St Francis Hall Washington DC Wedding

St Francis Hall Washington DC Wedding

I am so excited to share these photos from Bridget and Sevan’s St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding earlier this summer! It was a fantastic time with people whose friendship I have really come to value over the past couple of years. Last year her sister Danna married Hector, which was one of my favorite weddings of 2016. So I was thrilled to travel to DC for Bridget and Sevan’s wedding!

A dark haired groom in a blue suit and blue floral tie smiles has he and his bride with a long veil and open-backed white gown stand with their foreheads touching at their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding

Getting Ready

Bridget had her hair and makeup professionals come to her house where she and the ladies were getting ready. It’s such a good idea. I always say that besides hiring me as your photographer, it’s the number one thing that you can do to reduce stress on your wedding day 😄

A woman in a blue shirt has red lipstick applied by a professional using a brush. The same bride looks at her dress hanging from a armoire before her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding

It really was!

Detail photo of a woman in a blue shirt with ecru-colored nail polish holding a tumbler with the phrase Best Day Ever before her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding

Danna places the veil in Bridget’s hair as the ladies look on.

A bride wearing a white gown has her veil put in by a bridesmaid in a blue dress while other bridesmaids wearing blue dresses and her mother in a pink dress look on.

What a smile!

A bride smiles as she sits in her strapped wedding gown and veil before her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Bridget’s mom Diane wrote her a note. It was a very touching moment. Everybody should take a moment right now and call their mothers! I’ll wait.

A bride and her mom embrace after the bride reads a note given to her by her mom before her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Richard and Hector took care of the booze. They almost needed a bigger car!

A bearded man in a navy blue shirt carries a case of prosecco and a man in a green t-shirt points to a car trunk filled with liquor.

The guys showed up at the house before heading over to the church. I am grateful to have my talented friend Bridget Eldridge help me photograph this wedding. She’s terrific. Bridget and Danna watched from an upstairs window.

A groom and his groomsmen wearing blue suits and ties take a selfie while a bride and her bridesmaid laugh as they watch from a window before their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

This is a fun Armenian tradition: Sevan had to bribe Bridget’s brother in order to get into the house.

A bearded groom reaches into his wallet and pulls out money as a tall man blocking the doorway refuses the cash. Groomsmen stand behind the groom laughing.

First Look

Bridget and Sevan had their first look at their home. It was a wonderful, intimate moment. This is one of my favorite photos this year. I saw the mirror and realized that I had a good chance of getting Sevan’s reaction when he saw Bridget. I could have gone for the safe shot but when you’ve got a great second photographer it’s easier to take chances and go for something special.

A bride smiles broadly as she sees her groom walk into a room. The groom, seen in the mirror behind the bride, smiles and rubs his hands together.

One more from me, and one from Bridget’s angle.

A bride in a white dress and veil embraces her groom wearing a blue suit during their first look before their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

After the first look the couple headed downstairs where their wedding party was waiting for them.

A group of groomsmen and bridesmaids applaud as a bride and groom walk down a set of stairs into the room where they're gathered before a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

The Ceremony

The wedding was held at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church just off of Wisconsin Ave. in North West DC.

Details from St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.

The sisters embrace before Danna heads down the aisle.

A bride smiles as she embraces her matron of honor in the back of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.

Bridget and her dad John walk down the aisle (Bridget’s photo).

A bride smiles as she looks at her father while they walk down the aisle of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.A bearded groom places a wedding band on a bride in a long white dress in front of a priest at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.

Traditions can add a lot of meaning and context to a wedding ceremony. The Rite of the Crowning is an important part of the Armenian wedding service. The couple is crowned as king and queen of their home.

A bride and groom stand with their foreheads together while wearing crowns. A priest reads a verse from the bible above them while a man wearing a blue suit holds a crucifix while facing them at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.A smiling bride and groom walk down the aisle at the end of their wedding ceremony at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.

I love this moment with the couple and their friends Mara and Steve just after the ceremony. Everyone was so happy!

A bride wipes a tear as she and her groom are congratulated by a groomsman and a bridesmaid, who is also crying outside of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC.

Portraits at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America

One great thing about a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding is that you are right next to the Franciscan Monastery. The grounds are an incredibly beautiful. The brothers tend the garden to perfection.

