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Frequently guests at weddings come up to me and say that they’ve never seen anyone so passionate about their job. “You’re on the floor. You’re getting the guests up and dancing. All the while with a HUGE smile on your face and taking pictures of it all.” At Christina and David’s wedding where I was 2nd shooting for 71 west, I found a vendor that frankly puts me to shame. Mark Durkee of Black Tie Limosine was without a doubt the most incredible and devoted limo driver I have ever come across. He made sure to park the Rolls Royce that brought Christina and her dad to the church in a shady spot with a nice background, rather than in the direct sun in the parking lot. Then after opening the door for Christina, he showed her dad how to properly hold her train so that it would make for a great photo as well as keep the dress clean. Once we got into the church, there was no coordinator at the back, so Mark helped line up the groomsmen and then the bridesmaids, and cued them when to go in perfectly. Normally I end up having to very quickly fluff out the back of the train for the bride and then grab my camera and take a shot of her walking down the aisle. Not this time! Mark took care of it, making sure that it was just perfectly in place before she walked down the aisle with her father. I had seen one other limo driver fluff out the train before, but nothing like the precision with which Mark did that day. Inside the church it was surprisingly hot. I noticed that the bridesmaids were pulling out little pieces of paper to wipe away tears and the groomsmen to wipe away beads of sweat. Turns out, Mark had folded paper towels so that the girls could hold them with their bouquets and not have them show up in the photos of them walking down the aisle. Upon leaving the church, Mark had ice cold water for not only Christina and David, but also for all the other vendors. This was much appreciated!

As Mark was about to drive them off to the reception, I flagged him down, and said WAIT!!! Perfect photo op! All the guests had left, and the sky was incredibly blue. Mark slowly backed the Rolls in front of the church until I said it was in JUST the right position. He helped Christina get out quickly, and fluffed out her train again, picture perfect! David planted a passionate kiss on Christina and this stunning shot, shown below, was the result. Then it was off to the reception at the fabulously gorgeous Tewksbury Country Club. Mark drove around the parking lot until the videographer, the lead photographer, and I were ready to capture their entrance. He then showed David the same technique for holding Christina’s train. David beamed with pride helping his bride out of the beautiful Rolls. With this grand entrance, we knew the rest of the wedding would be wonderful. In the end everything went perfectly, with one rather funny exception. During the cake cutting, we noticed that Christina was making some confused faces at the cake. As it turned out, the cake had real ribbon around each layer. The cake knife was no match for the wire rimmed ribbon. Christina and David just laughed it off, and gave each other a big smooch.