The fabric of a wedding is always made up of the people in attendance and I am continually amazed by the networks of people I meet through our weddings. Each time a wedding ends, I feel as though I am immersed into an intimate friend group, as if I have known them all along.
In addition to the people, there is always something about a wedding that sticks with me – one particular detail that will always help define a wedding in my eyes. Sometimes there is an incredible speech or perhaps an unbelievable sunset. Weddings really are a series of decisions, a mirror into the style, personality, and priorities of the two families brought together.
For this particular wedding, the venue left a lasting impression. I have photographed stunning weddings at vineyards and churches, hotels and resorts. Each one of them has been spectacular but my very favorite venues are backyards. There is an intimacy to getting married in the backyard of the home you grew up in, or the backyard of your grandparents. For Jessica O’Neil, this backyard was both.
She put her dress on in her grandparent’s bedroom and was married on their porch. The reception was in the front yard and the group photographs were on the front steps. As she got married, the horses she grew up with stopped to watch the ceremony. As she walked with her husband for the first time, the fields she played in were the stunning backdrop.
All this is made more special by the fact that her grandparents had both passed away in the last 18 months, however you could feel their love all around. They sent a tangible reminder of this, in the form of rain, their tears of joy at watching their grandchild marry the man of her dreams in the same place where it all started.
Caterer: Bailey’s Catering | Leonardtown, MD
Cake: David Brooks | Ellicott City, MD
DJ: Tommy Hicks | Waldorf, MD
Favors: Southern Maryland Soap Co | LaPlata, MD
Flowers: Studio Three Flowers | LaPlata, MD;
Weaver’s Flowers | Loveville, MD
Rentals: Top Hat Party Rentals | Prince Frederick, MD
Photo Booth: Flash Foto Booth | Fredericksburg, VA
Photographer: Carly Arnwine Photography | Washington, D.C.
Dress: Urban Set Bride, Sottero & Midgely | Richmond, VA
Invites: Wedding Paper Divas
Make Up: Brynn Bales
Hair: Kristen Ayers | LaPlata, MD
Shoes: Blue by Betsey Johnson
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid, Joanna August Ceremony Collection | Richmond, VA
Men’s Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse
