Stadium

Cassi and Tyler were married at the Naval Academy Stadium – although we’ve photographed receptions at the N* Room in the past, this was our first ceremony to take place there! In spite of being moved indoors due to rain, the ceremony was lovely and heartfelt. Cassi wore a gorgeous dress from the Vera Wang White Collection – I loved it!

N* Room Wedding Reception

We took some portraits inside, and then in spite of the chill and the rain, Cassi and Tyler braved the outdoors with us to get some photographs in the stadium. It was well worth it! Then we headed inside to enjoy dinner, toasts and dancing. Cassi and Tyler had a fabulous time with friends and family and then exited (RUNNING!) while their guests held sparklers and cheered them on!

Mo and John were married at the United States Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis on a sunny (but windy) February day. Their wedding reception at Navy Stadium was elegant and fun, with great music provided by MyDeejay. We took great images both at the chapel and out on the field at night with the lights on! Mo and John will have a Cambodian wedding as well, next winter.

Jennifer and John were married at the United States Naval Academy in the midst of a huge parade on a hazy, hot summer day. It was cool and lovely inside the chapel and we managed to have a fabulous time with portraits around the Academy despite the heat. We arrived at the Beach Club in time for sunset and a fantastic party! Click the link at the bottom for even more images.

Shannon and Joe were married at the beautiful United States Naval Academy chapel in Annapolis. After a lovely full mass, we had some time for family photographs and portraits of Shannon and Joe around campus before we headed to the Loews Annapolis Hotel for their celebration.

The Loews Hotel looked absolutely gorgeous with an outdoor dinner setup where Shannon and Joe enjoyed toasts and their first dance. Later as darkness fell, the party moved to the Power House which was lit dramatically with a nightclub atmosphere so that guests could enjoy music, dancing, and a chocolate fountain on three floors!

Alyson and Matt were married on Memorial Day weekend at the United States Naval Academy Chapel. Alyson’s uncle escorted her down the aisle and after saying their vows, the newlyweds had a memorable sword exit! After family portraits and some time for images of Alyson and Matt alone, we headed off via trolley to the reception at the N* Room at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. We had a fabulous time with the beautiful weather, intimate reception, and enthusiastic sparkler send-off!

As the years passed, Christine and Jim found themselves moving in different directions and each married and had children. Years later, they reunited and joined their two beautiful families together during a beautiful ceremony at the US Naval Academy Chapel. Dinner at the USNA Club was followed by some very sentimental toasts by their children and lively dancing by everyone in attendance!

The toasts are one of our favorite wedding events. We love documenting it because all of the attention is on you and the speaker, which means that no one is paying any attention to us! It’s the perfect opportunity to act as observers and create emotional and meaningful images highlighting those moments.

1. Seating

Ideally the bride and groom should avoid sitting up against a wall, because inevitably this creates shadows if any lighting or flash is used. Giant dark shadows directly behind you makes for a less aesthetically pleasing photograph, unless you are going for Hitchcock genre wedding images.

We recommend placing your sweetheart table or head table at a good distance from the wall (6 or so feet at a minimum). This is particularly true if you have glass or mirrors on the walls – reflective surfaces can catch flash and video lights to the detriment of the photographs. Ideally, sitting nearer to the dance floor is better as it means that some guests will be behind you and it’s nice to photograph the crowd reaction as well as your own as your best man is giving his really embarrassing/heartwarming speech.

If you are at a head table rather than a sweetheart table, or if you have a large centerpiece, it may be useful to sit with your backs to the dance floor. When the time comes for toasts, you can simply turn your chairs around and face the speaker for an ideal view and a great camera angle for your photographer.

2. Obstruction

It is fairly common knowledge among coordinators and florists these days that mid-level centerpieces are less than ideal for photography (not totally evil, but certainly on the road to hell). The reason for this is that they get between your face and the camera lens. No one wants to be peeking out from inbetween the curly willow all night. Ideally for your sweetheart or head table, you would favor a low centerpiece. This would mean that you were completely visible to your guests and the camera, and it eliminates shadows. Very high centerpieces can work because only a thin portion of the vase is present. Again, you can also just turn your chairs around so that your back is to the table and you are facing the speaker.

3. Speaker

We often ask the speaker to stand in a specific place (totally amazing photographs need a little nudge sometimes). Usually the middle of the dance floor is perfect because it gives you and your guests a clear view and keeps the speaker away from walls and speakers.

A wireless mic is important here – a corded mic will mean that your father or your best man will be forced to stay close to the band or dj  with giant speakers protruding from behind them like bizarre electronic tumors. We don’t recommend that the speaker stand directly next to the bride and groom unless there is simply no other choice.

Stay tuned for more tips in the future!