Kaila & Mike’s wedding brought a prismatic array of colors, from the bride’s rainbow hair to a spectacular autumn view of the Potomac– I’m thrilled to be a Murray Hill wedding photographer!
Visually, the day felt like a complete fantasy! It was definitely like stepping into a movie or video game!
Mike smiles, sharing, “Two different family members asked me to settle an argument about whether we played music from the Lord of the Rings or Zelda… The answer is both.”
I felt so lucky to be the Murray Hill wedding photographer with the privilege of capturing it…
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Kaila shares, “We chose Rhinehart Photography for Lisa’s unparalleled creative eye. Having a wedding photographer we liked and trusted to capture the day was one of the most important things to me and I could not have been happier working with Lisa!”
She continues, “Going into the day I could tell Lisa was completely in tune with everything we’d said was important to be captured. She was supportive and excited about the “vibes” we wanted to catch, open to any and every creative input I had, amazing at directing us through any camera-shy awkwardness our introverted selves might have felt, and an integral part of ushering the day along the way we wanted it to go.”
Kaila smiles, “It was so easy to feel at ease with Lisa as the photographer. There were times when she fit in so well I almost forgot our photographer was there (in a good way)! It was such a relief to feel so completely confident in Lisa’s ability to capture the moments throughout the day that it never crossed my mind to worry about it.”
Mike adds, “Being photographed by Lisa was great and I surprisingly never felt uncomfortable in front of the camera. I spent more of the day with Chris, the second photographer, and he was hilarious. He fit right in with the guys and did a great job of giving direction as well.”
Support + “Rainbow” Hair
Kaila shares, “Having everyone there while we were getting ready really helped kick off the day for me. I feel so grateful to have been surrounded by so much love and support from my friends and family.”
She adds, “I’ve really enjoyed bringing more color to my life with my hair, and picking one single color for such a big day seemed impossible to me. I wanted to make sure I had some color to embrace the vibrancy I love, but I also wanted to do something that felt timeless and that I would look back on and love just as much when I’m older.”
You can check out Kaila’s vibrant purple hair from their engagement session here!
Chrystal Synchronicity
When photographing Kaila’s bridal portraits, I noticed rainbow prisms everywhere created by the chandeliers and other decorative chrystals, they fit perfectly with her rainbow hair.
Kaila shares, “I’m very excited to see these pictures! I love the happy coincidences we find in the world that seem to fit together so well it’s hard to imagine they weren’t planned.”
Meeting Mike
Kaila smiles, “I can’t say any one moment in particular stands out to me as the moment I fell in love with Mike. For me, it was more of a realization over time that I was so comfortable and unabashedly myself with him, feeling that he could be that way with me, and realizing that it had felt that way basically the whole time I’d known him made me certain he was my forever person. Mike is always there to ground me when things get hard and has been my best friend almost since our first awkward introduction, haha!”
First Look at Murray Hill
Mike says, “On the wedding day I was excited and nervous. I don’t like being the center of attention, but I was excited to formally bind my life with Kaila’s. Once the more nerve-wracking parts were over I was able to just relax and just have fun.”
Kaila shares, “Our wedding day felt like such a long time coming that I was nothing but happy and excited to be finally there. I was a little nervous going in about all of the attention, but as soon as Mike and I had our first look and were together again all of my nerves melted away. He is my safe space and I don’t think the day could have gone more perfectly.”
Private Wedding Vows
Kaila says, “As an introvert, the thought of pouring my heart out in front of 100 people was a bit terrifying to me. I think for us having these more private moments to be just with each other and to share with each other was perfect and so much more personal and comfortable than a traditional ceremony would have been.”
The mansion, the gardens, the view of the Potomac, this stunning Virginia venue has to be one of the prettiest in Virginia, I’m so proud to be a Murray Hill Wedding Photographer!
Pooling Around 😉 at Murray Hill
Kaila shares, “I was extremely excited about the creative photo opportunities the pool and garden area provided, and we loved being able to tie that back in for our guests by having the cocktail hour there.”
She laughs, “I am *so* excited to get these shots, I think all that work getting there will definitely be worth it and I anticipate those pictures being some of our favorites!”
A Little Luck for the Father/Daughter First Look 😉
Kaila laughs, “Moments like this feel so magical to me, it’s almost like nature came to say hi and wish us a good time!”
On the wedding day, I am your eyes, I keep an eye out for beauty, emotion, flattering light, and even the “little things” like this ladybug…
Vibrant Ceremony Overlooking the Potomac
Kaila shares, “Nature has always been important to me, and I knew I wanted that to be a part of our wedding day. Fall is both of our favorite seasons and we really wanted to incorporate everything we love about fall into our day, especially the foliage. We knew the ceremony overlook with a view of the Potomac would be absolutely stunning with the fall foliage, and were beyond excited to bring that beauty into our ceremony.”
She continues, “I cannot be happier with how the ceremony went! Honestly, I was so focused on not tripping and on Mike (both Mike’s lol) that during the ceremony itself, I don’t think I got much chance to really appreciate how beautiful it was. I’m really excited to take another look at these pictures and relive it again!”
Mike adds, “I was very happy with the ceremony. The décor was beautiful and the weather cooperated. That said, I was nervous enough to mess up putting the ring on Kaila’s finger which was less than ideal, but I hope nobody noticed (they definitely did, haha!).”
