nlightsphotosRebecca + Brian Married | Kent Manor Inn Stevensville
Posted on October 14, 2018
THE COUPLE
Rebecca says: Brian and I met at work. Brian was my instructor while I was going through the Baltimore County Fire Department Academy. We worked together here and there after the academy a few times. Brian then was a support instructor during my Firefighter 1 class where he began to pursue me. He thought I blew him off after I said no when he wanted to take me out for my birthday (i was having a bad day). I then asked him to go on a fish charter to go fishing with me, my captain, and people I did not know. We talked for hours while day drinking on the boat. I was the only one who caught a fish that day. We have been together ever since. We go engaged while celebrating our one year anniversary. We both came into the relationship with a dog. I have a lab/mastiff mix named Nevar and Brian has a German Sheppard named Zeus. My parents have kept Nevar since I moved in with Brian and Zeus does not like animals.
They are going on a 7 day cruise to Bermuda out of NY!
THE WEDDING
Even though it is fall, it hasn’t felt like it…until the day of Rebecca and Brian’s wedding. It was cool, breezy and sunny! This wedding was the most organized I have ever had the privilege of shooting! I send out a Bridal Magazine to my Bride’s and Rebecca followed every tip/trick that we suggested! It made for a more relaxing, enjoyable day for everyone! She had a rosary from her grandfather as her “something old” wrapped around her bouquet so a piece of him could be with her. The couple opted for a first look. This gave them a few minutes to be alone in the moment and really take it all in. Brian spun Rebecca around taking in every detail of her dress! He loved the rose embellishments on the right side of her dress and commented about the pretty buttons going down the back. They both cried and could be completely each other in the moment! IT WAS PERFECT! Once we finished with a few intimate portraits we came to the front of the Inn where their bridal party cheered for them! (SO FUN!). The ceremony was romantic. Many women took advantage of the sweet gesture, scarves left out from Rebecca. The reception had a fall feel to it! The bride and groom opted to not have favors and instead donated the money to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation…a cause close to both of their hearts! They had a surprise for their guests with Bag Pipers playing a few sets. The whole reception was standing around them while they were in awe! When it came time to cut the cake, you could see that Brian was going to be mischievous, but as a good husband, he let Rebecca smash first 🙂 The night ended with a sparker send off and two very in love people who are now MARRIED!
THE DETAILS
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Ashley Clough/ Kent Manor Inn is supposed to supply a day of coordinator
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Kofi Arhin
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Shawn Wehland
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Brian Murphy
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Kirsten’s Cakery
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Kent Manor Inn
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Lily’s Bridal/ Davids Bridal
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Nicole Manansala
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Leanne Hall-Parr
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My Flower Box Events (Kim Tyson)
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Magneststreet.com
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McNeill Maternity | Kent Island
Posted on October 7, 2018
Steve and Bernie are having a BABY!!! I met them while shooting my very first wedding (EVER~!). When she contacted me I was delighted to capture such an amazing time in their lives! Up until this point, Charlie (their chocolate lab) was their only child. He has been adjusting to the new baby stuff in the house. He smells around and goes into the babies new room :). While near the water, despite everyone yelling at him, Charlie decided he would benefit from a fresh swim and a jump off the floating dock. Very soon, he will be sharing hugs, love and kisses with baby Conor. I am sure he will adjust to being a big brother really well and before we know it they will both be jumping off the dock! Conor’s first Halloween will consist of naps, snuggles and a pumpkin costume. Congrats Bernie and Steve! (And Charlie too).
A special thanks to Bernie’s family member, Chris for being a huge help with this session!
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Emily + Earl Engaged | Downs Park
Posted on October 1, 2018
Emily and Earl met the way a lot of people do these days…online! They live in Glen Burnie, where Emily is an EMT. They got engaged on Christmas day (with a gorgeous diamond!) and began planning their wedding. They are getting married the end of this October in Stevensville, Maryland. They wanted a nice fall wedding on the water 🙂 . We are so excited to capture this day for them!
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Alexa Senior Portraits | Quiet Waters Park
Posted on September 23, 2018
Alexa’s grandmother, Betty was referred to me by an elementary school friend. Tis the season for senior portraits! These are always some of my favorite to do because the senior is ready to be out of high school and move into the next phase of their lives! It is exciting and {a little scary}. She says she wants to go to a college close to home (maybe Towson or University of Maryland) because she would miss home 🙂 YAY for Class of 2019!
