The sign says “You’ll Like Linton,” and I did, as I traveled south to capture Kim & Darren’s wedding at First Baptist Church and reception at the Elks Lodge. The day started with some fun golf coverage, continued with preparations at the hotel, then culminated in a beautiful ceremony at the church. The reception rocked, with Ty from Grapevine Entertainment presiding over some great music as well as a few surprises, and the consultants of Black Tie Events kept the weekend’s many details steering in the right direction.

Great news – IndyVisual has been voted Indy’s Best Videographer on the WTRV/IndyChannel.com’s A-List! Now, I’m as big a critic as anyone else about the idea of a poll that measures quality by how many people one can recruit to vote. I avoided the common practice of soliciting votes through blogging, tweets, Facebook status updates and mass e-mails to family and friends outside the industry. Only clients and wedding professionals, people who could truly gauge our worthiness, knew of our nomination – not even my wife knew or voted. So the fact that so many clients and fellow professionals showed their support and wrote such wonderful comments means more to me than any title. A big THANK YOU to all those who voted, and congrats as well to my many talented friends who won or finished in the Top 5, four of whom are right here in my building!

Stephanie & Josh became man and wife at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church before celebrating at the Omni Severin downtown, who referred them to us. Working alongside photographer Laszlo Kiss, Videographer Rich Johnson captured all the details, including the radiant makeup by Kiralee, beautiful decor by The Painted Daisy and awesome tunes by the Wendy Reed Band. I especially loved the father’s moving speech, which included several keepsakes from Stephanie’s childhood.

Maggie & Chris tied the knot at North United Methodist Church before celebrating downtown at the Columbia Club, with a quick stop on the Circle for photos in between with photographer Morgan Matters. Flowers were clearly a top priority, as evidenced by the abundant bright rainbow of colors at both locations provided my McNamara Florist. Maggie & Chris met in a church rock band, but left the evening’s music to DJ Jason Fritz of Pro-Sound Entertainment. I loved the couple’s carefree spirit and had a blast covering my second wedding for the Kleinhenn family.

(Lots more great photos on Morgan’s blog!)

Jennifer & Michael were married under a splendid chuppah at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck (which was just for show of course, since they had already signed the ketubah) before celebrating at the Renaissance Hotel. Coby Palmer‘s floral design was exceptional as usual, and veteran band Double Exposure rocked, leading the crowd through an epic ten-minute hora. Special thanks to photographer Sue Huffer for the last-minute referral!

I am honored and excited to have been invited to be a speaker at WEVA Expo 2009, the world’s largest annual event videography conference, this September in Orlando. I first joined WEVA (Wedding & Event Videography Association) during the early years of my business, then called On the Spot Productions. My membership, as well as my experience at the conferences I attended, played a significant role in the early growth of this studio, culminating in my appearance on the cover of the official WEVA trade publication in 1996. All these years later, I am looking forward to giving a little back to the creative community that has given so much to me. Coming off the heels of being invited to be the official videographer of ABC’s (Association of Bridal Consultants) annual conference later this year, I’m feeling truly blessed indeed!

Michelle & Kyle enjoyed a fantastic wedding weekend with a ceremony at St. Mary Catholic Church and a rockin’ reception with amazing Jimmy Buffett-themed decor at the Columbia Club. They brought a heavy dose of Margaritaville to the rehearsal dinner at Bella Vita as well. It was a pleasure as always to work with photographer and friend Jessica Strickland and my fellow We Do! neighbors Zanna-Doo and Indy Photo Booth.

(See more great images from this wedding at Jessica Strickland’s blog!)

One day after covering a wedding in Lexington, Kentucky, I drove to Columbus, Ohio to cover Chelsea & Tommy’s fun-filled wedding & reception at the Westin Great Southern. It was great to be reunited with Chelsea’s family a few years after shooting her sister Kristin’s wedding. It was also fun to meet and work with some Columbus vendors, especially the photographers of Lotz Studios and DJ Chris Snodgrass of Capitol City Sound. Check out Tommy’s creative garter toss – maybe the Kansas City Chiefs (his current NFL team) should try him out at quarterback.

Elizabeth & David – 6/27/09

Beth & David brought a dream team of Indy vendors down to Lexington, Kentucky for their big wedding weekend, culminating in a spectacular reception on Beth’s family farm. I’ve gotten to know Beth & David, owners of Indy Photo Booths, through many mutual bridal and networking events, and more recently as new neighbors in my office building, so it was an honor to be invited to be part of their wedding weekend as well.

I drove down on Friday with Tiffany Stoner of Nathaniel Edmunds Photography to attend the rehearsal and capture some moments at the rehearsal dinner at the Thoroughbred Club. We all stayed at the Marriott Griffin Gate, where photographer Nate Rowe joined us on Saturday morning to cover the couple’s preparations and emotional first meeting before braving the heat for more fun shots around the town prior to the ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral.

Afterwards, we arrived at Beth’s family farm, where Monica Richard, Gene Huddleson and the rest of the amazing Detail + Design team had set up a huge tent and transformed it into party central, complete with couches, dancing flip-flops (for “stallions, mares and foals”), and bold splashes of pink. The R&B band Familiar Faces put on a rockin’ show, only to have it stolen by Beth’s dad when he joined them for a few songs on the keys. The sparkler send-off was a perfect capper to an incredible weekend.

Lindsey & Nate were married in the cool shade of the pavilion at the Bridgewater Club before moving inside for a raucous reception filled with nonstop dancing by guests of all ages.

I joined photographers Kelly & Justin Wiard for some shots of the couple inside prior to the ceremony. Lindsey’s sister provided an early highlight by lending her soaring vocals to the final prelude song before the processional. The ceremony was short but very sweet, and Lindsey & Nate graciously hung out in the heat to greet all their guests afterwards.

The colorful splashes of decor in the pavilion only hinted at the tremendous display of raised centerpieces in the ballroom supplied by Bokay Florist. I liked the simple groom’s cake, and I loved the flourless chocolate cake that was served in lieu of a traditional cake. Mark Beecher of Grapevine Entertainment took it from there, executing an awesome playlist to perfection that had everyone from 9 to 90 dancing all night.