Classic Family Portraiture & Cute Candids too
As a creative Murray Hill Wedding Photographer, I’m confident capturing candid moments, unique shots, and angles. There are some fun ones here! I also make sure to photograph the traditional photos as well. Mom now has a perfect photo for the mantle, and so do you!
Relaxed, Rustic, Autumn Theme
Kaila says, “I think the day was such a great representation of us as a couple and pulled in everything we loved in special ways. It was elegant but still pulled in more natural and rustic elements. It was an elevated event without feeling stuffy and still pulling in cozy vibes. We even got to work in some of our nerdy sides in a way that didn’t feel like it detracted from the significance of the day with our ceremony songs.”
Kaila continues, “I ended up personally making (with the help of many good friends) a lot of the small touches that day (the pumpkin name tags, the flowers on the cake, the K&M sign for the photo op, the seating chart, etc etc.) and it was so cool to feel like my creative side helped pull the day together. A lot of the planning got to be a bit chaotic/stressful, but it was really awesome to see Mike get excited about some of the decorations and small details (I kind of expected him to not have strong feelings about any of that going in) and see it all come to life on that day. It was really perfect.”
Mike shares, “I have very modern tastes while Kaila’s are much more rustic. Somehow, we managed to find a very narrow middle ground between the two to create an absolutely beautiful day. A lot of credit should go to Kaila for all of the time and effort she spent on this wedding. All of the little touches she created really pulled the whole thing together in a way that I don’t think it would have otherwise. We turned our pumpkin place card into a Christmas tree ornament so now we’ll have that forever as a reminder of the day.”
Murray Hill Wedding Reception
Kaila says, “The barn for the reception was the perfect mix of cozy rustic and elegant vibes for us. We knew it would be stunning with the lights at night, but we didn’t get to see it until the day of, and taking a moment to see that alone together, with all the details we’d made coming together in the space, was one of my favorite parts of the day. Everything came together so perfectly! It was exactly the vibe we wanted and we are so thrilled it came together so well! We also loved how much use the photo booth and Halloween props got (even the staff at Murray Hill took part).”
She shares, “I’m not sure I could possibly pick any one part of the day I was most excited about going in, I was just insanely thrilled that the weather cooperated and gave us a beautiful day so we could enjoy every part of the day how we had hoped. We even had a full moon which was awesome.”
She adds, “We were both impressed with how well everyone did with all the speeches! Fun fact; when I went to hug my dad after his speech, he stepped on my dress. When I lifted my arms for the hug one of my straps popped off… lol!”
Mike says, “Kaila’s dad’s speech was especially heartwarming. I’ve felt like family for a while now, but especially now.”
Opening up the Murray Hill Wedding Dance Floor
Kaila laughs, “I joked with Mike that once the dancing started I would not stop. I had meant it as a joke… but then it actually happened?!
Mike shares, “I got Kaila the dessert she most wanted to make sure she actually ate one. She never left the dance floor to notice, no dessert for her.”
He adds, “I was very impressed with the DJ. He absolutely nailed the type of music we wanted to play and is by far the best DJ I’ve seen at a wedding yet. That said, I had hoped he’d play a pop cover of the one metal song he ended up playing, not the original. It was funny at least, and a few people have told me that they actually love that he played the original instead because it was unique. It helps that there were a lot of people present who are into that type of music (thank god for the mosh pit saving me from awkward stares throughout). We suspect he may have done that on purpose and, if so, a good read of the room to him.”
Kaila continues, “What a great experience it is to be constantly surrounded by friends and family that want to dance! Also, Mike does not really like to dance, but he went so out of his way to dance that night and to be with me. He danced so much more than I thought he would and honestly it was one of the sweetest gestures he’s ever given me.”
Behind The Scenes
Kaila smiles, “It was kinda cool seeing so many of our closest friends and family getting corralled and coordinated for the Vogue Vanity Fair shots. Everyone was a good sport and so willing to help even if they sometimes had no idea what was going on. It’s a lot of fun feeling set up for a dramatic shot when your attire has you feeling so fancy in the first place.
Thank you for trusting my vision, even when it looked like nothing! I loved being Kaila & Mike’s Murray Hill Wedding Photographer!
The First Look
The Wedding Party Portrait
-
Their Wedding Portrait
The scene and light I was working with as a Murray Hill Wedding Photographer! 
In the portrait I captured from that very spot, I went at an angle that would show the light illuminating the fall leaves and have a clean background. I used a lens with a very wide aperture to bring in extra light and give a shallow depth of field, fully focusing on this gorgeous couple. My final step was to joke around with them and get their authentic smiles. Little Romantic Getaway
Lol, can you spot the groom and I from all the other people dressed in black? I know it doesn’t look like much from here… 
… but this was the perfect little spot! Kaila and Mike are admittedly awkward, camera-shy, etc. You can see how comfortable they are here and how really the most important part of me getting great photos is to have a couple feeling comfortable in front of my camera and using the best lighting and spaces, even if they initially don’t look like much 😉 Vendors:
- Location: Murray Hill Events
- Planner: Perfect Detail Event Planning
- DJ: Chris Styles Events
- Caterer: Spilled Milk Catering
- Rentals: Perfect Settings, LLC
- Florist: West Virjeni
- Photography: Rhinehart Photography
Hungry for More?
Contact Me!
Are you or someone you know looking for a photographer for their weddings, portraits, business branding, etc? I’m your girl! Contact me here, I want to hear all about it!
