Nicole & Brad – wedding, Lord Baltimore hotel

When Nicole and Brad contact me to ask if I can photograph their wedding at the Lord Baltimore hotel, they emphasized how important the photography was to them. Their excitement about what they want from the photographs was inspiring. Through a Pinterest board they showed me what ideas they liked, and the kind of photography they wanted. Even better when I saw that a lot of the photographs they showed were my own. The extra time they allowed on their wedding day for the romantic portrait made it easier to try out new ideas and explore a type of Fashion sensibility in their portraits. And as you can see, they looked so stylish!

Nicole and Brad, it was a dream working with the two of you! Congratulations and best wishes.

I sent a Q&A set to Nicole & Brad, and here they are with a few words about their wedding day:

How did you first meet?
-Brad was DJing a halloween college party and I was there as a guest.

Why did you choose The Lord Baltimore as your wedding venue? What did you love most about it?
-We toured 7 venues and The Lord Baltimore felt the most authentic and romantic. They were also going through a multi-million dollar renovation and the hotel did a great job explaining the new look modern appearance and upgrade

Tell us about your dress, shoes and other accessories!
– My wedding shoes were beige Badgley Mishkas with a little bit of bling on them to go with our classy theme.
– I did not wear much jewelry but a necklace and earrings. The earrings were from Nelson Coleman which is where Brad bought my ring. My necklace was given to me by my grandma! Her and my grandfather (that passed away this year) wanted to pass it down to me to have a special piece of jewelry and something from their marriage for my big day.
– My dress was a more modern looking dress. I would consider it a mermaid fit with layers of material at the bottom to add some volume. I added a jeweled belt to my dress to add sparkle to go with my shoes as well. All in all there is nothing I would have changed about my outfit that day!

What was your wedding inspiration?
-The theme was elegant and fun. We told our guests the Wedding was black tie optional. We had multiple guests wear a tuxedo and all! We had a black and white dance floor to spice up the room and add an extra tone of elegance.

Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them:
-the first look where Brad had a purple tie around his eyes and I untied it. We saw this on pinterest
-having shots of cinnamon toast crunch. This is our favorite drink, and were so happy the guests were ordering rounds of shots.
-the purple uplighting, we love the color in photos when there is purple uplighting. It completely changes the room!
– One thing that was very memorable during the day, was that Neil continuously showed us pictures as he was taking them which showed us he was just as excited as we were, and it made Brad and I that much more excited for the final product. We were so proud and happy to have Neil as a huge part of our day. Our families loved him, his sense of humor, and his work!

What song did you walk down the aisle to?
– Bridal Chorus

What song played for your first dance?
– Wanted by Hunter Hayes

What song played for the parent dances?
– Butterfly Kisses
– A Mother’s Love

What was your favorite moment during your wedding day?
-The first look and walking down the aisle

What one moment will last with you both forever?
-Seeing the room all setup minutes before our guests walked in. We planned the reception room for a year and seeing it all come together was memorable!

What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?
-Do the first look before the ceremony. This allowed us to spend hold each other right after the first look and take the family pictures before the ceremony. After the ceremony, we were able to take our time in getting pictures together, it was not rushed. Also, take time to look at your reception room once it is all complete before the guests come in. It’s so worth it to see the results from all your hard work and planning.

What was the biggest surprise on your wedding day?
-We did not have any surprises, everything went as planned thanks to the coordination between all the vendors!

Why did you choose me for your photography?
-The quality and perfection in your pictures stood out to us. The pictures will last a lifetime for our kids and grandkids to see. Out of all the vendors, we had the highest expectation with the photographer, and Neil you topped it! We did not want simple shots. We wanted unique perspectives, taking advantage of surroundings, light, and creativeness. Our reception room was big with tall ceilings, so we wanted someone with experience in lighting. After looking at a Wedding you photographed at The Lord Baltimore, and seeing your desire to teach photography, we knew you were the right one. You even spoke with us from South Africa! It was great to create and share with you a pinterest page of photos and poses we wanted on the wedding day.

What’s next on your calendar as a couple?
– R&R and traveling overseas!

Nicole + Brad