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District Winery Wedding Photographers: Bridget & Phil

Vibrant, modern, chic Washington DC wedding at District Winery…
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Phil shared, “We first found Rhinehart Photography through the recommendation of friends (Betsy & Evan: their St Regis DC wedding blog is here), and immediately liked Lisa’s style. After our first meeting, we knew that Lisa would be able to capture the more unique, modern style we like.  Working together on wedding day was great!”
When Bridget and Phil used words like modern, unique, creative, editorial and colorful to describe their wedding I was so excited!  It is important to me to really capture a couples individual style as well as the location and their nearest and dearest in a way that suits them, and I love to get creative and capture color.
This one photo shows so much of that style– the dramatic reflections of downtown DC, the modern machinery of the winery, the eclectic jewel-toned bouquets and dresses of the bridesmaids, I had so much fun with this!
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Love cubed, haha– I loved pulling in this playful, modern sculptural element into their photos…
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We started the day at HNY (Hampton Navy Yard).  Capturing all the fun and colorful details was important to Bridget and I started with the wedding dress.  Here I used one of the bridesmaid’s sequin gowns to frame the bride’s classic lace gown…
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Bridget shared, “For the color scheme, I chose dark purple and green simply because they are my favorite colors and I prefer jewel tones.”
She continued, “The shoes I wore are gold khusse, a gift from my bridesmaid Zahra, who recently traveled to Pakistan to purchase items for her own wedding. She and I have been friends since childhood, and she is the reason I have a love for Bollywood movies and studied Hindi-Urdu in college.”
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I love to get creative and play with reflections, silhouettes, shoot through interesting elements in the room, this shot combines all of those while capturing Bridget’s maid of honor dressing her.
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I captured several beautiful portraits of Bridget, but this one really stands out as being simple and sweet…
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Bridget shared, “I often get questions about my engagement ring. I have always known that I wanted something different. An emerald was the perfect choice, and I love that it symbolizes a deep and mature love. I was able to incorporate traditional diamonds in the wedding band.”
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I *love* pops of color and these jewel tones were so much fun to photograph!
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Bridget laughed, “Throughout our engagement, I often described myself as a ‘dead beat bride.’ I was not the bride who made Pinterest boards for each element of the wedding. Planning a wedding while overseas had its challenges, but it helped me be focus on what was important, make decisions, and delegate the specifics where I could.”
She continued, “I actually gave our florist, Meredith at Rockingbird Flower Co., very few guidelines and let her run wild. The results were stunning.”  I have to agree!
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Sophisticated, vibrant, timeless, natural, modern are all words I’d use to describe Bridget’s personal taste.  There is something about this simple moment of her looking out the window of her suite that just felt so right to me– I love the sheer gold tones in the foreground:
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To say that Bridget and Phil’s wedding day was sunny would be a massive understatement!  The blue sky and mid-day sunlight were intense and really upped the contrast and vibrant colors in their photos.
I personally loved that we were able to shoot in the more urban setting of the Navy Yard.  There was so much for me to play with– architecture, lines, autumn leaves, plus these stunning ladies!
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When scouting locations for portraits on the day of, I looked for spots that would bring in that vibrant, authentic, downtown feel.
Here I pulled out the stops with my framing, haha– the bridal party is framed in flowers, string-lights, umbrellas and fall foliage– so fun and festive!
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Phil shared, “I grew up playing poker with  my friends. I had no idea what Bridget’s gift would be, and she nailed it. This customized poker set will last forever. Bridget even incorporated some family branding which was awesome.”
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I normally shoot with a second photographer and am super picky with the second photographers that I hire.  Jim, is one of my favorites to work with, he totally knocked my socks off with this shot– what a killer reflection and great use of that intense sunlight!
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We both had a lot of fun playing with shadows throughout the day…
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The ‘ring brigade’ was comprised of three boys Bridget babysits, and they carried signs made by the bride (her only DIY project).
They received custom bow ties as their gift for being part of the wedding, each corresponding to an interest of theirs (baseball, Legos, space).
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Phil and his best man, traveled together in style to meet Bridget for the first look.  Again pulling in some of that modern Navy Yard architecture…
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My formal portrait of Phil pulled in lots of abstract designs and colors from the downtown Washington DC surroundings.
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Their first look was nothing short of incredible!!!  Can you feel the anticipation…
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Phil shared, “Seeing Bridget for the first time on our wedding day is something I will never forget!  I was completely overcome with emotion!”
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Bridget laughed, “I was incredibly shocked by his reaction! Phil is not often emotional, and this was the first time in the 6 years that I had seen him cry!”
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Bridget smiled, “I couldn’t stop thinking about how handsome Phil looked in his new custom tux (I picked out the turquoise lining!) and being so touched by his sweet reaction.  I even teared up myself!”
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How cute are they?
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Bridget shared, “We chose the area surrounding District Winery – the Riverwalk — for our photos because it was both convenient and felt more authentic.”
Yards Park is roughly five blocks from the capitol, but has a totally luxe, modern vibe.
Here they are sandwiched between boats and vibrant flowers :).
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The Navy yard area had so much for me to play with and I could certainly bring out those modern elements!
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I love the colors and textures in this shot– see what I mean about that vibrant blue sky?
It’s like the sky got the memo about the jewel tones and wore a sapphire gown…
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Phil explained, “Ultimately it was Bridget’s wit and humor that did me in. As I got to know her more, her care for others and selfless personality stood out among pretty much every other person I had ever met.”
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When I think of Bridget, I think of a modern world traveler with a pretty dramatic and interesting lifestyle.  There is something about these modern lines, shadows, dramatic light and their beaming smiles that just seems to capture them so well!
