Katelyn & Adam’s fairytale Southern Maryland wedding truly was one for the books!
They got married at Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck in Leonardtown, Maryland after reading their own vows to each other in front of Katelyn’s home.
Most Catholic churches do not allow for personal vow readings so it was their brilliant idea to read their own vows after their first look.
They have known each other forever and it was so beautiful to witness their heart felt vows to each other. They were able to completely tune into each other as if it was just them two on a deserted island.
After their ceremony, they had a grand and spectacular exit in their horse and carriage from Suttler’s Post Farm Clydesdales.
With the road blocked off for them from the church to their home (which was less than one mile), I was able to capture an aerial view of their entrance into their reception/barn (which is on their own property).
It was a truly magical entrance as the road into their property looked so beautiful on that nice autumn day.
After some portraits with the bridal party they had a final carriage ride into their barn for the grand entrance with some toasts, special dances, and dancing the night away.
To be honest, I didn’t know such private properties existed like this in Leonardtown! I wish my metropolitan friends can experience the charm and beauty of Southern Maryland. You just have to live here to truly appreciate the difference!
And I am so excited to share that we will be shooting Katelyn’s sister’s wedding around the same time this year!
Check out their full Feature-Length highlights above! Watch their love story unfold and move you into loving your spouses even more especially in such difficult times as now! Love wins because God is love!
To check out another Feature-Length Highlight, click here.
Hey future brides & grooms! It’s Paul Kwak, your local Maryland, Virginia, & Washington DC wedding videographer/filmmaker!
Your photographer will tell you exactly how to pose, be, and how much to smile – with teeth, without teeth, just a smidgen, etc…..but what do you do in front of OUR cameras?
HAIR & MAKEUP/GETTING READY:
Many times we tell our couples to pretend that we are not there. During the getting ready portion of your day, that is a little easier to heed. The brides have to sit there and not move too much anyways, so we like the reality of those situations. If a bride is grinning from teeth to teeth while getting her hair did, that’d be scary….
COUPLES PORTRAITS:
For couples portraits and sessions on the wedding day, many times after the photographer is done with a specific pose or setup, I will tell you guys to simply “Hold that pose!!” and sweep right in like an eagle and get my shot and move on. Literally can take 2 seconds sometimes.
Sometimes I will ask you to simply walk towards me looking at each other (without tripping in front of a large rock of course or falling down a set of stairs – none of which has ever happened, thank God!)
Sometimes I will ask the groom to twirl his bride like a ballerina to have her dress catch in the air.
If there is a little more cushion room in your schedule, we’ll get you guys in some epic, vast landscapes….
DON’TS:
What you DON’T want to do is pose in front of our cameras the way you typically would in front of a photographer’s camera, namely looking right at the lens, smiling big with a lot of teeth. We do rarely ask you to do the aforementioned things sometimes, but many times the photographer’s pose on video will look just like that – a pose for the photographer. It definitely looks – I hate to use the word staged or fake, but…… not authentic.
BEING YOURSELF:
Even though some of the direction coming from us is technically staged, the words used from us are at a minimum, creating an atmosphere and room for you two to take over and be yourself in those moments. And it shows in our films because these moments seamlessly fit right in with our editing style and looks and feels authentic with the tone of our films.
Now there are also moments we do not pose, but direct you two to just be as well. These candid moments are gold simply because generally in a timeline of a wedding day, things can feel rushed and hectic sometimes. These moments stick out because they’re pure and everything else going on throughout the day temporarily becomes a blindspot.
SUMMARY:
So to summarize, you DON’T need to worry how to pose. Your photographer will direct you well and the photographers and us can piggyback off each other. A lot of the day is trusting your photographer and your videographer and that we’ll direct and ultimately edit your wedding day into the masterpieces they deserve to be!
Kirsten & Zak got married at the beautiful Robin Hill Farm & Vineyard right here in Southern Maryland.
Local weddings are not only always good simply because of the distance, but because it’s still always so different from the Virginia vineyards, DC hotels, and other estates.
Something so simple about a farm, but this was no ordinary farm. The acreage spanned quite a lot of land! There was a vineyard, lots of animals, particularly, a horse and goat who appeared to be best friends!
Simply Hitched from Hitched by Heather was the event planner and it’s always great to work with their team.
I’m forever indebted to Heather who was the one who got my foot in the door. Then I officially became a Southern Maryland wedding videographer and moved on up to work in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia area primarily!
