A St. Dominic’s Catholic Church ceremony followed by a Belle Haven Country Club wedding reception in Alexandria, Virginia
Some love stories begin with a perfectly planned introduction.
Caroline and Brandon’s began with something considerably more unexpected.
Brandon slid into Caroline’s DMs using his dog’s Instagram account.
And somehow, it worked.
Washington, DC Wedding Film
He DMed Her From His Dog's Instagram Account
Caroline & Brandon — a Catholic ceremony at St. Dominic's and a reception at Belle Haven Country Club, told in two very different films.
Some love stories begin with a perfectly planned introduction. Caroline and Brandon's began with a message from a dog.
Brandon slid into Caroline's DMs using his dog's Instagram account. And somehow, it worked.
What started as a college connection became a relationship built on long walks, bad movies, music festivals, travel, inside jokes — and the kind of friendship that makes ordinary moments feel like something.
Their wedding brought that story full circle: a ceremony at St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Washington, DC, followed by a celebration at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, Virginia, with around 170 of the people who matter most to them.
Elegant. Emotional. Loud in all the right places. And unmistakably them.
01From College to a Dog's DM
They met in college — one of Brandon's roommates was Caroline's teammate. But when it came to asking her out, Brandon skipped the traditional route. He wrote to her from his dog's account, and eventually talked her into a New Year's Eve date.
It's not the opening scene you'd expect from a classic love story. Which is probably exactly why it fits.
What came next wasn't always dramatic enough for a wedding program, but it's the part couples tend to remember most:
- Riding out COVID together — movies on the couch, long walks outside
- Harry Potter World
- Punk rock festivals
- Beach trips and travel abroad
- A private language of dog jokes and references that make perfect sense to them and almost no one else
- A surprise proposal in Savannah
02How They See Each Other
By the time Brandon planned the proposal, the shape of the relationship was already clear: friendship, adventure, humor, and simply liking each other's company.
Smart, caring and dedicated.
Kind, easygoing, a sense of humor that's spot on — and she pushes him.
Those aren't just words for two people standing at the altar. They describe what's underneath the wedding. And when we're filming, that's what we're looking for.
03A Catholic Ceremony at St. Dominic's
St. Dominic's Catholic Church, on E Street SW, was one of the parts of the day Caroline and Brandon were most excited about — and it gave the morning real weight. The ceremony included two readings, and the two of them exchanged letters.
A wedding day moves fast. The flowers fade. The dress gets put away. The guests go home. But voices remain.
The words spoken by the people you love often become the most valuable part of the film. Why we record real audio
That's why we care so much about capturing real sound and real moments, rather than stitching together a series of pretty images.
04On to Belle Haven Country Club
From the church, the celebration moved across the river to Belle Haven Country Club. Caroline and Brandon had imagined beautiful flowers, elegant outfits and a room full of friends and family ready to celebrate. With around 170 guests, the energy took care of itself.
Then came the dancing. They'd prepared choreographed dances and specifically wanted them filmed — and a choreographed dance is never just something to record from start to finish. It's the nerves before the music drops, the crowd's reaction, the laugh when something doesn't quite go to plan. Those small human moments are what people rewatch.
One Wedding.
Two Films.
Caroline and Brandon had an unusually clear vision: two completely different experiences.
One timeless — something meaningful for their families. And one that felt like the punk-festival side of them: hard cuts, shifting visual styles, unexpected transitions and loud music. Their reference points were Blink-182 and the energy of the Rock Show video.
They didn't want a wedding film that looked like everyone else's. They wanted one that felt like Caroline and Brandon. So here's the other one.
- A quiet moment
- Hard cut
- A ceremony reading
- The dance floor explodes
- Flowers, close up
- Something nobody saw coming
05Why We Ask About Your Story First
When we work with couples, we want to know more than what the wedding will look like. We want to know who you are.
How did you meet? What makes you laugh? What do you do together when no one else is around? What does your partner do that drives you crazy in the best way? Which traditions matter to your family? What do you want your children or grandchildren to see one day?
For Caroline and Brandon, knowing their story meant knowing the dog wasn't a funny footnote — it was the beginning. The bad movies weren't a random hobby; they were how they spent their time. The festivals, the Harry Potter trips, the inside jokes were pieces of the life they'd built. When those details shape what we look for, the film means more.
06Planning a DC or Northern Virginia Wedding?
This wedding is a good example of how a Washington, DC day can move between two very different settings — and why the transition is worth planning early.
St. Dominic's Catholic Church
Catholic ceremonies have their own rhythm, and churches often have specific guidelines for photo and video. Talk them through with your filmmaker ahead of time so the ceremony is documented beautifully without being disrupted.
Belle Haven Country Club
Details, portraits, entrances, toasts, formal dances — and, in this case, a very lively dance floor. Plan for the big moments and the spaces between them.
Getting-ready locations, travel between venues, ceremony restrictions, family portraits, cocktail hour and sunset portraits all shape how much time there is to film. A good timeline isn't only about getting everyone from one place to the next. It gives the story room to unfold.
And some of the best moments never appear on a timeline at all: the moment your friends first see you, a parent straightening a jacket, a quiet word before the reception, the reaction to a toast, the friend who's been dancing for three straight hours.
07What Makes a Film Worth Rewatching
Years from now, you won't remember which lens was used or how clever a transition was. You'll remember people. Voices. How someone laughed. What your partner said. The way your parents looked at you. Things you didn't even notice on the day.
That's why we believe a wedding film should be more than a wedding video. It should be a family heirloom — something you return to and keep discovering.
Caroline and Brandon didn't need to invent a story for their films. They already had one: a college connection, a DM from a dog, a New Year's Eve date, long walks and bad movies, punk rock festivals and Harry Potter World, a surprise in Savannah — and finally, a church full of family followed by a party at Belle Haven.
Your story will be different. That's exactly the point.
Your wedding already has a story.
Our job is to help you remember it.
Planning a Washington, DC Wedding?
We're Desmond and Vera Denton, a husband-and-wife team combining documentary storytelling with cinematic filmmaking — for couples across Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland and beyond, from every cultural and faith tradition.
Whether you're marrying at St. Dominic's, Belle Haven or somewhere else entirely, we'd love to hear your story.
- Tell us how you met.
- Tell us what makes you laugh.
- Tell us who matters.
- Tell us what you want to remember.
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