geneva & philippe – <i>washington, d.c.</i>

A few weeks ago I braved the mobs at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. to meet Geneva and Philippe on their wedding day. The weather was gorgeous (especially compared to the week of rain that preceded it) and the blossoms were at their peak. On top of that, it was a Saturday and the day of the parade and Japanese street festival. Imagine D.C. on July 4th, except instead of everyone on the mall to see fireworks, they gather around the Tidal Basin to see the famous cherry blossoms. And they were beautiful.

The happy (yet slightly frazzled from stresses of the day) couple met me near the Jefferson Memorial for a few photos with the blossoms. (I must admit this was my motivation to take this job.) They were adorable together and great to work with.

When the time came to head over to the ceremony, the bride’s brother (our ride, who wasn’t familiar with DC) couldn’t find his way back. So there we were – the bride and groom all dressed for the wedding and me with all my gear – standing alongside a busy road and none of us sure what to do. Uh oh. (A little side note…while standing there, we drew quite a bit of attention, and even were the stars of a drive-by home video.) When a short walk proved no help in finding a cab, the bride stuck out her thumb in hopes that a friendly stranger would help us out. (I freaked out on the inside. Just a little.)

A couple from Maryland, in town to see the blossoms, came to the rescue and agreed to give us a ride. And so the three of us piled into the backseat and we hitchhiked to the ceremony. It was great.

All in all, it was a beautiful day and well worth all the troubles. And most likely the most exciting wedding shoot for a long time.

~ by susan on April 20, 2009.