I first met Alyssa and Matt on Valentine’s Day. We had a great meeting that evolved into drinks and lunch.
Their wedding was on the same day as John Stewart’s Rally to Restore Fear and/or Sanity on the Mall so getting across town was a bit dicey. But once we got to the Omni Shoreham, everyone was just so relaxed and ready for a great day. My favorite bridesmaid, Casey, greeted me as I came into the room. (I have photographed three weddings now with Casey) All the girls were relaxed and Alyssa’s nephew was entertaining everyone. The great thing about the bridal suite at the Omni is that it overlooks the ceremony location on the back lawn.
Right before heading out, Alyssa’s niece decided she didn’t want to wear her Flower Girl dress. My daughter is almost the same age so you know that you try every trick in the book to get her into it but if she still doesn’t want to, there is nothing you are going to do about it. Alyssa was super-cool and said it was ok if she didn’t want to. What she did love wearing was her Disney Princess dress. Alyssa and all the bridesmaids thought that would be hilarious so she traded in her white dress for her baby blue princess dress to walk down the aisle. I’m not sure if anyone really noticed but it was so cute and will be a great story as she gets older.
The wedding was beautiful. It was a bit chilly outside – great for the guys – and the trees were in full Fall-ness. Matt is a Marine so of course they had the sword arch and the tap to bring Alyssa into the family.
Knowing that we would have a bunch of Marines, we were ready for some fun at the reception. We just didn’t know it was going to be Alyssa’s dad Louis who was going to steal the show! Between an awesome father/daughter dance, some crazy moves on the dance floor and getting up to play the drums with the band, he made sure everyone had a great time. That was definitely the first time we have ever seen the father of the bride play the drums at the reception!
Of course one of my favorite moments was seeing Shawn and Mike who’s wedding I photographed last year. I knew they were coming back from St. Louis for the wedding so we got to recreate the photo we took at the end of their wedding. Looking back to find that picture for this blog, I realized that I was wearing the same tie and almost the same color shirt at both weddings (I swear I own more!!). It is always great seeing former brides and grooms and their families. It was also nice to get a new version of the photo with Alyssa and Matt as well.
We couldn’t have been happier to end our wedding season with Alyssa and Matt’s wedding. Two amazing (and beautiful) people and a great evening!
Wedding 411:
Ceremony + Reception: Omni Shoreham Hotel | 202.234.0700
Planner: Naturally Chic Events | Nicole and Maria | 703.906.9438
Florist: Growing Wild Floral | Barbara Von Elm | 540.364.6246
Band (AWESOME!!): The Winn Brothers Band
Videography: Blue Sky Films | Sarah Mendiola | 301.755.5478
Photography: Connor Studios | Michael Connor + Andrew Harnik | 202.527.9768
