One of the things about weddings is that they often seem to be too familiar after awhile.  You start looking for the same things, you set up in the same places in the aisle, etc.   But then one comes along that busts up all your usual routines, and for me, Meredith and Aaron’s wedding certainly did that.

Their original plan involved a small ceremony in a nearby state park, but someone pointed out that there was no alternate location at that site if the weather turned sour, and boy, was that a good call.  The day turned out to have a light, but steady, drizzle, and instead of fighting the weather, we got a charming venue that was perfect for the intimate size of the gathering and promised fun for all.

I’ve been sitting on this one since April for a reason, and it’s finally time to bring this one out for view– Tara and Glenn’s wedding is featured on page 48 of the new issue of Kentucky Bride Magazine, out tomorrow, to coincide with Jacki Allen’s Kentucky Bride bridal show at the Lexington Convention Center (1-5p, Bluegrass Ballroom).

I had a blast shooting this one with longtime associate Jennifer Creed, who’s now setting up shop down in Nashville. The day started at the Campbell House for preparations, including hair by Sara Drury of the Jon-Beck Salon and makeup by the always awesome Ana Crane-Simpson, before we headed down to Calvary Baptist on a trolley. After the brief ceremony, we headed to the Round Barn at Red Mile for the reception, and everyone tells me they’ve never seen the Round Barn look so good, and part of the credit has to go to Charles Ray, who did the flowers. The cake was by Judy Myers of Delectable Edibles, and Domino provided the evening’s soundtrack. The event was held together by the always capable Jackie Lee of Every Last Detail.

I could go on posting images from this wedding all night, but nothing matches seeing it in print, so go pick up your copy of Kentucky Bride today!

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!

After their first dance, David decided to forego a dance with his mother for a dance with his daughter…

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…

I’ve been up to my eyeballs in editing from all the recent weddings, engagements and the odd sweet sixteen the last couple of weeks, but I wanted to share a few shots from Megan and Andrew’s wedding this weekend– first of a string of four weddings in four different states over the next few weeks. Check out the traditional Filipino barongs Andrew and his groomsmen opted for instead of tuxes– Mabuhay!

Click through for more!

Some days this job is really easy.  Put people in great light, let them be themselves, let it all hang out.

Saturday was not one of those days.

Outdoor wedding on a family farm, and it rained.  Lots.

So we did little adjustments, like move the bridesmaids’ formals into the sitting room, things like that.  But really, that wouldn’t have been sufficient.  This was a beautiful property, with an amazing garden where the cocktail hour was supposed to be before the skies opened up.

I suppose we could have found a place indoors to take portraits, but… naaaaah.  I pulled out a bridal white golf umbrella, and off we went.  The umbrella did exactly what I hoped it would:  Not only did it leave Mary’s hair immaculate, but it grabbed the available light, and focused a whole lot of soft, gentle light right on them.

Some days, you have to just make a picture.

More images after the jump…

I was set to visit wedding designer Julie Murphy at her downtown Lexington studio yesterday, when I got an excited call from her– there’s a friend of yours here who wants to surprise you! So I hightail it down to Woodland Avenue, and when I got there, Eliska the mother of one of last year’s brides, Carlyn, was in, talking with Julie about her son Will’s upcoming wedding! (We’re still not sure if that one will be Lexington or Cincinnati, but I can’t wait!)

Carlyn and Scottie were one of the fun ones last year–great locations (Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church and Fasig-Tipton), charming couple, obvious affection. Here’s a look inside their wedding story…

Click the gallery images below for more…

Here’s a look at Cheryl and Jim’s wedding at Acres of Land Winery in Richmond, Kentucky. The night before the wedding, a storm blew through the area, including a small tornado that knocked out power to the hotel where Cheryl was getting ready. The chef at Boone Tavern, their hotel, ran home, got a portable generator, and ran extension cords up to the ladies’ suite so they could get ready. How’s that for awesome customer service?

More from this wedding after the jump…

Unfortunately, the storm also drenched the winery, and drove the proceedings indoors. It’s always important when you have an outdoor wedding to have contingency plans if the weather turns against you, and Tina Orr and the staff at Acres of Land were well prepared and everything moved inside their community building seamlessly.

One great wedding often leads to another. In the case of Dallas physician Jessica, she heard about me from her friend Neema, whose wedding I shot and Jessica attended in June.

Fast forward to the fall, when Jessica and her fiance Rutu, an engineer, returned to Kentucky for their wedding. An Indian wedding is always an event– there’s nothing like it for sheer size, scope, or color. By now, I’m pretty used to the rhythms of these multiday extravaganzas, and in fact, I’m beginning to see a lot of the same guests… they say I’m part of “the family” now! Since Indian weddings all but require an associate photographer, I was happy to be able to bring in one of my favorites, the emerging Bowling Green photographer Jennifer Creed. For Jenny, it was her first Indian wedding, and she brought a certain amount of wide eyed wonder to our work.

The folks at the Embassy Suites have gotten to be quite proficient at these events, and Amy Stamper and her crew did a wonderful job of giving the ballroom three different looks in less than 36 hours. I also got to work with my good friend Laura over at Destiny Horse and Carriage, who conveyed Ruturaaj to the proceedings in Kentucky style, while surrounded by their singing and dancing family members.

At the entrance to the hotel, Jessica’s parents and the priest met Rutu for a traditional ceremony that welcomes him to the wedding. He then is led into the hall by her parents to the Mandap, the wedding canopy where the ceremony takes place. All parties remove their shoes before going up on to the platform.

Before Jessica enters the hall, a sheet is lifted in front of the groom’s face, so that he cannot see her enter. Family members escort her to the mandap, and she is seated before him, before the veil comes down. The ceremony that follows is a cascade of flowers, flames, grain offerings, smoke, and processions, and it’s a visual treat. Like in many of these events, someone from the bride’s side of the family managed to steal Ruturaaj’s shoes, which is rewarded with a ransom.

The reception that followed was in a more Western vein, with many speeches, a game or two, and lots of dancing– I’ve never seen anyone who loved to dance more than Indian people.

For more images, click on the thumbnails below!

Like a lot of people, I do a bit of end of the year evaluating, at least when it comes to the photography business.

My lovely bride Kristina got me a book by Joe Buissink for Christmas, Wedding Photography from The Heart.  Joe has always been one of the photographers whose work inspires me most, and as I read the book, I started to realize that there are two things I’ve gotten away from over the last year, delivering lots of black and white photographs, and sometimes, turning all the flash units off, and making a natural light photograph, even I sacrificed a little shutter speed to get it.  The two really go hand in hand, because my favorite natural light photographs have always been my black and whites.  Two years ago, I delivered usually about 25% black and white or sepia toned images, and as of late, the number had been a lot closer to 10%.

That’s going to change this year, I think.  While I pride myself on my ability to create light and natural looking color when I need it, I’ve always felt that when you take the color out of an image, sometimes you let the emotion back in.