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After a fantastic wedding week in St. Kitts and another week’s honeymoon in Antigua, the celebration continued last Saturday at their reception at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Tonya Shadoan of Circle City Planners and Gene Huddleston of Detail + Design collaborated to bring tropical chic to the Deer Zink Pavillion. What really made the room was the contemporary furniture sets carefully picked out by Tonya and provided by Watson’s, where Kevin is the sales manager. I put together a video of photographer Hether Miles‘ great images combined with my footage, and it was a huge hit with the crowd. It was intended by Jill to be the focal point of the reception, but it got upstaged soon after by the couple themselves. I’ve seen over 500 first dances, so it would take something really special for me to say that it was my Favorite First Dance Ever, but this one was by a mile. (I’ll post it shortly.) All in all, it was a magical night to cap off what Kevin’s dad called the “longest wedding ever!”

A Colt gets hitched! Here are the highlights from Melody & Dylan’s ceremony at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and reception at the Woodstock Club on 4/29/07. Enjoy!

I just got back from a fun little “photo club” gathering at Stacy & Mary Photography‘s downtown studio, where we gabbed, critiqued each others’ photos (thanks for not making too much fun of this amateur!), drank and talked shop for hours on end. It was wonderful as always to see my friends Stacy, Mary and Jessica Strickland, and also to finally meet photographers Lauren Chapman, Bobbi Sheridan and their husbands after hearing so many wonderful things about them. I hope that not too many details of the evening get out, but I’m guessing that some photos soon to be seen on their respective blogs will paint a picture. Thanks for hosting a great evening, Stacy & Mary!

As long as I’m thanking such wonderful friends in the biz, I should also thank the gals at the Omni Severin Hotel for borrowing my plasma TV for their booth at Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show at the Montage on Sunday. I’m so lucky to have classy people like them, DJ Sunny Moon and others display and distribute so much of my work at these shows, and then treat me as if I’m doing THEM a favor! Thanks also to my friend and neighbor, DJ Jim Cerone for going to the show with me and helping me get the TV back to the studio. While I’m at it, belated thanks to my awesome pal Angela Talley for treating me once again to a yummy lunch (and more big smiles from sweet little Lucia) a couple days ago. Did I mention how incredibly LUCKY I am?

With only a day’s rest following my adventure in St. Kitts, it was time to quickly get back to business on Sunday for Melody & Dylan’s wedding at my church, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. The deep spirituality of this couple blended beautifully with the inspirational music and grandeur of the sanctuary to create one of the most moving ceremonies I ever have seen there. I loved the way Dylan told me during his on-camera interview that his planned proposal to Melody got delayed because his “work schedule got extended.” (He’s a lineman for the Colts, and the Super Bowl was the culprit!)

The reception was a nicely paced affair at the Woodstock Club, with a very spirited crowd jamming to the music of the multi-talented duo Dave and Rae. It was nice to catch up with former clients Amie & Matt Paradise, who referred the couple to me, and Katie & Adam Wright. (Check out these great shots of Katie & Adam’s adorable baby from Jessica Strickland’s blog!) The majority of Dylan’s fellow offensive linemen from the Colts were there as well, and groomsman Ben Utecht was particularly hilarious all night, espcially when he took over the mic for “Ice Ice Baby.” But nothing made the night more joyful than the genuine warmth of Melody & Dylan themselves, who obviously have so much love to share with each other and those around them. The icing on the cake was having my longtime buddy Rich Johnson shooting with me (as he will much more often this year), along with photographer Scott Barrett, with whom I was working for the first time.

Covering Jill & Kevin’s destination wedding in the beautiful island of St. Kitts over this past week was truly an experience of a lifetime! The travel to and from there was long but enjoyable thanks to the company of photographer Hether Miles, with whom we had collaborated on the wedding of Kevin’s sister Jennifer a few years ago. The mountains and beaches of the island itself reminded me of Kauai with its abundance of natural beauty unblemished by major development, and the jaw-dropping view of the island from the air was a vision that I will never forget. The expansive St. Kitts Marriott Resort was a great locale for most of the festivities (volleyball, golf, spa, etc.) enjoyed by their 30 or so guests.

The ceremony itself on Thursday was certainly not your typical gazebo wedding at a pretty resort. Instead, it took place miles away on an unpopulated beach near the black, jagged wall of a cliff. Tonya Shadoan of Circle City Planners, who referred the couple to us did a superb job in scouring the whole island with the couple to find this unique and memorable spot. The cool breeze, setting sun, crashing waves and steel drums made for a postcard-pretty backdrop. Even more palpable was the genuine affection the couple had for each other, which was apparent during their emotional, personalized vows.

The reception followed soon after next to the resort’s north swimming pool, where everyone was greeted by a cute and hilarious little diapered monkey who gamely posed for photos with each guest and stole sips of their cocktails. (I hope he had a ride home!) The local band kept a Caribbean vibe going throughout dinner and then kept everyone in a dancing mood with disco and R&B classics for the remainder of the evening.

In addition to being an incredible time, the whole week LOOKED incredible in HD, so I can’t wait to put all this footage together and share it. The festivities are not yet complete, however, as there will be a formal reception for the couple at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in a couple of weekends. The video that I will be producing for the reception highlighting our week in St. Kitts is intended by the couple to be a focal point of the evening, so I will look forward to putting Hether’s beautiful shots together with my footage to bring the islands to the IMA!

Here are the highlights from Kelly & J.R.’s wedding last weekend at Friendship Baptist Church and reception at Valle Vista Golf Club & Conference Center on 4/14/07 in Greenwood. Enjoy!

UPDATE (4/22/07) Kelly sent along this e-mail: “I sent the overview clip to some of my family and friends and they loved it! Everyone complimented on what an amazing job you’ve done. I can’t wait to view the whole thing!” Me neither, Kelly – and thank you!

Matthew sipping a (non-alcoholic) pina colada in Cancun

It’s hard to believe that our first baby and resident genius is going to be a double-digit age in one more year, but for now, we’ll just celebrate Matthew turning 9 years old today. Chris and I like to reminisce about his first minutes, when the nurses first placed him in her arms. He made an immediate impression in the way that he calmly looked around studying his surroundings, and his curiosity and independence have not let up ever since. Happy 9th birthday, Matthew! We love you!