Matt & Maria’s Maryland Wedding

Matt & Maria’s Maryland wedding was a charming day full of candid moments and simplicity. Captured so beautifully on film and digital, creating a look that feels warm and nostalgic. Perfect inspiration for couples who enjoy the beauty of a relaxed and documentary day!

Matt and Maria had an absolutely stunning wedding at Dulaney’s Overlook in Frederick, Maryland. These two are best friends and have the sweetest energy. They were such a joy to be around. They had very few must-haves on their big day, and really wanted to spend the day focused on enjoying time with friends and family, but Maria asked me if I could get a group picture with everyone and I knew I had to try! I ended up climbing to the second story of the barn and grabbed a shot of everyone after Matt and Maria’s first dance on the lawn.

I love film photography, and the honesty and imperfections that it brings to wedding photography, so I was so happy that Matt and Maria were interested in a hybrid package. I shot their day on a variety of film cameras, from a medium format waist-level viewfinder camera from the 1960s, to a 35mm point-and-shoot from the 1990s. I love the variety of textures and colors that we got and I’m so grateful to have been part of such a beautiful day! -McKenzie Elizabeth Photography

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? We met in college through a mutual friend the first day of sophomore year. Our mutual friend invited some girls over — I (Matt) was his roommate — and Maria happened to be one of them. We barely talked that night, but ended up running into each other again a few more times over the next couple of weeks.

Our first impressions were pretty tame- we both tried to keep it cool in front of the other for a long time.

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? Maria would have to answer for herself, but mine was the first look. I never saw Maria’s wedding dress before the wedding, so I remember standing outside (for what felt like forever) waiting for her to come out and tap me on the shoulder. When I turned around, I just remember thinking she looked perfect. Still makes me happy to think about. Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. We lived (relatively) long-distance from each other for 4 years. Maria was in Arlington, VA and I was in Baltimore, MD. On Friday nights, we would trade off driving 2+ hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic to see each other. We both have very funny memories of being so cranky after our drives that we just would get into arguments as soon as we walked through the door. And then we’d trade off waking up on Saturday morning saying, “Sorry, I was just tired”. We look back on it fondly though — we learned how to work through external things like traffic or distance or whatever, and ultimately it was good for our relationship. Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? My grandmother was 94 and Maria’s was 89 at the time, so we made sure to give them both a shout out! What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? Maria taught me how to listen. She and I have very different personalities, love languages, and needs, so understanding each other is really important. She taught me how to listen to what she needed vs. what I thought she needed. That has been very good for our relationship. What is your favorite thing about each other? I like that Maria is such a steady force. She’s consistent in how she treats people and always wants to do the right things for others— even if it is painful for her. If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Enjoy the process. The wedding itself is 5-10 hours. It goes by so fast. So enjoy the 6-18 months of planning. Enjoy the calls with your parents. Enjoy talking to your friends about it. Enjoy grabbing the computer and knocking out your budget. When the wedding ends, you’ll miss all of it. Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! Maria really doesn’t like attention. She spent the 18 months leading up to our wedding making sure everyone knew that I was supposed to be the center of attention. Our friends know her so well that I always loved the way they’d smile and laugh at her when she said this. Of course on the day-of, we got her guard down enough to get her in the middle of the dance circle. I think she is still traumatized by it. What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? Probably the drives back and forth from meeting with our vendors. Most of our vendors were about 50+ minutes from our house, so it was always an event to go see them. I have very happy memories of being nervous on the way there, and then game-planning on the way back. What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Love is found in the small moments of your relationship. It’s not the big dinner or buying each other expensive gifts. It’s the struggle to show each other you care after you’ve both had a long day at work. It’s learning what’s important to the other so you know what to say (or not say) when they’re going through a hard time. It’s being open to how they feel even when you don’t understand.