Stephanie & Chris - The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen & Valley Country Club - Baltimore wedding photography - Jennifer McMenamin Photography

Stephanie & Chris — The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen & Valley Country Club — Baltimore wedding photography

This is how much fun I had working with Steph and Chris: They added overtime coverage onto the end of their wedding and I didn’t even remember. She had to e-mail *me* about an invoice for the extra time. They were such wonderful clients that it didn’t even seem like work! Steph and Chris, on the other hand, put *so* much work into their wedding. Every little detail, it seemed, had special meaning for them, from the cathedral where they exchanged vows (the site of her father’s ordination as a deacon) and the prayer they said to the Virgin Mary (the same one his parents prayed at their own wedding) to the veil she borrowed from a friend and the craft beer brewed by the groom’s brother just for their wedding. I was thrilled to be shooting in the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen for the first time, a gorgeous imposing church full of dark stone and stained glass windows that cast a lovely blue glow upon the place. And I was delighted to have so much time with Steph and Chris and their marvelously fun wedding party for photos between the ceremony and reception. We hit some wonderful spots and were graced with some terrific light — and an uber-gracious host in the staff at Woodberry Kitchen, who brought Steph & Chris’s entire crew pots of French press coffee while we were shooting outside in the chilly November evening. The Mansion at Valley Country Club looked as lovely as ever, especially with the trail of luminary bags that lined the sidewalks. Without further ado, here are some of my favorites from Steph & Chris’s wonderful day.

We started with the bride and her bridesmaids at the hotel where they were getting ready — and mapping out the plan for the day.

I love that you can tell that she’s smiling in the photo on the left, even though her mouth is not visible.

The bride, looking gorgeous.

Soon, it was time to get married.

What an entrance!

I knew Steph’s dad, a prosecutor, from my previous career as a newspaper reporter covering crime and the courts. It was a complete joy to see him so happy and emotional on his daughter’s wedding day.

The next photo was shot by my assistant, Lucas.

I was enamored with the reflections of Steph and Chris on the long, shiny marble aisle of the Cathedral.

Married!

A few quick portraits of the newlyweds on our way outside to shoot a few with the wedding party on the steps.

This actually happened: As I was wishing out loud for a bit of breeze to come lift Steph’s veil, my assistant responded, ‘Well, here it comes.’ And it did. It was just that kind of day!

A toast on the party bus.

The staff at Woodberry Kitchen — one of Chris and Steph’s favorite spots in Baltimore (and mine as well!) — graciously allowed us to pop in to shoot a little after the ceremony. It was just a few minutes before their dinner service began and they could not have been kinder to us!

And then we were off to the Valley Country Club for the reception! (Have I mentioned how crazy I was for these luminaries?)

A few reception details.

A first dance.

Some of the most wonderful wedding toasts I’ve ever heard accompanied by one of the most entertaining props I’ve ever seen — a giant poster-sized print of an amusing childhood photo of the groom.

The next image is one of my most favorite toast photos of all time.

And there was lots of fun and merriment! Mike Bell from MyDeejay kept the dance floor packed with lots of happy revelers.

Late in the evening, we ducked outside to shoot a few quick nighttime portraits with Steph & Chris and their luminaries. If you look very closely, you can even see stars in the dark night sky.