If you happened to read our recent blogpost on the Film Theory workshop, you will know that we are big lovers of film photography. (And if you haven’t read it – go check it out!) We worked with local film photographer Rudney Novaes on this project, someone who we have had the pleasure of partnering up with several times this past fall – not just for the workshop, but also a wedding and a styled anniversary session. What can we say?! Rudney is immensely talented, and we wanted to creatively collaborate as much as possible.

As not just wedding planners, but designers as well, we at CDWE very much value any opportunity to let our creative wings fly. Styled shoots are always a fun chance to create our own parameters and vision board, and make it come to life on a small scale. Maybe there’s a new trend we want to explore, or a theme or piece of furniture we absolutely love – with these shoots, we are able to take this element and play off of it, with full creative control. All of our collaborators – those who provide the stationary, outfits, furniture, photos, etc – also end up with an amazing representation of their work, to show to colleagues and future clients. It’s a win-win across the board.

This takes us to a gorgeous fall day this past September, where real-life couple James and Kyle wanted to celebrate their 10 year dating anniversary in style. We were more than happy to oblige, and ended up putting together a romantically modern affair for them at the Larz Anderson House, one of DC’s many historic and iconic venues. As a museum by day, the house provides a grand yet intricate backdrop to any event being held, whether inside or out in the gardens. Artwork and artifacts are spread throughout, giving you a feeling of elegance and grandeur all at once.

With Anderson House’s unquestionable beauty and their unapologetic support for same sex weddings, we knew that it was the perfect spot for this project. This gallery doubled up as a pre-wedding session for Kyle and James, who are getting married in 2021, and as an inspirational shoot. We wanted to do something that both spoke of the elegance of the location and of the appropriate merge between the romance of weddings and the minimalist masculinity of their ideal affair.

There are so many things we love about this shoot, aside from the venue itself and being able to help our handsome couple celebrate their love. We all had a minor obsession (still do) with the maroon velour chairs from White Glove Rentals, and can’t get over the wild yet delicate artistry of up-and-coming cake designer Jisoo. We will let the photos speak for themselves, but be sure to check out the full credits at the bottom of the post!

Photography: Rudney Novaes
Planning & Design: Claire Duran Weddings & Events
Venue: Anderson House
Videography: Yeattes Productions
Flowers: La Fleur Du Jour
Cake: Jisoo Cake Design
Rentals: White Glove Rentals
Linens: Nuage Designs
Stationery: Honeyscope Paper
Hair Styling: Carla Pressley Hair and Makeup
Tuxes: Tuxedo by Sarno
Couple: James Brooks & Kyle Malo