I recently had the honor of photographing the wedding of Renee and Jameson.  You may remember this couple as I took engagement photos for them last fall.

Renee and Jameson’s wedding was, honestly, such a pleasure to photograph.  They are an extremely sweet couple who are honestly in love.  There wasn’t any over-the-top pomp and circumstance, just honest to goodness love.  There were tears at the rehearsal and lots of tears at the wedding.  Everyone was happy and real and just plain fun to be around.

And I, personally, think that is just the way it should be.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my absolute favorite types of photos are ones that capture moments.  And Renee and Jameson’s wedding was full of beautiful moments!!!

I met Renee and Jameson a couple hours before their wedding. They wanted to do a “first look” and they wanted to get as many wedding party and family photos done before the wedding as possible.

There were a lot of tears at this wedding, starting at the rehearsal when Renee had trouble even practicing her vows without crying. The tears continued to the wedding day when, as we were getting ready for the “first look”, Renee came into the church and saw her parents and the tears flowed again.

I commented to Renee’s mom that I absolutely love the tears. I feel that they show that this day is important and moving and filled with love. Just as a wedding is supposed to be!

We then went on for a first look.

There was a lot of nervousness and anticipation prior to this moment, but once Renee and Jameson has few moments to themselves, they felt calmer and more ready for the rest of the day. We then made our way to a local park for some bride and groom portraits. It was such a pretty day and we were able to get some beautiful portraits that were unrushed and relaxed and beautiful.

And a couple of my absolute favs of the day -

The ceremony was just sweet and simple and filled with love and emotion.  As Renee and her father walked down the aisle, Renee is trying to hold back the tears.  And her husband-to-be is just beaming!  Love it!!

And these, again, are a series of my absolute favs. What a great family.

The new Mr. and Mrs!!!

Congratulations Renee and Jameson!!!  I wish you both all the best!   It was such a pleasure and honor to be a part of your day.

Megan and Bryan were married on [what we thought] was one of the hottest days of the year.  (Although we are now in the midst of an official “heat warning” which, IMO, is pretty damn alright with me!  We’ve had way too many cold and rainy summers lately, but, I digress…..)

Megan looked absolutely fabulous!  And Bryan didn’t look too bad himself!  Beautiful couple!!

I met them at the church as we planned on doing the majority of the bride/groom photos and bridal party photos before the wedding.  I actually think this is a wonderful idea.  It is really nice when the wedding is over and the bride and groom can actually spend the time greeting their guests and can arrive at their reception shortly after the guests have settled in. 

The only little problem with our pre-wedding photo plan was the heat.  The poor bride and groom and their attendants were quite overheated and uncomfortable during their portraits.  And we had hoped to get some portraits at another location, but when the time came, no one was interested in extending the outdoor portraits any longer than absolutely necessary.  Luckily, the church they were married at had beautiful grounds so we took advantage of that and were able to get quite a few beautiful photos!!!

Onto the photos!!!!

 Thank you so much Megan and Bryan!  I wish you many many years of happiness!!!

And if you want to see a few more pictures from the day, please head over to my Facebook Page!!

Other than the fact that it was about 99 degrees with 99% humidity, - it was a picture perfect day!  Much more to come!!!

There were a grand total of about 16 people at the wedding, and that included the bride and groom and the pastor!  The weather was quite iffy as the day approached, but when the day finally arrived, it was absolutely perfect!  The skies were blue, the grass was green, the flowers were in bloom and the weather was warm!  Ian was decked out in his dress blues and Stacey wore a simple, but elegant strapless gown.  Who could ask for anything more! 

I met with Stacey and Ian a couple hours before the wedding.  They wanted to do a “first look” and get all their bride and groom photos done before the ceremony.  I would highly recommend this to any couple.  The first look, where I capture the moment the bride and groom see each other for the first time that day, and the subsequent photos, were relaxed and fun and turned out just beautiful.

I also want to mention that I the thing I love to photograph at weddings the absolute most are the “moments”.  I  love to capture the honest emotions, the interactions, the events and the feelings that occur during the course of a wedding day.   I look back on my own wedding photos, and my favorite photos are not the posed portraits or the group shots.  My favorite photos are the ones that capture the geniune smiles and sweet moments that make me remember how I felt on that day.

Anyway – onto the photos!

As I mentioned, the wedding took place at the groom’s childhood home by the river.  And what a picture perfect day! 

And here is the first look!

We then took a walk to a nearby bridge for some beautiful and intimate photos.

As I said, I love moments! The photo on the left, of the bride and groom, is just beautiful, but I have to say the photo on the right, of the bride and groom with their geniune laughter, shows just how happy these two really are. And it is definitely one of my favorites!

Then the groom pointed out that his bride was looking pretty fab while she was relaxing and watching him getting portraits taken, and I had to get a shot. 

The gardens around the home were just beautiful and I had a blast finding cool locations for the ring shots. 

And another moment as the bride and groom hang out before the ceremony.  I love how the photo captures their playful personalities and shows how relaxing the entire day really was.