Alexa goes to Glen Burnie High School. She cheers, though at her session, she brought an entire cheering squad of family and her boyfriend, Cameron. Since the whole gang was there, they gave us our space initially to get warmed up then they slowly came back around to check out what we were doing. They were there, so we took a few of Alexa and Cameron and then the whole family! Betty brought her Nikon D3400 (GO TEAM NIKON!!) and Bob showed her some tips and tricks. We accomplished a lot during this session. Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis has a huge variety of backdrops and scenery. We also had a gorgeous evening, which was bonus!
Here are a few from our session 🙂 . Enjoy, Like, Comment, Share.
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Mary & Bob Celebrate 50 Years | Schaefer’s Canal House Maryland
Posted on September 9, 2018
The Couple:
Bob and Mary Mueller met and started dating in college. He went to Virginia Tech and she went to an all women’s college close by. They spent a lot of time with their friends Sue and Don. Sue went to high school with Bob and when Don and Sue started dating, they all became friends. Sue and Don eventually married. Sue told me last night that she met Mary the day of her wedding. When Mary and Bob were married a year later, Don was in their wedding. Clearly, the 4 of them stayed close through the Vietnam war, through relocations and raising family. When I met Bob last night he immediately pointed Sue out to me and made sure that I got some photos of them with her. Don, sadly passed last year a few months shy of Sue and Don’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Bob and Mary have 3 children, 4 grandchildren and have built themselves a beautiful life. They said their success was standing by each other even when it wasn’t easy. They cherished the good, survived the not so good and value the amazing gift they have been given. I got to photograph their wedding bands 50 years later. A few scratches, but the diamond still sparkles so bright and their marriage is welded together like Mary’s band and engagement ring. To have 50 years of marriage is quite an amazing accomplishment, but to have 50 years of the look that Bob gives Mary…the way they hold each other and how he looks for her in the room… We can only pray that we have even a glimpse of what they have.
The Party:
Quite possible one of my favorite parties to date. This is a SURPRISE PARTY! They did a fabulous job pulling it off. Bob said during his speech that he always taught his children to tell the truth…or so he thought, lol! How did they pull it off?? Well, their daughter, Lisa contacted them and told them that she would be passing through on the train for a conference and asked if they would like to have dinner with her and her siblings Eric and Chris. They happily accepted. To make it the most authentic, she took a cab to Wilmington, De to the train station for them to pick her up. This is great, but how do you trick them into not being tipped off when they get to Schaefer’s Canal House and are pointed towards the banquet hall?? Well, when they arrived, Schaefer’s made sure to turn the sign over (3rd picture below), to say ” overflow reservations”. So when they arrived and said they had reservations, Schaefer’s simply stated that they had so many reservations they had to overflow into the banquet hall. So the hall double doors opened and in walked Bob and Mary….COMPLETELY SURPRISED! The 50ish person party was able to keep the cat in the bag and surprise Mary and Bob with a 50th surprise anniversary party! They came from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Western and Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, and even a phone call from Hawaii. Their actual anniversary is September 14th.
Happy Anniversary Mary and Bob! Here’s to many more!
Special thanks to Schaefer’s Canal House and Liberty Lane Bake Shoppe . Their venue is gorgeous, their hospitality is 5 stars and the cake was one of the best cakes I have ever tasted!
SHHHHH….They are HERE!!! 
Time for some speeches for the amazing couple!
A little slideshow 50 years in the making! I LOVE the look on Bob’s face! Humble, Proud, Love… 
Everyone having a blast! Telling stories, laughing, crying, reuniting
Don’t be alarmed, it’s sparkling grape juice 🙂 But they may have a glimpse into her early twenty’s lol!
Bob and Mary’s son searched and was able to find a pin for the Vietnam war. He spoke about the patriotism of his parents and sacrifice his mother made during the war. He presented his father with the pin. A very touching and meaningful moment!
They cut the cake. Bob clearly knows the secret to 50 years. The crowd asked if he was going to feed his bride (or smash the cake in her face). He graciously declined. Cake cutting this time around was surrounded with Grandbabies and I have to say it was one of the best pieces of cake I had ever tasted!
Here’s to many more Bob and Mary! XOXO
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Alexis + Tommy Married | August 11, 2018 | Columbia Maryland
Posted on August 13, 2018
The Couple:
Alexis and Tommy met in high school but did not initially date. A few years later, they started talking through mutual friends and sparks started to fly! (Kind of fitting for their send off post wedding!)They got engaged on October 27, 2017 at a lake. Alexis really wants a dog and would like her friends and family to talk Tommy into getting one 🙂 Alexis and Tommy are off to Greece – Athens, Mykonos, & Santorini for their honemoon!
