Chrissie and Justin grew up about ten minutes from each other, having never crossed paths until after college when they met through mutual friends! The week that Chrissie graduated with her Master’s, Justin planned for a helicopter ride over Baltimore City to celebrate. As she was taking a picture of the Domino Sugar sign out the helicopter window, Justin got out of his seat and onto one knee, asking her to marry him. Of course she said yes!
I love how they have photos of this moment! And each one is so perfect! Justin and the Pilot obviously nailed it. :)
Photographing Chrissie & Justin's wedding gave me my first experience at the Sagamore Pendry Baltimore. I couldn’t wait to photograph there; it met every single one of my expectations. This hotel is stunningly timeless and so impressive in it's features and style. To me it's the perfect size, large enough to feel grand and refined but most definitely carries an intimate feel. When we were upstairs in the ballroom during the reception, I almost felt like we were on an old cruise ship like the Titanic.
I did a little research about it to find out it’s history. This structure was built for just over a million bucks, almost to the date of the wedding on August 20, 1914 (the wedding was on the 18th) as a commercial pier and served as a landing point for thousands of immigrants for years thereafter. In the 90's, the building was used for TV police show sets as well as the Art School in Step Up. It's rebuild has been attempted by multiple developers but they just didn't have the financing needed to make it what it is today... The pilings needed to be replaced, and there were hundreds of thousands worth of work to remove asbestos and lead paint, which was a pretty large undertaking as we can imagine! It was designed by New York and Baltimore-based architects, constructed by Whiting Turner, with the interior designed by Patrick Sutton Design. It's been interesting to read up on the history of this iconic Baltimore landmark... Imagine the immigrants coming into the harbor and meeting there, kids playing on the rooftop, the sounds of the boats, rippling of the water, old cars casually passing by down the cobblestone streets... pretty cool to picture, isn't it?
Source: Wikipedia
Naturally my favorite detail of the Pendry is the sculpture entitled “Rituals” that welcomes guests as they step from the cobblestones into the hotel… It’s my favorite because I love the movement, simplistic yet intricate shapes, and the way it reminds me of ships or waves of the inner harbor, but also because my cousin is the artist! I had the opportunity to document as he worked on a few pieces just before it was finished…
I’m so proud of him, he’s so talented and has such a unique style to his work! It was so fun to say, “my cousin created that!”
Adam has sculptures all around Baltimore (as well as other parts of the country), including Lululemon Athletica Harbor East and inside the Four Seasons hotel.
To me, the Pendry was magnificent. Again, I loved how intimate it felt all while carrying such a grand presence. The lights that hung above the concierge desk were exquisite, and the elevator doors were breathtaking! The restaurant, bar, pool, and sitting areas were all just so timelessly stunning.
The girls were getting ready in a suite that overlooked Brown’s Wharf Fells Point. I always love being with the bride and bridesmaids as they get ready, listening to the exciting conversations of anticipation, all of the beauty and girl talk, and just experiencing all of the joy right alongside them.
Chrissie was waiting to give her dad a beautiful handkerchief at their first look, pictured below. I loved her Badgley Mischka flats, and her gorgeous engagement ring!
I love that little sequence above as Sue (Chrissie’s mom) walked in, ready in her beautiful dress. She and Joy, Justin’s mom, both wore navy and looked beautiful!
Seth (Shutter & Sound’s videographer) and I headed up to see Justin and the guys as they finished getting ready, soon before it was time to load into the buses and head to St. Casimir’s! They all looked so handsome, I love the look of a classic tuxedo…
Chrissie’s gorgeous Justin Alexander dress from Betsy Robinson’s Bridal was waiting beautifully in the window for her to step inside… It fit her absolutely perfectly. Her sister Heather and her mom made the finishing touches before it was time to Jerry to come in and see his little girl for the firs time…
As Chrissie stood by the window taking it all in, I said to her, “It’s your wedding day - how do you feel?” and she took a second and said, “I feel…” and then let out a little sigh, looked down at her dress, and then outside with the most calm, reflective, beautifully sure expression. This was her moment to stop for a minute and ponder it all… She was about to become a wife. She then looked at me and smiled beautifully, just so incredibly happy and complete.
And then Jerry came in… We were all tearing up as this moment couldn’t have been sweeter. Chrissie needed her daddy’s handkerchief as he opened the one she gave to him.
After spending some time with her dad, Chrissie headed out to see her girls! Their reaction was priceless… They showered her with compliments and couldn’t get over how beautiful she was!
It was time for the ceremony! We hopped onto a bus to go to St. Casimir’s Church for the ceremony. It was traditional, heart-felt, tender, and even had a few laughs!
After the ceremony, we headed to Canton Waterfront Park for a few bridal party shots before going back to the Pendry. The weather was perfect for being outside!
The ballroom was setup beautifully with flower arrangements by Rosemary & Rust! The cake was created by Charm City Cakes. You could just smell that sweet buttercream!
Their reception was a blast, and I mean BLAST. The Bachelor Boys Band kept everyone moving and dancing, never playing a single slow song (except for parent dances of course). All of their guests were having the time of their lives, and it showed… Hardly anyone was seated! There was one guy who was using his beer bottle as a trumpet which was absolutely HYSTERICAL… We had a neck-tie limbo, Chrissie & Justin lifted up on chairs, and sooo much more…
The Pendry is gorgeous during the day, but at night it’s illuminated beautifully, so I made sure to get out and snap a few shots from the streets to capture that too… And Chrissie, Justin, and I stepped out for a coupe quick portraits on the grand red staircase.
At the end of the night, the guests lined the steps and blew bubbles for them to walk through!
Afterwards, they were off to Italy and let me tell you - it was hard for me not to book a trip of my own after following along with theirs via Instagram! Maybe one day Tyler and I will have the chance to spend time there, tasting the delicious cuisine and seeing the sights they saw!
It was such a day to remember in every way… I wish these two nothing but the absolute best and can’t wait to see where life takes them together…
Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Boy!