The Couple (From the Bride’s Perspective):

“We were neighbors!! Ben grew up in Columbia and works for Howard County Police and I grew up in CT and moved to MD for school and to begin teaching for Howard County Public Schools in Columbia in 2013. When I accepted the job in Columbia I bought a condo on Columbia Rd. My condo looked out onto the parking lot and his was right around the corner. I still didn’t know anyone so I spent a lot of time sitting on the patio talking to the neighbors. I also began fostering dogs so I would sit outside on my patio and let the dog sit on the grass and enjoy the outdoors. My mom said she would know when Ben would come home because I would be on the phone with her talking and then I would suddenly have to go. We were friends for a year or so and would hang out on the patio and then eventually began dating around the summer of 2014. We ended up adopting one of our foster dogs and I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason Ben stays around (haha just kidding!) In 2015 we moved into a house together in Eldersburg! 

In April of 2017 we were going to a Bed and Breakfast in Lexington VA for my spring break. We had been there a few times before and it’s beautiful and we get to bring the dog which is a huge plus for us. We had been talking about weddings (even though Ben had always originally said he never wanted to get married) and so I was also joking around with Ben about proposing and even as we were leaving the driveway he said he forgot something and I asked him if it was the ring. To which he promptly reminded me he wasn’t ever getting married. Anyways we got to the Bed and Breakfast and took our dog around the property for a walk off the leash. We were sitting down and I looked over and Ben had a ring box in his hand. I was so surprised and happy but I promptly said “What the f*** is that?” and he said “Wait, should we do this later? We can do this later, I can put it away”. Apparently he was still trying to collect his thoughts but I looked back and realized what was happening too soon. So eventually through our laughter he managed to get the words out and we were engaged!

We always wanted a small wedding with mostly just family. Ben honestly had it all planned out soon after we were engaged. We got married on Sunday October 22nd 2017. We picked that date because that was his grandparents anniversary and he was very close with his grandfather before he passed and he is close to his grandmother now. The actual ceremony was in Rocky Hill CT. One of the sweetest things was that Ben said it was really important to him that we had a CT marriage license since I love CT and most of my family still lives there. And since we live in MD and we were doing it on his grandparents anniversary he wanted me to have that CT touch. Even though neither of us are religious we did end up getting married in a church. We got married in the church where my grandparents went (and my dad grew up in and my parents currently attend) which is also the town where my grandfather was the fire chief for a few years. There were 22 people total at the wedding and afterwards we went out to delicious dinner to celebrate! So yea! That’s about our story. We weren’t sure if we were going to do a party/reception after to celebrate but obviously we decided to go for it! Ben and I both have a lot of family from out of town and it was important to Ben to have the party so that everyone could feel included but also so that his family from Texas and MD and VA could get together (for a reason other than a funeral!) Otherwise though we are pretty low key and laid back about it.”

Ben and Carla have a  dog,  Molly who is a rescue Mutt though she looks like a lab/golden mix. They also have a cat named Annie who Molly thinks is her best friend!

The Maryland Reception:

Since Ben and Carla got officially married in Connecticut, they wanted to have a reception in Maryland with their Maryland friends and family.  I am a little envious of Carla because she got to wear her wedding dress twice!! The reception was at Circle D Farm in Woodbine, Maryland. We started with pictures of just Ben and Carla outside. Their friend Mike came early to the reception so I put him to work holding my light 🙂 We worked quick because it was HOT outside! The flowers were beautiful and everyone came ready to party!  Ben’s work friends are especially outgoing lol! Carla facetimed outside with someone who couldn’t make the Maryland reception.  The cupcakes looked amazing!  Many parents watched over youngsters to make sure they didn’t get the adult filled ones haha!  The night couldn’t have been any better. The DJ kept the party and spirits high and they danced into the night. The perfect ending to a 2 state wedding!

Vendors:

Wedding Coordinator/Planner:  Kate Dowd, Circle D coordinator

Bakery: Dianes Cupcakery

DJ: Matt Edmonds

Hair Stylist: KM Hair and Makeup Artistry

Make Up Artist:KM Hair and Makeup Artistry

Florist:  Blossoms and Baskets

Richard contacted our company to capture his wedding to Rebecca at the United States Naval Academy Wedding Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. This is one of my very favorite places to shoot! The Chapel is gorgeous! Their wedding was low key and intimate.  The bride didn’t wear her engagement ring, but couldn’t wait to be wearing her wedding band!  Rebecca’s sons both walked her down the aisle and you could see the anticipation and joy on both of the bride and groom’s faces!

Just before the wedding, Rebecca sent an email stating they had gotten permission for us to take photos in the Buchanan House Gardens (The private residence of the Superintendent).  This garden is so romantic and private.  You can see the chapel steeple from every part of it. Ah-Mazing! These two were so easy to photography because their love is so natural and they are so comfortable in each other’s arms.

Here is a preview of their wedding ceremony. Enjoy!

Assistant Photographer: Bob Howarth

Venue: USNA and Buchanan House

Coordinator: Claire Maccallum

The Couple:

This love story is about second chances, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans and learning to dance in the rain (literally).  Shari has an almost teenage daughter Sadie. John and Shari met and through time fell in love. Shari said she never thought she would marry again until she met John.  Judging only by how I saw them look at each other, interact and how easy it was to capture their glowing affection for each other, I would have to say that she definitely got it right this time. During the intimate ceremony, John gave a necklace to Sadie to show his commitment and love for her in his new role. She was so thankful and as most in the room, emotional. People say it’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day.  Some brides literally think it’s the end of the world and brides like Shari? Well, they have experienced life, love and loss and learned to embrace the rain and just dance in it.  Shari and John will be dancing through life together.

The Wedding:

On the day of the wedding, I had never laid eyes on the bride, Shari.  I know that I have the ability to get people warmed up and trusting in a short period of time so it didn’t concern me as much as it did her 🙂 . Either way she trusted me with one of the most important days of her life and I was going to make sure I captured every moment of it!  Another bride, gave Bob and I a gift of talk around radios that really came in handy! They were amaze! Bob was down 4 floors and I could talk to him!

At the reception there was an adorable cake topper with a bride and groom in a boat. They love to go boating together. When it was time for the garter, John said to me “well I guess I am going to go fishing”.  It was sweet and fitting giving this couple’s love for the water.

Congrats Shari John and Sadie!  May you always look back and remember the magic that happened on May 18, 2018.