Connor Studios Blog

Jacky and Peter met me near the base of Capitol Hill last week for their engagement session.  We were worried about rain since it seems like it has been Monsoon Season around here lately.  After talking earlier in the day, we decided to go ahead and try.  Shortly after our conversation it was nothing but pouring rain, lightning and thunder.  Not good!

But by the time we met, the weather turned beautiful — God’s little gift to Jacky and Peter.

Peter is from Chicago (one of my FAVORITE cities in the world).  Jacky is from around here and they met at church.  We decided to do their Engagement photographs at the base of the Capitol because Peter proposed to Jacky right there.  When he got down on one knee, it was about 90 degrees colder than it was the day we were there!

Their wedding is in a couple weeks and sounds like it is going to beautiful.  I can’t wait to post those photos.

Christine & Paul’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous!  They were my fourth wedding in 8 days and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day or a nicer couple!  From the moment I met them at a wedding show last year, you could just tell how nice both of them were.

They were married at St. James Parish in Lothian, Md. south of Annapolis.  Nicole used to teach a little south of there and whenever I would drive by St. James, I always thought it would be a gorgeous church to photograph in.  The church was built in 1765 (no, that’s not a typo!) and is so quaint and beautiful.  It’s a perfect little church.

On top of that, Rev. William Ticknor is now my favorite as well.  Some Rabbis and Priests can be a bit “difficult” to work with.  I also understand that they have probably dealt with some awful photographers so I cut them a little slack.  The problem is that we are often dealt with like we shouldn’t be there and we are ruining the religious part of the ceremony.  I have a hard time with that because I really think that nothing could be more amazing than a couple wanting to remember one of the most religious days of their lives.  But I digress…  :-)  Instead of going on and on about how difficult some people are, I would rather say how wonderful Rev. Ticknor is to work with.  Not only from a photographic stand point but his ceremony and personality were just perfect as well.

Christine and Paul’s wedding reminded me a lot of my wedding.  Their ceremony was beautiful and the reception was held at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Merrill Center.  For all of you DC brides and grooms out there wanting to get married in Annapolis on the water, check them out.  I think a lot of couples that aren’t from Annapolis don’t know about the CBF but it’s one of the best places on the water to get married around here.

Everything about their reception was all about simple relaxation.  We did photos on the beach while a man played the steel drums during their cocktail hour.  You felt like you were in the Bahamas.  Everyone seemed to have a great time eating, drinking and dancing — the way a reception should be.  The cake and the flowers were absolutely beautiful as well.

Thank you to both of you as well as your friends and family.  You couldn’t have been a more wonderful couple to me and I wish you nothing but the best!

Wedding 411:
Photography: Connor Studios / Michael Connor
Ceremony Location: St. James Parish / Rev. William Ticknor
Reception Location: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Merrill Center
Cake: Fiona’s / Fiona Bryson
Flowers: Encore Décor / Ericka Aquirre-Paiz

I just wanted to wish all the fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day!  I have a wonderful father who is coming out in a couple weeks for a visit.

I also want to wish all of our past grooms who have become Fathers this year a great first Father’s Day.  We have had quite a few and couldn’t be happier for all of you!

Here is my reason for a happy day:

I was sent to downtown Annapolis for an assignment that fell through yesterday.  Walking back to my car, I saw the downtown City Docks lot was almost completely under water from the crazy storms from the night before.  I shot photos of tourists walking through the water and then saw this happen from a city crew setting up road blocks.  Weather pics don’t usually pan out to something funny like this.  This is the worker jumping out of his truck into almost 2 feet of water.

I have to start out by thanking Terri’s mom Margaret!  Terri took her mom to a bridal show and was running on empty by the end of the show and wanted to bust out. Her mom said they should go down the last aisle and spotted us and the rest was history…

Terri started her day with her bridesmaids at the beautiful Hotel Monaco before heading up to the church.

Terri and John were married at St. Sophia, a Greek Orthodox church in NW Washington. To say that this is a beautiful church is an understatement!!  It is one of the prettiest in Washington. Heading over to the church, Terri’s bridesmaids warned me that the floor was slick. Of course I thought they were overreacting — WRONG! Trying to move quickly to get into place for their first kiss about cost me my life!

After the ceremony, John took the bridal party across town to the reception in a fire truck. John is a dentist but also a volunteer fireman and was able to drive one of their older fire trucks. The children had a blast riding up in the back down Massachusetts Ave.

The reception was held at the new Harman Center for the Arts across from the Verizon Center.  The Harman Center is still pretty new and hasn’t hosted a lot of wedding receptions but is such a unique location!  The glass front and the orange wall makes a beautiful place.

A huge thank you to Terri and John for allowing us to be with you on your beautiful day. The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and the reception was a ton of fun.

Pop your self some popcorn and get comfortable for Terri and John’s slideshow:

Wedding 411:
Photography: Connor Studios / Michael Connor & Katie Falkenberg
Ceremony Location: St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Reception Location: Harman Center for the Arts / Tim Bailey
Florist: Enrico’s Flowers / Silvia Mastrangelo
Band: The Winn Brothers Band / Gordon Winn

Danielle and Alex were married on an absolutely gorgeous day in May at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, Virginia. If you are planning a wedding, we highly recommend Airlie — it’s gorgeous!!

We always tell our brides and grooms that it is their day and they should do it the way they want and make it special. Danielle and Alex were the PERFECT examples of this. They got married in the round by a friend. During the ceremony, guests were able to stand up and share — how cool to get everyone who you care about involved in your ceremony. I admit that I am partially biased since their wedding reminded me a lot of my wedding!

Toni Sandys and Jonathan Newton did a killer job of showing the beauty of their day. Not hard with a great couple in a perfect location!!

If you are ever looking for the perfect sign from heaven on your wedding day, I would say a heart-shaped cloud above your ceremony is about all you can ask for.  Check out the slideshow:

Wedding 411:
Photography: Connor Studios / Toni Sandys & Jonathan Newton
Location: Airlie Center
Coordinator: My Simple Details / Melody Browning
Florist: J. Morris Flowers / Jen Morris
Band: Dan Haas