you know what really gets a party going? well, a good dj or band certainly helps. but we’d also suggest something that comes with a bucket full of crazy hats, mock mustaches, tiaras, boas, chalkboard thought bubbles, and even a darth vader mask. that’s right, we’re talking about our silly station! for those of you who aren’t familiar, the silly station is a standalone photo booth created and constructed by us to offer hours of hilarious fun at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and various other soirees! guests step inside, choose a prop (or not) and snap as many pictures as they want. it’s seriously fun. but actually, there’s nothing serious about it. just check out some of the choice pics below. we grabbed them from recent events the silly station attended. and we realized something in the process. the best part of the silly station? afterward you have documented proof that everyone from your toddler cousin to your elderly aunt has a wacky side. few people can resist the urge to get silly in the silly station! (interested in having the silly station at your next event? fill out our contact form.

a long time ago, erica liked to check out our blog every week to get her “wedding fix.” well, erica, now it’s time to get your “fix” from your own wedding pictures! you may remember erica and matt from the baltimore engagement session we shot with them more than a year ago. we absolutely love these two, and couldn’t wait for their wedding weekend at the amazing tremont grand in baltimore!

from the moment we walked into erica’s hotel room, we knew we were in for some fun. erica was all smiles while her hair and makeup were getting done (awesome job by up do’s for i do’s!). and then we spotted this note from matt posted inconspicuously on the wall: “dear erica, I marry you now. – matt” too sweet.

erica chose such lovely, rich details for the day. and that dress!

these two are nothing if not expressive. we love the look that erica gave herself in the mirror when she finally put on her gorgeous dress. that’s right, girl, you look awesome. and then, there’s matt…

… matt, you are the most fun.

the guys … so cool, so fun.

the tremont grand is an outstanding venue. so many old-style details, marble, columns … amazing!

you go, girls!

helping to make the venue even more gorgeous was jj cummings floral company of baltimore.

remember what we said about these two being expressive? well, it continued during the ceremony. matt was so emotional as the ceremony got started. frankly, we were a little worried about him. and then erica walked in, and his face lit up with a smile.

the ceremony was pure love. lots of laughter, then a smash of the glass and a jump of the broom, and boom. husband and wife.

so many people surrounded matt and erica with their love that night.

one of our favorites.

love!

wow! the reception was stunning. one of the best moments was when erica welcomed her guests by exclaiming, “marriage is great, but how about those kick-ass centerpieces?!”

it kinda looks like these two are happy. and that they like each other. a little.

erica’s sister and matt’s brother gave some great toasts! so. much. love.

and then the crazy, awesome dance party, courtesy of our good friend, evan, from my deejay, could begin! horah, anyone?!

that’s the way to party, people! we were glad to have our friends from blue sky films with us that night to capture all the awesomeness!

 speaking of partying, how about that silly station? so many fun pics!

look up “love” in the dictionary. this picture is there.

what a way to end the night – a midnight surprise sundae bar! woo hoo! awesome party, awesome people. erica and matt, we are so very happy for you both, and were truly honored to be part of the start of your lives together. much love to you both!

high school sweethearts who stayed sweet on each other, jessi and steven radiate love for each other. you can see it in their eyes when they smile. (you may remember their smiles from their engagement session, posted a few months ago.) they’re smitten. and they’ll always be that way. they made it official on a hot summer day at the lovely comus inn, with sugarloaf mountain in the distance. beautiful, bright yellow and white flowers and handmade details by jessi made the day so unique. and the loving family and friends who surrounded jessi and steven made the day so special.

jessi was simply stunning, a gorgeous bride!

one of the best-looking wedding parties around! but even better, they were also some of the funniest, kindest people around, too!

steven was proud to show off his gift from his bride. super cool cufflinks!

the outdoor ceremony was beautiful. the comus inn really is a lovely setting!

steven’s grandfather officiated the ceremony, which made for a wonderful, personal experience.

seriously? these two are so gorgeous together!

some of jessi’s handmade handiwork. and yes, those are hand-stitched place cards for each guest. awesome!

what a party! from jessi’s mom’s friends to steven’s parents to all the funny, energetic kids — these folks know how to dance!

and the garter toss? priceless! jessi’s brother makes the best expressions. his girlfriend was a good sport about catching the bouquet, too!

perfect crowd for our silly station to make an appearance! so. many. fun. pictures!!!!!

 and the great sendoff! jessi and steven, you two are so beautiful together. thank you for allowing us to spend this spectacular day with you! best wishes for many happy years as husband and wife!

we are thrilled to announce that our latest venture, silly station, has been featured in find it frederick, a great magazine that talks about all the wonderful places, people, and activities around our favorite city! check us out on page 28 of the winter 2011 edition! you can pick up your own copy at a number of locations in and around frederick county or read it online. thanks again to melissa and all the other great folks at find it frederick!

let us know when you’d like to book the silly station to make your own crazy, fun memories! contact us by clicking here!

jennifer and william were a late year surprise for me. i met with jennifer and her mom and sister back in september and fell in love with the idea of shooting their wedding. everything they were planning, for a wedding only two months away, sounded so grand and exciting. a few weeks later, we finalized everything and started planning all of our shoots, engagement, wedding and silly station.

