Andrea & Keith - The Wedding Part II

The morning after the rehearsal, it was time to get packed up and head to the Hyatt Hotel, Cleveland where the bridal party were getting ready! They were moved from their regular rooms to the Presidential Suite shortly after our arrival and let me tell you, the Presidential Suite got lots of "Oooh" and "Aaaaah"s from everyone who went there! It is simply GORGEOUS and the PERFECT place to get ready for a wedding.

The girls were backwards and forwards having hair, nails and make-up done and dressing in between! Paul and I managed to get a few shots in though.......

Then, the guys were finally ready ~ let me tell you that they took longer than the girls to get ready, if you can believe that - so Paul headed down to get a few shots of them!

Andrea & Keith were going to do a 'big reveal' and see each other before the ceremony, that way getting more shots of themselves and the wedding party before the ceremony that was taking place later that afternoon. Luckily, in the Hyatt hotel there is a gorgeous bridge that we were able to utilize and that's where they met and 'saw each other' for the first time, dressed in their wedding outfits! it was a lovely moment.

Once we had finished with the indoor shots, it was time to head out into the cold cold air and try to get as many shots of the wedding party before they literally froze in front of us :-)

Once they were all sufficiently frozen and their skin was a light tinge of blue :-) we headed indoors to the ceremony which was lovely. One of the bridesmaids, Lauren, sang a lovely song that had some people emotional, and once they walked back down the aisle, Andrea & Keith were serenaded to "Here Comes The Sun"!

Then it was time to have the grand entrance into the reception hall and to cut the cake - of course doing the now traditional cake-in-the-face smushing followed by the speeches.

The first dances with their respective parents of the bride and groom was delightful, especially Andrea and her father dancing to a song they used to dance to when she was a baby *aaaaaaawwwww*

Then it was time for the 'First Dance'. This was hilarious and involved music from the 1500's, Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" and finally the bride and groom playing Guitar Hero. I LOVE LOVE LOVE a break from tradition and this was just fun from start to finish.

Then it was time for the guest to have fun and boy, did they have fun!

and so the night ended. This was one of the most fun weddings both Paul and I have shot and it showed on the faces of everyone who attended. Andrea & Keith went on Honeymoon to Cancun the following Monday where hopefully they recovered from all the fun that was had at their wedding and reception!

Congratulations Andrea & Keith - may you have lots of years of happiness ahead of you!

P.S. Andrea - Thanks SO MUCH for the text I received on my way home, and THANK YOU for playing 'my song'........ it was appreciated and made me smile!

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Andrea & Keith - The Wedding Part I ~ Rehearsal

This past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot the wedding of Andrea & Keith - you may remember their engagement shoot? The whole weekend was fun, fun, fun and as such, I am breaking the posting of this event into two posts, the rehearsal in Part I and the wedding in Part II - out Friday!

Whenever I book a wedding I always let the bride and groom know that I will be attending the rehearsal too. This gives me the chance to figure out the time-line of the ceremony, check the lighting situation, where the advantageous spots are for shooting, and also to meet people the wedding party and their families in a more comfortable relaxed setting.

The wedding and reception were being held at Windows on the River, Cleveland OH which is a gorgeous place for both should you ever be looking for such an event location! I can't say enough about the staff at Windows, they were total professionals and they ran everything without a glitch! Excellent excellent venue! My second shooter for this wedding was Paul Lender, Left of Center Photography.

From the start of this rehearsal until the end, we saw not only how this couple are so very much in love but also how much their family and friends mean to them. They are fun, happy and just enjoying life - as evidenced in the photographs we took!

When I booked with Andrea & Keith they also invited Paul and I to the rehearsal dinner that was taking place afterward which was being held at The Corner Alley in downtown Cleveland. There they had the VIP room which held a bar, 4 private lanes for bowling and seating areas for the buffet that was served.

Both Paul and I had fun here and we knew without a doubt that the wedding the next day was going to be just as much fun........

Stay tuned for part II ~ the Wedding Day posting Friday!

*All rehearsal and wedding photographs will be on the official website by Friday, March 26th! Keep a look out!


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Andrea & Keith E-Session

Andrea & Keith came to me a few months ago to book their March 2010 wedding at Windows on the River, Cleveland. Although an engagement package was offered, at that time they didn't want to do that. Last week they changed their mind and Sunday we went to downtown Willoughby and took a few photographs! :-) Drink in the beauty of this couple!

We were going for a 'farmer' look here. You had to be there I guess :-) I have color versions of these photos but created a collage of the funny ones in B&W - obviously!

Never let it be said that alleys are boring places.........

and my second favorite photograph from the entire set!

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to shooting their wedding with Paul! keep an eye out for their wedding post!