Hamilton Photography
Couples choose courthouse weddings for a variety of reasons: some want to save money, others want to avoid the planning vortex or keep the affair ultra-intimate. But for Karina and Isaac Breslau, who tied the knot at the Montgomery County Courthouse in November, the goal was to honor Karina's family, who live in Russia and couldn't travel all the way to the United States without considerable expense and inconvenience. "It didn't seem proper to have a big, extravagant event without her family present," Isaac explains.
Several weeks before their date, the couple was delighted to find out that Karina's mother would be able to celebrate with them, after all. She was joined by Isaac's son for the ceremony, before all four traveled to Annapolis, where Karina and Isaac had coordinated a stunning photo shoot with Hamilton Photography. Afterwards, they hosted a dinner party with 20 of their closest friends at PassionFish in Bethesda.
The pair met in upstate New York in 2016; Isaac was vacationing and Karina was participating in a work-exchange program. "We saw each other and it was like magnets," Isaac explains. That, and Karina coaxed him into signing up for a Bonus card at the grocery store where she was working. Already smitten with the clerk, who he had noticed a few days before, Isaac acquiesced, even though he had no intention of doing any more shopping. They later connected via Instagram and hung out every night that week. When Isaac's trip came to a close, they stayed in touch, even after Karina moved to Canada a month later to attend college. After two years of long distance dating, Isaac traveled to Moscow to meet Karina's family. He asked Karina mother's permission to marry her daughter and the two picked out a ring together while Karina was getting her nails done. He proposed on that same trip, with 101 roses, in front of her whole family.
1 of 11
2 of 11
3 of 11
Hamilton Photography
4 of 11
Hamilton Photography
5 of 11
6 of 11
Hamilton Photography
7 of 11
Hamilton Photography
8 of 11
Hamilton Photography
9 of 11
10 of 11
Hamilton Photography
11 of 11
DETAILS //
Photography: Hamilton Photography / Hair and makeup: Addi O'liel / Shoot location: downtown Annapolis