It is time to give something away, a 20×30 gallery wrap canvas to be exact!!!! I selected my “Top Picks” from my May-August sessions or weddings and put them up your you to pick your favorite. Be sure to head over to my Facebook Fan Page to “LIKE” your favorite!! The image with the most “LIKES” on my Facebook page by the end of Saturday, will win a 20×30 canvas gallery wrap. There is also a chance to win a Bad Ass Coffee gift card. Go check it out!
It should be wrong to have as much fun as I had shooting this wedding, and get paid for it. I worked with a very talented second shooter, DJ, and my favorite videographer crew. It was like a mini reunion for me walking in the front door of the bridal location, since I have photographed several of the bridesmaids families in the past, and perhaps several in the future. Amber and Graham are extremely lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive group of friends and family. You can tell by the size of their wedding party, they have a lot of important people in their lives.
My day with the bride started with prep pictures at a friend’s home. What a beautiful home it was, and I do have to mention, my bedroom is the size of the master closet. The owner/bridesmaid told me that her old apartment could fit in her bedroom suite. The house was made warm and inviting with beautiful flowers placed throughout the home. Lovely ladies and flower girls moving in and out of every room. At the church, the bridal party stretched across the church, watching as Graham greeted his bride at the alter. The ceremony so beautiful, it even brought the groom to tears. He showed his joy of being pronounced “man and wife” with a fist pump in the air.
Post wedding portraits included stops at the package store, Dollar store and West Point. And for those who are not from New England like myself, a package store is a liquor store, not a post office. Grinder or Sub right 
West Point is much larger than I ever anticipated. The buildings on campus are just gorgeous and the shooting locals are just endless, the problem is getting to the right gate to get access to get on site. Once your on, just a beautiful place, full of American pride and the Ward wedding party and crew.
At the reception, it was non stop dancing. It started with an intro of the bridal party being introduced to Chris Brown, Forever, the song made famous on YouTube. The bride and groom then made their entrance with their son on Graham’s shoulders. At this moment, I took my favorite moment of the evening. A photo that captured the joy between a father and his son (see below). The newly married couple started their first dance as all do, slow and loving. About a minute in the groom dipped his bride, put his hand in the air….cue Usher, O.M.G…again the wedding party broke out into dance, and it never ended. Now most weddings take a break to eat, not this one, it was one non stop party. If you weren’t on the dance floor, you better have had a broken leg as your excuse. And yes, the groom did crowd surf and the groomsmen lost some clothes along the way. I will leave your imagination to fill in the rest.
Amber and Graham, what a party. What a truly special event it was and the ultimate party. Like I said, I am not sure when the party really started, nor am I sure when it really ended. I know I saw some pictures of the wedding party at Denny’s after the fact. Here is to a long and happy marriage, and to a brother or sister for “T’ man! Thank you for having me be a important part of your special day.
Amber and Graham are married!!! More photos, and lots of cow bell, to come…
From the moment Jenn and I talked on the phone to discuss her upcoming wedding, we hit it right off. We were joking, laughing, and chatting like old friends. So of course I was thrilled when they booked me for their 2011 wedding. Engagement sessions are great in the sense that you both get to learn a lot about one another before you shoot one of the most important days in their life. I learned that Mike is all about fun and how goofy we can get. I think we will get along just great!
Ok Mom, here is the newspaper shot 
Two brides+two looks= a lot of photos. I had to split up the blog post due to the huge amount of photos I took, and the fact that I had some much fun going through them all. My 2nd bride was so sweet and just a blast to work with. She actually came in on top with the most votes on my blog. I didn’t realize this until after the fact, but she drove up from Hartford, CT to come be apart of this shoot. She heard about the contest from Best Hudson Valley Weddings Ever, but I have also photographed her nephew in the past.
Behind the scene stories: When out shooting with two brides, we got a lot of attention. Many of the people driving by thought they actually married each other. Out on the beach, we again gained much attention from the locals hanging in the sand. Many of them were nice enough to point out that she was going to get her dress dirty in the sand. Yeah, we know that. Kind of the point You can image the looks on their faces when they see her dip down, full dress into the water. After a long day in the sun, it felt good but did add about 20 lbs to the dress. Thanks again Laura, you rocked it!!
So this was the big weekend in which we “Trashed The Dress.” I can’t tell you how much fun this was. Things moved so smoothly and some of the things that happened while shooting, only made the day even better. I worked with a GREAT GREAT team this weekend and I can’t thank them enough for the time and energy they put into the day. Because there were 2 brides and there were so many great pictures from the day, I have to split the blog post up over the next couple days. Today we will start with our avant garde bride. Being that she is no longer married, she was will to do “whatever” to her dress. Scissors and paint did come out. At the last minute, a husband and wife team from I DO MOVIES came and filmed this bride during our shoot. You must check out their work, you might see a couple familiar/famous faces on their site. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!
The Details
Hair: Sarah Schappach
Make-Up: Karen Schrowang
Accessories: Tracy Williams
Videography: I DO MOVIES
Extras
Ice Cream Truck: Mr. Ding-A-Ling Ice Cream Truck
The Hot Red Car: Fred Burger “Trailers”
While shooting, this hot red car just happened to drive by. I was across the street but yelled to stop that car. Who wouldn’t stop to a bride running down the street chasing you! The owner, Fred Burger, was kind enough to let us enjoy his car for a little while. What a prop!!
When I heard the ice cream truck, my pregnant belly though, “ICE CREAM, YUMMY!” The 2nd thing that came to my mind was this too would make a fantastic background for a couple of photos. Lucky for me, I had a couple of bucks in my pocket.
Hello rockin’ hair!!!!
