Tag

summer

Casual Gambrill State Park Wedding | Real Frederick Weddings | Mary + Geoff

Mary and Geoff were married at the beautiful Gambrill State Park, just outside Frederick. This wasn’t your typical traditional wedding. Mary wore a short green dress. Geoff changed into a Flying Dog T-shirt minutes after the ceremony. They cooked their own crabs. (Basically, it was super awesome.) Mary and Geoff live Downtown Frederick and wanted to incorporate their love of nature into their day. They invited only their closest friends and family to keep the day intimate. After a sweet ceremony officiated by their friend, they headed to Gambrill’s Tea Room for a crab feast and dancing on the outside deck. Our own editor, MK of Mary Kate McKenna Photography, captured this perfect summer wedding… enjoy!

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Real Frederick Weddings

Yellow-Infused Morningside Inn Country Wedding | Real Frederick Wedding :: Haley + Jeremiah

When Robin Shotola send us this bright, beautiful summer wedding, we couldn’t stop dreaming of warm summer days in Frederick County. From the colorful flowers and Vera Wang dress, to the dramatic portraits and delicious cupcakes, Haley and Jeremiah planned a Real Frederick Wedding that we adore. Here’s more from Haley:

Jeremiah and I met when where 13 years old, in middle school. We were good friends throughout high school and began dating our senior year. Three years later, we went to New York City for my 20th birthday, where he proposed on a carriage ride through Central Park! It was like a fairytale. Jeremiah is my best friend. When it came to picking our venue, we remembered having a high school banquet at Morningside Inn and how beautiful it was. It was the first and only venue we checked out! Morningside Inn was the perfect location for a rustic feel, and had everything we wanted. We hardly had to lift a finger, which made the whole process a lot smoother… perfect for our day!

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Real Frederick Weddings

Summer Wedding at VOLT | Real Frederick Wedding | Valthea + David

Some people say that Volt restaurant helped put Frederick on the map. Its executive chef, Bryan Voltaggio, lent his name and his culinary prowess to the iconic restaurant, and many flock to the North Market Street hotspot for a special dinner. The historic Downtown Frederick restaurant played the perfect host for the August wedding of Thea and David. From the bride and groom:

Volt’s food and service are without equal and their events coordinator, Julie Rudzin South, went above and beyond our expectations. Surrounded with joy and love by our friends and family, some of the most memorable moments of our lives were artfully captured by our photographer. We are eternally thankful and we could not have wished for a more beautiful day!

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Ask the Experts

4 Tips for Engagement Session Success | Heart of Frederick Ask the Experts

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WORDS BY MOLLY FELLIN SPENCE | PHOTOS BY DAVID S. SPENCE
Spence Photographics

Earlier this month MK gave us a few good reasons why you need to take engagement photos. So, now that you have no doubt that an e-session is the right thing to do, you need some tips and inspiration to make it happen! And that’s where I come in… here’s 4 tips to help you plan and execute a great engagement session with your photographer.

TIP ONE: PLAN AROUND YOUR FAVORITE SEASON

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Now that temperatures are warming up in the region, lots of couples are venturing outside to their favorite park or other outdoor destination for e-session photos. Spring is a great season, with all of the colorful flowers and blossoming trees. Keep in mind that spring can also mean rain showers, so bring along a pair of rainboots and an umbrella for some puddle-splashing fun. Summertime provides plenty of daylight and loads of location options (the beach! your family’s lake house! an amusement park!). Summer can also be your photographer’s busiest season, schedule-wise, so be sure to plan way ahead for this season. Fall colors can’t be beat, and temperature-wise, this season is pretty perfect. If you’re going for a cozy, warm feeling in your images, this is the season to plan for. And don’t count out winter! Sure, it’s cold outside, but bundling up in layers and playing in the snow can make for some awesome natural portraits. If you and your other half love skiing and snowman-making, consider planning your e-session in the colder months. Bonus: you’ll likely have your pick of dates and times, since this is the slowest season for most photogs!

TIP TWO: INCORPORATE YOUR PERSONALITY

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How do you spend your time together as a couple? Do you like to hang out with friends at your favorite local pub? Are you big fans of wineries? Or can you be found strapping on your hiking boots and heading out on a long, windy trail? Maybe you love to cook elaborate meals together? Think about your passions as a couple, and ask your photographer to incorporate those into your engagement session. Formal portraits are nice, but capturing you two together, being yourselves, and enjoying what you’re doing together can make for some truly awesome, memorable images.

TIP THREE: BRING ALONG YOUR FURRY FRIENDS.

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Did you two become pet parents together? Then, bring along your furry friend to your engagement session! This may be the only time to get photos of you three together, since many venues don’t allow pets to attend wedding ceremonies or receptions. Quick tip: if you’d like to include your pet, it may be a good idea to enlist a friend or family member to come along as well, to serve as a pet wrangler. You’re probably going to want a few photos of just the two of you, and you’ll need some extra help during those times.

