I am so excited to share Natalie and Alan’s spectacular wedding! Natalie and Alan shared their vows on May 19 at the beautiful Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington DC. Natalie and Alan began their day preparing at the Omni, before these two shared a first look and we had some time for portraits :) After portraits, their wedding party joined us, and then family, so after the ceremony, these two got to join their guests for cocktail hour (love this idea!) before the reception. It was such a fun day and the Omni was a gorgeous backdrop to their celebration.
Leading up to Natalie and Alan’s wedding were days and days of rain, and their wedding day began rainy, cloudy, and with a forecast for rain all day too. Thankfully, Natalie was in great spirits and the Omni had a wonderful indoor ceremony space. And while Kelsey and I got to the Omni early to scope out covered outdoor spaces, it turned out we hardly needed them! During portraits, it began to rain not long after Natalie and Alan shared their first look, and we quickly tucked under clear umbrellas and headed to the covered porch to continue portraits. But then it stopped raining – for the rest of the day! Yay! And Natalie, Alan, and their wedding party had so much fun during portraits; this is such a nice group. Kelsey and I always love getting to know our couples’ wedding parties, and this group was so sweet!
What an incredible wedding this was! First of all, just wait until you see Natalie and Alan’s wedding cake. WOW!! After the wedding ceremony, Kelsey moved our gear to the reception venue while I took some additional wedding party pictures. Afterward, she came up to me and whispered, “Have you seen the wedding cake? You’re going to LOVE it.” And she was right – but I wasn’t the only one who loved it – Natalie and Alan’s wedding guests couldn’t stop admiring their incredible wedding cake. It was shaped like a stack of books!! I have never seen anything like it, and I just loved it. It was so cool!! Not only did books make a big appearance in their wedding, but music played a huge role throughout the day. During Natalie and Alan’s ceremony, this two included songs that are special to them, readings that are meaningful, and they took their guests on a beautiful musical journey through the ceremony. It was so special and so unique! During the reception, Retrospect, a wonderful band based in Ellicott City, Maryland, performed throughout the night (so much fun!) and Natalie and Alan even stopped the show – literally – with a surprise for their guests: their own musical performance! I have to be honest – I am rarely surprised during a wedding – but these two kept this secret well. Everyone was so surprised when Natalie and Alan took the stage to sing two songs, starting with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. I had no idea that Natalie had such an incredible singing voice; she is a true performer! This was so much fun, and everyone was having a great time. It was so special how these two included so many elements that are important to them and showcased their love of music throughout the day. As the evening wrapped up, Natalie and Alan snuck outside for some quick night portraits, and then these two hit the dance floor again just as fun late night snacks were served to their guests. It was such a fun reception and a wonderful day.
Natalie and Alan’s wedding planners, Juli Kreko and Christine Martin, were so wonderful to work with; these two were so organized, responsive, and truly cared about Natalie and Alan. And the planners and team at the Omni Shoreham were absolutely fantastic; it was clear that everyone that was part of Natalie and Alan’s day cared about them so much and wanted their wedding to be spectacular. I love when I work with a team that feels that way, because Kelsey and I feel that way about our couples too!! Natalie and Alan are an incredibly kind and thoughtful couple; during the speeches that Natalie’s sister, Alan’s best man, and their parents gave, it was clear to see that these two are a perfect match. They are both such nice people, and they care about each other so much. Natalie and Alan, it has been such an honor to get to know you two, and Kelsey and I loved celebrating your wedding with you! Congratulations!!
Natalie shared a sweet first look with her father before her first look with Alan :)
You two!! Love this!
And I just LOVE the photo on the left so much! It is definitely one of my all-time favorites!
I love that these two remembered poses that we didn’t their DC engagement session – like this one!
Natalie loves dusty rose, and her bridal party was truly stunning in this shade with their GORGEOUS chiffon gowns and beautiful bouquets!
Love these both too!! I have way too many favorites!
Such a beautiful wedding party!
The Monkeys! :)
Love these too! You two are so adorable together!
You’re such a stunning bride, Natalie!
Wedding ceremony time! 
Married!!
The rain cleared and everyone was able to head outside for cocktail hour!
Just look at Natalie and Alan’s INCREDIBLE book cake!!! As an English major and book lover, I was SO excited about this!! I’ve never seen a cake like this before; it is so, so cool! Natalie and Alan’s guests loved it; multiple guests asked for photos with the cake! :) And it was huge – these photos don’t show just how tall this cake really was!
Natalie and her dad dancing!! So sweet!
And then Natalie and Alan had a BIG surprise for everyone – a performance!! These two are SO talented!! Their performance was incredible!
Their guests LOVED the performance!
Alan’s sister and her husband were married at the Omni Shoreham too! :)
At the end of the night, we snuck outside for some quick night pictures. The sky had an incredible glow from the rain!
Congratulations, Natalie and Alan!