I was doing it part time when we lived in California, but in 2013-2014, we were looking to expand more and so she suggested I do a wedding for free.
I got three additional weddings from the free wedding we did throughout the years, and many referrals.
So to those starting out in any industry, I personally wouldn’t avoid doing things for free. Some things are worth the sacrifice if you have the right vision, grit, and PASSION!
Now back to Kirsten & Zak!
We love that they booked us like almost a year and half out for their wedding! That is always the best compliment for us as a business – that we are worth it in a couple’s eyes, especially that early in advance.
Both of them got ready nearby each other getting ready for their first look. Once Michelle Whitley, their wedding photographer got them ready, Kirsten approached Zak and he saw her for the first time in her dress followed by some bridal party and portraits.
Luckily, the weather was good before some nasty rain the next day, and that there were still some Fall foliage….scratch that, not still, because the foliage came pretty late this Fall compared to how I remember it to be.
Once the ceremony started, many tears and laughs continued, thanks to Kirsten’s upbeat and cheerful personality. Their full vows are not in their highlights video above. However, their vows are eerily very similar as Kirsten notes – in the video above. Destiny – like most of our couples!
They actually also work together! Like us, they are small business owners and own a Tropical Cafe Smoothie in a nearby plaza.
So much props to them! I instantly had an even greater connection with them on top of the 25-30 hours I spent with them, editing their clips!
Yes, that is the number of hours I spend with each couple, sometimes up to 40, on my computer! But it really isn’t a chore.
It’s a connection with two families embracing one another and a demonstration of a lifetime of love being poured out onto each other throughout the whole day! That is a really special thing that I am doing and something that I ENJOY!
After the ceremony, more portraits were taken, this time at the vineyard, and we were preparing for the reception as well as getting some cocktail hour shots.
Extra extra points for serving Neapolitan pizza for dinner from BricknFire Pizza Company after their beautiful first dance!
The rest of our coverage included some further dances, hilarious and heartfelt toasts, cake cutting, bouquet & garter toss, and some open dancefloor.
Enjoy it all from their highlight film above!
Watch and leave a comment and again, we are so thankful that Kirsten & Zak chose us to capture one of their most special days of their lives at the Robin Hill Farm & Vineyard!
To check out a previous Southern Maryland wedding, click here.
My most trusted second shooter, my wife, Susanna, was back in tow for this wedding at Bowles Farm Southern Maryland! For those of you who don’t know, she phased out of shooting because of back issues. She doesn’t shoot every wedding anymore with me, but whenever she does, it’s such a treat.
It’s amazing how little communication is needed on my end since she knows me like the back of her hand. We weren’t technically back in Southern Maryland during this time, June 1, 2019, but it was great nonetheless to shoot in such a familiar area as Bowles Farm. We’ve shot one other wedding here at the venue, but visited as a family often.
Taylor & Brent’s beautiful day started at Taylor’s grandmother’s house in Valley Lee. We’ve only been back living in Southern Maryland for a few months now, but have been amazed at how many scenic places there are here in this small peninsula of Southern MD.
Valley Lee was one of them and we loved the light entering Taylor’s grandmother’s house as Taylor was getting ready. It created some beautiful contrasts as she put on her dress from Today’s Bridal and as we got her details. Of course there were tears shed as mom was realizing her daughter was about to get married to Brent.
Ceremony & Reception
Once we arrived at Bowles Farm about 30 minutes north, we met Heather Miller who of course operates Hitched by Heather & Simply Hitched. A wedding planned by this team means complete trust, relief, and knowing we would be taken care of! After we covered a little bit of Brent getting ready at the farm, we were ready for the ceremony!
Guests arrived on a cool tractor/shuttle ride and sat under a beautiful large oak tree. As soon as the rest of the bridal party made their entrances, Taylor entered on a horse & carriage as horses are very dear to Taylor. These horses are the special Clydesdales horses from Suttler Post Farm Clydesdales. Majestic looking beauties!! Brent’s tears were heartfelt throughout her entrance and vows and their ceremony was so short and sweet.
The reception shortly followed with some great toasts as well as a special thank you speech from Brent as he thanked everyone for coming and missing his late father. I teared MULTIPLE times editing and felt very personal to me, despite my father still being alive.
I think everyone can appreciate a little country music, even if you are not a fan of it as the guests got down the rest of the night partying the night away. The day went without a hitch, and we were so happy to have partook in this awesome couple’s wedding day. Thanks again for having us and choosing us to capture your moments!
