as variation on a theme, i’ll start out with a simple phrase: hawaii is always a good idea. especially in january. especially after winter storm jonas rocked the whole eastern united states. but regardless of time or circumstance, it’s always a good idea! sarah + kyle’s royal lahaina maui wedding was beautiful, fun, + relaxing.
they traveled from canada with their closest friends and family and spent a few days together on the island before tying the knot in an intimate, oceanside ceremony at their resort in kanapaali. the day started out with mimosas and prep in a suite with the most incredible view of the pacific and was followed by a low-key ceremony led by the cutest and most fun “traditional” hawaiian officiant. if you don’t believe me, see for yourself in their hawaiian wedding video! their joyful ceremony was followed by cocktails and tropical appetizers like shrimp skewers (yes please!) and toasts by the beach.
in lieu of a formal reception, they wanted to celebrate in a true hawaiian fashion and chose to treat their guests to a hawaiian luau! you guys, i’m telling you right now that it was a really good idea. we snuck in some portraits near rows of bougainvillea, a gorgeous overlook, and on the beach, and then sarah + kyle kicked back and relaxed the rest of the night, enjoying cuisine from all over polynesia, endless lava flows, and an amazing show. the talent of those dancers still blows me away when i think about it!
the hawaiian spirit is real + so, so wonderful, and i really can’t fully describe how much we loved witnessing these two’s love, their connection with their friends and family, and their joy in such a remarkable location. this whole destination wedding photography thing is really such a blessing. we feel so fortunate to be able to work with the best clients on the best days in the best places! we loved getting to know sarah and kyle, practicing our best canadian “eh?s” with them, and celebrating with them. they’re the loveliest sort of people, and we are so excited for their future together!
mahalo, heinz family, for bringing us along on your adventure! let’s meet up in hawaii in 2017 again?! any other couples want to join us for another maui hawaii wedding?! we’ll bring the sunscreen.
XO,
anna + mateo
|| vendor love ||
venues: the royal lahaina maui + the feast at lele
planning: geraldine at the royal lahaina
hair + makeup: gracious beauty hawaii
there’s actually nothing better than when one of your brides is an identical twin– and her twin gets engaged shortly after she does! you guys remember this gorgeous baltimore engagement session? well, megan is emily’s twin, and when we met her + ryan, we knew they were a perfect match.
we head over to washington college on the eastern shore of maryland, to honor where megan and ryan met and started dating. these college sweethearts got engaged a few years after graduation, and we celebrated by taking photos all over campus and in some of their favorite areas around chestertown– a beautiful old fountain and some docks on the water.
as washington, d.c. wedding photographers, we feel so lucky to get the chance to make the skip-and-a-hop across the bay bridge to on the gorgeous eastern shore. there’s not quite anything like an eastern shore sunset. at times, when i’m out there, we forget we’re only an hour’s drive from the district!
during their session, we were blessed with the most magical dusk light, perfect summer weather, and these two who were up for anything! we loved the lovely, collegiate architecture of campus (mixed with those old, pretty trees?!) and the preppy, nautical east-coast vibes on the shore. these two were full of smiles and laughter, and their chemistry was obvious. it was so fun to see them at her sister’s july wedding, and we can’t wait to see them again when they tie the knot next spring!
m + r, we can’t wait for next spring! can’t it be april already?!
XO,
anna + mateo
it’s no secret that new york city is one of our favorite places on earth. one of the things that makes these east-coast living prices worth it is our proximity to new york city! some may not realize it, but as dc-based destination wedding photographers and filmmakers, we are only a stone’s throw from some of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the country– philly, nyc, and even boston and charleston! we feel so incredibly blessed to have the chance to head up to new york a few times a year for shoots + weddings; every time we use the lincoln tunnel or go across the GW bridge, we’re overwhelmed with all of the excitement and motion of the city… between the architecture, the smells, and the people, there’s instant inspiration!
so when akiko + peter reached out to us about their fall lotte new york palace wedding, we couldn’t have been more excited! the inspiration for their fusion japanese-american wedding was perfect, and we loved hearing about their love story since we also experienced a trans-continental engagement. and scheduling pre-wedding skype consultations in the tokyo time zone kept things interesting, too! 😉
peter and akiko are the kindest pair. their love and respect for one another is apparent, and their wedding day was such a party! we loved seeing peter’s family from new york and aikiko’s from japan come together and celebrate their nuptials. they had a elegant ceremony in the hotel and later celebrated in a decked-out ballroom with the most energetic wedding band and delicious food! we loved capturing aikido’s three completely different, but beautiful, looks, as well as their family’s surprise flash mob at the end of the night.
thank you so much for letting us be a part of your day, akiko and peter! we wish you nothing but the best. and for the rest of you all– check back for more new york city shoots + weddings on the blog in the future! we’ve got some good ones coming up; i promise.
XO,
anna + mateo
one of the best parts about being wedding videographers is having the opportunity to capture real moments and real emotions. while we obviously love the photography side of things, there’s just something palpable about films; you can really feel the emotion and excitement, over and over again! and we certainly think this is the case with this lovely proposal film!
michael + sadie were visiting washington, d.c. from their home state of oklahoma, and while sadie believed it to be a fun weekend getaway, michael had different plans altogether.
he had planned a completely surprise proposal with the incredible proposal planners, the yes girls, and everything was planned perfectly– down to the embroidered mrs. box to go with the ring! the yes girls lined up a wonderful team of vendors to help completely surprise sadie at the charming cakeroom bakery in downtown d.c.
michael and sadie head upstairs to eat their cupcakes when they saw a beautiful setup of flowers, balloons, champagne, a love note, and dozens of cupcakes. not knowing that the setup was for her, sadie walked over to the table and said something along the lines of, “see! you should do something like this!” it only took a few seconds for her to realize that he had done all of this for her, and, well… you can see her sweet reaction!
we loved getting to know sadie + michael and could immediately sense their kindness and their love for one another. we are so excited for them to get married and “officially” start their family! thanks so much for trusting us to capture your history.
XO,
anna + mateo
vendor love::
planning // the yes girls
venue // the cakeroom bakery
photography // photos by sarah beth
flowers // bellflowers
ring box // the mrs. box
it’s funny how many times we catch ourselves thinking, “how do we always get so lucky with the greatest clients?” and we were reminded of this feeling over and over again as we interacted with spencer + amanda. they are two of the kindest, brightest individuals and one incredible couple.
anna met spencer while studying abroad in spain several years ago, and really, he couldn’t have found a better match than amanda! the more that we talked to them about what they wanted out of their wedding photos and films, the more excited we became about their big day! sealed at the ever gorgeous gilbert lds temple, the day was topped off with exploration of the nearby desert landscapes (jumping cacti included) for portraits and a quaint backyard reception filled with pies, bistro lights, and frank sinatra. amanda looked stunning, and spencer looked so dapper. and can you believe those florals?! one of our favorite bouquets to date.
when we asked what amanda hoped for most out of her wedding photos, she said, “i just really want happy photographs!” and given their non-stop grins all day, i would say that we accomplished just that. as dc-based destination wedding photographers, having the chance to travel so often for work is the most inspirational. and those cacti and palm trees and arizona sunsets were easy inspiration! i’d say the jumping cactus wounds were worth it; wouldn’t you?
to the johnsons: we love you! thanks so much for including us in your wedding day.
XO,
anna + mateo
p.s. a special thanks to our crazy talented second shooter kirsten for flying out from the bay and helping!
VENDORS::
planning // bride’s mother
day-of coordination // julie ward
florals // cornflower blue florals
cake // sassy cakes
pies // sonya watkins
