Erin & Steve’s Wedding at Evergreen Museum

• Weddings

Happy Friday everyone! Well, normally in this space today you’d see a few more of our FAB Finds, but we were able to finish editing and finishing Erin & Steve’s wedding early so we just couldn’t wait to share some of our favorites with you…and them! So without further ado…

We’re happy to offer our hearty congratulations to Erin and Steve, who recently tied the knot on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Baltimore’s Evergreen Museum. This was a couple who were not only gorgeous, but fun loving, too! We so enjoyed getting to spend the day with them and their guests. They planned a beautiful, personalized day for their friends and family and after early dark clouds, Mother Nature decided to shine some beautiful sunlight on the festivities.

The mansion, built by the B&O Railroad magnate and now part of Johns Hopkins, Steve’s alma mater, was the backdrop for their garden wedding. The suite where Erin donned her dress was painted the same yellow as the color dresses her bridesmaids wore, and they joked they were inadvertently wearing “camouflage” dresses. Erin’s dad is an avid photographer, and stopped early in their seventy-yard processional from house to garden’s edge to snap a self-portrait of himself and his daughter to the delight of their guests – and their photographers! Steve, looking straight into the sun as Erin strode to him, wore his sunglasses, ostensibly so he could see his bride walking down the aisle, but that was short-lived as they were quickly removed at her (gentle) urging after her parents gave her away.

The ceremony was short and sweet and their guests enjoyed retreating into the spacious terrace’s shade for cocktails while we spent a few minutes doing family portraits. Erin’s dad and a close friend of his assisted then while we spent some time with just the happy couple and helping to keep the drinks and tasty bites coming. The mansion provided such a beautiful background and the late-afternoon sun offered some dramatic light for us. Guests will sometimes ask us if we like cloudy days when the light is even, but flat, and we’ll usually answer that we work with whatever Mother Nature gives us at that particular moment, but truth be told we really like the long shadows and dramatic sunlight you get only late in the afternoon or early in the morning. It makes for much more interesting images. Erin and Steve were up for anything we suggested, even stepping into a mud- and debris-laden alcove for a more stylized shot of them. We love it when our couples trust us, and she exited with nary a smudge on her gorgeous gown.

As cocktail hour ended, their guests decended the steps to the Carriage House, historically where horses stayed overnight, for dinner and dancing. At the stairs’ base was a table with “library cards” laid out in neat little rows, each card with a particular guest’s name. (One of our fab finds from last week!) On the back was a note declaring that in lieu of favors, a donation was being made in their guests’ name toward Reading is Fundamental. We love how Erin and Steve personalized their celebration. In a nod to their honeymoon destination, as well, they served Prosecco instead of champagne!

As the couple were announced, they strolled right into the house for their first dance as everyone crowded around the barn doors to watch. This was followed immediately by their father-daughter and mother son dances, which turned out to be incredibly emotional for their parents and offered some amazing moments for us to capture. Their grandparents too, were locquacious and fun-loving, holding hands and laughing all night long, when they weren’t out on the dance floor having the time of their lives. It’s so meaningful to us to see such closeness in families, and it warmed our hearts to be able to document it all for them. David and Cheryl at the mansion were delightful that evening, assisting in various ways, and Sherri with Linwoods catering served the most amazing dinner complete with some of the best grits (or was it polenta? 😉 we’ve ever tasted (which is really saying something). We had such a wonderful time and it was clear everyone else was as well. Congratulations and thank you, Erin and Steve, for having us document your wedding for you.

Erin was totally rockin’ her gown!

Erin’s Mom leaving for the ceremony.

Love the shadow of the groom!

We love this for its range of emotions!

Erin and her dad stealing a shot during their processional…

Sweetheart table in the carriage house…

This was, we promise, a completely unscripted moment. Next thing we know, boxing gloves will be traded along with rings during the ceremony!

Note Steve’s matching socks…

We can honestly say we’d never seen dancing around a beer bottle! Love it!

And, in lieu of a details collage, we’d love to share some full-size detail images from Erin and Steve’s wedding: