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Washington DC Wedding Photographers: Anish & Lauren at The Mayflower Carnegie and St Matthews Cathedral

An iconic DC wedding incorporating St Matthew’s Cathedral (yes JFK’s church), The Mayflower and The Carnegie— not to mention the most incredible balloon send off I have ever seen…
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Anish shared, “Watching Lisa work on our wedding day was like watching an artist create a master piece!   Her ideas just kept on flowing. It was incredible!”
Lauren added, “We chose Rhinehart Photography because we wanted our wedding photography to be unique and really depict our personalities and the architecture of The Mayflower, St Mathew’s, and The Carnegie. We loved how Lisa incorporates her own artistic twist on even the traditional photos.”
She went on, “Lisa was so great to work with on our day.  As someone who is type A, I really appreciated her timeline and helping us to stick to it.  When looking at our photos I am excited to see a nice eclectic mix– some traditional ones and others that really capture moments and the beautiful surroundings.”
While the photo above captures architectural detail of the Carnegie– I used a myriad of camera settings here to rim-light the couple, back light the balloons and show the crisp textural detailing surrounding the entrance to the Carnegie.  This next image captured a few different reflections as well as Lauren moments before she put on her wedding gown.  I love to capture moments in a creative way.
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For me it’s all about the moments…
Lauren shared, “Getting ready at the Mayflower Hotel was fun and exciting, but also one of the hardest part of the day as I wished my mom could have been there beside me.  I was so thankful to have my close friends, stepmom, and aunt there to be supportive and keep the tissues flowing as I remembered my mother.”
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While most of my day is spent capturing candid moments as they unfold, I do capture more traditional portraits as well.
When I saw this Palm outside of the Mayflower Hotel, I knew that it would be the perfect backdrop to add some color, interest and even give a little nod to more tropical climates (like those in Bali and India) two locations of significance for this couple…
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Lauren shared, “We choose to get ready at the Mayflower as it is a classic Washington DC landmark and happened to be right around the corner from the church. I loved being able to have all the girls and close family members in the suite with me.”
She continued, “Even though some of my bridesmaids hadn’t met until the wedding weekend as they were from all different stages of my life, we had such a fun time getting all glammed up together 🙂  The Mayflower has so many which added an elegant touch to our pre-ceremony photos.”
I love to use framing in my photos and thought that this stunning entrance made a perfect frame for these incredibly beautiful women!
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Lauren shared, “I worked with a company to design my custom dress- everything from the original sketch to picking out fabrics and beading.”
Here Lauren’s dad gives her a hug during his “first look” and you can get a glimpse of some of that extraordinary bead work…
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I love playing with light and color and this show incorporates contrasting colors and uses available light to silhouette the bride and several of her bridesmaids as they exit the Mayflower Hotel and head to Saint Mathew’s Cathedral
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Lauren shared, “Anish and I really balance each other out. I tend to be the planner, scheduling type, and he reminds me to relax and take life one day at a time.”
His outgoing and exuberant personality was apparent right from the first moment.  Here my second photographer, Kris, captured Anish laughing as his best man tied his shoes and even caught a reflection in the mirror, too…
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The guys are all full of laughs and jokes, wait until you see Anish’s brother out on the dance floor, lol!  More of that stunning Mayflower Hotel architecture…
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Anish smiled, “When the huge double doors opened up and I saw Lauren at the other end, it was honestly something out of a fairly tale!   I couldn’t believe my eyes or stop the surge of emotion that welled up in me, this was exactly the moment I had been waiting my entire life for.”
Aw his expression…. Lauren shared, “I loved seeing Anish at the end of the isle as I walked into the church.  It is a moment I will never forget.”
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To say that The Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle of Washington DC is stunning is an understatement.  Here I tried to capture some of the architecture…best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-12-1
I was given strict orders by the priest that there was to be no flash and no using the center aisle for photographs.  Several years ago, these sort of restrictions might have made me panic, but at this point in my career it was really no problem for me as I have the knowledge, creativity and gear to pull off those sort of restrictions without an issue.  🙂
The Bishop actually came up to me following the ceremony inquiring about my photos saying that I had to be one of the most quiet and respectful photographers he has worked with to date.  He said that he literally didn’t see me during the ceremony, lol.  Haha, I’m a ninja ;).
Here I was able to get the lights of the sepulcher candles in the foreground and the couple listening to the homely in the background all while hiding behind a huge pillar and out of the center aisle.  The candles can be lit for a myriad of reasons, but one is in memory of loved ones who are not present, something I thought Lauren would really appreciate.
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The ring exchange– I love all of the ornate detailing and architecture of this church.  I used a super telephoto lens (like one of those white ones at sporting events) so that I could be all the way against the back door (in accordance with the church rules) and still frame them in this golden, arched mosaic of Saint Matthew.  best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-13-1
Lauren shared, “Having the Bishop marry us was so special as he knew us from when we first started dating and watched our relationship grow. We were able to involve many of our close family members in the ceremony and remembered those who we would have wanted to be there celebrating with us.”
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Anish shared, “Having the church and faith aspect was really  important to both families and what better way than to have it at the main Cathedral in DC?”
Here several of the women in his family pray during the service– I could not get over their exquisite attire and how the gold detailing and vibrant colors caught the light in the dark cathedral.
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Lauren shared, “We are very fortunate to be parishioners of such an exquisite church.  We love all of the rituals and there were even more than usual with the bishop himself present.”
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The holy kiss…
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While most of the day is spent capturing candid moments family photos are also typically a must for most couples.  Kris quickly set up flashes to give our family portraits some pop… here is just one of those formal photos, one with Anish’s proud parents.best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-18-1
He also assisted me with this lighting set up as I arranged the bridal party and brought out their inner super model.  They rocked it in the Board Room of The Carnegie.
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Ah, a moment alone…
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Now it has all sunk in!!!  On top of the world!!!best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-21-1
Lauren shared, “He’s very supportive of me personally and professionally.   He’s my rock, always there to listen to me and give advice.”
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Anish shared, “Obviously Lauren is a beautiful, amazing and caring person. But I think going a bit further, I think there is definitely a bit of opposites attracting here. Lauren is very much a Type A and I am bit of a class clown, we have grown to not only appreciate our differences, but how ultimately that have made us stronger.”
They admire their new wedding bands and I bring in all of the interesting textures, the dappled light on the trees, the iron fencing the gray stucco.
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As we were standing in the alley, someone with an amazing motorcycle emerged.  I saw Anish’s eyes light up.  We complimented his bike and he offered that we could take a picture by it…
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A more traditional portrait of these two, wish an architectural and environmental emphasis.  I used the trees and Carnegie to provide a frame and downtown DC as the backdrop…
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Lauren shared, “I really enjoyed exploring the Carnegie with Anish as you photographed us.  Probably my favorite space was the entrance, but it was all so beautiful.”

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Anish smiled, “I look forward to our regular dinners on Wednesdays as much as I am looking forward to our honeymoon in Bali”
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We wanted our wedding day to be a mix of elegance, tradition, and fun.  You can see the elegance and tradition with the place settings and a fun pop of pink on the walls :).
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Anish shared, “A few days after the wedding, someone saw us interacting and said “you guys are like an old married couple” …and I kind of think that hits the nail on the head, our strong differences force us to be better, but our trust and love in each other allows to accept each other as we are, our love is kind of awesome.”
I think there is something very classic and timeless about this photo.  As the two of them interacted, I wanted to bring in the decor and reflection and show off her train!
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Lauren shared, “There were so many parts of my wedding day that I loved, it’s hard to pick a favorite. It was really special to have all of our family and close friends together in one room.”
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Lauren shared, “Somehow I convinced Anish that dance class would be a great new adventure, haha!”
She continued, “We chose Adele’s ‘Remedy’ because we loved the meaning of the words and it was a less traditional first dance song.  We had so much fun!”
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I love to play with perspective and really capture the feeling of the whole space so my couples can experience it over and over again.  Here is a third perspective of their first dance!
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The speeches were incredible– fun and heartwarming.  I wanted the photos to have those same warm tones and brought in the golden light from the window in the background and the warm hues of the red  wine in the foreground.
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Time to get that party started!best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-35-1
Anish was quick to hit the dance floor…
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That’s right…
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#CoupleGoals for sure…
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Everyone had a blastbest_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-37best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-41best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-40best_dc_photographers_creative_weddings_carnegie_institution_for_science-42
How sweet it is…
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Anish shared, “There were two things I fought for in the wedding, the rest was all Lauren (and thank god!)!  Late night wedding food, is kind of my secret  reason for attending weddings! So I know mine had to special.”
He continued, “Greg (one of my groomsmen) is the owner of District Doughnut which is easily the best gourmet Doughnut shop in the South East, so I knew including them was a must.”
Even the caterers were excited!
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He continued, “Then I thought, who doesn’t like Chick-fil-a ? So I was like, why not combine the two? It wasn’t the easiest thing to get done, one of the guests snuck out during the wedding and took an uber to bring the food in. But it was a HUGE hit and everyone loved it.”
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Anish smiled, “My second and final contribution to the wedding, was the Light Balloon send off.”
I had this idea that it would be cool to capture them with the balloons before they let them go, it was such a cool moment!
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Anish shared, “There was just something mystical about letting hundreds of lights into the night sky, and boy was it awesome!”
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Anish smiled, “A symbol of purity and love.”
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Anish and Lauren, thank you so much for choosing to have me by your side on your wedding day!  I absolutely loved working with you and capturing so many awesome people and places for you to treasure for years to come.  These are just a few highlights, many more photos are coming soon!  If you want to see more of Lauren & Anish, check out their engagement photos, here.
Makeup- Shirin Ratner
Hair- Kristen Foster Hair Artistry
Dress- Anomalie
Florist-  Tierra Events
Planner- Glow Weddings and Events
Catering- Rouge
Entertainment: Dj Paul Entertainment

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