Heather & Sean – 7/21/07
 July 25, 2007
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I’ve always enjoyed traveling to Fort Wayne, whether it was to shoot graduations in the old days, shoot weddings each of the last few years, visit Amish country nearby, or bring the kids to the awesome Children’s Zoo and Science Central. On this particular weekend, I drove up there to cover Heather & Sean’s beautiful wedding mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Heather was recovering from a recent spate of illnesses, but she looked gorgeous nonetheless, and quite relieved to finally be able to kiss the groom and not care about getting him sick anymore. The reception was in what appeared to be an “inflatable” banquet hall adjacent to the Marriott Hotel. Sounds strange, I know, but the inside was very nicely decorated, and the prime rib during dinner was delicious! Everyone had a wonderful time, and I’m sure that Heather & Sean are feeling perfectly fine in Maui right about now.

Jill & Stephen – 7/21/07
 July 25, 2007
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While I was working in Fort Wayne, Laurie worked a little bit closer to home, covering Jill & Stephen’s ceremony at Northminster Presbyterian Church. Then everyone made their way to the reception at the Meridian Hills Country Club, where photographer Dawn Fisher of Galleria Studios (who referred the couple to us – thanks, Dawn!) got some great shots of the couple while Laurie captured lots of candid moments at the cocktail hour. The reception was a lively affair, and this was interestingly the third time Laurie worked at this venue this year. (Her next reception will be her third at the Conrad Hotel this year as well – pretty strange but cool!)

Kimberly & Adam’s Highlights
 July 11, 2007
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Here are the highlights from Kim & Adam’s beautiful 6/16/07 wedding and reception in the Ashland, KY area:

UPDATE: Kim just e-mailed me with some nice feedback: “The highlight video is amazing, you did such a great job…thank you so much for helping us remember every detail of our wedding!” My pleasure, Kim!

Kristen & Rob – 7/7/07
 July 10, 2007
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Photo by Jessica Strickland

Kristen & Rob had the foresight to recognize what a popular date 7/7/07 would be and booked us 18 months in advance, disappointing the countless brides who contacted us since then about that date. A few months later, Kristen also hired me to shoot her brother Jim’s wedding in their home town of South Bend, during which time I quickly realized what a fun and colorful family I would be working for this weekend.
The weekend they planned was as big as the date itself, starting with an informal rehearsal and dinner at the Indianapolis Zoo‘s newly renovated Oceans building. Kristen surprised Rob with a pinata for his birthday before everyone went inside to enjoy a tasty fajita bar. The dinner tables were arranged around the new shark-petting pool, which was a big hit. (Even though my friends from Stacy & Mary Photography caught me trying to pet the wrong shark.)

Once the “lucky” day arrived, another talented friend, photographer Jessica Strickland, joined me to cover Kristen’s preparations in her suite at the Conrad Hotel. After a nice private moment on the staircase downstairs with the groom (see top photo), we got to spend a lot of time with the couple for photos in the lobby, the Artsgarden, a photo booth, and outside the Indiana Roof Ballroom, where the ceremony and reception took place. The ceremony was officiated by former Lt. Governor Joe Kernan, and the music-loving couple cleverly had their friends choose song lyrics for their readings.

Photo by Jessica Strickland

The reception was every bit as colorful as the couple’s personalities, with lots of unique little touches everywhere, like chocolate favors from the South Bend Chocolate Company and Lucky Seven lottery tickets (Kristen won $2 that night – and a husband!) on a wide palette of brightly colored tables. Consultant Tonya Shadoan of Circle City Planners (who referred the couple to me) and her staff did a great job of transforming Kristen’s many ideas into a single, colorful presentation, as well as keeping this very laid-back group on track. Cynthia Layne and her tight band capped the evening with some great jazz and R&B classics.
Check out more great images from the weekend on Jessica Strickland’s blog, and coming soon (once Stacy gets the film back) on Stacy & Mary’s blog!
Kristen & Rob on TV
 July 9, 2007
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Our 7/7/07 couple Kristen & Rob had a fun wedding that I will post about shortly. In the mean time, click on the image below to see a “Lucky 7” story featuring them that aired on WTHR over the weekend:

Krista & Phillip – 6/30/07
 July 4, 2007
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Photo by Essenza Studio
We started production for Krista & Phil much earlier than they were expecting, as both sets of parents had arranged for us to create surprise video slideshows for the couple’s rehearsal dinner. The home movie footage that Krista’s dad provided added an extra sentimental touch that made it hard for anyone (including yours truly) to hold back tears. The couple enjoyed beautiful weather Saturday and a fantastic wedding ceremony as they exchanged vows at St. John Catholic Church downtown. Videographer and recent Emmy-nominated producer Laurie Buschmann hopped on a shuttle with the bridal party to cover their photo time near Meridian Hills Country Club with the talented crew of Ohio’s award-winning Essenza Studio. They all returned downtown for a five-star reception at the Conrad Hotel, Laurie’s third time shooting there this year, and Sound Spectrum provided the music that perfectly suited this ready-to-party couple.
Megan & Justin – 6/30/07
 July 2, 2007
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Photo by Dawn Fisher of Galleria Studios Photography
Megan and Justin cracked me up in our meeting about a month ago while finalizing details for their wedding, talking about all the so-bad-they’re-good cheesy 80’s songs they were considering for their first dance and video. I knew then that they would be a fun couple to work with. Their ceremony at Carmel United Methodist Church was filled with music of the amazing variety, performed by various members of Justin’s talented family. One highlight for me was a simple comment Justin’s dad made to me just before the ceremony. One of the grandmothers is in her 90’s and was unable to travel to the wedding, nor had she been able to see the other family members perform in their recent music careers, so this video would be priceless to her. Comments like that are exactly why I love what I do!

The reception at the Columbia Club downtown was a lively affair perfectly orchestrated by catering manager A.J. Ploughe. There were delicious cakes on each table with different flavors, encouraging guests to visit other tables to compare cakes and mingle. The Flip Miller Band (who along with photographer Dawn Fisher of Galleria Studios referred the couple to me – thanks, guys!) provided their signature great music, keeping the dance floor so packed that I could barely navigate the crowd. The nice thing about having worked with Flip for so long is that when the couple was naming potential first dance songs a month earlier, I was able to recommend one that I recognized from the band’s lesser-used repertoire, and so it was a kick to learn they had ultimately chosen it. The groom saved the best for last, performing “Walking in Memphis” with the band as his friends from his days with the Carmel H.S. Ambassadors backed him up. The couple’s sendoff amid sparklers was a perfect and holiday-appropriate way to cap off the evening.