making the transition from primarily colorado-based photographers to washington-dc-based destination wedding photographers/videographers has been one wonderful adventure. we have loved keeping our roots and heading out west at every given opportunity while exploring a whole new host of beautiful landscapes, lovely clients, and interesting markets. we love being out east. can we say that one more time?! we love the east coast. and we love shooting engagement photographs in washington, d.c.
thus, we were so excited when russ + abby contacted us about shooting their virginia wedding and engagement session in downtown dc. they’re such kind, down-to-earth people with a really sweet love. it has been such a pleasure to get to know them, and we can’t wait to get to know them further when we shoot their wedding this fall!
we did this awesome, marathon engagement session with these guys because we wanted to get a nice combinations of locations and city vibes. but they’re almost like two completely different sessions! so we figure it’s just easier to split the post into two. we spent the first half of their engagement session at the iconic union station, and then we headed to shoot the rest of their engagement session at meridian hill park. if you’ve never been there, go! it made us feel like we were in europe again, with relaxed vibes, beautiful architecture, gorgeous florals, and hosts of people enjoying the nice weather. you might fall in love with it as much as we did!
aren’t they the cutest?! and abby’s dress… the best! anna may or may not have had to go out and purchase the same one in a different print to shoot weddings in… tune in for the second part of their shoot, and soon!
xo,
anna + mateo
anna + mateo are washington, d.c.-based destination wedding photographers and videographers with a love for soccer, relaxed sunday mornings, and tacos. they love building friendships with their clients while exploring every corner of this beautiful world and making photographic magic behind the lens. shoot them an e-mail if you’re engaged or soon to be engaged, or just to say hey! they’d love to hear from you.
you know those moments, where life just seems too good to be true? well, this whole shoot was essentially four straight hours of “oh my gosh, is this really happening?!” for me.
i had the pleasure of going to photograph a cancun, mexico wedding with a best friend this past year. as a destination wedding photographer, you really can’t ask for any more than that! i knew that i’d fall in love with photographing weddings in mexico, so i decided to prolong the joy, and we reached out to a ridiculously talented wedding planner in the region.
and that’s where the lovely ilse of diamant events comes into play! i don’t know if i have ever met a more inspired or dedicated wedding industry individual… ever. she’s full of fire and passion and everything beautiful. so, brides looking for destination wedding planners… look no further! seriously. when teamed up with gabi lavor of planner 1 events, you can’t go wrong.
for the shoot, we were inspired by the bright caribbean waters of playa del carmen and similarly bright colors of traditional mexico culture, so we pulled in lots of happy colors and traditional mexican elements– custom gowns made by local designers, hand-painted invitations and alter artwork, mexican tiles, and of course, locally-grown coconuts! i am in love with the delicate-but-beachy design of the lace dress, the chapel on the beach, and the bride’s handmade bridal headpiece. working with such kind and inspired individuals in such a beautiful location was really one of my career highlights thus far. and i’m so happy with how the beach wedding photos turned out!
i’m dying to get back to shoot a destination wedding in the caribbean again soon with my mateo, but until then, i’ll just have to keep dreaming of this shoot…
i honestly can’t say GRACIAS enough to all of the talented vendors involved in this shoot, and of course, a special thank you to the sweet bethany petersen for letting me be her sidekick on the trip. i cannot recommend all of them enough.
VENDOR AMOR: planning/coordination: diamante events venue: secret jewel celebrations venue tables/flowers: planner 1 events models: runway management cancun dresses: erica flores makeup: carolina bellavista invitations/artwork: marisol d’estrabeau
until next time, mexico. besos, anna
engaged, soon-to-be engaged, or dreaming of being engaged and getting married in a beautiful, faraway land? anna +mateo are a destination wedding photography/videography team that would love to capture your happiest days, wherever that’s taking place! and we’re offering a few sweet deals for a select number of destination brides getting married in 2015 and 2016, so contact us, all right?!
is there anything better than mexico? the beautiful sand, aqua caribbean waters, and the tacos (!!!) would say no. in our book, just about the only thing better than mexico itself is a destination wedding in mexico. but maybe we’re just biased, being destination wedding photographers and videographers and all.
regardless, we loved this wedding. anna had the incredible opportunity to head to mexico with one of her best friends to photograph this bonita boda. working for bp film & photo, she spent a few days getting to know this fun + wild wedding bunch from chicago, catching some south-of-the-border rays, and filming/photographing to her heart’s content. she loved having a prime view of the ceremony and getting to film the bride and groom’s expressions from behind the minister.
sylvia and john had such great vibes to their wedding. it was classic and sophisticated with a beach party flair! they picked the most beautiful place to have their wedding; i’m pretty sure that we could die happy if we got to shoot a secrets the vine wedding every day of the year. the weekend was filled with wedding festivities, and it was so wonderful to get to spend an entire day with the wedding party! from shooting their morning at the pool and bbq to the bridesmaids’ getting ready brunch to the after sunset portraits on the beach, it was a party. alll the way to the fireworks and that final fist pump of the night.
congratulations, sylvia and john! we hope you’re loving your first year of married life. thanks for letting 1/2 of us be part of your wedding day (and a big thanks to bethany, too! the mastermind behind the whole weekend).
