Another hectic week around here having just gotten back from Michelle and David's wedding up in Rochester this weekend.  Michelle was one of my wife Kristina's college roommates at Syracuse, so this one was a labor of love.  Of course, any weekend up in the Rochester/Syracuse area means we had some boxes to check off, like a post wedding dinner of takeout from the local edition of the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, introducing the kids to Heid's of Liverpool the next day, but mainly catching up with old friends.

Since we're getting ready to have Caroline's preschool graduation (I'm not ready for this) and a wedding up in the Amherst, MA area this weekend, I've only got a couple to show you from this weekend, and I've still got a bit of the last Real Weddings post to get uploaded soon, but click through to see more from this weekend's festivities!

How much did I love this wedding? Start with a stellar venue for prep time-- Rachel got ready at the lovely Swann's Nest bed and breakfast located just a mile beyond Keeneland on the way out towards Versailles.

She and John had their first meeting that day on the grounds there and it was a superb place for portraits.

Her Vera Wang dress was stunning-- easily one of the top 5 dresses I've seen on any bride in my career, New York or Kentucky or anywhere else-- more importantly, the way she just started bursting with a mix of joy and confidence when she stepped into it... simply breathtaking.

Combine that with an Orthodox Christian wedding, with its own sense of mystery in its rituals, the crowns, the incense, the room full of traditional iconography... you end up with a wedding that really stands out in its uniqueness here in the Bluegrass.

I'm so in love with this wedding that this look at it will be a two-parter, so that you can focus on the beauty of the first half of the day before diving into the fun of the reception next week! Click through for more images from this one after the jump...