This year, more than any other, has been a lesson inwhat is and isn’t within my or my clients’ control on the day of a wedding. The weather during 2009 has presented more challenges than I ever dreamed and definitely forced the use of "Plan B" more than we would hope. But the funny thing about weather is that it may cooperate just long enough to get what you need. Such is the case with Erika and Dan.
Like my wife and I, Erika and Dan met in college. At some point, they realized that the idea of graduating and going separate ways was not desirable. So Dan popped the question and Erika said "Yes!"
In our initial meeting as well as our pre-wedding consultation, Erika emphasized the many details that were planned and how her hope was for an "elegant" day. Little did I realize how many details there were and how amazing they all worked together to create an incredibly elegant wedding celebration.
The day of the wedding, George, Alana and I all arrived at the First Baptist Church in Worcester on the corner of WPI’s campus. Alana was with us because I had to leave a little early to catch a flight to Houston for a very special event (more on that later). The campus, church property and surrounding area were all wet. It was a bit drizzly at the moment, but we wandered around anyway. I filled George and Alana in on all the spots I had visited with Dan and Erika during the pre-wedding consultation and we talked through some ideas for photos along the way. Once we finished, George went off to shoot with the guys, Alana headed in to start on the detail pictures and I headed a short way down the road to where all the ladies were getting ready.
Erika was quick to greet me with a huge smile and filled me in on where everything was. I dug right in with the detail shots of her dress (hand-made by a couple of her friends), shoes and jewelry. I also snapped candids of the ladies as I went. Some of the most beautiful flowers I’ve seen soon arrived. Not much later, Erika was putting her dress on and heading out the door under cover of an umbrella to the awaiting car.
Due to the weather, we planned to do the pre-formals (separate guys and girls) in the church sanctuary well before the ceremony started. It turned out that the guys were able to sneak outside with George in between rain drops and explored the campus. They were definitely damp when they returned, but were all wearing big smiles, especially Dan. He told me what a blast they had with George. I wasn’t going to be quite as adventuresome with the ladies as I didn’t want to damage Erika’s dress, so we used the beautiful sanctuary and still had some fun with the ladies and Wesley, Erika’s brother. He was the "Man of Honor." Erika couldn’t think of someone more appropriate than Wesley to stand beside her for her wedding day and he was honored to do so.
We finished the photos and returned Erika to hiding before the ceremony. George, Alana, and I took a minute to discuss what each of us would cover during the ceremony and where we would be in order to capture as many angles as possible, which included George heading up to the balcony to get an "everyone" shot at the end of the ceremony. It also included me sneaking into a baptismal to get a very unique shot of the lighting of the unity candles. Don’t worry – this was approved by Erika and Dan ahead of time and allowed me to stay completely unobtrusive.
The candles were lit. The guests were seated. The organ music filled the air. Dan stood at the front of the church. Everything was in place. Minutes later, Erika and her dad walked down the aisle arm in arm. Dan could barely contain himself. He looked as though he wanted to run down the aisle toward Erika and embrace her with all his being.
The ceremony was just as elegant as Erika described. A congregational singing of "Praise to the Lord" echoed throughout the sanctuary. Later, a vocal quartet sang, "The King of Love" as Erika’s brother Wesley accompanied on the piano. The piano and their voices filled every inch of the sanctuary. Following the "everyone" photo, Erika and Dan were pronounced husband and wife.
We moved the bride and groom, wedding party and parents to a waiting area below the sanctuary while the guests headed toward the reception hall in the other wing of the church. Alana quickly got set up to do a photo line with the guests, so after they signed the guest book, they could have a portrait taken if they opted to do so. George quickly prepared for formals, while I packed up to head out to Logan. I didn’t want to leave, but staying any longer and getting to Houston Texas by 9 a.m. the next morning wasn’t possible.
After I left, George did the family formals in the sanctuary while Alana did the photo line. A quick check outside indicated that there was a window of opportunity to go outside for some formals with the wedding party, so they did. The trees in the park across the street from the church were at peak foliage and were simply glowing. I was really happy to find out that they were able to get outside for the photos.
Once those were done, everyone moved into the hall where Erika and Dan were announced to their awaiting guests. Erika and Dan shared a first dance, followed by parent dances. They mingled with their guests for a while and then at their request snuck back outside for a few more pictures in some special places on campus.
Erika and Dan – we truly enjoyed celebrating your wedding day with you! Thanks for working through the environment challenges of the day and remaining positive throughout. We wish you many years of sweet music and loving embraces.
Vendors:
Venue: First Baptist Church – Worcester, MA
Florist: Bloomer’s Florist – Worcester, MA
To see more of Erika and Dan’s pictures, click here.
Erika’s hand-made jewelry
Almost there…I just love the contemplative expression she has
So much fun!
One of George’s creative shots with the guys. You mess with Dan…you mess with us all.
So elegant!
Alana’s angle. I love the profiles.
George’s view from the back.
There’s just something about this shot…
The "sneak peek" picture. It was so worth it!
Can you say foliage? George caught this shot when they went outside.
Another one of George’s formals.
Alana captured this funny candid
One of my favorites. Alana timed this one just right and did a great job with the post-production.
One of Alana’s great candids
One of Alana’s many detail shots
Another of Alana’s detail shots
Tying many of Alana’s detail shots together…the wayErika dreamed it.
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