TIP FOUR: RELAX AND HAVE FUN!

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I know, when someone tells you to relax that can be one of the most difficult things to do. Here’s how to accomplish it: Don’t overthink it. Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable. Go barefoot if it feels right. If you love getting dressed up, then do it! But if that makes you cringe, don’t be afraid to wear a T-shirt and shorts – if that’s truly you. Don’t worry about matching colors with each other, but do try to wear complementary colors. Most importantly: Be yourself, and your photos will reflect a relaxed, happy couple.

Molly Fellin Spence is an editor for Heart of Frederick, and co-owns Spence Photographics, a Downtown Frederick photojournalism studio, with her husband, chief photographer David S. Spence.

Real Frederick Weddings

Jennifer + Alex's Baker Park Celebration | Real Frederick Wedding

Jennifer and Alex said their vows under a weeping willow at Baker Park, took a pedicab ride down Market Street after, then ended the day with a backyard reception at their own home. It was a breezy, beautiful summer day, captured by Mary Kate McKenna Photography. Here’s how Jennifer describes the day and the events leading up to it…

‘Blue Moon no orange’ were the first words spoken. Alex may not remember, but that was also the first night he ‘unofficially’ told me… and the rest of the bar… he loved me.

I was general manager at a Downtown Frederick restaurant and Alex was in on a Friday night for happy hour. According to him it was my ‘sassy lime green skirt and red hair’ that caught his eye. As time and Blue Moons went by, Alex had drunk up enough courage to introduce himself. Cheesing like a cheshire cat he says to me in a nutshell, “I’m Alex, I’m Russian…date me.” How could I resist such a smooth talker? Our first date was at Café Nola. I will never forget where we sat, what we were drinking, and the black T-shirt and jeans he had on. Thinking back on it , we both laugh that we couldn’t hear a word the other was saying over the music… we just smiled and nodded at each other the whole time.

Alex and I eloped while on vacation in Miami. It was the perfect day…the weather was gorgeous, the scenery was mesmerizing. After snorkeling we drove to a nearby mom-and-pop shop, bought our $30 sterling silver wedding bands, and then tied the knot at a nearby courthouse, bathing suits, flip flops and all. I thought that was the best day of my life… until we did it again.

A year later, Alex and I decided to get married again and include our closest family and friends. We wanted the ceremony to be in Baker Park where Alex proposed, and the reception to be in our backyard. We wanted the wedding to have a rustic feel to it, and I wanted to make as much of the decorations as I could. I wanted to cater the wedding myself, too. We hired a friend of a friend to man the grill, and he served hotdogs, burgers and chicken skewers. There were a lot of long nights before the wedding, and I couldn’t have finished it without the help of my mom and my maid of honor. As another bride once said, ‘If you want it done right, do it yourself. But if you want it done at all, let people help.’

Since Alex is Russian, we incorporated some Russian wedding traditions. Right after the ceremony, we all walked to a nearby bridge and took a lock brought by Alex’s mom from Russia and locked it on the bridge. We then took the key and threw it in the water to show that our love is locked forever. Next was the throwing of rice and Russian coins at our feet as we walked up to our house. There we were greeted by Alex’s mom who had a loaf of bread and salt. Her offering showed the acceptance of welcoming me into the family. Alex and I took a bite at the same time, and whoever took the biggest bite was the ‘ head of the household.’

The reception was a casual backyard barbecue with our closest friends and family. I really wanted a dessert table, and champagne glasses filled with rock candy – Alex was all about the whiskey and cigar table for the men. All of the small details that were incorporated in the wedding were a representation of ourselves, and made for an amazing day that I wouldn’t trade for anything!

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Photography :: Mary Kate McKenna Photography

Ceremony :: Baker Park, Frederick

Reception :: Couple’s home

Dress :: Coralie Beatrix on Etsy

Hair :: Structures Salon

Cake :: Sweet & Savory

Music :: Erin Frisby from Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray

Pedicabs :: MacFawn’s Green Rides

Barrels :: McCutcheon’s Apple Products

Vintage sodas :: North Market Pop Shop

Made by Jenny :: invitations, cake topper, napkins, food, flower arrangements and bouquets

Real Frederick Weddings

Amanda + Tony's Lavender-Filled Day | Real Frederick Wedding

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JacqieQ Photography shared this lovely summer wedding with us recently. Here’s what she told us about the day:

Tony and Amanda were wed mountainside at the beautiful Springfield Manor Winery & Distillery in Thurmont. The guys wore Converse sneakers with their tuxes and the bridesmaids wore pewter dresses. The electricity went out during the reception, but the guests barely noticed as Shew-sical Entertainment Services came prepared and the venue opened the doors to the patio, bringing the lovely mountain air indoors.

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