In August, 2009, I traveled to Sydney, Australia to photograph Young and Louisa's wedding. I met the couple through Denise and Sam, whose wedding I had photographed in Sydney in March 2008. Young and Louisa were a joy to work with and I felt very fortunate to make my third trip to Sydney over the past few years.

The couple wisely budgeted some time between the ceremony and reception to visit the beaches, parks and wonderful cityscapes that make this city so special. The wedding reception took place at The Rocks, which inarguably has the most magnificent view of the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Friends and family came from all over the world to celebrate and I'm not sure a couple has made me feel more comfortable and welcome as soon as I met them than Young and Louisa did.

The wedding day of Thy & Nghi included a Vietnamese wedding and tea ceremony, followed by a more traditional Western ceremony, all on the beautiful grounds of Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, VA. The couple had the wonderful idea of giving the guests colored umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun during the ceremony, which were a bit of a photographer's dream, as was their little dog, Cloud, who made it down the aisle clothed in his own doggy tux.

Some weddings are such perfect reflections of the people involved, that you sort of shake your head and wonder how any detail could be possibly different. Chris and Danielle will be moving to Chengdu, China next year as Chris begins a career in the foreign service. Danielle's work takes her around the world, supporting social entrepreneurs in developing countries. Friends and family came from all over the world to Chris's Mom's beautiful townhouse in Columbia Heights.


The wedding included a number of firsts for me. First backyard wedding in DC (I'd shot many in Portland, but they just aren't as popular here). First visit to a farmer's market in the morning to get a bouquet. And finally, first visit to an Asian grocery store for food after the ceremony which was quite a scene with shoppers stopping and staring at Danielle and Chris as they breezed through the market, stopping for food and, of course, a toothpick bird.

The night ended where it started, with guests enjoying the warm weather in the backyard as tiki torches and sparklers were lit. In lieu of a bouquet, a stuffed panda was tossed, with the recipient promised a trip to the panda reserve in Chengdu should he/she come visit.

Jessie and Ben's wedding included a tour of some of DC's greatest spots for photography, from the Capitol Steps, to Meridian Hill Park, the couple and their wedding party spent a wonderful day outside as we shot photos through the afternoon before ending up at the DAR Hall for a beautiful ceremony and reception overlooking the Washington Monument on a warm, breezy night.

There may be no more beautiful church than Saint Mary's Church in Annapolis, MD where Liz and Sean said their vows on a warm summer day. Afterwards, we took a walk out to the Eastport-Annapolis Bridge where Sean had proposed and then to the Annapolis Waterfront Marriott for a wonderful reception overlooking the water.