Kate and Craig

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I have tons of images from this wedding to post, and it's well worth the wait! On August 29 and 30, I had the pleasure of photographing Kate and Craig's amazingly fun rehearsal and wedding. Craig is a wedding photographer in North Carolina and very very creative. He made up a couple of fun games to play at the rehearsal and both it and the wedding proved to be one fun thing after another. Kate and Craig put a lot of themselves into their weekend and I felt very honored to be chosen to capture it all for them. So, on to the show (which now has gigantic images!!)!

From "Heads Up", the trivia game based on the lives of Kate, Craig and Snarf the Cat. Funny stuff.

A blindfolded Kate, gulping a bit of wine prior to being subjected to the "Ass Grab" game where she was charged with grabbing the derrieres of various rehearsal dinner attendees in an effort to find the one of her betrothed.

Nope, that's not it.

This isn't it either, but Kate sure thought it was!!

Unusual for me, but I got to hang out with the guys prior to the ceremony where Craig bought each groomsman a wooden rubberband gun. I kept hearing in my head, over and over, that line from A Christmas Story, "you'll shoot your eye out". No eyes were harmed in the gun play.

Craig and the guys stayed at the newly renovated Residence Inn downtown on Gay St. It used to be a bank, so the lobby was rife with opportunities for using their guns.

Pulling a caper on the vault.

A couple portraits of Craig.

Back at Taylor Mansion where the ceremony took place, this shot is of Kate putting on her custom-made "Chinese" shoes.

"Blotting" the lipstick.

Kate and Craig chose to see each other before the ceremony, in a circle of family and friends.

Kate's mom and grandma.

Peas in a pod. This is Craig and his dad.

A shot of the ceremony from super close to the bridesmaid. She's holding the vows.

Craig composed and played/sang a song for Kate during the ceremony. See what I mean about how much of themselves they infused into the ceremony? Nice.

I love how, at unstructured venues and with clients for whom photography is a huge priority, I can sneak in little opportunities to get super close to the action to get these great shots. I didn't spend the entire time standing right next to the officiant, but having the flexibility to move in for a couple tight shots produces great, unique images.

We took a little time after the ceremony for a few romantic portraits.

Signing the marriage license.

Enjoying the cocktail hour.

Groomsman Anthony Moses did double-duty as DJ and he was awesome!

Imagine the WWF "let's get ready to rumble" and you have the wedding party introductions given by this extremely talented groomsman.

First dance. I love when the wedding party stands in the background of the dance.

Craig's dad is really touched, and a comforting hand by his wife.

The "in-laws" dance.

Kate's brothers give a hilarious speech.

Reflection of the tent lights in the see-through portion of the tent roof.

Nice, intentionally "moving" shot of the dance floor once the glow sticks were handed out.

Almost alone, right in the middle of everything.

Congratulations, Kate and Craig!!

Second shooting

Every great once in a while, I'm presented with an opportunity to second shoot with a photographer friend. On September 6, I shot with my friend Kevin Keefer and we had a great time. Everything took place at the bride's parents' house, a sprawling ranch/farm on the outskirts of Westerville. It was a lovely setting and we had beautiful weather to go with it, not to mention fabulous food catered by City Barbecue, which I think I could eat almost every day! Here are a few shots from my wedding with Kevin:

Our groom, Adam.

After hanging out with the guys, I stepped inside just in time to catch Nikki getting into her dress.

Nikki, receiving flowers from Adam.

This is Nikki and Adam's pooch. What a sweetie.

Supplies, just in case.

An overall of the ceremony, including the horse-drawn carriage Nikki rode in on.

What I like best about this image are all the shadows on the path back up the "aisle".

On our tour of the property for some romantic portraits, I got to ride up in the seat with the driver. That seat has to be the bumpiest part of the carriage.

This is one of my favorite images from the day. During the speeches, Kevin focused on the speech-givers while I concentrated on Nikki and Adam's reactions, including this great expression by Nikki when Adam's beer exploded.

mmmmmm, City Barbecue!

Another of my favorite shots, this of the tippy top of the tent and the last remaining light of the day.

A shoot-out with Kevin. I don't hold it against him that he shoots Canon.

I think this guy thought he was his own best dance partner.

Thanks, Kevin, for having me along! It was great fun! And best wishes to Nikki and Adam!!

SEPTEMBER ALBUM SALE!!

Yep, that's right, I'm having an album sale! All main wedding albums, including parent albums, are 10% off for the month of September (guestbooks not included)! So, whether you've had your wedding or not, sign up now and save 10%! Yay!! Shoot me a mail to get all the details! You know you want to!!

Megan and Elwood

What can I say about Megan and Elwood? Anyone who knows them, even not very well, can see how vibrant and fun they are, and how much they absolutely adore each other. Shooting their wedding a week back just captured all that and more. We started with the girls having hair and make-up done at Megan and Elwood's house in Victorian Village - which, it turns out, I lived right around the corner from when I lived down there - then on to First Community Church in Marble Cliff. The reception was held at COSI with a great view of the downtown skyline. What a fun place for a wedding reception!

Isn't she beautiful?

I love this shot. And, if you recognize the stylist, it's probably because you saw her on the just-ended season of Shear Genius. This is "Gail from Columbus", as she was known on the show. She didn't make it to the end, but she did a fabulous job on everyone's hair for the wedding!

In the make-up chair.

Have to have faux lashes!

To entertain everyone, Megan brought out a gigantic box of photographs, which was a huge hit.

At the church, a couple quickie portraits in the sun-flooded bathroom.

A nice moment from the ceremony.

At COSI, on our way out to the veranda, I noticed this gorgeous bright orange wall. It was very vibrant, and a great match for our fun wedding party!

At last, a few minutes alone for some romantic portraits.

An overall of the canopies on the terrace at COSI.

Megan and Elwood had an eclectic menu, including Thai and Indian dishes. mmmm yum!!

And who doesn't like cake under glass? This was their cake, in the midst of the amazing dessert table.

As a surprise to Elwood, Megan had the OSU Alumni Band come and play some tunes. I love this silhouette shot of the trumpet against the last light of the evening sky. Elwood was very surprised at this fun gift.

I love this. Isn't this sweet?!

Megan and Dad's dance.

At the rehearsal the night before, all the guys showed up in loud Hawaiian shirts. The next day, the DJ followed suit.

The guests had a blast out on the terrace.

That tie used to be around this guy's neck!

Congratulations, Megan and Elwood!!

Happy Anniversary, Ilana and Michael!

A big congratulations goes out to Ilana and Michael, who were married one year ago yesterday at Congregation Beth Tikvah, with their fabulously fun reception at Hyatt Regency. Through Ilana I learned of Studio Fovero, where I now get my hair done, so in addition to all the great fun we had photographing their wedding, I gained an amazing stylist!

Here are a few images to mark their day:

Happy Anniversary, Ilana and Michael!!