Frederick Douglass Isaac Maritime Park Museum | Baltimore Wedding | Amanda and Kyle

Wedding

Oct 29, 2018

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Amanda and Kyle have been an absolute joy to serve! They are both witty and charming, fun and full of life. We had a wonderful time during their engagement session this past Spring at some iconic Baltimore locations. Since then, they have been planning their Baltimore wedding with the ceremony at the Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church  and their reception at the Fredrick Douglas Isaac Maritime Park Museum on Inner Harbor. It has been fun hearing about all their plans, assisting them with their timeline and seeing their vision finally come to life. And their venue just happens to be right across the water from where they work at Under Armor!

When my second shooter, assistant and I arrived at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, we saw her dress hanging from the fourth bridal suite window. Then seeing this beautiful lace plunge wedding gown from Essence was even better up close…such lovely delicate lace beading! And I just loved Amanda’s bouquet filled with bright blooms and succulents to make the perfect pairing.

Preparing for the Big Day

Amanda revealed her final look to her bridesmaids and flower girls and they loved it! She was radiant with flawless hair and make up and beautiful jewelry to compliment her look…both fun and vibrant while elegant and timeless. Amanda also took the time to sit down and read a special private letter from Kyle before their day really started to move.

Once Amanda’s bridesmaids and mother helped her get her dress buttoned and her lovely Badgley Mischkas on, we took Amanda to the fifth floor terrace for some bridal portraits outside. The sky was cloudy but dry…which seems to be a rare thing this year at weddings. We were grateful for such pleasant weather and Amanda was beaming with excitement! Her dress was the perfect dress for some swooshing as well. And we could see the tip top of the Inner Harbor skyline.

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While Amanda was preparing for the day, Kyle was also preparing with his groomsmen. After dressing in their suits with what must be my favorite ties of the year, Kyle opened a special gift from Amanda as well. He was happy to don a new MVMT watch. Adrianne (my associate photographer) photographed his handsome portraits on the dock outside of the hotel.

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The First Look

Soon we all made our way over to the Fredrick Douglass Isaac Maritime Park Museum for their first look on the pier. It was such a perfect place for a first look and the view over the water was incredible. Kyle was more than happy to finally see Amanda and admire every bit about her.

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We took the next part of the day to stroll around the pier for their romantic couples’ portraits together. They truly enjoyed their time together and who could resist photographing in front of a vessel like the one at the pier? It was one of my favorite parts of the day because it’s always such a gift to watch two people in love see each other right before they are about to tie the knot. Respecting such a special moment with care and creating images that they can treasure for life is truly an honor. And I can’t imagine a Baltimore wedding on the harbor without images like these.

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Their wedding party was waiting back near the venue for them and as they approached, we photographed their bridal party with them. It is also such a pleasure to see a bridal party as supportive and friendly as this one. Every guy and every gal was an irreplaceable asset to their day. It was clear that they had a wonderful group of friends and siblings combined.

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And those flower girls! There were more precious moments than I can count with these two little ladies!

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The Ceremony

Soon it was time to head over to the Brown Park Avenue Memorial Presbyterian Church for the ceremony. It began with a sweet first look outside the church between Amanda and her dad. It’s clear they are a close family and her dad was one proud pappa. I especially loved his toast later in the evening…he truly loves his little girl and was so thrilled to be able to see her marry a man like Kyle.

The ceremony was lovely and the guests enjoyed the Gothic Revival architecture of the church as well. And of course, I had to photograph the original Tiffany windows! The art history teacher in me could not resist. It was a special treat to see these two exchange lifelong vows in such a spot.

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The wedding ceremony concluded with their first kiss as husband and wife and we then photographed family portraits outside the church since the weather was just perfect!

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Amanda’s nieces and nephews definitely stole the sideshow during family portrait time…

Cocktail Hour

Soon it was time to head back to the venue to continue their perfect Baltimore wedding at the Fredrick Douglass Isaac Maritime Park Museum. Cocktail hour came courtesy of Rouge Catering. They perfectly executed Amanda and Kyle’s vision, including these chicken and waffle appetizers complete with a maple syrup glaze that wouldn’t drip down the front of the one consuming it!

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During cocktail hour on the pier, the final touches were happening inside as the candles were being lit and the salads were plated. Everything was perfect and ready for the rest of the evening.

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The Reception

The reception was certainly one for the books…details were perfect and certainly picked up on some Under Armor colors. The room was filled with warm candlelight and lots of love. There were tears of joy during the special dances and beautiful words of admiration, respect and joy in the toasts. Amanda and Kyle simply rocked their first dance with some pretty impressive moves.

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And I am always a sucker for the daddy/daughter dance and mother/son dance. It gets me every time and this was no exception.

Sunset on the Pier

We were able to capture the last moments of light on the pier for a few minutes as Amanda and Kyle took one last stroll around before heading back in for more reception events and to dance the night away. We had a hint of pink in the sky and a few boats gracing the harbor behind them. It was a calm and beautiful evening on the pier as all the excitement was happening inside the Fredrick Douglass Isaac Maritime Park Museum.

