My husband and I met each other on eHarmony (back when people still felt embarrassed to tell folks they had met online), so we always feel a special connection to our couples who met online as well. And my goodness! More and more of our couples each year end up having met online. This is true of Alexis and Yan! Yay! When Alexis first saw Yan’s profile, he thought he looked a little crazy, as he listed running a Spartan race and camping in 7 degree weather as things he liked to do on his profile. But they met in a coffee shop in Silver Spring, MD on a Sunday afternoon. After that, they both came home and got massively sick (must have picked up something at the restaurant…or else, cupid’s potion was a bit too strong). They decided to give it another try and hung out every weekend after that. When Yan took Alexis to a Russian museum that she had wanted to visit for years, they both knew it was meant to be. Their wedding ceremony and wedding reception were both at McLean Presbyterian Church- which is my absolute favorite church to photograph weddings at. After College, I attended MPC for a couple years, so it has a special place in my heart. And! You guys! Every single McLean Presbyterian Church wedding I’ve photographed has been gorgeous. I love being a McLean Presbyterian Church wedding photographer- from the classic sanctuary with gorgeous red carpet, to the natural-light-filled bridal suite at McLean Pres, its just perfect! You can view their downtown annapolis engagement photo session HERE🙂
Their wedding at McLean Presbyterian was world-travel themed. And I loved all of the little travel themed details carefully curated throughout their wedding. Like these sweet porcelain birds on Alexis’ wedding bracelet, and an awesome antique compass you might spot in one of the wedding photos below.
The classiest superhero cufflinks for a groom I’ve ever seen!
Another reason I absolutely love being a McLean Presbyterian Church wedding photographer is this gorgeous courtyard they have that is absolutely PERFECT for first looks!
Alexis hand-made Yan a Virginia Tech quilt for his groom gift! Such a creative idea!
Right before the ceremony was about to begin I caught the pastors and Yan’s new father in law praying over him. Such a sweet moment to be able to treasure in a photo. 
All of their wedding reception decor was all DIY! I was seriously so impressed! I LOVE the hand made map vases!
Luggage tag wedding place cards! Perfect for their world travel themed wedding!
And because Yan is a big fan of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, Alexis wanted to surprise him when they cut their wedding cake! So classy and subtle that only a true fan would notice these special details.
Their wedding guests threw paper airplanes at them during their awesomely creative and unique wedding send off!
Something I’ve come to learn after years of being a wedding photographer, is there is no “right” way to schedule your wedding day. Sure, there are normal timelines that most couples adhere to. But when you really think about it, its your wedding day and you can do what you want to. Alexis and Yan knew that wedding photography was important to them, and more specifically- having beautiful bride and groom portraits that weren’t rushed was really important to them. So not only did they decide to have a first look so that they could get their family portraits out of the way before the ceremony, but they also chose to add an hour of wedding portrait time after their wedding reception at Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria VA. And let me tell you! It was absolutely perfect and wonderful. It gave us tons of time to get creative and stunning wedding photos of just the two of them, and no one felt rushed or nervous. (And I’m a little partial to this idea, because its exactly what my husband and I did on our wedding day and I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!)
After their wedding reception was over, we packed up and headed from McLean Pres to Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria Virginia for some gorgeous wedding portraits and wedding photos. 
WEDDING VENUE | McLean Presbyterian Church
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY VENUE | Green Spring Gardens Park
WEDDING DRESS | Davids Bridal
WEDDING CAKE | Hello Cupcake
MCLEAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER | Sknow Photo By Sarah Mitchell