we discovered the website etsy a few years ago, and absolutely love it. in case you are unfamiliar, the site is basically an online marketplace where creative, crafty folks can sell their wares to people around the world. amazing products abound, especially for crafty people who are planning a wedding! lots of our couples have incorporated crafty details into their weddings, whether purchased on a site such as etsy, or even more impressively, created by themselves! we love when crafty details show up at a wedding – they help to give loads of personality to the day, and hey, they’re fun to photograph, too! (note to couples with upcoming weddings: make sure to give us a heads up about any crafty details you are planning, so we can be sure to get lots of great images of them for you!)

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.

at most weddings, all eyes are on the bride (as they should be!). but we’ve seen lots of eye-catching style coming from the guys’ side of the aisle as well. forget basic black tuxedos! lots of guys are figuring out how to add color (pocket squares! cool vests! awesome ties!) to help their style shine through on their big day. we love when groomsmen get in on the act, too. check out some great examples of cool guy style we’ve noticed at some recent weddings, below…

we’ve often used the expression: “when one door closes, another one opens,” and have found it to be true in many aspects of life. it’s all about seizing great opportunities. when it comes to engagement sessions, doorways have offered some great opportunities for unique backgrounds to show off the lovely couples we work with! doorways can add a pop of color, texture, and interest to a shot. take a look at a few interesting ways we’ve incorporated doorways into engagement sessions recently (below), and if your engagement session is coming up soon, let us know if there’s a special doorway we can capture for you!

“always put your best foot forward.” it’s good advice! but we’d like to add a little twist to that advice, especially for brides and grooms. how about “always put your best shoes forward!” many of our couples have gotten creative with footwear over the years, and we just love it! it’s an unexpected, sometimes secret, always interesting way to show off just a little bit of your personality. brides and grooms can get in on the act, too. check out a few really awesome examples we dug up from the spence photo archives…

from super-glam heels (jimmy choo! woo!) to embroidered chuck taylors, to a splash of red and dancing skeleton socks! what a variety. but one look at these shoes and you know a lot about the people who are wearing them! we love to photograph special details like this! so, go ahead, get creative with your feet. and don’t forget to let us in on your fancy footwear secret!

rain, rain go away?! actually, no! most people think rainy days (like today, for instance) mean a rain-out for good picture-taking opportunities. but that’s not true at all! when rain is in the forecast we just grab our nicest umbrellas and go for it! we’ve been fortunate to work with some great couples and families who were eager to get out in the rain and the results have been fantastic. you know, they say that rain is good luck on a wedding day! and we believe it! check out some of our favorite rainy day photo ops…

these cuties were guests at a wedding and weren’t afraid of a few raindrops!

we think the umbrella makes a sweet (and necessary!) prop in this pic!

jessi and steven were ready for the rain – she brought some cute rain boots with her to their engagement session. and the misty atmosphere made for some really romantic shots!

steven and liana were the definition of good sports when an unexpected rainstorm drenched them (and me!) towards the end of their engagement shoot! love it!

today we begin a special weekly blog post we’d like to call … the friday feature! that’s right, every friday, we’ll be featuring some great pictures right here on our blog. to kick off this series, we’ve created a fun, little slideshow of some of our favorite images from weddings we were fortunate enough to photograph in 2011. we had so many lovely, wonderful, happy brides and grooms in 2011 that we ended up with an amazing array of images to share. we hope you enjoy them!
 

come on, irene! not exactly the lyrics to the dexy’s midnight runners hit, but that’s how we all felt leading up to the weekend of ashley and justin’s wedding. hurricane irene was bearing down on the atlantic coast and looking like it would slam right into the dc area. oh boy, right where the bolger center is located. not what a wedding photographer wants to hear with a planned outdoor ceremony and lots and lots of outdoor photo hopes! needless to say, my assistant, maryn, and i rolled with it and had a wonderful time! everyone, from the wedding party to the guests to the bride and groom, were just happy to be in the same place together, celebrating ashley and justin.

the skies that day were full of dark clouds and loads of rain. so, we retreated inside and made magic!

the details that ashley and justin worked on were awesome! from the thumbprint tree guestbook poster to the super flowers from en masse, everything was so lovely!

ashley’s dress was stunning! and all the little details she chose were perfect, most found courtesy of her self-proclaimed obsession, etsy.com.

the girls had such a great time getting ready, at one point they even broke into song!

lookin’ good, justin!

we loved the flower in ashley’s hair, just perfect! and her makeup, by aaren king of made makeup, was gorgeous!

the bolger center‘s stained glass hall is amazing!

this group knew how to party! and some were big goofs! can you guess who? haha! love it! thanks for being good sports!

with a hurricane rearing its ugly head outside, we did our best to use the locations that were still dry and nicely lit, and we love the results!

what a room! just amazing!

the buttercream shoppe made this super original cake to mimic the stained glass at the bolger center!

the dance floor was packed all night long, thanks to the talents of chris murray of mix of sound.

thank you for sharing your amazing day with us, ashley and justin! you are such a great couple, and we wish you the best!

we are proud to announce the opening of spence photographics’ very own studio! we’ve officially opened our doors in downtown frederick, in the cultural arts center, at 15 west patrick street, just across from the weinberg center for the arts! we’re thrilled to be neighbors with some fantastic, artsy people, including the frederick arts council and maryland shakespeare festival! come on in and take a tour of our new digs …

having this space allows us to show off some of the absolutely gorgeous couples and families with whom we have had the pleasure to work during the last several years, as well as all the awesome products we have available for your own home!

we created this cozy little space with some help from our good friend, ikea! it’s a great place to chat and hang out for a while, with no distractions! eager to see it in person? give us a shout by clicking here! we look forward to it!

it has been one year since i started keeping this blog! seems like just yesterday i was trying to figure out all the code and styling for wordpress, but now it is all an old memory. i have had a blast keeping everyone in touch with what i am doing and i love sharing my work with the greater wide world! totally ready for the next 365 days! is going to be crazy fun, tons of wedding gigs, hopefully some more sports stuff and, i am sure, more newspaper freelance work. i am going to really try and use natural light more in my pics this year, love how it can totally change the mood of a pic!