I’ve shot countless weddings at Jefferson-Patterson Park. It’s a unique venue among state-operated offerings for both its flexibility as well as its seemingly authentic non-municipal aesthetics. I arrived at the Garden House along with Felipe who was assisting me that day, where Faith and her party were getting ready. We were greeted by Faith, in a robe, with her hair in curlers. I had worked with her just a few months earlier at her engagement session, but she looked so different I didn’t even recognize her and started the day with my foot in my mouth unironically asking the bride if she knew where the bride was. Yikes. Faith has a great sense of humor though.
I spent about an hour moving in and out of the Garden House, oscillating between capturing photos of the preparation activities, and taking accoutrements such as rings, dress, shoes, and the Flowers made by Karen’s of Calvert, out into the surrounding scenic areas for detail shots.
Portraits with Nick’s Party
Felipe and I soon took off down the road to meet with Nick and his party who had arrived at the pavilion. I took portraits with Nick and his party in a few different areas. One photo that stands out and captures this group’s energy and sense of humor to-a-T is a fairly classic shot of the guys walking on the park’s main road toward the camera. Holding beers, treading that line between formal and casual the way only a group of groomsmen can. The particularly unique thing, however, is that if you look closely you’ll find one of the groomsmen flipping off the groom in the background. Hey, what can you say, guys love each other in different ways.
After spending some time with the guys as a group, I moved on to capture some images of Nick with each member of his party individually, which turned out to be some great (if not sometimes quite salacious) images. I have, well, not shared those images. I finished up this section of the wedding with some photos of Nick by himself, looking great in his white slacks and vest and gold tie.
Portraits with Faith’s Party
I moved back over to the Garden House where Faith’s party was running behind schedule. These things happen sometimes. I did my best to use my friendly-but-firm adult voice to help everyone get out the door. We spent about the next half an hour capturing some portraits with Faith’s party. With the help of the fall season, we had some brilliant colors on the trees and we used the as a backdrop to capture quite a few really stunning images of the party. One that I am particularly fond of places all six women in between two bright orange trees, with Faith in the middle holding out her dress.
Like Nick’s party, we also spent some time with Faith and each member of her party alone, although this time needing to rush through more than I’d have wanted — but when life gives you lemonade, you take as many pictures of the lemonade as you can as quickly as you can. Or something like that. We closed this part of the wedding day with a few photos of Faith by herself looking fantastic. Some gentle ribbing led to one of my favorite pictures of the day: Faith looking radiant while giving me the middle finger with a big smile on her face. I love these people.
The Ceremony
At this point, the ceremony was imminent, so we high tailed it toward the pavilion. The ceremony was a fairly traditional wedding ceremony, but officiated by one of Nick’s oldest and closest friends. Like in the previous wedding that brought Faith to Jefferson-Patterson Park, during the processional, one of the groomsmen standing in for a ring bearer, wore American flag aviator glasses and flamboyantly tossed confetti into the air. This group of friends really seems to like confetti, and I’m here for it.
Faith & Nick forewent a first look because Faith wanted to capture a photo of the look on Nick’s face during the ceremony. This is something that honestly doesn’t usually pay off the way people imagine that it will, but in this case it very much did, and the shot of Nick as he sees Faith for the first time in her dress is loaded. One of my favorite shots from the ceremony is a black and white image of Faith & Nick taken right after their first kiss, forehead to forehead, with a genuine kind of calm that comes through in the photo.
Family and Group Portraits
Immediately following the reception, we moved into some photos with the family, which is our typical workflow since it’s usually the only time of day when all the family members will be in the same place at the same time. We got some nice shots in the same spot where the ceremony just concluded.
When family portraits were done, we spent some time capturing a few shots with the full wedding party. First, nearby the ceremony spot, and then up the hill a little ways with the park’s big display Cannon. That photo was particularly full of personality. The wedding party portraits stand out as a kind of funhouse mirror of wedding portraits, where offbeat personalities intermixed with classic outdoor wedding aesthetics.
We finished up with a few shots of Nick & Faith alone near the main road. You could tell they were relieved to have the hard part behind them.
The Reception
With portraits fully out of the way, the reception got started with introductions, and a first dance. I got a great black and white close-up during the first dance of Faith & Nick.
Dinner was tacos from Bulrushes Cafe. Everyone loves tacos. The best man and the maid of honor each gave toasts fitting to their rough-around-the-edges style of friendship. The maid of honor’s toast was raucous and produced at least one shot that says it all. The best man’s toast was more like a brutal roast delivered with a sharp wit as Nick tried his best to keep a stoic face and everyone else was crying with laughter and trying to decide if they should keep laughing or console Nick. Faith’s father also said some words which painted a picture that helps explain where Faith got her sense of humor, but which was also a little more akin to the kind of toast one might expect at a wedding.
At one point in the evening, I sent Felipe out with a spare camera to capture some quick casual portraits with Kelly & Mace, the Bride and Groom from our previous wedding at Jefferson-Patterson Park. Mace, still not a huge fan of pictures, acquiesced and the photos are a vibe that says a thousand words.
The rest of the evening, although not rife with dancing, was carried along well by Dreamscope DJ and saw lots of festivities. Dances with mom and dad, a shoe game, a lively smoker’s section and the cutting of a lovely cake from Cakes by Krissy that, somehow, did not ruin Faith and Nick’s white attire in the process of being smashed into their faces.
I departed that evening with Felipe, tired, but more energized than when I’d arrived. I love the offbeat, I love spicy personalities, and I love it when people can be themselves while enjoying tradition with a light heart and a grain of salt. Not everything on this wedding day went perfectly, but the wedding was perfect.
If you’re considering Jefferson-Patterson Park for your big day, I hope this gives you a good sense of what to expect. Cheers to Faith & Nick for a day that was as unique as they are.