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Bridget explained, “Lisa was such a welcome, calming presence on the wedding day, when anxiety was running high. She understood our photo fatigue and  my need to take “sun breaks” because the weather was so chilly!  She cares and made us feel so comfortable.”
More shadow play…
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Bridget smiled, “Philip helps me to be more outgoing.  Our relationship is one of balance and complement.”
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Hahaha!  So if you know these two you will know how awesome this capture is, totally unscripted just a natural moment.  Phil has great hair, something Bridget loves, and something that even made it into their wedding ceremony!
For me it shows so many things, but the biggest is how couples seem to look alike, and even act alike…
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Vogue called, they want their supermodels back 😉  (As a side note, yes bridal party members, you were right, I did break my Canon 70-200 mm L series lens when it rolled out of my bag at this point in the day.  First lens break in 9 years, not bad I guess.)
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So much love for this shot.  If I’m honest, I think past of that soft look on the upper right quadrant of the photo, it was totally caused by my broken lens.  Do not try this at home 😛
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Time to head to the winery for the ceremony!
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Bridget shared, “Reverend Laura actually had us send three traits we love most about the other person to her in preparation for the wedding. She then surprised us by incorporating it into the ceremony.”
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The sunlight was so intense, I love the feel of this, so warm and connected, almost spiritual:
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Bridget continued, “The three qualities I shared about Phil are that he is the most loyal person I know, he is incredibly supportive of my passions and career, and he has amazing hair.”
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They explained, “It was important that our ceremony be personal, which Reverend Laura helped us design.  We signed a formal marriage contract, like a ketubah or marriage certificate in the Jewish and Quaker traditions.   We tried to honor our dual Irish heritage with a hand fasting ceremony, too.”
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Kiss the bride– I love the way the lines of the Edison bulbs seem to drape right down to the couple and the applause of friends and family:
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Bridget shared, “We actually booked District Winery site unseen, before construction was finalized, almost a year and a half before the actual wedding.  When we finally were able to tour the space and taste some of their wine, we were so happy with our choice. The entire DW team was amazing to work with, and they have event execution down to a science.”
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She continued, “From the online renderings, we knew it would be a space that combined both rustic and modern elements and were very pleased with the way everything came together.”
I love all of the deep wood and gold tones intensified by the setting sun.
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Phil explained, “When Bridget and I started talking about a cake, we both immediately knew we did not want one. Donuts were the obvious dessert solution.”
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Their traditions were so incredibly heartfelt!
Phil shared, “I had anxiety the entire day, so these moments  — talking to my bride during the first dance, getting to dance with my mom, and hearing my best friend deliver his best man toast — helped me slow down and soak it all in.”
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Bridget shared, “There are only a few times when I have seen my father cry. I was very surprised when he became emotional during his speech.”
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She continued, “It was funny to see my parents reverse roles, as my mom quickly stepped in and calmly finished giving the speech.”
The guests were so touched!
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Everyone applauded approvingly, it was so sweet.
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Daddy’s little girl 😉
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Phil’s best man’s speech was awesome, and something that particularly stood out to me as a photographer is how he used an actual pen and paper (as opposed to a cell phone) and had manually moved and edited parts with squiggles and lines and boxes.  It looked and felt so authentic, heart-felt and natural.
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Cheers!district-winery-dc-wedding-photographers-creative-best-washington-colorful-modern-vibrant-54
Mother & son– so much joy!!!
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Chicken fingers and crayons for the kiddos– so sweet, you must have been a great babysitter, Bridget!
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😉 Doughnut mind if I do…
district-winery-dc-wedding-photographers-creative-best-washington-colorful-modern-vibrant-56Phil shared, “Once the ceremony was done and all the nerves wore off,  it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves and getting to talk to friends we don’t get to see often.”
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Bridget explained, “My favorite part of the day was the reception! District Winery nailed the food, beverages, and service. On top of that, our DJ was phenomenal — playing a mix of Motown, Reggaeton, throwback rap, and even some Russian pop in honor of my time living in Bishkek. I’ve never seen a dance floor so packed.”
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Lol, this little guy’s surprising dance moves…
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Something super cool about having two photographers is the opportunity to get two vantage points.  Here I was super wide using my fish eye lens, capturing the full scene, the lines, laughter and light.
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Jim snapped this shot the same time capturing the micro perspective and Phil’s mannerisms.  I love both shots for different reasons!
(LOL if you look closely you can see me, camera over my head watching the scene while simultaneously focusing my camera, haha!)
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They smiled, “As much as we didn’t want the night to end, the exit was one of our favorite parts! Who doesn’t love confetti?”
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Bridget and Phil exited to an awaiting pedi cab as friends and family threw biodegradable confetti and chanted a Clemson cheer (the groom’s alma mater).
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Phil shared, “At the end of the day, I think we are a good balance to each other and keep each other grounded.”
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He went on, ” We try to better ourselves and our relationship and lean on each other.”district-winery-dc-wedding-photographers-creative-best-washington-colorful-modern-vibrant-70
Venue: District Winery
Hair/Makeup: Carla Pressley
Donuts: District Doughnut
Day-of coordinator: Amanda @ Capitol Romance
Flowers: Rockingbird Flower Co.
Flower Donation (flowers donated at the end of the night): Petal Share
Bride’s Dress: Love Couture Bridal   / Alterations: Nazemi Bridal
Groom’s Tux: Enzo Custom Clothiers
DJ: Grant Kuhnsman (DJ Aria) @ Bialek’s Music
Videographer: Shutter & Sound 
Pedi Cab: DC Pedicab 
Officiant: Laura Cannon @ Ceremony Officiants

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