XO,
anna + mateo
planning a destination wedding and looking for ways to capture your happy memories forever and ever? anna + mateo are destination wedding photographers and videographers based out of maryland who are thrilled to film and photograph love, wherever they’re requested! they love asian curry, pizza topped with fresh mozzarella, and tacos al pastor, so really, no distance is too far. inquire today to start making some magic with them!
this year, in the world of anna + mateo, everything was really, crazy awesome.
i know i say this every year, but this year was the biggest year of growth for us– as artists and business owners and possibly as human beings.
we shot all across north america. we worked with people from all different cultures and religions (weddings featuring vietnamese, lds, christian, hindu, jewish, peruvian, southern, + mexican traditions). we explored new mediums (cinema!) and built a new business. we moved across the country and jumped into a new market, meeting some phenomenal talent (so many new vendor/industry friends whom we admire and love!) and sweet photo friends along the way. we were thrilled to shoot alongside bp film + photo and amber flynn photography as second shooters for a few of these images as well as photography du jour. we were honored to photograph friends and family– and that so many of the families and couples we photographed ended up becoming friends. starting the year off, knowing we’d be moving back east into a completely new market, we were a little bit terrified. we didn’t know what to expect. we didn’t know anyone, in general. but we quickly learned to love begin baltimore-based destination wedding photographers— we love the scenery and the architecture; we love that we’re just a stone’s throw away from beautiful northern virginia weddings and elegant washington d.c. weddings. and new york! philadelphia! (you see where i’m going with this one… we are a little bit obsessed with travel and capturing this beautiful world). but really, when it comes down to it, we’re truly humbled and honored by the opportunity to capture precious moments in the lives of our clients. we feel exceedingly blessed by Heavenly Father with such opportunities.
to our clients: we love you. thank you for letting us be a small piece of your year.
here’s a small sampling of some of our favorite images from the year. we had a hard time choosing but ultimately decided to try and throw in a lot of surprises and less-seen images!
and here’s to the happiest of 2015s to all of you!
XO,
anna
anna + mateo are a husband-and-wife baltimore-based destination wedding photography and videography team. they love street tacos, salsa dancing, + capturing real love stories. they commission a limited number of weddings and events each year but have a few 2015 spots left– so contact them if you’re in the market for some authentic, love-drenched images and films! planning a destination wedding? they’re also itching to get out of the country again and are offering specials to a few lucky international brides.
-
Um wow — I’m speechless (nearly). While scrolling through I kept seeing a new favorite, then another and then another. You are an AMAZING destination wedding photographer and these brides and grooms have the most gorgeous photographs. I’m glad I don’t have to move to Baltimore to book you because you might just be getting my call when I finally convince my husband to renew our vows. In fact, I think I’d do it just to have you for my wedding photographer! Stunning work!ReplyCancel
we met leo + china in old town alexandria, virginia, when we did their engagement session, and right away, we could tell that they had a special kind of love.
a few months later, we met up with them again on the rainiest day of fall for their thomas birkby house wedding. driving down to leesburg, we weren’t sure if the wedding would be taking place outdoors; it was some of the biggest downpour we’d seen in months! but somehow magically, the skies cleared up, and we were graced with the loveliest weather for a late-summer wedding.
being baltimore-based wedding photographers, we get to see a lot of incredible venues. but the thomas birkby house takes the cake as one of the prettiest! the history and small details scattered throughout the house are unbelievable; it was the perfect setting for an elegant wedding. the bride and groom wanted to incorporate as much of the history from the house into their photographs and into their day, which we really loved. china was stunning and one of those brides that just had that “glow.” from their sweet first look forward, she + leo never stopped smiling at each other.
they were delightful to photograph.
congratulations to the bauzas! thanks so much for letting us be part of your day.
XO,
anna + mateo
vendor love:
venue: thomas birkby house
dress: maggie sotterro, leesburg bridal and tuxedo
florals: jerry’s flowers and gifts
cake/catering: teatime delicacies
deejay: kirkabee deejays
bridesmaid dresses: little borrowed dress
are you an east coaster (or anywhere in the world, really) who is engaged and looking for colorful, authentic wedding photographs? anna + mateo would love to chat with you! they offer artistic, natural wedding photography and videography and would love to celebrate with you! the baltimore-based wedding photography team still has availability for the 2015 wedding season, with full wedding coverage beggining at $2800. let’s chat about making some memories!
Jennifer Rainey Mason - Love the lines in a lot of the images, great shots! Love the location too!
Julie Livermore - Such a neat location, adorably cute couple!!
Erica Thompson Swantek - Beautiful engagement session!
emily + joey // baltimore county engagement session » anna gleave photography - […] emily approached us about doing her maryland engagement session at her family’s home in the country, we thought that it was a wonderful ideate bring in an […]