MELISSA + STEPHANE WEDDING

Okay, so I'm really trying to get better with keeping my blog updated and current, but hey, I'm a busy woman, so bare with me!  Anyway, let me tell you about a couple who's wedding I photographed a couple of months ago.  I liked Melissa and Stephane from our first meeting.  They were both funny and fun, and I knew that as a couple, they would not disappoint on their wedding day.

Stephane's family is from Europe, so some of his family members traveled a great distance to share in their joyous wedding day.  Melissa was a joy to shoot when it came to her pre-ceremony photos.  She was a breath of fresh air, and enjoyed the process of preparing for her grand day.

The church was gorgeous...I admit I have a thing for beautiful stained glass windows.  And, as a photographer, I love a church with a balcony, which affords additional photograhic opportunites!  And dare I say, that the Father of the Bride became very emotional during the ceremony...awww. 

I try to ride in the limousine with the bride whenever possible, which also lends to great photographic opportunities.  In this case, the Father of the Bride also rode in the limo with us.  The ceremony was held in a beautiful church in upstate Wappingers Falls, NY and the reception was held at an historic venue, which was over 169 years old!  The historic Bykenhulle House in Hopewell Junction, NY, was quaint, but beautiful, and perfect for this couple's wedding day and their guests.

And, as I always say, I love it when a couple incorporates their own personalities into their wedding day, and in this case, there were lots of fun nuances:

¤ Melissa wore a checkered flag race car themed garter, a tribute to Stephane's love of race cars
¤ The bridal bouquet was my favorite flower...calla lilies, while the bridesmaids had a fun bouquet of yellow roses and bright sunflowers
¤ The cake topper was a sculpture made of carved wood...so cute!
¤ Melissa's father created a wonderful tribute to the couple by making a money tree, with REAL money rolled and placed on the branches of the tree...unique!
¤ For the aching feet of her dancing female guests, the bride provided flip flops
¤ The bride's family provided generations of wedding photos, which were displayed at the entrance to the reception...so thoughtful and beautiful!
¤ A candy bar was provided as a fun touch for their guests favors...yummy!

Enjoy some of Melissa and Stephane's wedding day photos, and see how this couple can poke fun at one another:

Ciao, until next time...

HOW UNIQUE DO YOU WANT TO BE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?

Well, brides are having very different ideas of their wedding these days.  It’s no longer about just staying with tradition.  Each wedding should be as unique as the bride herself!

As a professional photographer who specializes in weddings, I do watch some TV shows that feature brides.  Recently, I watched a show on TLC, “Four Weddings”, which features four brides who attend one another’s wedding, and each score the other’s wedding day, and the bride with the highest score wins an all expenses paid honeymoon. 

There were a couple of brides from two different episodes, which caught my attention because they had a very different vision for their special day. 

Bride Keshia :: Keshia wanted to honor her Mother who had passed away, by wearing an aqua wedding gown, which was her Mother’s favorite color.  Since the bride wore Aqua, her bridesmaids wore white, which came as a surprise to her guests, who were not told in advance of this unique change, which was Keshia’s intent…for her guests to be surprised! 

Furthermore, Keshia held her reception at a VERY early hour…7:00 a.m.!  You know you have to really love the bride to attend a reception at that hour!  Whew…I don’t know if I could’ve made it…I’m not a morning person.  LOL!  Another unique twist was that the guests were served a breakfast buffet FIRST, before the ceremony.  There were also pre-ceremony toasts by the parents.

The ceremony was held outdoors on the rooftop of the venue, which offered a gorgeous view of the Miami oceanfront.  After the ceremony, guests were treated to a second reception, which included the traditional fare of cake cutting and dancing.  Below is Keshia's aqua wedding gown.  I apologize for the quality of the photo; however, it is a screenshot from online: 

Bride Kati :: A 39-year old bride who married an older man.  Because they were an “older” couple, and it was Kati’s second wedding, she didn’t want the traditional “frilly” reception with the bouquet/garter toss, so she elected to do things her way.  Kati is an outdoorsy athlete, so the couple opted for a non-traditional outdoor barbeque reception.  There were actually individuals hired to cook on barbeque grills during the reception, and there was a buffet style dinner of BBQ “sides” for guests to enjoy. 

Although Kati wore a beautiful, white form-fitting wedding gown, the guests were asked to dress very casual…with some guests arriving in jeans, shorts, and even flip-flops.  The signs leading to the reception were comprised of wood, stacked atop each other to reflect old wooden street signs, kind of like you may find at an amusement park, and each sign indicated the city and mileage traveled of the guests attending their wedding!

Although the guests were casually dressed, Kati still wanted an air of sophistication about her reception, so the festivities were held under an outdoor tent, which included a rolled cigar station, and a bagpiper!  Below is a better quality photo of Kati, also taken from online:

In the end, the wedding day should be about the couple, and how they want their love to be represented.  I admire brides who decide to go against the norm, and incorporate their true personalities into their wedding day!

Ciao, until next time…