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…

“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!

who could use a pop of color right about now?! we sure could! these dreary days of winter have us dreaming about spring, with its longer, warmer, sunnier days and all its vibrant colors. and once we start thinking about spring, we can’t help but think about some of the great family photo sessions we’ve captured last spring. and we want to do more!

so, as promised a few weeks ago (oops! sorry we didn’t post it sooner!) we have a special offer aimed at those of you with spring fever: springtime family portrait sessions! grab all of your favorite family members, and pick a date! we’ll help you choose a fun outdoor spot. after the session, we’ll invite you to our studio in  downtown frederick for a viewing party, where we’ll help you decide how to display all of your favorites! sound good?! here are the details…

springtime family photo sessions

pick a date in april, may, or june (subject to availability)

spend an hour with us at your favorite location

attend a viewing party at our studio to check out the results

get a dvd of images from the session

….all for the special price of $150

click here to reserve your session now!

(book by march 15 to receive special price)

welcome to friday, and the friday feature! this week, we are featuring a little thing we like to call “found details.” so many couples find so many special and interesting ways to express their personalities at their weddings. when we find these details and photograph them as they are in real life (no set-ups here!), then we call them found details. we absolutely love finding these little details, since it really does help us tell the story of each couple’s wedding day. click below to see a slideshow of some really special found details we … found … at some recent weddings. they range from a sticky note written by a groom to his bride to an interesting guest book technique to a bride’s handwritten vows. enjoy! and happy friday!

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!
 

amanda and carl are most definitely in love. you can see it in the way they look at each other. you can see it in the way they hold hands. you can hear it in their voices.

so it was only natural that during our entire shoot on a recent fall afternoon, they had no problem giving each other lots of “smooches” for the camera. yep, they also like to kiss.

we met up on a gorgeous sunday at catoctin mountain orchard in thurmont. what a place! loads and loads of wonderful spots to shoot, especially with an amazing sunset to light it all!

the apples were in full bloom on the trees, good enough to eat straight off the branch!

congratulations on the engagement, amanda and carl! super excited for your big day next summer at stone manor country club!

raiquel has a passion for fashion. a few years ago, while a student at howard university in dc, raiquel used that passion to produce an elaborate fashion show, with dozens of models. one of those models was dwayne. the two of them formed a bond, and years later, we were fortunate enough to be with raiquel and dwayne as they began their journey as husband and wife. the day began at the gaylord resort at the national harbor, continued with a meaningful ceremony at unity church of washington, and ended with a lovely reception at the sunset room back at the national harbor.

the gaylord resort hotel is enormous and beautiful. how about that view from raiquel’s room?!

it’s all about the details…

dawn newsome of pro’s @ artistry (third from left, above) helped the lovely ladies look even lovelier!

the ceremony featured the professional trumpeter randy dunn, who came in all the way from houston, and the vocal talents of soloist janet dokes(below left), who brought the congregation to their feet.

raiquel found her amazing gown by pnina tornai at kleinfeld in new york, the bridal boutique made famous on the television series “say yes to the dress”.

the wedding party surrounded raiquel and dwayne with love all day.

the sunset room was stunning, with its views of the national harbor. flowers and lighting by da vinci’s florist made the space look amazing.

fancy cakes by leslie created the show-stopper cake!

one thing’s for sure – this crowd knew how to party! and they did it all night long.

folks lined up immediately to get a spot at the specialty candy bar and chocolate fountain set up by capitol chocolate fountains. yum!

a stunning end to a stunning day. congratulations, raiquel and dwayne, and best wishes for many years of happiness!