A Baltimore Basilica & Engineers Club wedding: Kathleen + Brayan - Jennifer McMenamin Photography

A Baltimore Basilica & Engineers Club wedding: Kathleen + Brayan
The Baltimore Basilica | The Baltimore Engineers Club | Baltimore wedding photography | Baltimore wedding photographer

Lots of people say that they’re uncomfortable being the center of attention and being photographed. But Kathleen + Brayan really, *really* meant it. At our first meeting, Kathleen told me not only that her groom had googled whether he could get married in absentia but also that her sister photographs extremely well. “So maybe she could stand in for me in photos?” she joked. Well, I actually suspect she was only half joking. Despite their discomfort with attention and being in front of a camera, Kathleen + Brayan had a wonderful wedding day. Although they contemplated eloping, the couple decided exchange vows at the Baltimore Basilica with dinner and dancing afterward at the beautiful Engineers Club so they could include their families in their celebration, most especially Kathleen’s beloved grandparents. “If every single picture of me is lost, I don’t care,” she explained. “But if we have photos of my grandparents with all their grandchildren, that’s what’s important to me.” Her grandparents were, in fact, a joy to photograph. It was such a delight to see them laughing and dancing and enjoying their adult children and grandchildren, who range in age from the bride in her 30s to the 1-year-old flower girl (who stole the show at the Basilica!). It was also great fun to see Brayan with his firehouse buddies. A Baltimore City firefighter of 10 years, he was working when Kathleen, an ophthalmologist, showed up to cast a ballot on election day. Her local precinct just happened to be Brayan’s fire house. His colleagues were more than happy to oblige Kathleen’s request to take a few photos with a firetruck in honor of their wedding. Here are many of my favorite photographs from their fun day:

The bride, looking absolutely lovely.

Making a joke about her own decades-long marriage, Kathleen’s grandma said she might hire me to photograph her own big day when she decides to make it official. She delivered this joke with a wink while holding her husband’s hand. So sweet.

Then, we were off to the Basilica for the ceremony.

Kathleen’s niece and nephews could not have been any cuter coming down the aisle as her flower girl and ring bearers.

I love love love this next pair of images that my assistant Lucas shot as Kathleen peeked at the kiddos’ entrance during the processional.

The first Cathedral constructed after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the 211-year-old Baltimore Basilica is such a grand location for a wedding. It also happens to be where Kathleen’s parents exchanged vows at their own wedding ceremony in the 1980s.

I love capturing little moments like this for my clients — authentic, unscripted emotion that allows them to remember how they were feeling and what they were thinking at a particular moment on their wedding day. To me, that’s the difference between documenting the scene of a wedding and catching and preserving real moments for them.