Weddings

Jeff and Cathy’s Mexican wedding in Cabo San Lucas was about as laid-back and relaxed as you can get. The couple, from Denver, Colorado, waited until they arrived in Cabo to arrange their cake, food, flowers and minister, using local recommendations to set everything up.  And they kept the wedding formalities to a minimum, forgoing a big dress and bridal party for barefeet and intimacy.

Instead, they focused on friends and family.  Because one of their favorite activities is spending time with friends, the couple rented three villas in the Pedregal development for their guests, so everyone could enjoy time together.  The villas were the perfect setting – stunning views while still being close enough to town that everyone could stay in on the action. Guests had a chance to mingle and hang out and I heard more than one person say they really felt like they were on vacation.

The wedding itself was gorgeous and personal.   Jeff and Cathy said their vows as the sun was setting over the ocean while their friends and family surrounded them on the beach.  All in all, exactly how a barefoot-on-the-beach wedding in Mexico should go…

Janet and Peter had an incredibly elegant wedding – full of laughter, good food, and family – that also happened to be very green. As a member of her “Green Team” at work and a committed environmentalist, Janet decided to take the plunge and throw a green wedding.

Every detail was studied in regards to its environmental impact, starting with the ring. The couple knew they wanted to purchase a conflict-free diamond so they researched and found a dealer who ensures no human rights violations occurred during the mining and cutting of the diamond.

Although the couple originally had toyed with getting married on a beach, they opted for staying in Denver, in order to reduce their carbon footprint. They chose a reception site that participates in environmental efforts; they chose a rehearsal location that served great food and also happened to be across the parking lot from their (environmentally-friendly and energy efficient) church.

Their guest list posed a bit of a problem. Janet’s dream wedding featured 200 guests but she felt the carbon footprint of moving that many people was excessive. Instead she and Peter invited 65 close friends and family for a small, intimate wedding that had less of an environmental (and monetary!) impact.

One of the biggest challenges turned out to be all of the paper typically used for a wedding but Janet found a balance between eco-friendly and traditional. The couple set up a wedding Web site rather than send out Save the Dates, they used evites for wedding shower and rehearsal dinner invitations, and they skipped individual programs in lieu of one poster-sized program. Their wedding invitations were printed on tree-free, postconsumer recycled paper using vegetable based inks.

As for all of the decorations that make a wedding unique? Janet used a soy-based unity candle, reused the ceremony decorations at the reception, and chose wedding favors from a local, organic farm that guests can plant next year in their own gardens.

And what a beautiful wedding. All of Janet’s hard work paid off and the final effect was elegant, timeless and of course, environmentally friendly. But I think the pictures can say it better than I can.

Shane and Melissa are an artistic, laid-back couple, who decided to get married in the place they love best – the Colorado mountains. Shane, originally an East Coast-er, had dreamed about moving to Colorado for years while Melissa, a Denver resident for ten years, is a huge winter enthusiast. So, in choosing backgrounds for their wedding photos, we knew it was important to capture the grandeur and beauty of the mountains.

As well, because they are both graphic designers with a great eye for detail, Shane and Melissa wanted more of a photojournalistic approach to their wedding pictures. Melissa made it easy on me. With her bubbly and energetic personality, the couple created lots of very real, very genuine moments. All I had to do was shoot.

As sometimes happens when lots of family members get together, the couple was a bit nervous that there might be tension and feelings of unease. Fortunately, we were able to keep everyone relaxed and enjoying the day (I feel like keeping everyone on track and relaxed is a big part of my job as a wedding photographer!) and got some great pictures.

I’m a big believer that it takes planning to capture the candid moments that define a wedding album. Aubrey and Steve’s wedding was a great example of that planning paying off. I had talked to them ahead of time and knew they planned on exiting the church alone at the conclusion of the ceremony. Because it was their first moment as a married couple, I had a feeling there might be a great wedding photograph there.

And, there was. Their quick embrace only lasted a few seconds, but the intimacy of the moment captured the emotion of the wedding. I was certainly glad I’d planned ahead and positioned my cameras outside so I could (literally) run from inside the church to my outside waiting cameras to surprise the newly wedded couple. Out of the three photographers that covered the wedding, I’m happy to report I was the only one who had the foresight to capture this important moment.

As much as planning ahead can get you great wedding shots, you also have to be ready to photograph what’s in front of you. Steve is a huge Wisconsin badger fan and I was happy to capture a moment when he and his dad took some time out of their wedding day to watch the game.

All in all, an extremely well-planned wedding that celebrated the importance of family, both old and new.

Mike and Erin live in Baltimore but decided to take advantage of Mike’s parents’ place in Florida, which features white sand beaches and gorgeous grounds. As a wedding photographer, I couldn’t ask for a better shoot – blue sky and ocean, colorful flowers, and a laid-back, friendly vibe that perfectly fit the tropical locale.

With lots of friends in attendance from all parts of their lives (Mike is considered the social director for his group of friends), part of my job was to capture the sense of closeness Mike and Erin shared with their friends and family. As well, there was a “work hard, play hard” mentality at the wedding – guests were really enjoying themselves. So, I also wanted to document that sense of fun and playfulness on film; when Erin and Mike look back later on, they can see what a great time their guests had at their wedding.

They were a really fun couple to photograph, on a day that truly was filled with friends and laughter.*

*And I’m happy to report they now have a new baby named Oscar! Here he is…