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My team and I concluded our part of the day by photographing the bouquet and garter toss as well as some crowded, non-stop dance floor moments! And a few shots of Under Amor lit up from across the harbor.

Congratulations!

What an amazing day it was! Amanda and Kyle’s family and friends were so welcoming, their vendor team was prompt and delightful to work with and their love story was brighter and bigger than ever. Thank you so very much for the honor of serving you and your family. Congratulations Amanda and Kyle!!!

Keep on scrolling to read about how they met and how Kyle proposed as well as check out their incredible team of wedding professionals and image highlights from their day!

To see more greater Washington D.C. Weddings and Engagement Sessions, peruse HERE.

Thank You!

Venue: Fredrick Douglass Isaac Maritime Park Museum

Church: Brown  Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church

Caterer: Rouge Catering

Lodging/Bridal Portrait Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront

Florist: Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses

DJ and lighting: District Remix

Additional Lighting: Event Dynamics

Wedding Gown: Essence from Betsy Robinson Bridal

Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Reception Bridal Shoes: Kate Spade Keds

Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy 

Make Up: Shannon Le Douz

Hair: LMH Hair Studio

Menswear: Tommy Hilfiger

Rings: Smyth Jewelers

Groom’s Watch: MVMT

Groom and Groomsmen Ties: Dazi

Socks and Fathers fo the Bride and Groom’s Ties: The Tie Bar

Cake: Bakehouse MD

Photography: Lieb Photographic

Second Photographer: Adrianne Shelton

Assistant: Paige Ramirez

SO HOW DID THEY FIRST MEET? THIS IS AMANDA’S ACCOUNT:

“When I first took the job as the Assistant Lacrosse Coach at the College of William and Mary, I was weary for multiple reasons. One was  because I would be coaching against my former coach and teammates at James Madison University.  And two, I was not sure how exciting Williamsburg, Virginia would be right out of college. But I decided to take the risk and couldn’t be happier to have made that leap of faith! Kyle and I probably met before this night. However, meeting someone in Williamsburg, let alone in the W&M Athletic Department was not exactly on my radar.

I remember everyone got together for a Happy Hour. Kyle and I were sitting next to each other while playing a card game on someone’s phone. We started talking about our favorite movies and continued to talk for the rest of the night. Kyle and I connected pretty much immediately.  We started hanging out, getting to know each other and laughing literally every other second. Since we worked in the same school/department/building, we did do the whole ‘laying low’ deal until we decided we were dating. The two of us had so much fun making Williamsburg (still to this day) one of our favorite places to be together. We explored every food spot imaginable, took day trips and weekends to fun spots in Virginia and supported Tribe sports what felt like everyday.

SO HOW DID KYLE PROPOSE TO HIS MVP?  AMANDA RECOUNTS IT PLAY BY PLAY!

“My parents have a beach house in Fenwick Island, Delaware. We had planned a final trip of the Summer with my family there. Typically, it is pretty difficult to get my whole family together at the beach house between work schedules, kids, and other plans.  But I didn’t find it out of the ordinary when everyone was able to make the trip. I should have known when my brother said he was coming for a little over a day. Or when my mom snapped at me when I just asked what we were doing for dinner that night. When we got back from the pool, Kyle asked me if I wanted to go on a bike ride with him. But I wanted to hang out with everyone since having everyone there is a rarity.

When I wouldn’t go on the bike ride with just Kyle; my sister, Lauren and brother-in-law, Adam said they wanted to go. I was in. We rode our bikes out to The Point, which has a beach that juts out into the Bay with an awesome view. It wasn’t until we parked our bikes and everyone was acting weird when I had that sweaty hands, nauseous feeling. Kyle kept touching his pockets. Lauren and Adam weren’t really saying anything and I was getting more nauseous.

HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS “THAT MOMENT”?

We walked out onto the pier and I was more uncomfortable and nervous than I had ever been. I wasn’t sure if I should do something to help set everything up for him so he would be less nervous or if I should just try to act normal. Kyle then said that we should walk out to the beach. He tried to hold my hand but I declined in a playful way since I was so anxious. His final line was, ‘We have a house, a cat, a dog…so do you think you would want to be roommates for life?’ Or at least that’s all I could really remember before blacking out a little!

Kyle got down on one knee and ask me to marry him. I quickly shooed him up from the ground, said yes and shouted ‘I KNEW IT!’ We headed back to the house with big smiles on our faces and a few cute pictures to savor the moment. There we were met with my nieces’ sign that said ‘Congrats Kyle and Amanda’ and a bunch of hugs.

Congratulations Amanda and Kyle!

Michelle Lieb with Lieb Photographic is a Virginia Wedding Photographer, Charlottesville Wedding Photographer, BaltimoreWedding Photographer and Maryland Wedding Photographer. She is also a Washington DC Wedding Photographer, Phoenix Wedding Photographer, Arizona Wedding Photographer and a Destination Wedding Photographer!

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