| | My journey with Jessica and Andrew began on Labor Day last year. I had photographed a wedding in Kalamazoo on that Saturday, then a wedding in Traverse City on Sunday. Jessy and Andrew, who live in Arizona, just happened to be in Traverse City (Jessy's hometown) for their engagement party that weekend. We ended up doing our preliminary meeting on Monday morning, and because they already knew they wanted to hire me, we planned on doing their engagement session immediately following the meeting. I was admittedly exhausted. There are sessions that I have to work for and that I'm really proud of because of that. Jessy and Andrew's engagement photos turned out phenomenal, but I refuse to take credit. It was ALL them. I merely pushed the button. Honest.
So, like most photographers would be, I was super excited for their wedding. Shortly after the engagement session, they became my friends on Facebook. I began to learn that not only were they straight out of a magazine, but they were TRULY beautiful people with a transparent faith, integrity, and great taste in music...not too many others have heard of Shane and Shane, a household favorite of ours for many years! The wedding provided the opportunity to also get to know their parents... seriously first class. I really don't think that Jessy and Andrew could have asked for better role models. Also important to note that the super talented, Alicia Caldecott of A Day In May was the creative driving force behind this event. With that, I'd like to invite you into the magic that was Jessy and Andrew's first day as husband and wife.
What better way to start than the hairdryer at the salon?!
LOVED the Heidi Klum bun.
I was honored to have my dear friend, Karyn May, come and assist me on this wedding. She knocked out these stellar images of Andrew getting ready...
I remember seeing Jessy's status on Facebook when she decided on these shoes... I might have been just as happy as she was! You can't go wrong with this pair of Manolo Blahnik from Sex and the City.
A few bridal portraits before the ceremony... yes, I can shoot anywhere. Including the bathroom. On anyone else, I think this Lazaro would have trumped the bride. Jessy was able to rivel if not trump this gown. It's like she is exactly what the designer had in mind when this dress was created. There is truly an art to fashion design that I appreciate and respect.
A few sweet moments before the ceremony started... her mom holding her grandma's hand after walking down the aisle.
And have I mentioned lately how much I love grandparents?
Andrew's proud dad... seriously? I love men who don't try to hide their emotions (note: this photo is tinted orange as are most of the photos of the ceremony -- you'll see why in a sec).
Can't forget Andrew who waited with bated breath for a glimspe of his bride.
Jessy couldn't wait to see him either...
And THIS is why we have the orange tint. :) If I made the ceremony photos white, it wouldn't have looked like how they would have remembered it. The whole place glowed with this intense orange light from the tent. Probably wouldn't have been my first choice if I was putting a permant tent structure up at a hotel, but hey, it's not too bad either! It's funky fun. I could have popped a flash during the whole ceremony, but that's not my style. I don't want that kind of irritating attention drawn to me during a such a sacred ceremony.
Instead of a candle which is a challenge to keep lit outside, they incorporated a rope ceremony to symbolize the unity of both Jessy and Andrew, as well as God... a key relationship in their marriage.
Officially husband and wife.
The first moment after the ceremony...
Onto the "official" portraits. The lighting was super harsh and all the shaded areas backed up to buildings that were not particularly attractive (think 1980s brick). So I just took them out to the golf course and put their back to the sun... no weird distractions... just them. :)
This photo is a little trendy, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to get another shot of the Manolo Blahniks. :)
Welcome to their Moroccan-themed reception. Todd at Special Events Rental knocked another one out of the park.
Speaking of the engagement photos... a different photo was used for all the table numbers! :) Yay!! I love it when people actually use the engagement photos!
Jessy's bouquet and the one to toss
And the finishing touch that had everyone drooling... literally...
A grand welcome.
And a proud dad. Amazing toast. I lost it. What a legacy he has left...
Let's get the party started...
Father/daughter dance. Otherwise known as a tear fest.
Mother/son dance. Otherwise known as my undoing.
And this little guy, the ring bearer, cut up the dance floor ALL night!! Completely reminds me of my Ethan.
Yup, that's his jacket. Fortunately, that's all he whipped off. ;)
Really, there are no words to describe this.
Or this.
Not to be outdone... Jessy and her mom know how to rock too. :)
And finally, the last dance of the night... (Technical note: went with available light on these. Which, if you're going to do with LEDs, you need to underexpose and shoot based on your color histograms - NOT your combined histogram. With only one color channel represented, your combined histogram will average out and look like it's correctly exposed, when in fact you've blown your magenta channel and thus all detail in that channel. The whole photo will be overexposed. Raw doesn't hurt either.)
Thank you Jessy and Andrew for allowing me to witness such a sweet ceremony and a glimpse at your life together. Completely my honor.
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| | Posted 7/26/2009 10:56 PM - 421 Views - 8 eProps - 6 comments
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