Jenny and Isaac’s day just reaffirms the reasons I love weddings! Not only did they smell good but the warmth and love that emanated from all their family and friends just filled the farm with such a great aura. Each member of the large wedding party holds a special place in the hearts of Jenny and Isaac and you could just sense the closeness of their bonds while observing the interactions.

The location lent to the free-spirited flow of the day from the entrance of the grandmas on the horse and carriage, to a mostly barefoot bride, to sibling officiants, to horses joining in the formal pictures, to fresh Alaskan salmon caught by a cousin and cooked by an uncle, to heartfelt speeches, to a variety of pies and of course a jam-packed, rockin’ n’ rollin’ dance floor!

Ceremony & Reception: Huntington Farms, Viroqua, WI

1) Not breaking a bone or piece of equipment when backing up to frame a shot and tripping over the person behind them, who also doesn’t see them because of the camera in front of their face.

2) Hours of additional post production work to crop and edit images and remove the Uncle Bob from the shot.

3) Having a worried client contact them after the wedding, asking questions about the light during the ceremony/reception and the quality of the images because they were emailed some images from an excited Uncle Bob and the quality is disturbing.

4) Keeping the length of time needed for group photos tolerable even though Uncle Bob wants to take a photo of each group, AFTER the pro has lined everyone up to perfection and keeps saying, “Wait!” while we all wait for the camera to fire.

5) Capturing meaningful images during certain traditions, such as the cake cutting, when Uncle Bob is standing next to you and firing off his flash at the same time you are shooting.

6) Having a guest scold them for taking too many photos, when it reality it was Uncle Bob who had previously snapped a photo of said guest.

I discuss with my clients during pre-wedding consultations that I am not mean and I don’t prevent guests from taking photos during a wedding, after all I am sure 50% of the guests have a camera phone, point and shoot or some other camera at the wedding. I’m positive the clients might get some additional fun photos and instant gratification when tagged on Facebook the very next day.  It’s safe to assume the clients have hired me based on my portfolio, my shooting style and personality. They have a vision in their head of the wedding photos and they trust me to capture those moments and preserve those memories. All I ask is that I am not impeded on the wedding day by an Uncle Bob (who doesn’t remember that they are invited to the wedding first and foremost as a guest to enjoy the celebration with the bride and groom) moving around, competing for space, getting in the way as I try to capture moments, or even asking me questions about gear/shooting during toasts.

My personal thoughts aside – I just read a blog post from the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers, www.ispwp.com, about the some of the differences between using a professional wedding photographer or Uncle Bob (someone who might be an enthusiastic photo buff and offer to shoot your wedding day and save you money!)

Uncle Bob vs. A Professional Wedding Photographer

I promise that as a professional wedding photographer I will not show up at Uncle Bob the CPAs dayjob and sit on his ledgers while he tabulates or pop up over the shoulder of Uncle Bob the surgeon and ask why he chose that particular scalpel or try to share the cubicle of Uncle Bob the office worker and attempt to use her computer at the same time. Fair is fair, right?

Part Duex took place in Chicago the last weekend of July. Saturday’s celebration at Opera was a kickoff to the weekend of events and friends and family came together to mingle, toast, nibble and dance with the wedding couple. Starting off a wedding weekend with a cocktail reception is a fantastic idea, as it gives everyone a time to relax and enjoy themselves and any venue that allows for another chance to dance gets high ratings in my book!

On Sunday, everyone regrouped at Temple Sholom for a lovely, traditional ceremony. Michael’s family has a rich history with Temple Sholom and it seemed very fitting that this is where Lani and Michael should have the final element of their wedding, led by a rabbi who has known Michael since his teenage years.

In the months leading up to the weekend’s ceremony and celebrations, Lani and Michael spent many hours planning the dessert reception to follow the ceremony. The goal was cake and punch x 1,000! From three types of sparkling beverages – Perrier, Champagne and Sparkling Cider – to cake, cookies, cupcakes, flavored popcorn, licorice, mounds of strawberries, brownies (with mint frosting and my personal favorite), chocolate covered pretzels and candy-coated almonds they really their achieved goal.

It was indeed a sweet celebration!

Wedding Coordinator: Beth Bernstein, SQN Events, Chicago, IL

Cocktail Reception: Opera, Chicago, IL

Ceremony: Temple Sholom, Chicago, IL

Florist: Dilly Lily, Chicago, IL

Cake, Cupcakes, Cookies: Sensational Bites, Chicago, IL

Candy and popcorn: Illinois Nut, Skokie, IL

Imagine a beautiful summer day complete with blue skies, fluffy white clouds and temps in the 90′s.  Perfect weather for a game at Big Ball Park in Riverside. Add in a big, white tent that provides the right amount of shade and you have the perfect location for a wedding!  Jenny and Lee chose Big Ball Park for their wedding ceremony location for a number of reasons, most important being that Jenny spent many years there playing ball with her dad as coach. For sure he was there in spirit that day.

After a touching ceremony the festivities moved to Montefiori in Lemont complete with cocktails, live music, lawn games and the stunning landscape as a backdrop. Jenny and Lee added baseball touches throughout the day – guests used their “tickets” to find their tables, signed a baseball jersey with the couple’s last name embroidered on it, little baseball hats adorned each place setting and all of the paper items were baseball themed as well.   Reminding all of us that Love and Baseball is what makes the world go ’round.

(And this Cub’s fan has no problem shooting Sox fan weddings.)

Ceremony Location: Big Ball Park, Riverside, IL

Reception Location: Montefiori, Lemont, IL

Florist: Phillips Flowers, Chicago

Band: Deja Vu, Chicago

Videography: Metropolitan Filmworks, Nationwide

The ceremony was held outdoors on the veranda at Bartlett Hills Golf Club with a background of the beautiful course and late afternoon sun. A string trio provided the live ceremony music and one of their friends played a solo during the sand ceremony. The festivities moved indoors for cocktails and the reception. I can guarantee from the packed floor and faces I witnessed, everyone was having a blast! Both Emily and Jeremy are musicians and Jeremy pulled off a sweet surprise and serenaded (with the help of a few groomsmen) Emily at the end of the dinner hour.

Ceremony & Reception Location: Bartlett Hills Golf Club, Bartlett, IL

Anjali and Paul took a few moments early in the day for their first glance and then spent time with the bridal party on Michigan Avenue for portraits.  The first ceremony was held at the lovely and historic First Unitarian Church of Chicago.  The intimacy and coolness of the church interior reflected the intimacy and solemnity of their marriage.  Their processional and recessional were led by bagpipe to reflect Paul’s heritage.

We made time for a quick stop at the Planetarium for a few more portraits of the bride and groom and then back to the Hotel Intercontinental for a costume change and the second ceremony of the day.  The Hindu ceremony was held in the Grand Ballroom and steeped with tradition to reflect Anjali’s background and featured a glowing Mandap, flower garlands, exchange of gifts and even a bounty for the groom’s shoes.  Anjali had another costume change during the transition into the reception and the next hours were filled with speeches, dancing and overall celebration.

Ceremony 1 : First Unitarian Church of Chicago, Hyde Park, IL

Ceremony 2: Hotel Intercontinental, Chicago, IL

Reception: Hotel Intercontinental, Chicago, IL

DJ: Toast and Jam, Chicago, IL

Videography: Metropolitan Filmworks, Nationwide

Wendy and Ryon had their intimate wedding ceremony a few days earlier at the courthouse on a very significant date, May 5th. They invited family and friends to celebrate all together on Saturday. Wendy and Ryon’s party hosting skills are so incredible, even Elvis joined in and rocked along with the crowd!

Honestly, I love weddings so much that when I am photographing them I am completely in my element. I always hold a place in my heart for all of the Metimages clients. Wendy is also someone I call a friend and she impressed me with her wedding planning skills, attention to detail and of course all the walking she did during for our outdoor portrait session.

Reception: Bull Valley Golf Club, Woodstock, IL

DJ: Music in Motion, Woodstock, IL

Florist: Apple Creek Flowers, Woodstock, IL

The intimate theme continued onto the reception in a private room at DC Coast while friends and family continued to share toasts to the wedding couple. Most of the guests traveled to D.C. from other cities and Lani and Michael were truly surrounded by those who know them best and love them most.

I’m very excited for Lani and Michael Part Two coming to a city near me later this summer and a chance for more blessings, more celebration and of course more photo ops!

Check the Metimages Blog again in July for Lani and Michael Part Two!

Ceremony: Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C.

Reception: DC Coast, Washington D.C.

Bride’s Dress: Chloe Dao, Houston

My friend Kelly Moore was my guest photographer for the day. What is a guest photographer? It’s when my clients request a second photographer for the day and the stars and the moon align and I’m able to bring with another professional photographer who is one of my peers in the wedding photography arena. How cool is that? It’s almost like two-for-one!!! Kelly graciously agreed to shoot with me and cover Carolyn and Jason’s wedding day and I am excited about the collaborative and the images we captured throughout the day.

After a full ceremony in the beautiful cathedral-like structure of St. Alphonsus on Chicago’s north side, we trekked to the Financial District for some street pictures with a quick stop by the Chicago River before heading to the Chicago History Museum. I really like traipsing around the city and using various locations as backdrop for the pictures. I almost feel that’s why the city has landmarks, just for pictures I need to take! Plus there’s always the excitement of running into other wedding parties and being ready to rumble as we vie for a particular photo location. I kid, I kid – no punched were thrown during the city picture portion or any other part of Carolyn and Jason’s wedding day.

Ceremony: St. Alphonsus, Chicago

Reception: Chicago History Museum, Chicago

Band: Standing Room Only, Chicago

Florist: Hello Darling, Chicago

Caterer: Food For Thought, Chicago

Seeing them surrounded by family and friends of many decades warmed my heart.  This was a very special day for Allison and Steve and I was very honored to be selected as their wedding photographer.  They had an intimate ceremony in the amphitheater in the Desert Botanical Garden followed by a lovely reception in the Wildflower Pavilion.  The Desert Botanical Garden was indeed the perfect backdrop for a very sweet and meaningful day.

Ceremony & Reception Location: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ

Caterer – Heidi’s Catering, Tempe, AZ

DJ: Mancini Entertainment, Scottsdale, AZ

Florist: Amy’s Floral Design, Ahwatukee, AZ