together and making sure the day went off without a hitch. Here are some of my favorites from Steph and Dan’s beautiful day. Enjoy!

I was shooting portraits of Steph by the window when she realized that she could see the front entrance where Dan was expected to arrive at any moment. It was a delight to photograph her excitement as she waited to sneak a glimpse of him coming in to the atrium and her glee upon spotting him. So sweet!

I always have to remind myself that there is an entire staff of people who make the botanical gardens look as gorgeous as they do and that it’s unreasonable for me to strive for my little plot at home to look anything like them!

Hello, short pants! There was a minor snafu with this groomsman’s tuxedo.

This next image was shot by my assistant, Lucas.

I positively loved photographing the way Dan and Steph looked at each other during their ceremony.

Baritone Liam Bonner singing ‘All the Things You Are.’

The next image on the left was shot by Lucas.

Soprano Samantha Britt nearly brought the bride to tears with an achingly beautiful rendition of ‘Ave Maria.’

Married!

Steph and Dan had such fun friends in their wedding party. They were a joy to work with all day!

The bride, looking gorgeous.

Just after the ceremony, it looked like it was about to pour at any second. The staff at Meadowlark confirmed these concerns with a quick check of the weather radar. So Lucas and I grabbed our giant black umbrellas and did an abbreviated photo session with the newlyweds at just a couple of the spots we had scouted before the wedding. It ended up never actually raining the whole night. It just felt like it was about to!

Despite the overcast skies, we still managed to find a little good light.

A few of the gorgeous reception details.

A first dance.

A few toasts.

A pair of special dances with Dan’s mom and Steph’s grandfather.

And lots of fun and frivolity!

Congratulations, Steph & Dan. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you both and your families and friends!

Photography: Jennifer McMenamin Photography

Ceremony & Reception: The Atrium at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Event coordinator: Elizabeth Leibundguth of Cherry Blossom Events

Officiant: The Rev. Bill Cochran

Ceremony musicians: Cherry Blossom String Quartet

Catering: Great Blue Heron

Bridal attire: Rivini

Make-up: Amie Decker Beauty

Hair: Hair by Jewels

Florist: Da Vinci’s Florist

Dessert: Georgetown Cupcakes

Band: Mutual Fun Band from Olivera Music Entertainment