Rachel and Brandon's Whirlwind Wedding! 7-24-10

What an experience and what a wedding! Rachel and Brandon were married last Saturday in the Lake Chautauqua region of New York. We went from morning sunshine to torrential rains and -yes - a tornado in the afternoon! This is going to be a long blog, but it's a wonderful story to tell! Rachel and Brandon really set the bar on "going with the flow." Here's their story...
(click on images to see larger version)

The morning started out innocently enough. The guys met at the golf course to hit a few...the sun was bright and the weather, as it has been all summer, steamy.



Meanwhile, Rachel was at Panache Salon getting ready with the girls. Rachel has meticulously planned her wedding for over a year. She made many of her decorations following a wine/coffee theme. Honestly, I don't think I've ever met anyone as creative and thoughtful when it came to every detail of her day. So, when I saw a "Martha Stewart Weddings" magazine on her lap, I wasn't surprised -- she could be her clone!
Getting pretty (er)...

Rachel had arranged for a gorgeous brunch with tasty finger foods...
Back at the hotel...a couple views of her gorgeous gown.
I love love love "bride getting ready" shots...the movement of all the helping hands...it's like poetry.


Rachel's vows for Brandon...which she intended to practice...
Dad sees Rachel in her dress for the first time, and tries to contain his emotion...
They selected Quincy Cellars as their ceremony location. The trees were gorgeous and provided a nice cool(ish) shade for the guests...
Meanwhile, Rachel and the girls are by the vineyard preparing to walk down the aisle!
The moment is here....and Rachel is a vision of joy...


Thunder began rolling in the distance about halfway through the ceremony...which increased as the ceremony continued. The wind began to whip Rachel's veil around just before the rain...
And rain it did! It didn't drizzle...it came in a sudden downpour. Everyone rushed inside the barn.
And we continued without a hitch inside...
Rachel's mom had the voice of an angel as she serenaded the bride and groom...
As part of the ceremony, Rachel and Brandon planned to combine the soil of each parents' yard into the soil of a young pine tree that they will grow in their own yard. The wind and rain knock over a glass of soil. One of the guests calmly scooped up the soil and placed it into another glass...
just in time for Rachel and Brandon to plant their tree...
After the ceremony, it took a while for the barn to clear out since the rain was so heavy. Gone were the hopes of getting beautiful vineyard bridal portraits -- but we did get some really great photos inside the barn. Here is another one of Rachel's wonderfully unique ideas. Rather than jackets on this hot July day, she had the groomsmen dress in suspenders. Brandon was the only person with a jacket that day. The weather was so hot and humid, that I'm sure the guys appreciated it -- and they looked great!
The bridal party...

downstairs in the wine cellar...Rachel was a vision of loveliness!

so....while we were taking photos inside the barn and waiting for the rain to let up a little so we could head to the hotel for the reception, someone received a call that a tornado touched down just blocks from the hotel and that roads were closed -- we were detoured, but eventually made it to the hotel...

I had taken a few photos of the decor before the ceremony -- I'm glad I did, because when we arrived, we discovered that all the power at the hotel was out! This meant no air conditioning - no lights - no DJ? The hotel did have a generator that was able to light one strand of lights and to power the DJ. Their planned plated dinner had to become a buffet. Extra candles were placed on the tables. The DJ did get a round of applause when he announced that after the buffet was served, they would be able to power up some fans!


For a while, there was some additional light provided by the open door in the back... this photo was taken with a tripod and longer shutter speed -- in reality, it was much darker than this!
And yet...it mattered very little. Rachel, Brandon, their friends and family were there to celebrate and they did!
How dark was it? It was so dark that Rachel had to hold a candle close to the toast that Brandon had written in Rachel's honor so that he could read it!
Beautiful and unique cake top...
Their first dance...
Honestly? There were more people on that dance floor - in this place without air conditioning - than many other weddings that I have photographed. They didn't let a little heat and humidity get to them. They danced...and danced...and danced....all night long!

How hot was it? It was THIS hot!!!
At around 11:15 p.m. the power came back on to a loud round of applause. Here, the bridal party takes a break to go outside and smoke some cigars...
The last dance.... the emotion between Rachel and Brandon was palpable. The dance floor was still full. In fact...they carried on the party at another location when this one closed down!

I am just so impressed and amazed by the course of events on this day. I am more impressed and even a bit awed by how well everyone handled it. I attribute this to Rachel and Brandon's evident joy which was infectious. It mattered not that her meticulous planning had been thwarted by a tornado...what mattered was that they were married on this day, and for that they were so happy. This has to be one of the best and most rewarding weddings I have ever photographed!

Jen and Scott's "Excellent" Adventure! (Engagement Session)

It was a whole lot of fun spending time with Jen and Scott on Saturday -- We met at Huntington Beach in Bay Village on what had to be the most crowded day of the year. This means we had to be a little creative in finding places to photograph -- I went to areas of that beach I didn't know existed and thus, our excellent adventure! We "rock climbed", we crossed creeks barefoot, we endured bug swarms, and walked for miles and miles (okay not that far, but it was a nice little hike!). By the time we got back to the main part of the beach, the crowds thinned and we captured a wonderful sunset! The best part, for me, was getting to know Jen and Scott who are so engaging and friendly that by the time we were done, I felt as if I had known them forever. I'm looking forward to their wedding in October of 2011! (click on individual photos to see larger versions)

Jen looked so sophisticated as Scott nuzzled her neck....

ohhh....but she's ticklish and Scott knows it!

We are still waiting for the crowd to thin, so we take some photos in one of the very few unoccupied areas across the street.







To the left of this area of Hungtington Beach, it was still very crowded, so we decided to head right...







I'm disappointed that Scott and Jen don't look like they are up higher. Because I swear when we were there in the moment, it was such a challenge! :-) This was the trickiest part of our adventure -- we passed a guy on the beach who promised us that there was a path up ahead that would lead to another part of the beach. What we didn't know was that we were going to have to climb up a steep incline where the only way to get to the path was to grab onto rocks, hoist yourself up and pray, haha! It may only have been a six foot effort, but intimidating nonetheless. Jen is holding on to one of my cameras and Scott is waiting for me to give him my other camera...


We made it! Here are a couple photos of the "other side"







When we returned to the beach that I know, we had a little more space and a beautiful sunset!




And finally -- we wrapped up the session with a shot of Jen's ring.

All in all, it was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday! Thanks guys...and I can't wait for my next adventure with you in October 2011!