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National Arboretum Wedding Photographer: Larry & Juanita

I am so proud to be a National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, it’s not just the beautiful scenery and proximity to downtown Washington DC, but also just the sort of people that are drawn to the Arboretum!  They have an appreciation of nature and art and are kind, intelligent, and authentically themselves– my ideal couple for sure!

Picture this: The year is 1967 and you are in a junior high classroom in Pierre, South Dakota.  Two best friends since 2nd grade are smiling at two other friends, who happen to be identical twins.  They whisper, “Someday we will marry the Parkinson twins and live happily ever after as sisters-in-law.” Best friend, Deb, married one twin in 1974 and had 50 years of happiness together. The other half of the “Parkinson Twin dream” came true this year as Juanita married Larry 60 years after meeting!

Juanita & Larry met at age 9 and *just tied the knot* at age 69– there is so much to their incredible story including an engagement ring that they purchased when they were 19, more here:

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this vibrant, colorful creative image of this bride and groom as they stand together in front of the columns in Washington DC for their outdoor wedding ceremony

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Larry shares, “We began by choosing the National Arboretum as our wedding venue and then began our search for the perfect wedding photographer, starting with the Arboretum’s list of preferred photographers. Because we’re both retired, we had the luxury of checking out all of the photographers’ websites, not only from that list, but from **literally every photographer who had photographed a wedding at the Arboretum**. Lisa’s work stood out above all the rest as fun, colorful, and personalized, with superb quality!   We were also drawn to her because she seemed to share our love for nature, adventure, and family. Her photos of her own outdoor adventures were stunning. Because we had already decided on the natural beauty of the Arboretum for our venue, we wanted a photographer who could capture that setting with flair.”

Juanita added, “When we had our first Zoom call with Lisa, it confirmed what we had seen on her website. She was warm and engaging, with an infectious enthusiasm that made us confident that our wedding day would be fun and relaxed. We were also confident that she would be able to capture the joy of everyone in attendance. Although Lisa was personally booked for our wedding date, her colleague Jim was available. When we had a follow-up Zoom call with Lisa and Jim, we were similarly impressed with Jim’s warmth, personality, and expertise. I (Lisa) book up quickly, and for weddings that I’d love to cover but no longer have the date open on my calendar, I have a solution :). I have a few trusted photographer friends who work under me on the day of to be my eyes and ears, and then I take care of the rest (the editing, album design, emails, wedding day timeline, etc).  In this case, my associate was Jim– one of my long-time photography friends that I met at a conference over a decade ago.  We have shot dozens of weddings together at this point, he has even belayed me while rock climbing!

She exclaims, “Working with Jim on our wedding day was fantastic! He was creative, technically skilled, patient, flexible, and a joy to work with. His assistant Emily was also wonderful and particularly skilled at coaxing great shots with our four grandkids (all under 5 years old)!   Emily’s stuffed animal kept jumping on Jim and popping out from behind him, making the kids laugh and smile.”

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this romantic golden hour portrait of this bride and groom as they hug and smile at one another during their romantic portraits in a field in washington dc

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this creative, vibrant image of this bride and groom as they hug one another and smile at the camera while standing in front of the reflecting pool in washington dc with the columns reflected in the water

vibrant, colorful image of the bride's bouqet with a variety of purple, red, orange, pink, blue, yellow flowers and greenery

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer: First Look

Larry recalls, “I knew the color of Juanita’s dress, but had no idea what it was going to look like. I knew that she and her sister Melinda had made a big effort to choose the perfect dress and have it tailored just right, so I had high expectations. But when I turned around for my first look, I was pretty blown away. The dress not only popped with color, but it fit perfectly and Juanita looked absolutely stunning.”

washington dc wedding photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this black and white image of this bride and groom as they see eachother for the first time during their first look at their outdoor dc wedding

best dc wedding photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this vibrant image of this bride in her vibrant pink dress and the groom as they hold hands together while walking at their outdoor wedding ceremony in dc

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this candid romantic portrait of this bride and groom as they laugh and smile together during their outdoor wedding ceremony in washington dc

image of an orange fish with green fins swimming in the pond

Kids will be kids, and aren’t they the cutest?!

Juanita shares, “We wanted our wedding day to be all about our families and closest friends. So the wedding party consisted of my two children, Larry’s two children, and our four grandkids. Sisters Margot (age 4) and Stella (age 3) were our flower girls, and brothers Ellis (age 4) and Jonas (age 2) were our ring-bearers.”

She continues, “Larry was escorted by his two kids Andy and Katie, and I was escorted by my two kids Christopher and Catharine. Each of our children had a significant part in the ceremony, with Andy, Katie, and Christopher doing readings, and Catharine singing a beautiful song we had chosen. Catharine was accompanied on guitar by Larry’s son-in-law Andy Hart, who also performed the rest of the music for the ceremony.”

