Remember Jessica and RJ? You might be thinking to yourself, “These guys look familiar.” And they do because you remember their engagement session with their three-legged Russian cat named Misha who could do tricks, and also Lola, who didn’t really like me but let me take her picture from across the room and was cute about it. If they still look familiar to you but a tripod Russian cat isn’t ringing any bells, perhaps it’s because you saw them on the Steve Harvey show (featuring their engagement photos, heyyy!) because the story of how they met is insane and ridiculous in the best way. So insanely wonderful that they were interviewed about it on tv, so you’re just going to have to trust me.
Unfortunately, the sad news here is that when you have a deep bond with your dog, they can often be a flower girl or a ring bearer even if they don’t like people. They can briefly walk down an aisle, sit at the front while you get married, and then a friend can take them home if they can’t bear the reception. But if you have a deep bond with your cats, you can rest assured that they will do no such thing. They won’t be your flower girl nor your ring bearer. They won’t get ready with you or walk down the aisle with you and they certainly hate every single one of your guests. So the next best thing is hiding a ton of random little cats throughout your reception and making your guests (and your photographers) find them. Also to include them in your cake topper. Oh and also put framed pictures of them around. And maybe a welcome sign or two, written by the cats. Maybe also put a picture of them in the kids’ coloring books. Maybe diamond cat earrings? Yes. Definitely diamond cat earrings. Cufflinks? WHY NOT we already have diamond cat earrings. I secretly suspect they opted for the bird seed exit to potentially attract more cats.
We love Jessica and RJ. I don’t really have to explain why at this point, do I? #cats

Date: May 25, 2019
Ceremony+Reception Venue: Woodend Sanctuary // Chevy Chase, MD
First Dance Song: “What Would I Do Without You” – Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors (sung by the bride’s sister who she’s insanely proud of, Michelle Huey)
Jessica’s Occupation: Program Manager for Infant Health at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, a birth doula, and a lactation consultant
RJ’s Occupation: Stay-at-home cat dad (not really, but this sounds like more fun than his real job. He’s also a part-time law student, and an ethics specialist for the government).
How You Met: Craigslist. There’s a video. Steve Harvey interviewed us. NBD.
Interesting Fact: See above.
Honeymoon: Ireland
Officiant: Joan Phillips
Band: The Bellevue Rhythmaires
Florist: Growing Wild Floral Company
Cake: The Happy Tart
Caterer: Catering by Seasons
Hair: Leah Margosis
Makeup – Ana B
Coordinator: Kristi Hartig of Glow Weddings and Events

I am always SO EXCITED to do author headshots because it’s quite an honor to take the photo of someone’s mug that will be appear attached with one of their biggest life achievements and it makes me happy. Also I like seeing my work in a book because I like books. I particularly like nonfiction books about horrible disasters, which is why it’s SO WONDERFUL that Rachel found me. Rachel is being published by Penguin Random House (!) and her book is called In The Waves. Without going into spoilers (buy her book!), she essentially went on a mission to figure out why The Hunley, a Civil War-era submarine, mysteriously sank back in the day and killed everyone on board. Here’s an article The Smithsonian did on Rachel and her research (complete with video of Rachel’s CSS Tiny replica). Rachel also loves nonfiction disasters, and she’s the first and only person to have ever gifted me a book on cholera. I think we were meant to meet. I will update this page upon Rachel’s book release to give a link to how you can buy and read it!

Ohhhh remember baby Alden from last year who loved to stare into your soul with intense, prolonged eye contact? He turned ONE during this session (happy birthday, Alden!) and now stares into your soul slightly less (disappointing but age-appropriate). Now when he looks at you, it’s quickly followed by a clever little smirk like he knows everything about you from previous soul-stealing baby sessions and is definitely going to use it against you in the future. His smile is hilarious and almost looks like he’s incredibly proud of himself… the type of smile that happens right before you’d get a big head nod and he’d open his mouth and say, “Hey bro,” except he’s a baby. It’s incredible. I’d be confident too if I knew how to successfully fish for cats at the age of twelve months. Also, his parents are Kathy and Andrew, whom we love, so obviously this helps to bolster his self-esteem. He’s cute and charming. We did a lot of activities and so by the time we busted out the adorable water table that Alden’s parents bought him for his birthday, he was way tired, and I can say with hands-down certainty that Kathy was the person who enjoyed that table the most (this may have happened even if Alden wasn’t wiped out… Kathy really loved that table). We’re so glad we were there to document this little future-cat-lover (and hopefully extremely good secret-keeper) turn one.