When Hannah & Dan shared that they originally wanted to have a private wedding at the beach, I knew right then that it was going to be an awesome day. But if was so much more than  awesome – it was one of the warmest and most fun experience I have shooting a wedding.

I know some people can’t stand this show, but I LOVE the OFFICE. Kevin is my favorite character. Anywaysss, I hope Hannah & Dan won’t mind me blabbering about the office on their wedding picture blog, but one of my favorite the office episode was actually when Pam and Jim were getting married and before the trip they decided to make a mental picture of each highlight of the trip so that they would not forget it. Throughout this blog I hope I can do a little justice in sharing the warmth and thoughtfulness that Hannah & Dan put to their special day not through mental pictures, but these real ones =)  Just watch the video below and it’ll all make sense.

Anyways, moving on! =)

Hannah & Dan represents why I LOVE doing what I do. They are sooo easy going and such a pleasure to work with, willing to spend time to get the pictures ( you would think that every bride would want as much time possible for pictures, but that’s sadly not the case, ) and their love and admiration for each other are displayed so clearly throughout the day. I just LOVE shooting awesome couples like them.

Several days leading to the wedding day I got the news that Dan’s mother has been ill and was undergoing an emergency open-heart surgery three days before the wedding, but that she insisted that the wedding went ahead as planned. Thankfully her surgery went well! (more on that below.)

So on a breezy but gorgeous November (as beautiful as November weather could be)  morning I drove to Baltimore to Fells Point, a really cool little section of town with cobbled streets and old-school homes like the salon where Hannah had her hair & make up done..

Not only the Salon was cool from the outside, but the inside is really cool as well.. How cool is this green wall????

Hannah is one of the most easygoing bride I’ve had the privilege to shoot. She’s just so relaxed and easy about everything, which makes my job SO much easier and comfortable. After hair & make up we actually strolled to subway to get some food..

And then to the Admiral Fell Point hotel just a block away where Hannah is putting her dress on..

Some detail  shots..

And oh. This! is one of the ‘warm’ things of the day. Hannah had made these cute Dumbo cuff links as a surprise gift for Dan. It wasn’t immediately clear to me at the moment what the significance of the Dumbo was, but apparently Dan competed in a competition that was broadcast by ESPN wherein he built a Dumbo-shaped plane which ended up crashing and burning on live TV. Once again, this is the kind of couple I love to shoot.

Meet Dan. When I first saw him, he warmly greeted me and proudly showed me his project for the day, the ‘wall.’ You see, Hannah saw this picture of a wall that someone built to replace the traditional boring portraits that everyone does.. and they proceeded to start building ‘the wall.’ I’m still not sure how they managed to bring the wall  upstairs, but here it was, as Dan put some finishing touch to it.

The surprise gift was delivered to Dan! And Hannah wrote a special note with it.. (without giving away what’s actually the gift.)

The moment Dan saw the gift he grinned. That was another warm little moment.

He puts the cuff links on instead of the ones he prepared before.

And the Wedding is ready to commence!

Oh, this. Dan’s mother is still recovering from surgery in Rochester, so they broadcast their wedding via Skype! We actually spent a good bit of the morning trying to get it set up and FINALLY, a few minutes before the wedding, it was up and running.

Dan was all smiles.

The procession.

Dan & Hannah saying ‘Hi’ to mom via Webcam.

I just love this scene. Maybe its because I’ve never been a part of a wedding that’s broadcast via Skype before, but I just thought to myself as I was shooting this scene, “This is really cool.”

The vow, the ring, the unity candle, and the kiss.

All done!

“Hey Mom, did you see all that OK?”

If you haven’t noticed already, Hannah & Dan didn’t have a bridal party. At first I thought well that’s kinda odd, but then I got excited at the prospect of having just the two of them for pictures after the ceremony. You see, every wedding photographer’s dream is that the couple would ‘see’ each other before the wedding. This serves 2 purposes – one, I personally think it’s a very touching moment to be able to see your bride/husband to-be for the first time just between the two of you without anyone else. two, this allows the photographer to have plenty of time taking pictures for the couple before the ceremony, because after the ceremony most of the time usually are spent taking pictures with the bridal party, friends, family, and so forth.

However, Hannah & Dan didn’t have a bridal party. Which means, we have the whole time between ceremony and reception to take pictures just for the two of them!!! This was easily my favorite part of the day.

The first few pictures were taken at the balcony of the hotel, looking out to Fells Point.

Celebrate!

The light was awesome. Yes.

We ventured out to the harbor..

And met these groups of soccer kids who weren’t shy when asked to take a picture! =)

Once again, yes the light was awesome.

Dan is an avid Arsenal fan… so he asked if we could get some pictures in front of this  arsenal-themed restaurant.

In front of Max’s – one of their favorite places..

And how bout some old-school picture?

Um yes, I was giddy when I saw the scooter.

After we’re done, it’s party time! I love how they prepare the seating guide..

The ceremony place has been converted into a dining hall..

The grand entrance!

Preparing for the first dance…

In which Dan surprised Hannah with a different song than what was planned!

This is easily one of my favorite moment of the day.

Moving into the ‘real’ first dance..

Dan’s father giving a speech and a toast..

The dances.. (Dan’s sister filled in for Dan’s mother.)

And a couple images of Hannah & Dan sharing some quiet moments before the party continued..

Before I end the post I must show at least a couple of the pictures taken with ‘The Wall,’ right?

Dan & Hannah, let me say once again that it was a privilege and an honor to be a part of your special day. You two are easily one of my favorite couples, and I wish you two the happiest marriage as you start your new family.

To see the rest of the pictures, visit Hannah & Dan’s Gallery