September 17th was a very big day for Kirsten’s extended family. Yes it was the day she was getting married, but more importantly, it was the day that many of family members coming in from Ohio would be meeting her infamous “Softball Boy” for the first time. Kirsten and Eric met in Boston when they joined their softball team, the bad news bears. As girls, when we first start to develop crushes, we tend to come up with some descriptive moniker for them…work guy, hat guy, Brooklyn boy, English chap, you get the picture…so that our friends can more easily know who we are talking about. In Eric’s case, it was Softball Boy. As it turned out, not only did Kirsten’s friends refer to him by this nickname, but her family did as well. During his toast, Kirsten’s father mentioned how happy everyone was to finally get to meet Kirsten’s infamous softball boy.
Kirsten and Softball boy’s, I…er…ah…mean, Eric’s wedding fell on a spectacularly beautiful day. Shawn Black was my second shooter again, and my husband came along to get some video footage and to hone his photography skills. It was my first time out to the Villa, and boy was I impressed. Kirsten was provided with a fabulous attendant named Aubrey. She was ready with anything and everything, from scissors to cut off tags from the dress, popping corks on champagne, to driving us down in a golf cart to the formal photo location so that we could be extra efficient that day with out time. They also had hors d’oeuvres and drinks brought down as well so that the wedding party wouldn’t be starving and dying to get back to the cocktail hour. Meanwhile the day of coordinator Katelyn did a spectacular job of keeping everything running on time. You couldn’t have asked for better service.
There were plenty of take aways from their wedding that I think might be helpful to other couples as well.
1) The reverend insisted that no photos at all be taken during the ceremony. At first I was a bit bummed about this, but I understood that he didn’t want any distractions during the ceremony, and he came up with a compromise that was a great solution. After the ceremony, we had most all the guests leave the room to go to the cocktail hour, and then we had the parents and bridal party come back in. Reverend Matt then went through all the key moments of the ceremony again and reenacted them. During this time, he let me use flash and get as close as I would like to the couple. It allowed me to get shots that I normally would NEVER be able to get during a ceremony. Also it was fun for the couple to get to relive that wonderful experience of exchanging rings and getting their first kiss as man and wife. I was worried that it would look staged, but the joy on their faces made the shots totally believable. So if you are having your ceremony in a church that doesn’t allow photos, or that doesn’t allow flash photography during the ceremony, consider taking just a few minutes after the ceremony to reenact those key shots.
2) During the reception Reverend Matt called me over and asked if I’d like to get a shot of the witnesses signing the marriage license. I said sure. As I set up the shot I start to see a puzzled look emerge on his face, as well as on the face of the best man and matron of honor. there was no place for the witnesses to sign. I had Shawn grab his iPhone to look up the laws guiding marriage certificates in Massachusetts. Turns out that no witness is legally required in Massachusetts.
3) In addition to traditional wedding cake, Kirsten and Eric had an AMAZING ice cream sunday bar with just about every topping you can think of available. It was a HUGE hit! For summer weddings I would HIGHLY recommend this!
4) Kirsten’s friend who is a designer created their invitations and created an emblem for them using their initials. This emblem was subtly worked through in all sorts of ways, from the cake, to the programs, to the sweetheart table runner, and even the pillows on the couch in the cocktail room. The personalization didn’t stop there. Kirsten and Eric’s initials in topiary format were hung from the bottom of the sconces leading up to the Villa’s entrance.
5) Lastly, Kirsten and Eric made a grand exit through all their guests holding streamers made of the wedding colors. This was an environmentally friendly send off that I absolutely loved. It allowed us to slow down the shutter speed a little and feel the motion and energy in the shot.
Hope these tips help you! XOXO – PhotoGirl
Photogirl took amazing and excellent pictures, but just as importantly, blended in like an invited guest rather than a working photographer. Her energy,obvious enjoyment of her craft, and fabulous dance steps were contagious! Most highly recommended 🙂
I agree with Donna…photogirl was just as much a part of the celebration as she was a photographer. She knows how to get the party started and get people involved in the celebration. My 7 year old daughter, Summer, saw how much fun/energy photogirl brought to the dance and she tried to keep up. Summer danced just about the entire time. The DJ’s did an excellent job as well.
Thanks to photogirl and entire photography team…kudos!