TELL IT WELL PHOTOGRAPHY

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Chris and Esther's wedding at the Heron Room

CHRIS AND ESTHER'S WEDDING AT THE HERON ROOM

Not every wedding is the same, but we thought it would be beneficial for some couples to see how we structure a timeline for the day with the couples. We show them a list of activities and how long each one would take and then we sort into a photography timeline. This allows us to maximize the time and make sure we are able to photograph everything the couples want. Chris and Esther settled on 9 hours to photograph everything in their dream wedding at the Heron Room.

The Heron Room is a wedding venue on Falls Road in Baltimore City just along the banks of Jones Falls in a refurbished mill. It has a very lovely industrial aesthetic that gives a lot of photography options. It's really an ideal place for industrial weddings.

Vendors

Venue - Maddy McLeod

Catering: Catering by Uptown

DJ and Officiant: Phillip Mills of PhilPhest Events

Florist: Scentsational Florals

Hair and Makeup: Behind the Veil

Bridal Salon: Bridals by Elena

Groom's Tux shop : Mens Warehouse

Drapery and Lighting : Event Dynamics

ARRIVAL 12:00 PM

This mid-June wedding was a hot one.

We started the day arriving at the venue an hour before our coverage began, as is our standard practice. It wasn't the first time visiting the venue, but we really wanted to make sure we had a solid game plan for the timeline we helped Chris and Esther put together.  Maddy, the venue coordinator, and Chelsea, the wedding coordinator, showed us around and helped us get access to certain areas of the property.

Once we had walked through the timeline and picked our locations for the first look, bridal party photos, family formals, and bride and groom sessions, we hydrated and got to work.

DETAIL SHOTS 1:00 PM

Prior to the wedding day, we recommended that they should collect the wedding details in one location to make their flat lay photograph quick and easy.

Wedding Details Flat Lay
Closeup of the Bride and Groom's rings together taken with our macro lens

BRIDE AND BRIDESMAIDS IN ROBES 1:15 PM

After the details, we gathered the bride and bridesmaids onto the bed the Heron Room's bridal suite for a "robe shot" or in this case a "pajama shot." 

The bride and bridesmaids christening their custom embossed tumblers with some wine.

GROOM SOLO PORTRAITS 1:30 PM

At this point, we separated and Josh covered the groom's side and Elizabeth covered the bride's side.

For Groom prep we aim to portray confidence and presence

BRIDE STEPS INTO DRESS 1:30 PM

As Josh did the Groom solo, Elizabeth covered the Bride getting dressed with the help of her mother.

Esther and her mother share a tender moment
The bride putting on her elegant high heels

GROOM AND GROOMSMEN (AND WOMAN) 1:45 PM

Next, Josh got individual photos of each grooms person with the groom and then group shots.

We took the groom and groomsmen next to the indoor reception space in this alley
This bridge spans the Jones Falls and makes for a great portrait spot

FIRST LOOK 2:00 PM

First we position the groom and then the bride. We give some simple instructions and then allow them to enjoy the moment.

Esther approaches Chris for the first look
We instruct the bride to approach, touch his shoulder and then forget we're there.
The first look is a moment between the bride and groom and we don't tell them when it ends.
Chris was overwhelmed with many emotions.

BRIDE AND GROOM PORTRAITS 2:25 PM

After the first look, we went into the bride and groom portraits. We started at the bridge, and then went to the courtyard.

They nailed the dip kiss
We moved to the courtyard under the tree because of the softer light and also because of the heat
We wanted to get the veil involved in some of the pictures.
We took this opportunity to also get some bride solo portraits. Esther got this dress from Bridals by Elena
Behind the Veil did such a great job with the hair and makeup! Scentsational also made a fantastic bouquet!
We went back up to the bridge and took some photos of them on the walkway over Jones Falls.

BRIDAL PARTY PHOTOS 3:00 PM

After the Bride and Groom session, we did the bridal party group photos followed by the individual photos of each bridesmaid with the bride and each groomsmen with the groom.

We brought them to the altar for the bridal party formals.
and fun non-formals

FATHER-DAUGHTER REVEAL 3:35 PM

At this point the bride and the groom separated before the wedding to help build anticipation before the ceremony. Esther also wanted to have a kind of "first look" with her father as well. It's called the "father-daughter reveal." So while we were doing portraits with the bride and the groom, the father of the bride arrived and we asked him to wait in the bridal suite.

It was hard not to shed a tear in this father-daughter reveal.
Proud parents surrounding their daughter.

PROCESSIONAL 4:00 PM

Then it was time for the Ceremony to begin! 

At this point, I would like to mention that most unmarried guests have only ever seen weddings from this point onward unless they have also been a bridesmaid or groomsmen before. You can see that there's a lot of precious memories to capture for the whole day.

Look at this arbor Scentsational Florals decorated! 
The groom escorted his mother down the aisle.
The father of the bride escorting his daughter down the aisle.
The glowing groom watching her approach the altar.

CEREMONY 4:10 PM

Then it was time for the I-do's.

The Heron room really has an exceptional and lovely industrial aesthetic. Event Dynamics provided the drapery and lighting.
Phillip Mills of PhilPhest Events did a great job as the Officiant and DJ.
The bride placing the ring on her groom.
The groom placing the ring on his bride.
"You may kiss the bride"

RECESSIONAL 4:30 PM

Party time! We recommend that our couples do a kiss of some kind at the end of their walk down the aisle so that we can get a photo with their guests in the background.

Once again, they nailed the dip kiss!

FAMILY FORMALS 4:45 PM

COUPLE JOINS COCKTAIL HOUR 5:15 PM

The sweetheart table
The bar was fully stocked to keep the party going.
Catering by Uptown provided the delicious cake and Scentsational Florals decorated it.

GRAND ENTRANCE AND FIRST DANCE 6:00 PM

TOASTS 7:15 PM

The best man and the maid of honor gave their toasts. We recommend that those giving their toasts stand right up next to the sweetheart table so that we can get everyone's reactions in the same photo.

SUNSET COUPLES PORTRAIT SESSION 7:30 PM

The sun starts falling behind the building across the Jones Falls from the venue an hour before sunset, so we brought the couple outside for their sunset session.

CAKE CUTTING 7:55 PM

From this moment on, we had completed all of the scheduled sessions for the day and the rest of the evening was all photojournalism. So we went with the flow of the timeline.

PARENT DANCES 8:00 PM

The father-daughter and mother-son dances can be one of the most tender moments on a wedding day.

OPEN DANCE FLOOR 8:10 PM

Then it was time to dance! PhilPhest events once again did a fantastic job as the DJ.

PhilPhest events also has a photobooth service.

PRIVATE LAST DANCE 9:50 PM

As Chelsea, the coordinator, lined everyone up for the sparkler send-off, Chris and Esther had a private last dance.

GRAND SPARKLER SEND-OFF 9:55 PM

Then the time came for the end of the night. The couple had a sparkler send-off as they were surrounded by their celebrating friends and family. Then they had champagne before driving away in a Rolls Royce.

This is why we work with our couples to understand what it is that they want with their wedding day, and put together a timeline with them to make sure we can fit everything they want into their wedding day. Chris and Esther were such a pleasure to work with. Esther was especially organized and her vision for her wedding day was well defined as she is also a wedding coordinator!

Each one of these wedding vendors did a fabulous job and were service professionals. If you are planning for your wedding, please go back to the top of the blog and check out their websites.

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