our first order of business, the engagement shoot, was awesome! i loved meeting up with them in poolesville, maryland, where they both grew up and now live. we had a blast just wandering through town, finding cool spots to shoot. bring on the images!

love this! jennifer admitted she does this all the time, too cute!

strollin’ down poolesville’s main drag, havin’ a smooch!

jennifer’s sister, allie, was the dog wrangler for our shoot. thanks!

poolesville’s big ol’ water tower making an appearance!

we decided to end our session at the falcons’ football field and stands, where jennifer and william both made many appearances during their high school years. yay!

and then, only 9 days later, the big day was upon us. the wedding day turned out to be so nice and beautiful, a perfect late fall day! i started ta jennifer’s parents’ house and hung around with the ladies getting ready.

one of jennifer’s pair of shoes, sparkly!

ring shot on a topiary. boom!

jennifer and the girls had so much fun while getting ready!

the girls, gorgeous!

before heading to the church, the boys shot some billiards in the basement.

the boys, hangin’ around before the ceremony.

jennifer and william were married at our lady of presentation catholic church. i loved all the natural light pouring in through the windows, even in the late fall.

and then it was off to musket ridge golf club, with its awesome vistas of the middletown valley. yes!

sassy jennifer!

now this is a good looking couple!

jennifer and william’s signature drink, the j&w appletini. yum!

they also had an artist painting a scene of the reception. awesome!

their first dance was “my best friend” by tim mcgraw. too cute!

jennifer’s dance with her dad…

…william’s dance with his mom…

…and her dance with her grandfather.

jennifer’s dad’s cousin did a solo rendition of “and i love you so” on the harmonica.

and one super excited fan of harmonica solos. love it!

bring on the silly station!

the cakes were by fancy cakes by leslie. i love the groom’s cake!

cake smash! looks tasty! ha!

kick line! yay!

for the grand exit, they had fireworks and sparklers, fun!

lindsay and chris celebrated their big day on the last saturday of october, and what a day it was! incredible weather, great people, lots of dancing and a technicolor sunset!

you may remember their sunrise engagement session at the university of maryland, when we got shut out of a full sunrise. but on their wedding day the sun gave us its full glory. yippee!

lindsay and chris were married just before sunset at the always awesome hollow creek country club in middletown, maryland. my wife, molly, joined the team for the day as an assistant and silly station producer, and we had an incredible day! everyone was so enjoyable and welcoming, just the way i like it!

thanks for including us in your day, lindsay and chris!

lindsay’s grandmother, marie, put the flowers together. simple and beautiful!

lindsay’s cool, sparkly shoes were stunners!

chris hung out with his boys in the sports bar before everything got rolling.

lindsay took her dress for a little “spin” before we headed out to do the first look!

lindsay’s sister, sarah, was snapping away much of the day. i love seeing others enjoy photography!

chris was a bit nervous for the first look!

afterwards, we headed out onto the golf course for some pics. the groomsmen named their ride the “death coaster.” maybe because chris was driving? ha!

jump for joy!

i am in love with this cool bridge on the hollow creek property. so many possibilities!

this photo was specifically requested by lindsay and chris. love the moment, captured by molly!

you two are so cute! love this pic!

cool ceremony from above shot by molly! that’s me all the way down there, switching out cameras!

technicolor sunset!

both lindsay and chris made their way around the room during and after dinner, making sure to greet everyone. love that!

the grandpas, tellin’ stories of the good old days!

chris doubled as dj. go chris!

bring on the silly station!

fun times!

look closely, they’re cutting the cake with the tip of a giant sword! crazy, but fun!

cake smash!

a great last dance shot by molly! i just might have to bring her more often!

we’ve got some exciting news to share here at spence photographics. well, it’s not just exciting, it’s also wacky, sexy, wild, and most of all, silly!

it’s our brand-new offering, silly station! a few, lucky couples already tried out silly station at their wedding receptions this year, and the results have been so super fun…

so, what exactly is silly station, you ask? it’s a photo booth (that’s really not a booth at all)! basically, it’s a backdrop with a camera, a flash, a remote, and crate full o’ wacky props you can use to snap your own photos.

there’s no curtain or strip of four photos that comes out the side. you’ll be able to see all the photos taken in silly station in an online photo gallery soon after your event! silly station is a great way to entertain your guests during parties or receptions — especially all those “too cool to get out on the dancefloor” uncle bobs out there!

young, old, and everyone in-between really love silly station! there’s no limit to how many photos you can take, and you can get as silly or as serious as you want! wow, this is a really serious one, right?!most of all, silly station is a way for you to get even more great photos out of your day with us!

we love seeing all the creative things people have done so far with silly station! (and you can see even more over at silly station’s own website by clicking here!)so why not give it a try? we offer silly station with any of spence photographics‘ wedding packages for $250! or you can book it on its own at another event for $300, which includes two hours of silly station fun!

either way, you get your choice of all photos in a custom dvd case, or 100 4×6 prints in a custom-designed image box!

and, for wedding packages booked with us through october, we’re offering silly station at 50 percent off!

so, what are you waiting for? get wild! get sexy! get wacky! get silly! get silly station!