Wedding Wire | Bride's Choice Awards

For the second year in a row, Wedding Wire announced that I have been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Photography!

This is what Wedding Wire had to say about this award: "The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds."

Wow! Thanks so much to all the couples who voted. I can't wait to see what the year has in store!

The Knot Best of Weddings 2010

Kristen Gardner Photography has been rated by local brides and voted into "The Knot Best of Weddings 2010"! Wow... What an honor. I feel like I should go on maternity leave more often! To all my wedding clients: Thank you so much for voting. It was a joy to photograph so many amazing events last year.

Have you checked out The Knot? Not only are they an amazing resource for brides and grooms, but they also have specific publications for newly married couples (The Nest) and new parents (The Bump). Check 'em out!

washingtonian magazine | best virginia wedding photographers

I was already in the hospital when Washingtonian Magazine contacted me last November...In fact, I was already in labor! But when one of the editors left a message on my voicemail, I knew I had to return the call. I remember turning to Tim and saying, "Please promise me that you'll call them back tomorrow. Promise me. No matter what." This was said in between contractions. (I'm not even kidding!) I'm sure that Tim thought I was insane to obsess about a phone call while in labor, but he was smart to keep that to himself. What can I say? Labor made me a little crazy. :)

It turns out that Washingtonian Magazine named me as one of the best wedding photographers in VA! (I'm mentioned on their website and in their "Bride & Groom" issue.) I'm incredibly flattered and humbled considering how many amazing photographers work in the area.

Washingtonian Magazine is one of the most popular publications in DC, VA, & MD. If you haven't already, you should definitely check it out! And to all of the fabulous couples who voted... Thank you so much! You guys are awesome.

best of 2009 | weddings

In 2009 I photographed just over twenty weddings. It was quite a year! I can't tell you how amazing it was to capture the love, relationships, and details that went into making each wedding day unique. But even better was knowing that I made many, many dear friends in the process.

I really enjoyed looking back over the past year to find these images! The pictures that I chose are a mixture of my favorite bride and groom portraits as well as special "real" moments... It was hard to narrow them down! To all of my wedding clients: Thanks for such a wonderful year. I really love my job.

christine + mark | virginia wedding photographer

Last Sunday, I photographed my last wedding of 2009! Mark and Christine were married at The Rock Hill Plantation House, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to end the season. I had such a wonderful time capturing their day!

Mark and Christine are both incredibly laid back and fun to hang out with. Their love for one another was a joy to photograph. And the weather and lighting were just perfect that day... I was in heaven! Here are just a few from their day...




So pretty!








Is she cute, or what?!







Love all the details!







One more...

Christine and Mark: Congratulations! I had such a wonderful time celebrating with you guys, and I wish you all the best!