Mark and Kate’s Spanish Steps Wedding in Washington DC
Updated: 3 days ago
Mark and Kate married at the Spanish Steps in Washington DC, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Their celebration continued in the rooftop garden at Rose’s Luxury. The 35 photographs below follow the ceremony, portraits, and gathering with their guests.
From Navy colleagues to a Washington DC wedding
Their story includes time stationed together in Sicily while serving in the Navy and a first date at the Lincoln Memorial. Those places belong to their history together; the Spanish Steps became the setting for their wedding vows.
Vows at the Spanish Steps
The outdoor ceremony brought their closest people together around the steps. An officiant led the ceremony as Mark and Kate exchanged their vows. Keeping the gathering small gave the photographs room for both the couple and the people there to celebrate with them.
Portraits and dinner at Rose’s Luxury
After the ceremony came portraits and the reception at Rose’s Luxury’s rooftop garden. Dinner and toasts were part of the celebration with their guests. This was a day with two distinct settings: the outdoor ceremony and the restaurant gathering that followed.
The portraits include a sunlit sidewalk, a colorful LOVE mural, and an ice cream stop. In the ceremony photographs, hands, expressions, and applauding guests bring the wider gathering into the story. The later frames turn toward seated conversations, laughter, and the couple kissing with guests watching.
Planning your own small wedding in Washington DC
Use this gallery to think about the photographs you want to make room for: vows, time together for portraits, and dinner with the people you invited. If photography at the ceremony location matters to you, include it in the timeline before arranging travel to the reception.
Confirm event arrangements directly with each location before booking. For an outdoor ceremony, discuss guest access, seating and equipment, weather alternatives, and any current permission requirements. A past wedding gallery shows one couple’s day; it does not establish what a location permits for your date.
For a DC park ceremony, start with the Department of Parks and Recreation’s permitting guidance and ask its permits team to confirm who manages your exact location and which process applies. Check the current application steps before setting the ceremony plans.
Allow time to move between the ceremony and reception, including getting guests to the next location. Choose a small number of portrait priorities so the photographs fit around the celebration. If dinner and toasts matter to your coverage, discuss when those will happen before deciding when photography ends.
Talk through photography for your celebration
I combine documentary coverage with portrait direction when it helps. Send your date, ceremony and reception locations, guest count, and the parts of the day you most want photographed. We can discuss availability and a timeline that includes your guests as well as portraits.
