I’ve been looking forward to Evelyn and Trung’s wedding day for a year now and despite all the craziness of this year it finally happened! The great thing about these mid-pandemic micro weddings is that you can feel the joy and love between the couple so clearly because you know they’re getting married for the right reasons. Evelyn and Trung were so eager to be married that they kept their original wedding date for their ceremony and will having a big party next year!

We photographed Evelyn and Trung’s engagement session in November last year and had the best time, so I’ve been eager to see them again for their big day. These two are such sweet, kind people! Evidence of this is that they exchanged gifts while getting ready before the ceremony (one of my favorite modern traditions on a wedding day!) and you could tell how much thought they each put into making that moment special; Evelyn said Trung is a “gift person” and received a sweet note and a beautiful luxury purse with a monogrammed tag with her new initials, while Trung also received a card with a handwritten message and a leather wallet with a keepsake photo of a deceased loved one. Beautiful keepsake items to go along with priceless love notes!

One thing I especially loved about Evelyn and Trung’s wedding day was that they hired a third party wedding coordinator for their micro wedding day instead of just relying on the church’s coordinator. It was sooooo worth it! I encourage all couples to hire an experienced coordinator at least for day-of coordination if not partial or full planning as well – they are one of the best investments you can make for your wedding day. The Passionate Weddings team did an excellent job communicating with the couple and their vendors in the weeks leading up to the wedding day, providing detailed information and specific scheduling for everyone. They had a whole team of coordinators (and they were bilingual which was super helpful for this particular wedding!) and everyone was on top of it, lending a helping hand when needed and making sure that Evelyn and Trung were relaxed and focused on enjoying their day instead of watching the clock constantly, coordinating their own transportation, etc. In fact, it’s on my to-do list to write a blog post about this soon!

The details of this wedding day were so beautiful and classic. Evelyn had her engagement ring and bridal jewelry, wedding invitation, shoes, veil, and other keepsake items all together and ready for when we arrived. The florist even included a mini bouquet of extra flowers for us to use in the flat lay detail images and it turned out great! Between all these pretty little details, the gorgeous bouquets, and Evelyn’s glam dress (from Kleinfeld Bridal!) and shoes, I loved having plenty of time set aside upon arrival to put together a few images that memorialize these little details of the wedding day, especially when they’re all just so pretty. It also helps that their hotel, Canopy by Hilton in North Bethesda, was so beautiful and modern! The room was well-lit with tons of natural light, the furniture was interesting but not distracting, and the suite where the ladies were getting ready especially was very roomy with the perfect spot beside the window for Evelyn to open her gift and get dressed. It was definitely one of the prettiest hotel rooms we’ve photographed getting ready moments in!

Instead of doing a first look between Evelyn and Trung, we coordinated a brief first look moment between Evelyn and her father. She came down the main stairs of the hotel and everyone present teared up a bit! It was such a tender moment and these alternative “first look” options, like a father-daughter first look, are a great way to make your day your own.

Once that was finished it was off to the church! Evelyn and Trung had a lovely Catholic wedding ceremony at Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Washington, DC. The church has beautiful stained glass and vaulted ceilings… but golly is it dark! This is one of the more challenging churches in the DC and Northern Virginia area to photograph for sure, but we think we pulled it off! Even though Catholic churches are notorious for this harsh lighting and strict rules about photography during the ceremony, it’s always such a special treat to participate in a wedding mass as a Catholic wedding photographer.

Finally, after the ceremony and a brief moment to themselves, Evelyn and Trung joined their small crowd of family outside for portraits. There’s a building across the street from the church with a Mary statue out front, and Trung’s mom wanted a photo with the newlyweds here; it ended up being a sweet spot perfect for some of their bride and groom portraits as well! And of course we had to get photos on the lawn in front of the church for a very classic and iconic look.

I’m so very excited to be sharing these photos, and now I’m extra excited for their larger celebration next year! There will be a big party at Pinstripes at Pike & Rose next year where we’ll dance and eat cake and celebrate the beautiful marriage that we got to witness on this day! Congratulations Evelyn and Trung!

Hotel: Canopy by Hilton – DC/North Bethesda

Ceremony: The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church

Coordinator: Passionate Weddings

Florist: Bell Flowers

Invitation: DIY with card stock from Gartner Studios

Hair and Makeup Artist: Makeup by Fran

Rings: Brilliant Earth (bride’s band is custom but with matte finish from Brilliant Earth)

Bride’s Dress: Martina Liana for Essence of Australia from Kleinfeld Bridal

Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie

Groom’s Suit: Ted Baker