This was the kind of wedding that makes me realize why I love doing what I do for a living. It was the kind of wedding where everything just clicked into place… the venue was beautiful (Trillium at Cornell University), the food and catering staff were excellent (Cornell Catering) and the Bride and Groom, Julie and Damien, were beaming.

I had met with Julie and Damien two weeks prior to their wedding, at Six Mile Creek Vineyard, where I was setting up for another wedding. I arrived earlier than normal to spend some time with them in order to develop an itinerary and discuss their music. Normally a planning meeting is done a month or two before the wedding, but logistics prevented that from happening. Our meeting was really productive and fun. I just had this great feeling about these two and was really looking forward to their wedding.

From the very first song, once open dancing started, the guests tore up the dancefloor. Their energy continued all night and when it was time for me to announce the last song of the night, something I always hate to do, I heard a collective groan coming from across the dancefloor. It’s kind of a bittersweet moment… you hate to see the evening end since everyone is having such a fantastic time, but the night does have to end eventually.

As I was packing up my equipment, Damien came up to me at least twice to thank me for my work. Then Julie came over and told me how much fun she had and thanked me and shortly thereafter, Ann Herson, the bride’s mother, came up and thanked me several times. I think I must have turned several shades of pink, red and probably a couple other colors too. It’s a great feeling to know that everyone had a great time and I’m so happy that I was able to be one part of a successful event.

Here are a few photos of the wedding reception that I took. Just click on the thumbnail image to see a larger version.

Julie and Damien, thanks for the opportunity to be a part of your wedding. I hope you have a fantastic life together! Enjoy the pics.

When you are preparing for an outdoor wedding reception, it is not pleasant to realize the remants of a hurricane, in this case hurricane Ernesto, are expected to pass through the region at precisely the time the reception is scheduled. I was watching the weather report before going to bed on September 1 and it wasn’t pretty. The forecast was calling for possible winds in excess of 45 miles per hour and steady rain with up to an inch or more accumulation. Yikes!

I arrived eariler than normal to set up because with a weather forecast that ominous, I wanted to make sure that my equipment was adequately protected from the wind and rain. Even though I was under cover in a large tent, wind and tents don’t normally make good company. As I arrived at my destination, Six Mile Creek Vineyard, in Ithaca, NY, I was relieved somewhat because it wasn’t really raining at all and there was no wind to speak of. Set up went smoothly. Here is a photo of the beautiful surroundings at Six Mile Creek Vineyard…

About 45 minutes before the guests were scheduled to arrive, the wind began to pick up and the rain started. It rained steadily but just before the guests started arriving, the winds died down and the rain lessened in intensity.

Honestly, the skies might have been gray, but in conjunction with the rain, it made the winery look so lush and verdant green. It was quite beautiful. Once the newlyweds Jennifer and Phillip arrived, the smiles of joy on their faces overshadowed the weather and I knew at that point that the rest of the reception was going to be a blast in spite of the weather.

The caterer was Word of Mouth catering. This was the second week in a row that I had worked with them and as usual, their food was just excellent. The hors d’oeuvers were presented in such abundance that I overheard several guests remarking that the hors d’Oeuvers were by themselves a meal. Another great presentation by Kate, Tina and crew.

Frank DiMeo was the photographer and he brought along a second shooter by the name of Brady Dillisworth. I worked with Frank earlier in the summer and he’s got such a great personality that I just love working with him. I met Brady earlier in the summer and this was the first time I had seen him shoot a wedding. Together they looked like they didn’t miss a shot the whole evening.

I always bring my camera along with me to the receptions that I work and here are a few images I captured. The first is the wedding cake, the next one is of the Toast by Best Man Eric Kolb and finally the Bride and Grooms First Dance. Enjoy!

Thank you to Jennifer and Phillip for letting me be a part of their special day. Best of luck to the both of you!