A bride laughs as she embraces her bridesmaids outside of her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

While I was taking the photo above Bridget was taking photos of the guys. The ladies and I heard the sound of a body hitting the ground and looked over to see the guys picking Sevan up off of the ground. Luckily no grooms were harmed in the making of this photograph. Safety first!

A groom holds his hands to his side as his groomsmen struggle to pick him up outside of his St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding. All the men are wearing blue suits and brown shoes.

Bridget asked the her bridesmaids to pick out blue dresses that suited their styles. Sara, Danna, Mara and Meghan looked so beautiful.

A bride smiles as she and her bridesmaids in blue dresses walk together during her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A bride and groom laugh as they face each other and hold hands in front of a stone wall during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.Red and pink flowers are in the foreground as a bride in a long, flowing white dress and a groom in a blue suit stand in front of a stone building with arched doorways and landscaped lawn during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

The monastery grounds are surrounded this amazing arched walkway.

A blue suited groom holds hands with his dark haired bride in an ornate arched walkway at their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Bridget was so lovely in her cathedral veil and dress.

A bride stands in the courtyard at St. Francis Hall in Washington DC. She holds her white bouquet of flowers as her long cathedral veil is spread behind her.

The Reception

Bridget and Sevan celebrate after she stomped on and broke a plate upon entering the reception at their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding. Fun coincidence of the it’s-a-small-world variety: I photographed the wedding of the couple on the far left of the frame in Philadelphia in 2012. It was great to see Jenn and Don again!

A bride raises her arms in triumph as she and her groom enter their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Bridget went upstairs for this view of the first dance.

As seen from high above, a bride and groom dance while their guests surround them during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

While I stayed on the ground level.

A smiling bride in a white dress holds hands with her blue suited and bearded groom as they dance during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Toasts were made.

Detail of the hands of a bride and groom holding champagne flutes monogrammed with Mrs and Mr on them at their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Danna returned the favor that Bridget did for her wedding with a moving toast.

A seated bride wipes a tear as she and her groom listen to a toast from her blue dress wearing matron of honor during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

A tear falls down the cheek of a bride as she embraces her matron of honor after a toast at her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Best men Steve and Daniel cracked everybody up with stories of Sevan before he met Bridget.

A bride and groom laugh as they listen to a groomsman deliver a toast during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Parent’s dances.

A bride dances with her father and a groom dances with his mother during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Steve got the dancing started.

A man in a blue suit leaps into the air while dancing during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Sevan and his sister.

A groom in shirtsleeves laughs as he dances with his sister while another guest holds on to her and says something.

Sevan’s uncle does this amazing trick of dancing with an upside-down glass of water on his head!

A older man in an orange shirt dances with a glass of water on his head during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

Bridget’s parents know how to have fun!

An older man and woman hold their hands in the air and make funny faces at each other while they dance during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

There was no assigned seating. Guests were encouraged to gather around a variety of high-top tables. Candles and twinkle lights provided an intimate atmosphere.

Wedding guests gather around a candle on a high top table as they chat during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A bride holds her hands in the air while dancing with her groom whose arms are outstretched during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A bride and groom embrace tightly while they kiss on the dancefloor during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A blonde woman in a green dress dances and yells while she dances.

Danna and Hector hit the dancefloor.

A woman in a blue dress dances with a man wearing shirt sleeves and a vest holding a red drink during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A sweaty groom dances in front of a group of wedding guests during a St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.A bride holds back her head and laughs as she embraces two other laughing women on the dancefloor of her St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

A portrait towards the end of the evening. What a great evening!

With twinkle lights in the foreground, a groom embraces his smiling bride and kisses her on the cheek during their St Francis Hall Washington DC wedding.

P.S.

If you really want to start your wedding day off right then go for a run! Early in the morning of the wedding I joined Mara, Bridget, Hector, and Danna for a few miles around DC landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool. So. Much. Fun!!!

Four runners leap into the air on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

A big thanks to Bridget and Sevan for choosing me to be a part of their wedding day. While most of my weddings are in the Pittsburgh area I usually do two or three a year in other cities. This year I traveled for weddings in Washington DC and Boston. I have one coming up in New York this fall, too. So send me a message if you’re looking for documentary photos that tell the story of your wedding day.

Be sure to check out another great wedding from Washington DC, Elizabeth and Joe.

Filed under: St Francis Hall Washington DC Wedding

Hair: The Stylist Abroad

Makeup: Valerie Hammer Makeup Artistry

Ceremony: St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church