Rustic Wedding at The Vineyards of Mary’s Meadow | C + R

It’s 2023, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to finally catch up on blogging the weddings and sessions of 2022, starting off with my first wedding of the year — this rustic wedding at The Vineyards of Mary’s Meadow in Darlington, Maryland. C + R had a gorgeous engagement session at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore.

This May wedding reminded me of something that is so important for spring sessions in Maryland: have a backup plan for rain. We had a pretty wet rain last May, and it misted on and off. I was so lucky C+R were flexible so we were able to sneak out for photos when the rain broke. I was almost reminded that even though we spend so much time crafting a plan on wedding days, there sometimes has to be flexibility for the schedule. If hair and makeup take longer than expected, that can alter an entire day, and so can the weather. Having a plan and making sure vendors know what is priority if things get off schedule is key! C+R had to move their ceremony indoors at last minute; flashes were a key for my second shooter and me, so always make sure your photographer can handle any change in lighting and that they can adjust quickly if needed. I’m so glad my second shooter was able to get some images of what the day was supposed to look like for the couple even though we couldn’t use it.

This rustic wedding at the Vineyards of Mary’s Meadow had a few details I loved. If you don’t want to do a first look with your spouse, it can be fun to do one with the bridesmaids or dad. I adored the bridesmaids’ reaction when C came out of the elevator! C+R also had great details, and family and friends helped make their day even more special. A friend served as DJ and the sister/MOH made the gorgeous wedding cake.

C + R were having so much fun at their big day, though, that the bride’s sister and MOH bought an extra half an hour on the day of so we could stay longer; my schedule doesn’t always allow for that, but luckily it worked for my second shooter and me. I forgot how early May is…there wasn’t much growing on the vines yet, so we didn’t do any couple portraits in the vineyard, but the location had plenty of other pretty spots for photos!

The big takeaway: be ready for any weather situation in May!