But there’s a little secret here. A lot of this wedding was DIY. See, Ashley & Andrew crafty as they may be, were also backed by a team of professional and semi-professional family members, who more than knew how to gussy up an event. The final product, though part professionally orchestrated, and part DIY, came together to be a relaxed, polished experience.

They’re not the kind of people you’ll find running out and buying the biggest house, or the newest gadget. They keep things simple, with the most important parts of life within arms reach. So, suffice to say, they weren’t the kind of people to throw down $100k on a glitzy wedding. Instead, they opted for the DIY route and sought the help of community and friends to make their wedding everything they wanted it to be—the bulk of which was simply to have the people in their community be a part of such an important day. They were, and it was awesome. Really.

The reception was held at the beautiful, but blank-canvas, Bay Ridge Club in Annapolis. Joel & Colleen’s community pulled together to turn the park into an truly memorable wedding venue.

In keeping with the DIY style of the wedding, Joel & Colleen’s cake was made by a talented member of the community. Rather than one gigantic cake, they opted for a simpler (but no-less-delicious) cake on each individual table.

Rather than a traditional DJ throughout the event, the music was provided via open mic. Thanks to the talented community, we heard music from funk to folk. Perhaps the most notable performance, however, was by Dave Bunker, of the world famous Bunker Guitars and the inventor of the Touch Guitar back in 1978.

These photos were captured early this year, in the bitter cold. Of course, we had the help of some Hot-Hands warmers to stick in our gloves—something I always carry with me to share that time of year—and everyone was well bundled up. However, needless to say, this little guy was having a blast, and mom doing a great job joining in the fun, too.

As is common with photos of toddlers, these images were captured at a small local park just a few minutes from their home.

Another Petruzzo Photography shooter, Felipe, and myself got so into the action that we’re now apparently official members of the band. Felipe plays the Triangle and I rock-out a mean kazoo solo.

DJ-ing the event was DJ Jon DePompa (twitter), who did a great job MC-ing the event and is worth looking into for your next event.

It was a great honor to be able to photograph Jon and Belle’s snowy January wedding. The couple decided to tie the knot at Bay Area Community Church and with some help from friends, they produced a beautiful and heartfelt DIY wedding.

Jon and Belle wanted to do some fun photos before the ceremony. So it was decided that the couple would meet up on the front of the church to have their first look and soon after that we had the freedom to go all over Annapolis to take photos.

The weather was very chilly, but with the warm emotion and determination from the couple we were able to take some lovely urban shots. After walking all around downtown Annapolis we decided it was time to heat up so we headed into Starbucks. We ordered some coffee and took some fun photos inside Starbucks before we headed back to the church for the ceremony.

The ceremony and reception had a great sense of community, it was a moment in which friends and family came together to witness that very special love that Jon and Belle have for each other. It was a blessing to have been part of one of John and Belle’s most important days of their life. Congratulations to Jon and Belle, may you have a joyful and blessed life together.

Travis & Shanel had nothing short of a beautiful wedding at the Mt. Airy Mansion in Upper Marlboro Maryland. The whole grounds were a hot-bed of great photo opportunities. In fact, narrowing down some of my favorites to share was quite a challenge. Combine that with the couple’s decidedly fun-loving attitude and wonderful family, not only were we able to capture some beautiful images, but we had a whole lot of fun doing so!

We had a great time at the wedding and really enjoyed every guest we had the chance to chat with. And, Newton-White is an excellent wedding venue. Congratulations Auntea & Afuw, I wish you the best of luck in your new lives together!