The Wedding:
I facetimed, emailed and texted a lot with Alexis before the wedding to ensure everything was just right. The bride and groom got ready at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia. When I entered the bride’s room it was FULL of energy! The spirits were so high! Two Limo’s waited for the bridal parties and we were off to the church! They got married at Rolling Hills Baptist Church about 15 minutes from the reception. When we got out of the limo we felt some rain drops so we decided to do the formal pictures immediately after the wedding next to the church. Alexis wasn’t too sure about this initially, but she trusted us and we are so glad she did! It was the best place for lighting to capture the families and when everyone returned to the hotel it was party time!!! I was able to steal the bride and groom away for a few minutes to get some intimate pictures here and there. The reception was lit up purple with beautiful low light centerpieces. This wedding is one of our tops for energy and dancing! At one point, Alexis and Tommy were up on chairs and thankfully, they were put down gently! The love between Alexis and Tommy can been seen so easily and at some points was emotionally overwhelming. One of the guest highlights was the photo booth. Even grandma got some fun pictures taken! The night ended perfectly with no rain and a sparkler send off that you see in magazines!
The Details:
The Groom was so excited to get married he forgot his socks! Luckily, someone bought extras to the church!
There is nothing better than a dad’s face when he sees his little girl all grown up and gorgeous on her wedding day!
Sealed with a lipstick kiss!
At one point, grandma was sticking out her tongue at people. In her defense, it was HOT! outside 🙂 She has the BEST personality!
Finally a few minutes to take it all in!! THEY ARE MARRIED!!!
Alexis’ sister, Danielle delivered such a funny and heartwarming speech of their time growing up together as sisters!
Time for some mother/son and father/daughter dancing!
Tommy thought about it for a second…but decided to be a gentleman.
This is one of my very favorite’s from the night! So sweet and fun!
Tommy, I felt the same way watching you and Alexis in the air lol!
Mr & Mrs. Mullings!
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Julia Turns 1 | Kinder Park | Maryland
Posted on July 22, 2018
Julia
A little blonde haired, piercing blue eyed girl named Julia has turned 1! I met her brother, her momma and dad before she was even born! When I first started photography, this amazing family took a leap of faith in me and allowed me to take some fall mini session portraits. I’ve come a long way and so has their family! They added Julia to their bunch and are now moving from our community and out of state (BOOOO!!). Evan loves being a big brother to Julia and was a big helper to me today! Julia was as happy as could be! She loves to nap, play with her brother, BUT she does not love cake! She wasn’t really into the texture, but we were able to get some adorable photos of this cutie and her family today.
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Ben & Carla Married! | Circle D Farm |Woodbine Maryland
Posted on July 1, 2018
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:
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Williams Family |Kinder Farm Park
Posted on June 27, 2018
One of my very favorite clients, Katie and her family received military orders and suddenly had to move :(. I got a photo session of her sweet baby girl before they left, but Katie had already paid for another family session. So, Katie gifted the session to her long time friend, Julia!
Julia and Katie went to school together a long time ago in another state. Years went by and they ended up by fate moving close to each other again here in Maryland! Super fun when that happens!
Julia and her husband, Dustin are both photographers too 🙂 . They just had adorable little twins for big sister, Emily to love on. She also loved that we were at a park that had farm animals! So sweet!
Check out more from their session!
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Wilson Family Session | Quiet Waters Park | Annapolis, MD
Posted on June 27, 2018
I met Joe and Cherie when Cherie was pregnant with baby Ella. They were glowing and excited to meet their little girl for the first time. I was so excited to capture this! During the shoot, we did a silhouette and took some pictures under “their tree”. They had pictures under the tree when they were engaged so they decided to keep the tradition up when starting their new family.
When Ella was born, I was lucky enough to capture her newborn pictures. I put her in a wooden crate wrapped in blankets and she had the most adorable cheeks. So for this session, now that Ella is half way to one years old, we put a lot of thought into the props and location. We found ourselves at Quiet Waters Park, under the same beautiful tree and this time, Ella was able to sit up in the crate and smile as her parents made silly noises. I love watching families grow. Joe and Cherie still have the same glowing look on their face and I love watching them interact with Ella. I can’t wait for her one year pictures 🙂 Check out a preview of this sesh.
The Wilsons then and Now 🙂
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Rebecca & Richard Married | USNA | Annapolis, Maryland
Posted on June 25, 2018
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
