The ceremony was held outside of the beautiful Kluge church, underneath a canopy of trees and surrounded by the vineyard on three sides. It was the perfect backdrop for Alison & Jonathan’s fairytale wedding! As you will see in the fusion film it was a very tearful and touching ceremony, so afterwards everyone was ready to kickback and have some fun. The bridal party along with Alison & Jonathan kicked off the night in style as they busted out their best dance moves for the introductions.

I have to thank 20 South catering as once again they served up a delicious dinner with their trademark style. I always love working with them as not only is the food amazing, but the presentation is equally as spectacular. I always love the setup of the bar with their colorful lights, which often becomes the backdrop for my ring shots.

The toasts were heartfelt as each person shared a personal connection with Alison and Jonathan.  The best man told us a story about how they playfully kidnapped Jonathan for his bachelor party weekend and how all of their careful planning went haywire.  It was a little hard to take pictures as we were laughing almost as hard as Alison and Jonathan were!  The maid of honor brought more tears to the room as she painted a picture of why Alison and Jonathan are so special and how they touch the people around them.  We definitely felt that throughout the whole day!

At the end of the night everyone gathered outside the doors with sparklers to give the new couple an amazing send off. To complete the fairytale wedding Jonathan’s dad surprised them with a vintage Jaguar complete with a personal chauffeur!

As you will see, the energy throughout the day was amazing and provided for many awesome photos! I want to thank Alison & Jonathan again for letting us be a part of their wedding! We had such a great time and enjoyed meeting all of your family and friends!  We hope you enjoy the fusion film!

I hope you Enjoy!

When Matt and I arrived in Ohio we had no idea what to expect! On our drive between the Toledo airport and Bowling Green (where we were staying) we stopped for lunch and happened to come across the Hillbillies Convention! No Joke! A nice big sign said Welcome Hillbillies! Outside were very colorfully decorated vehicles with animal furs, antlers, spray paint, and many other funny nicknacks! After getting some photos of Matt and the hillbillie princess we new we were in for a fun weekend!

Saturday we enjoyed a nice rehearsal luncheon followed by a trip to the famed Cedar Pointe amusment park! We heard stories from Ruth and Dan about how Ruth passed out on a rides during one of their first dates. After seeing some of them and taking what one kid proclaimed as “the worst ride ever!” I certainly could see why! I have to say my favorite was the dragster, which we waited in line for two hours to ride! The dragster rockets you 120 mph down the track in 2 seconds and then sends you 90 degrees spiraling up in the air for just over 400 feet followed by a quick decent down where you are perpendicular with the ground wondering why this was such a good idea!

Sunday was the big day, filled with some tears, lot of laughter and plenty of fun! Ruth and Dan were married at the beautiful Nazareth Hall in Grand Rapids, Ohio (not Michigan as so many people like to correct me on). When we originally drove up I thought we had found a castle in the middle of a bunch of corn fields, but later I found out it was a really nice military school that had been converted to a reception hall for weddings and other events. I think my favorite area was the grotto, which unfortunately we had less time in then I would have liked as it started to pour down rain! I also loved the elevator, which let me check off my list “Shoot a bride and groom in an old elevator that may or may not work”!

I would like to thank Matt Ryb for being a fun travel companion and also for shooting the video. Also, I am happy to announce that Kelsey Pace has joined the team as our new editor! The film may take a little while to load so please enjoy some of my favorite pictures and other recent posts!

I would like to thank Erica and Ryan for getting the props even though they spent $10 (of the $30 I gave them) on props and used the rest for themselves! I should have thought twice when Erica told me the government trusts her with money … it all makes sense now!

Often I am asked what the difference is between proofs and reprints, and what the difference is between our “enhanced proofing” and straight out of the camera proofing. So I thought I would provide some visual aids. For the first set of photos you can see the difference between what was shot (straight out of the camera), the editing I did for the enhanced proofing, and then the extra editing I did for the final print. The second set of photos shows the difference between straight out of the camera and the final print.

 Straight out of camera:

 The enhanced proof:

The final print (darkened the background so your eye focuses on Daniel and Ruth):

Straight out of camera:

Final Print (Made B&W, lightened Mom’s face, selective focus on dress and Mom/blurred bridesmaids in the background, darkened distracting objects, and cropped):

Heather and Chase, Congratulations again! Thanks for having us be a part of your wonderful day! I hope you cherish this forever!

P.S. I just have to share Heather’s comment at the end of the night, after checking out a little slideshow of pictures we put together from earlier on in the day she told me, “The reality was nice, but the pictures made it look even better!” … That has to be the best compliment ever!

Megan and Geoff = Gorgeous!

The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va (where the were married) = Gorgeous!

The ceremony = Gorgeous!

The weather (at least when we were outside) = Gorgeous!

The reception = Gorgeous!

Hair, Makeup, Flowers = Gorgeous x3!

Windy Jennings (wedding planner extraordinaire) = Gorgeous and Awesome!

Their band, The Dickens = Handsome and Awesome!

… ok so gorgeous didn’t quite fit for everything, but you get the idea!

Megan and Geoff I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for awhile more than most couples as they booked me over a year and a half in advance! I’m so glad too as I’ve really enjoyed shooting not only their wedding, but also their engagement pictures, other weddings that they have been a part of, and we’ve had the occasional dinner together when I’ve been in Richmond! Through everything I’ve really seen how great they are together, and I’m really excited to share their Fusion Film with you so you can see what I am talking about!

I have to give props to Windy Jennings who did an awesome job helping them plan and carry out the celebration (while being very pregnant)! Also, props to their band The Dickens who I highly recommend if you want a rocking band for your wedding! We actually listened to their music while editing thanks to a direct feed recording that we have of them playing throughout the evening! Lastly, I want to thank Matt Ryb who came down from Baltimore and not only did an awesome job as a cinematographer, but also as my second photographer. Thanks to Thomas Dalton for helping with a little bit of everything, and Ashley Chipman & Ophelia Armengol for editing!

Enjoy!

One of my favorite places for weddings in Charlottesville is The Clifton Inn as everyone there is very nice and accommodating, the food is the best in all of Virginia (maybe the universe), and in the spring it is absolutely gorgeous with flowers galore! Grier & Tad were married on April 18th, 2009 which was perfect timing as all of the blossoms were just starting to peak! Pat’s Floral Design did a beautiful job bringing in additional floral arrangements for the bouquets, garters, and tent decorations.

The ceremony was very unique as Dave Norris, the mayor of Charlottesville, officiated his first wedding along with officiant extraordinaire Claire Goodman who local brides might know from the Charlottesville Wedding Blog and Sacred Ground Ceremonies. It was a very touching and heartfelt ceremony that had many choking up and a few tears being shed. Later on that evening the party kicked off with the Kings of Swing rocking out! I don’t think I had seen a 12 piece band play at a wedding until then … it was very impressive! To add a nice little touch the tent (from Skyline Tent Company) was adorned with beautiful lanterns that really made for an awesome and unforgettable atmosphere. I definitely recommend them for all weddings and I think you will see why when you watch the video!

With that said I would like to wish congratulations to Grier & Tad, and I hope you enjoy the film!

This film was shot by Aaron Watson and Erin Manfredi on a Canon 5D Mark II and includes photography by Aaron Watson and Erin Manfredi. Editing was done by Ashley Chipman and Aaron Watson.