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▣ Mary & Jim April 9, 2010
After the first week of April was so warm - it was back to reality for Mary & Jim's wedding on April 9th. We decided to call it a "traditional" spring wedding ;-) The temperature was in the 30s and 40s with blustery winds, clouds, and even a snow flurry!! I met up with the girls at Mary's grandmother's house in Springdale just a few blocks from the church.
They were inside getting ready and keeping warm! Mary's dress was classically elegant and she had the most amazing veil - it even had it's own bustle - I've never seen one like it in all my weddings!
When everyone was ready, the limo picked the girls up and saved them the cold walk down the block in heels. The guys were already at the church. I love this candid 'backstage' moment with Mary, her sisters and their Dad captured by the talented Sandy Yetter **dynamic duo alert** who was my shooting partner for the day! I'm so lucky to have outstanding clients and amazing friends!
I took the guys aside for a few formals before the ceremony. Jim was a little anxious but happy :-)
Live musicians played while guests filed to their seats and one of their groomsmen performed a vocal piece during the ceremony. Top left and bottom right images by Sandy.
Mary sharing a last moment with her Dad before he walked her down the aisle. Image by Sandy.
Just married!
Instead of bubbles or throwing flower petals for their recessional - guests were given small silver bells to ring when the couple emerged from the church. Image by Sandy.
Tons of little silver bells tinkled cheerfully in the cold air as Mary and Jim stepped out! Middle shot by Sandy from across the street with the spy lens!
After a short limo ride, we arrived at Brackenridge Country Club in the middle of a snow shower!! We took a ten minute break while we waited for the weather to clear. At one point you could not see across the golf course for all the snowflakes.
When we did make it out for photos it was very very cold and very windy! We decided to hurry up with pictures and let the wedding party get back inside where it was warm! Bottom left image by Sandy.
Far left image by Sandy.
I love everything about this image - the mood - the clouds - the veil. Mary, I can't help but smile when I see you! Image by Sandy.
Huddling for warmth!
If you look very closely in the top photo you can actually see the snowflakes! Mary's veil was threatening to become a sail and so we had to have Jim hold it down so she didn't fly away! Top and middle images by Sandy.
Some details of the country club - love this venue! And I loved the tulips they chose for their bouquets and centerpieces. The whole room sparkled with candles and crystal. Middle image by Sandy.
Just before Mary and Jim were announced - we encountered the Great Dress Bustle Debacle! It took several ladies and several minutes to try to decode the green, pink, numbered? threads that looped under the train of Mary's dress and were all meant to knit together just so and create a stylish french bustle. Well - even I was under the dress for about ten minutes and we did the absolute best we could - and then we used a safety pin..... After all - there was dining and dancing to get to!
Out on the floor for their first dance as husband and wife - see even the veil had it's own bustle!
Love the romantic sparkle - image by Sandy.
Mary dancing with her father - top image by sandy.
Jim dancing with his mom - images by Sandy.
I love this picture of the ring bearer dancing with his mom. Tears in my eyes I thought how cool would it be if years from now when this little boy gets married - this photo was displayed or used in a slideshow at his wedding with his mom for their mother/son dance. Truly the power of pictures to make our memories last.
One last shot of the coworkers group!! I hope this is on the office wall!
We survived the snow and wind and it was a beautiful day!!
Definitely a great wedding :-)
Ceremony: St. Alphonsus Church, Springdale Reception: Brackenridge Country Club Entertainment: DJ Rockin John
Comments added to this post ▣ #94 Camp in a Yurt - Complete!
If you remember back to January, I posted my list of 101 in 1001 which is a To Do list of 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days. I'm a big list maker so this was right up my alley and I can say proudly that I've actually been checking some things off - and using the list as an excuse to actually DO stuff!
For instance, I completed #94 Camp in a Yurt over the past weekend and it was an awesome experience!
First things first - what is a yurt? Well - yurts.com says The Yurt is a modern adaptation of the ancient shelter used by Central Asian nomads for centuries. The compact shape of the yurt and combination of lightweight members in tension and compression mean that the structure is highly efficient in maximizing strength while minimizing the use of materials.
Translation: It's a perfectly round tent made of heavy waterproof materials stretched over a lattice wooden frame with a domed roof. Originally devised to be taken down and packed on camels over long journeys by nomadic tribes - the western and "modern" version are semi-permanent structures that use few materials, have low impact on the soil, and can be removed without a trace. Also - it can be cooler and more luxurious than an expensive hotel room. Especially if you like to be close to nature and stare up at the stars. :-)
This was the yurt we stayed at courtesy of the PA State Parks - check out their website for info and reservations by clicking here. And I can say it was nicer than most hotels I've stayed at. There are several state parks in PA with small colonies of yurts. These happened to come with a fantastic lighted deck, outdoor fire ring with seating, and all the furniture you would need. We were just a short walk from the brand new shower house where the hot water was heavenly!
