RF Wedding of the Week: An Intimate D.C. Wedding, Photography by Sarah Gormley

When we spotted this wedding on Washington, D.C.-based photographer Sarah Gormley‘s blog, we knew we had something special that had to be shared. Understated and honest (two of my favorite qualities in wedding photography—and life), Gormley beautifully captured this couple’s love for each other.

The very intimate ceremony between Selena and Sarah took place in the living room at their Washington, D.C., home, surrounded by 20 of their friends and family. Gormley used a Canon 5D Mark II, and her “go-to” prime lenses: a 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2 and 135mm f2.

“When I met Selena and Sarah for our initial consultation over happy hour drinks, I knew that I wanted to be their photographer,” says Gormley. “They were stylish, down-to-earth and most importantly, very obviously head-over-heels in love.”

Gormley estimates about 50% of her inquires are from same-sex couples, and same-sex weddings make up about 25% of her bookings for 2014. Aside from publicizing past weddings on her blog, Gormley advertises on A Practical Wedding, which calls on its vendors to take a Sanity Pledge (stating support of and willingness to work with LGBTQ couples).

“Shooting the ceremony was a bit tough with tons of natural light flowing in from the big window behind them, mixing with the tungsten lights that were necessary to light the room for their guests,” says Gormley. “A good amount of work went into the ceremony images in post-production.”

After the ceremony, “We walked around the neighborhood at sunset, catching D.C.’s infamous golden hour light, and then headed over to Nora’s restaurant in Dupont for wine, tear-filled toasts and an absolutely delicious dinner,” says the photographer.

The reception at Nora’s also proved to be a challenge: “There was also very low-light, but I bumped up the ISO, used my prime lenses and embraced the grain,” says Gormley.

Visit Sarah Gormley’s website for more from this wedding and others.