And, finally, the ceremony. It was simple, emotional and just perfect. 

And yet another “moment”. This is the moment, right after the kiss, that the groom feels something crawling down his shirt!  I love it!

And one last sweet photo of the happy Mr. and Mrs!

Thank you all so much! I am honored to have had the opportunity to document your special day. I hope you both many many years of happiness!!!!

And one quick sneak peak -

Much more to come!!!!!

Susan asked me to photograph her wedding many months ago, when I was really just starting my photography business. I was really honored.  I still am!!   Photographing a wedding is a HUGE responsibility, and one I definitely did not take lightly.   I spent a huge amount of time preparing and I learned a lot.  And can not thank Susan and Joe enough.

Susan and Joe and I got together in September for their engagement shoot.   Engagement shoots, while not only a great way to get some relaxed portraits of the newly engaged couple, are also a great way for the couple and the photographer to get to know each other better.   It makes it so much easier for everyone when the wedding day finally arrives.  

Susan and Joe are beautiful people, inside and out.   And they had a beautiful wedding as well!

The wedding took place in December in Pittsburgh at the Twentieth Century Club.  And all I can say is “Wow.”  It is an absolutely gorgeous and classy facility.  The entire ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing were held at the club.  Since it was December, the club was decorated for Christmas.  Perfect.

To be honest, Susan and Joe’s wedding was one of the nicest and classiest weddings I have ever attended.  Susan and Joe are so obviously happy together.  Susan has two children who love Joe as well.   And, other than the fact it was very cold, windy and snowy (which caused us to scrap the outdoor portraits), it really couldn’t have been a more perfect day. 

Onto the photos!!!!

First some beautiful details…

I was able to convince Susan and Joe to do a “first look”. We did all the portraits before the ceremony, so we could take our time with the photos and so Susan and Joe could just spend time with their guests after the ceremony (SO perfect, and highly recommended!).

I absolutely LOVE Joe’s face in this photo. I mean, is this love or what? 

Susan’s children were an integral part of the ceremony – it was so sweet.  She has some really great kids. 

The introductions before dinner:

And this is probably my absolute favorite photo of the day.  I think it really captures the entire mood of the evening.

The couple’s first dance – gorgeous scene, isn’t it??

Thank you Susan and Joe SO much! I am honored that you chose me as your wedding photographer. I wish you many many years of happiness!!!

This couple was very friendly and very laid back. When I initially met with them, and started asking them about what types of photos they wanted, they really did not have strong opinions. In fact, they stated “we just want to get married” and they wanted someone who could capture that day in photos. And I was so happy to oblige them. I absolutely love when a couple is way more into the marriage then they are the wedding – as that is the exactly the way it ought to be!

It was an absolutely perfectly gorgeous April day. In fact, the temps were well into the 70’s which isn’t typical for April.

The wedding was held at an old Catholic church. I had never been in this church before, and I was blown away when I walked inside. The architecture and detailing was beautiful. And since Easter was only a week prior, the church was also filled with flowers. I don’t think you could have asked for a more perfect setting.

THE kiss….

And I always love the photos as the couple walks out of the church.

After the wedding, I got a few shots outside at the receiving line. What a beautiful bride!

After the wedding, we did the traditional portraits inside the church. I had to post this photo because this bridesmaid claimed she takes horrible pictures. Yeah – I don’t think so – gorgeous!!!

And then we were off to the reception. It was a small, but very nice affair. And this was my absolute favorite picture – probably my fav of the day. I like portraits, but I LOVE shots when the subjects have no idea I am taking a photo. That is when you really can capture something special. I absolutely how the bride is looking at her new husband while holding his hand. So beautiful!!!

And the bride dancing with the groom’s daughter – just beautiful.

Towards the end of the reception, I asked the couple to come outside for a few shots on the balcony. It was so beautiful that afternoon.

Yup, gotta love that light!!!

Thank you so much Jon and Beth. Thank you for taking a chance with me, thank you for letting me share in your special day. I wish you all the best!

However, my husband’s aunt was getting married in January. It was a very small wedding and they weren’t planning on hiring a photographer at all. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get a little practice at a very different type of photo shoot without having a lot of pressure on me.

And yes, it was a great experience. I was a bit nervous, and my equipment really wasn’t ideal for this situation, but I did the best job I could and thought some of the photos turned out a bit better than I expected.

The wedding was at night and was a candlelit service – a tough situation for even the most experienced photographer. So I bumped up my ISO, and used my fastest lens. Unfortunately, a high ISO is going to result in a lot more grain, but I still think the mood and the beauty of the evening was captured.

The reception was a small dinner in the church hall. It was a nice and casual atmosphere.

And the bride and groom…what can I say…they were absolutely beaming!

You can see how absolutely and completely happy this couple is.

Thank you all so much for this opportunity. I am not sure if I will be doing any other weddings in the near future, but I learned a lot and actually am getting a bit of an inkling to possibly try it again! Capturing such an incredibly special moment in someone’s life is quite amazing. And fun!!!!