Awww, I love these so much:

best kids photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this candid image of kids as they look and play with the cabinet filled with money in washington dc

best dc photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this image of two flower girls as they stand in the flowers and look at the camera with their floral dresses and crowns for this outdoor dc wedding

best family photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this vibrant, colorful family photo at this outdoor washington dc wedding

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer: Ceremony

Colorful and vibrant are two words that I think of when trying to describe this wedding ceremony and reception– I mean just look at these colors!

Larry says, “In addition to family, we each had our very closest friends in attendance. It was a special treat to have my dear friend, Craig, officiate the wedding ceremony. Craig is a long-time judge in DC and our friendship goes back 38 years, when we began working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the same day. Juanita has also become a close friend of Craig and his wife Rosemary. As one who has performed many marriage ceremonies, Craig did a fantastic job and made the ceremony personalized and relaxed.”

vibrant, colorful image of this wedding officiant at this outdoor washington dc wedding

black and white image of the flower girl as she stands amongst the flowers and points at the camera during this outdoor wedding ceremony captured by best dc candid wedding photographer, Rhinehart Photography

close up image of a young boy in his dress clothes as he smiles at the camera during this outdoor wedding ceremony

colorful dc wedding photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this vibrant, colorful image of the bride in her vibrant pink dress as she laughs and smiles with her kids as they walk to this outdoor wedding ceremony

vibrant, colorful image of this bride and groom as they laugh and smile with their officiant during this outdoor wedding ceremony captured by best dc wedding photographer, rhinehart photography

Guests in Attendance

Juanita shares, “It was beyond special to have my sister Melinda there at the wedding. Nine months prior, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer. She endured eight months of chemotherapy with horrible side effects, feeling like she just wouldn’t have the strength to attend our wedding. However, in the last few weeks before the wedding, the chemo was stopped (because her cancer was in remission) and her strength improved.  Thankfully, she was able to attend and enjoy herself! That was a total blessing for us all!

black and white image of family and friends as she watch and smile the bride and groom tie the knot at this outdoor ceremony in dc

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this vibrant, colorful image of the bride in her vibrant pink dress as she places the ring on the grooms finger with the columns in the background at their outdoor dc ceremony
They were looking for vibrant, joyful, photography, and kind of made our job easy by being vibrant, joyful people! This smile was a permanent fixture on Juanita’s face 💗

photojournalist photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this black and white image of guests as they hold hands while watching this outdoor ceremony in dc

dc photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this bride and groom as they share their first kiss during this outdoor wedding ceremony at the national arboretum in Washington DC

Larry & Juanita’s Incredible Love Story

Larry shares, “Our story actually began at age 9 when my family moved from the tiny town of Kadoka, South Dakota to the big city of Pierre. Although Juanita and I lived on opposite sides of town during those formative elementary school years, we got to know each other pretty quickly, through church activities and cross-town sports events and became good friends. We stayed good friends for the next 60 years or so. Along the way, we became more than just good friends and started “going steady” as seniors in high school – shortly after Juanita’s best friend began “going steady” with my twin brother. Juanita and I stayed together throughout all four years of college. We went to different colleges as freshmen, but Juanita transferred – twice – so we could be together. But that chapter came to an end after graduation, when I moved to Washington to work for a South Dakota Congressman and Juanita moved to North Dakota for an internship.”

He adds, “When we were 19 years old, we bought an engagement ring and wedding band but had no immediate plans to get married, even though my twin and Juanita’s best friend, Deb, had just gotten married. Juanita and I had just finished our sophomore year in college and weren’t ready to tie the knot. But we thought we probably would marry someday and were planning ahead. So we traveled to the diamond capital of the U.S. – Sioux City, Iowa – and bought our ‘Love Story’ diamond.”

He continues, “Although we went our separate ways after college, we stayed in touch over the years and remained long-distance friends. I was always treated like a member of Juanita’s family, and was never completely out of touch, especially with Melinda, Juanita’s sister who lived in New York City. Fast forward 46 years after college, we found ourselves single and living nearby and reconnected in early 2022. We found our reconnection to be very natural and easy and discovered that neither of us had fundamentally changed in the 46 years since we had become a couple in college. Juanita and I were the same two people who had found each other so many years ago.”

