We met Claire + Pete at a wedding we photographed last year when Pete came up to us to talk about wanting us to meet his fiancé. Once you meet Claire, you know that there is about a 0% chance of her not being a STUNNING bride!!
Photographers have a tendency to get a lot of cute kid photos from weddings. For this wedding, you couldn’t miss it. As Pete and his daughter created their new family with Claire, it was so much fun to watch Hannah play such a large role in their entire day from getting ready to a reading at the ceremony to giving a speech at the reception that pretty much had everyone in tears.
Pete was a Naval Academy graduate and Claire’s brother is a recent graduate as well so having their ceremony at the Academy was no-brainer.
Claire played squash in college and her brother played at the Academy so she had a specific request for portraits on the squash court. I can say I’ve seen a lot but we have never photographed a bride playing squash in her dress. Laying on the floor of a squash court in front of Claire and her brother while they played was maybe not the smartest thing to do… but anything for a good photo!
After the ceremony, it was off to the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club for the reception. I still believe that there is something about crossing over the Bay Bridge — worries seem to stay on the other side and our couples and their guests are able to relax so much more!
When it came time for the parent dances, there were two Father/Daughter dances. The first was with Claire and her father followed by Pete and Hannah. It’s pretty common for half the room not to watch the parent dances but I don’t think anyone could turn away from Pete and Hannah.
Former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, was a guest of the wedding. As a photojournalist, I have photographed him probably 100 times but I never thought I would photograph him mixing it up on the dance floor with a couple of flower girls! Oh the places you will go…
It really was a stunning day with a great couple and we were so happy to be there as they started their new family together.
Wedding 411:
Coordinator: Wedding Savvy | Leslie Jefferson | 410.263.2800
Ceremony: US Naval Academy Chapel | Claire MacCallum | 410.293.1105
Recepiton + Catering: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club | Erin Janes | 410.604.1933
Florist: Silverstems | 410.798.7700
Band: Sound Nation | Sam Hill Entertainment | 866.726.2660
Cake: Fiona’s | Fiona Bryson | 410.647.9732
Hair + Makeup: About Faces | Debbie (hair) + Stacey Lynn (makeup) | 410.269.4099
Transportation: American Limo Trolley | 800.787.1690
Furniture: American Furniture Rental | 888.237.7368
Photography: Connor Studios | Michael Connor, Jonathan Newton, Andrew Propp | 202.527.9768
