Sheryl & Mark - 4/13/08

It's not too often that I work on a Sunday morning, but opportunity knocked for Sheryl & Mark's wedding at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck. Their traditional Jewish ceremony included all of the usual touches, from the signing of the beautiful ketubah beforehand to the breaking of the glass at the conclusion. One thing I had never seen before was that the tallits (prayer shawls) that each of them wore at their respective mitzvahs years ago were affixed to the canopy of the chuppah under which they stood, truly surrounding them and their families with culture, history and tradition.

The reception at the Montage on Allison Pointe was especially classy and lively for a Sunday afternoon, thanks to beautiful decor by Coby Palmer and some great music provided by Endless Summer, whom I had worked with often in the mid-to-late 90's but never since. It was a treat to work alongside photographers Jim & Lois Wyant once again, along with Eventfull Planning's gifted Teresa Gift (with an assist from Adrienne Henn), who did her usual masterful job of planning, communicating and keeping things running smoothly while seemingly always being at the bride's side whenever she needed a hand.

Jennifer & Patrick - 4/12/08

Jennifer & Pat's coverage started at The Westin downtown the night before, where in addition to the typical happenings, the bride's sisters entertained the crowd with a funny remake of the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The next day's ceremony brought me back to the Irvington area where I grew up, as they exchanged vows at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Jennifer's cousin arranged all of the beautiful music prior to and throughout the ceremony, and I'm glad that the couple will now be able to enjoy hearing on the video some of what they missed that day.

The reception was held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, tastefully designed by Petal Peddlers and Antonia's great IRB staff. The Flip Miller Band (whose namesake referred the couple to me - thanks, Flip!) rocked the house and did what few bands can do - keep the dance floor full despite its huge size and the lure of an awesome bar at the other end of the ballroom. It was a treat to finally work with Bill Collins of ProWeddingPhotos.com, after spotting him atop the Google rankings for many years.

Photo by ProWeddingPhotos.com

Lauren & Matt - 3/29/08

Nine months after Laurie covered Krista & Phil's wedding, we were fortunate to be a part of the wedding of Phil's sister Lauren and Matt. I started behind the scenes at Crowne Plaza Union Station, where the gals surprised Lauren with a nice card and beautiful necklace, while the guys were hilariously wagering on exactly how long the Catholic ceremony (with full mass) would last. I offered to ruin their game by telling them exactly how long it would be, having shot a couple dozen there over the years, but they understandably declined.

Laurie helped me cover the beautiful ceremony at SS. Peter & Paul Cathedral and then took over for the remainder of the day. She followed the group in their trolley to the canal for some fun photos on a gorgeous day with photographer and friend Angela Talley. Then it was back to Union Station's Grand Hall for the reception, stunningly decked out by the folks at Enflora, where the two-member Paul Otten Band did a remarkable job of keeping the huge dance floor packed the whole time. I rejoined the festivities near the end just in time to witness this sea of humanity and snag a couple of "favors" I'd never seen before - personal pizzas from Donato's. Yum!

UPDATE: Lauren took time out of her honeymoon in Hawaii to e-mail the following: "I just want to give you a huge thank you for all your work at our wedding. I checked out the teaser on your blog and it brought me to tears. I LOVED it and I just know the video is going to be amazing!" Thanks so much, Lauren - enjoy the islands!