Larry says, “Since there was no marriage back in the 70s, Juanita never got her ring. Fast forward 48 years. When Juanita and I reconnected, I was pretty sure I still had those rings and found them exactly where I thought they’d be: in an old box of stuff from high school and college days. So when we went on a Viking cruise in 2023, I asked Juanita to marry me and presented her with the same ‘Love Story’ engagement ring we had bought together back in 1974. I increased my odds of a ‘yes’ answer by proposing on a little stone bridge over an Italian canal. Fortunately, Juanita did say ‘yes,’ and here we are! Incidentally, the ring no longer fit Juanita’s finger, so we took an afternoon in Corfu, Greece, to get it re-sized!”

best dc wedding photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures this vibrant, colorful image of the bride in her vibrant pink dress and the groom as they hold hands and smile at one another while walking after their outdoor dc wedding ceremony

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this candid romantic portrait of the bride and groom as they laugh and smile with one another while standing beside the columns after their outdoor wedding ceremony in Washington DC

image of the bride and groom as they share a hug together in front of the columns and reflecting pool at the national arboretum after their outdoor ceremony in dc

Their First Date: Holding hands in the National Arboretum

Larry and Juanita share “We chose the National Arboretum because we love nature and wanted a beautiful outdoor venue. The Arboretum also holds a special place in our hearts because it was a big part of our reconnection as a couple after 46 years. We first held hands again as we explored the Arboretum in March 2022.”

They continue, “We held our ceremony in the Meadow, cocktails in the Herb & Rose Garden, and dinner and dancing under a tent in the Flowering Tree Pad.”

Larry adds, “The original Capitol Columns provided a unique and beautiful backdrop. The 22 columns were part of the U.S. Capitol for 130 years, beginning in 1828, and moved to the Arboretum site starting in 1988. Because I worked in Washington DC for 40 years in federal public service, beginning as a congressional aide at the Capitol, the columns added a special significance.”

vibrant, colorful image of the bride and groom as they share a kiss while standing amongst the columns during their romantic portrait session captured by best dc wedding photographer, rhinehart photography at the national arboretum

black and white image of the bride and groom as they laugh with one another while walking through the meadow with the columns in the distance behind them during their outdoor dc ceremony

vibrant, colorful image of the bride and groom as they hug one another and share a kiss together while standing in wildflowers in the meadow at the national arboretum in washington dc during their romantic portrait session

National Arboretum Cocktail Hour: Beautiful, fun, delicious!

Juanita exclaims, “Spilled Milk Catering was outstanding. Their food and drinks were delicious, creative, and fun – and their service was impeccable.”

Spilled Milk Catering is so creative, aesthetically and flavor-wise, one of the best caterers around!

close up image of unique, creative appetizers for cocktail hour created by spilled milk catering in dc

image of the bride and groom as they smile at one another during cocktail hour at their outdoor reception in washington dc

colorful, unique image of creative and unique appetizers created for cocktail hour by spilled milk catering in washington dc

vibrant, colorful image of the bride in her pink dress and the groom as they walk through the meadow away from the columns during their outdoor washington dc wedding ceremony captured by National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography

Toasts

Juanita says, “After a brief welcome at the beginning of dinner, we did toasts when the band took their break after their first set. All four of our kids made us very proud with touching and heartfelt remarks. We were surprised and charmed when 4-year-old Margot came to the floor to offer her special wishes for ‘Nana and Papa Larry.'”

Larry recalls, “My best friend from law school, Bob, delighted the crowd with three original limericks he had composed on his trip from Chicago to the wedding. Here’s a sample:  

When the groom met the lovely Juanita

She was younger than even Lolita.

But Larry, then 9

Had a smooth pickup line:

Come with me and our lives will be sweetah.”

image of the flower girl as she gives a speech for her grandparents during this outdoor wedding reception in washington dc

candid image of the bride and groom as they watch their children give speeches during their wedding reception in Washington DC

 

The Party of their Lifetime!

Juanita says, “Our band – 76 Degrees West – was fantastic! We had seen them play nine months earlier at Larry’s daughter Katie’s wedding, and we were so impressed by their energy and playlist. So we decided to book them for our own wedding. We knew Leon and his 10 bandmates would put on a great show and they certainly delivered!”

candid, creative image of a female singer from the 76 degrees west band as she sings during this fun, outdoor reception in washington dc

close up image of a staff memember as they carry Jameson bottles on a try for guests to take during their outdoor reception in washington dc

candid image of two guests as they cheers their jameson bottles together during this washington dc reception

best dc reception photographer, lisa rhinehart, captures these candid images of family members as they dance together and laugh at this outdoor reception in washington dc

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this fun, candid image of guests as they dance and laugh during this outdoor wedding reception with the band 76 degrees west at this washington dc reception

At the end of the Night

The couple smiles, “After six weekends of rainy weekends in Washington, we had perfect weather: sunny, nearly cloudless, temperatures in the high 70s. In addition to having the Capitol Columns in the background for our ceremony and reception, we chose to light the columns after sunset. This was a special touch that was a big hit with our guests. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!

My team and I loved being your National Arboretum Wedding Photographers. I can’t wait to come back here and photograph your after-session!

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this end of the night shot of the bride and groom as they hold hands and smile at the camera with the coulmns lit up in orange behind them during their washington dc wedding reception

National Arboretum Wedding Photographer, rhinehart photography, captures this creative, vibrant image of the bride and groom sihlouetted against the vibrant blue sky during their romantic portraits at this outdoor reception in washington dc

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