This was what we saw when we unlocked and opened the door to our "tent". Each yurt comes with an electric cooktop, an apartment size fridge, cabinets, a desk area, a kitchen table with chairs, a chair, 3 single bunks and a double bunk. This one even had lamps! This definitely did not qualify as a tent in my book. The coolest part for me was the plexiglass dome at the peak of the roof that you could pop open and use to vent hot air out. It was a skylight during the day filling the space with natural light. And at night a portal to the stars :-)
The time and craftsmanship put into these dwellings was exceptional. They really paid attention to the details.
Since the yurts are available spring, summer, and fall - there is a small heater built into the divider wall that does a great job of keeping the place toasty if it's very cold out or if you forget to close your dome at night (warm air rises remember).
Even the beds were sturdy and beautifully constructed. Equipped with mattresses and pillows. It was better than a hotel for me and immaculately clean!
The yurts had a great view of the lake and it was a short walk to the water.
The sun was bright and we fished some before dinner time. Sean caught a nice trout that was hanging out under that log in the water. We threw him back :-) I caught a bunch of goldfish sized bluegill and sean caught a small bass.
My sister helping cook dinner on the campfire - making goofy faces. She drove in from college and met us for a day. Miss you, Skip :-)
Sean pulled over on the side of the road so I could go wandering off and take pictures of these blue flowers. I think they might be some form of Larkspur? I could be wrong..
All in all a great trip! Lots of hanging out, exploring, fishing, taking pictures, and cooking on the campfire.
To give you an update, here are some other things I've crossed off my 101 list!
#1 Shoot a destination wedding completed 4/30/10 (more to come soon)! #30 Back-up ALL the 2009 photos in external hard drive completed 3/31/10 #59 Update the layout of my blog completed 4/6/10 #75 Get a fancy camera strap completed 3/11/10 #90 Get an eye exam completed 3/11/10 #91 Personal goal completed 1/25/10 #95 Go fishing completed 4/24-25/10 we've been fishing quite a bit lately! #99 Put a face to my name on my website completed 2/5/10
Good so far - hopefully I can keep up this pace!
Comments added to this post ▣ Khyrsten
This post has two parts put together in one -the first is Khyrsten's senior pictures which we shot late last summer near Harrison City. We met her along with her mom and grandma at the park and then traveled around town for some variety!
She has the most unbelievable eyes!
Khyrsten really put a lot of time into planning her session and choosing her outfits. She had several wardrobe changes and even brought along her pet bunny, her CD collection, and her Dad's El Camino! It was great having her mom and grandma right there to help out too!
Cool car!!
We finished out the evening with her guitar collection at an abandoned set of tracks in Export. I did a little grunge vintage post processing work here.
************* Fast forward - BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP ******************* to last friday when I met up with Khyrsten again just before her senior prom!
You may notice something different about her dress - it is made entirely out of pop tabs! That's right, she designed it herself and it is constructed out of (i think this was the number) over seven thousand pop tabs!!
Some dress details :-) She also made her own jewelry.
What an achievement! I hope it was comfortable to dance in... hope you and your date had a great time at prom!
Comments added to this post ▣ Jack & Carolyn 03.06.10
It was a cold but sunny day in March when Jack and Carolyn tied the knot at Holiday Park United Methodist Church. We were shoveled out from snowmageddon but there was still at least two feet of snow on the ground. Luckily, when the girls were ready for photos, we found a spot inside the building next to a wall of windows and we were able to take advantage of the great natural light without freezing!
Jack arranged to have flowers delivered to Carolyn on the morning of the wedding, I loved the card :-)
The guys were toasty in the pastor's office watching the game on Tv and were happy to spend a couple minutes in the cold air for some photos in front of the church!
Their ceremony began timed perfectly with the setting sun through the stained glass window as her father gave her away. It made for warm magical lighting. Jack and Carolyn really spent time putting together a beautiful ceremony.
It was bright enough in the sanctuary to photograph their rings on the altar with the colored window light.
After the ceremony guests lined the hallway to the reception in the church hall and blew a huge cloud of bubbles - it was great for photos because everyone stayed warm and the bubbles couldn't blow away! Then it was back to the sanctuary for photos - before dinner.
Congratulations on your two month anniversary!
Comments added to this post ▣ May
We're baaaacccckk! Anna and I have made it safely home from the beach wedding over the weekend! The weather was great - sunny and 85 with a strong breeze and big waves! Welcome home to pennsylvania to cool gentle rain showers and rolling hills. It was a great trip, but there's nothing like coming home :-)
Sean and I are headed out to breakfast for the post wedding re-cap !
This shot was from Lenape Heights golf course last year - it's a beautiful place to get married!
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