Chris’ parents met each other in a dance class 40+ years ago, so it was only fitting that Chris, too, should meet his future wife while taking swing dancing classes in NYC.  While working with Aletha of Pearls Events, Joey and Chris, along with Joey’s mother, Sheri, planned a beautiful celebration here in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel that perfectly reflected their personalities.  For me, it was a joy walking into the wedding day as I had already had the great opportunity to get to know Joey and Chris’ friends and family beforehand when they contracted me to document the bridal shower as well as the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  Typically, I can figure out who the VIPs are rather quickly, but for those same people to have a comfort level around me at the beginning of the wedding brings a fantastic advantage.  All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with happiness and lots and lots of dancing!

Special thanks goes to Ryan Prins for rocking the second camera!

Natalie with Stems Events did an absolutely stellar job on this bouquet

Julie Strating and Erin Brown of TreAvanti know how to make a woman feel and look beautiful EVERY time!

Meanwhile, the gentlemen were busy honing their dapper charm

A quick portrait before going downstairs to see Chris for the first time…

The Father of the Bride gets his first look too… Love this moment.  Gets me every time.

Sweet part of the ceremony where they took a moment to honor those family members who had passed away.

THIS wedding defines why my passion lies in this specialty of photography.  It was the perfect cocktail of all that is right with weddings.  The bride and groom had spent the previous two weeks at a horse show in southern Michigan with friends who came from all over the country to compete.  They opened up their home and driveway to many, many RVs and invited their friends to stay an extra two days for their wedding celebration… on a Tuesday.  [In case you missed the memo, Tuesdays are the next big wedding trend.  They haven't published it in a magazine, but rest assured, you'll see it.  Remember you read it here first.]  A small affair consisting of around 80 guests.  The details consisted of wild flower bouquets, cowboy boots, and belt buckles. [Ryan was terribly disappointed we didn't know the dress code beforehand, otherwise he would have broken out his Texas-sized buckle.  No, seriously.]  Horses galloped in the fields surrounding the ceremony and reception site and the cows, well, they mooed.  Honest hearts that were once broken and had been gloriously healed and were more vibrant as a result; laughter, tears, and overwhelming kindness surrounded this space.  I was a witness to the beauty of the soul.  Thank you, Tom and Dominique, for welcoming me and Ryan and for your kind words.  They mean so much.  Many blessings to you and your families.

Special thanks to Ryan Prins as my rockstar second photographer, Cheri Hall’s masterful hand with the event design and coordination (contact info available on request), and sweet Elizabeth Grzegorczyk with Posh Petals Floral.

Dominique’s Parents in the foreground

One of my favorite rings of all time… therefore, you get 3 photos of it.

Meanwhile, outside…

The gentlemen waited for the guests to begin arriving…

Tom, our handsome groom, was right there to greet each one and make them feel at home (he certainly did for me).

Pre-Ceremony adult beverages.  Another benefit of having a wedding on a Tuesday.  *Hint, hint.*

Dominique makes her grand entrance.

The horses in all the pastures were going nuts.  Hooves were beating in stereo.

Dominique’s son walked her down the aisle.

Yup, love Tom.

To be continued…

Continued…

Flower girl #3 called it quits:

Max’s View:

Max:

Pretty classic if you ask me!  One is picking her nose, the other needs to GO!

The Band (Max’s photo):

The Bridal Party (also Max’s photo):

Right before Christmas, I was able to help out another photographer and friend who found himself a little over his head.  Actually, he’s a highly capable and published photographer but his success has been in the commercial world which is slightly different than the event world.  In the commercial world, the photographer is able to maintain full control and typically has days to test and nail one photograph.  Then in post production, you only need to perfect one photo.  And you can composite until you’re heart’s content.  The most notable commercial shooters simply walk on a set that was built, lit, and tested by a full crew, leaving the photographer to push the button a few times, and finally, turn the images over to a team of photoshop gurus who composite a dozen or more photos together.  Don’t get me wrong, it takes insane talent to get to that level and the final result from the team of specialists is brilliant.  Then you have the commercial photographers who do the whole process themselves.  Pretty sure they’re just crazy.

By comparison, in the event world, we fly by the seat of our pants, have little control over lighting or environment, and have 8-10 hours to capture a complete family and social history of two different people with no potty breaks.  We eat in less than 10 minutes and have stomach cramping afterwards because we didn’t take time to chew.  The camera is an extension of our arm and soul; dialing in manual settings takes as long as tying a shoe and comes just as naturally.  We often do both simultaneously.  Light or the absence of it, doesn’t scare us.  Although we’d still like to slap the person who nixed the bridal room at the church in favor of an extra large nursery with a Noah’s Ark border and florescent lights.  In the basement.  The day after leaves us flat on our backs, unable to move a single muscle.  I’ve never been hung over but I’m pretty sure that would be how it would feel.  After you turn thirty, a wedding makes you feel like you’re pushing ninety-seven years old.  Then we edit 2,000+ images and make them ALL stellar and create albums that make parents weep.  Yes, I really do love every second!

So Dave asked Max to photograph his wedding and being one of his best friends, Max couldn’t refuse.  I’m sure he would have done fine on his own but at the last minute he decided he needed help.  So with a few days notice, I flew to LA to be his second photographer.  I’ve actually known Dave for about 14 years but it was my first time meeting Grace.  She’s one of those people you feel like you’ve known your whole life.  I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for Dave.  She is the definition of Grace.  I was absolutely in awe of the hospitality shown by their friends and family.  I’ll probably still pass on the raw ground beef but I love everything else about the Armenian culture!

The ceremony was held in the same cathedral they filmed the Spiderman 2 wedding (just the interior footage) and reception was held in Glendale at Anoush.  Dave and Max also happen to be in a band that you might have heard in hundreds of TV shows, movies, and radios stations… and if not, you should check them out.

Grace’s brother makes me laugh!  Investigating the bouquet…

Dave’s first look at Grace.  AND he brought flowers.  What a gentleman.

Max’s photo:

Max’s Photo: