Teresa and Ryan
Teresa and Ryan were married on a day that Alanis Morissette would have sang about. It was a little chilly, definitely cloudy and had rained for most of the day. When I arrived at the venue, the Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, MD, spirits were high, but you could tell everyone was keeping an eye on Mother Nature.
Luckily for us, the rain held out for the rest of the day. We were able to shoot an incredible wedding at a venue that provided the most amazing lighting for night photos.
Teresa’s dress was beautiful, with a lot of silver bead work. I made sure to take a lot of close up shots of the beads while it was on the mannequin. They will make great background and filler shots. Ryan was wearing a white tuxedo top, with his groomsmen in all black. Everyone looked great and was in great spirits.
For the first look, we decided to use the steps at the front of the house. Ryan is much taller than Teresa, so having her a couple of steps up from him gave a great balance. From there, we went back inside to take more bridal party photos. If you know anything about me, I am obsessed with mirrors and when I find a nice large one, I do my best to get creative with it. This location had a mirror that ran almost from floor to ceiling, so I used to get some photos of Teresa and Ryan talking to each other. A staged shot, but a nice “candid moment” shot.
It was time for the ceremony! We went outside and everything went perfectly. There was a beautiful reflecting pool that sat in the center of the area. Guests sat on each side, with the wedding party at the front. From the first time I saw the pool, I knew I would be using it later, to get some nice reflections of the couple, using it like a mirror.
After the first kiss, the guests went inside for cocktail hour while we took some more photos of the bridal party. Once the reception started, it was just a nice smooth evening. Remember that amazing light I told you about at the beginning? I used it all night long to get nice portraits of guests. I always want them to be able to have nice photos; reminders of when their friends said “I Do”.
So to cap off the evening, Teresa and Ryan had their last dance under the gazebo where they had been married a few hours earlier. They then left through a crowd of waving sparklers and off into the night they went.