Julie & Damien: Sept 23, 2006
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.
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine, from Fox Searchlight Pictures, is the must-see movie of the year. It has to be one of the funniest but touching movies I have ever seen. One of the funniest parts of the movie wasn’t even a character, but a sound. I won’t spill the beans here but suffice to say, this movie is going to win some awards.
The movie stars Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano and Abagail Breslin as Olive.
Little Miss Sunshine introduces us to the dysfunctional family, the Hoovers. It follows their quest to get Olive, their young daughter to Redondo Beach, California in time for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant by driving hundreds of miles in a VW mini-bus. You may soon begin to realize that this “dysfunctional” family may more accurately portray a typical family than you might imagine.
The screenplay is excellent. Alan Arkin is brilliant as the Grandfather and gives a performance that is absolutely hilarious. Greg Kinnear is the Father and is equally stellar. Paul Dano is Dwayne, the rebellious son. Steve Carell (one of the funniest actors around) has a delightful role as the Uncle and his understated comedic performance won’t disappoint you. Toni Collette, is perfectly cast as the Mother and the adorable Abagail Breslin plays Olive, perhpas the most normal member of the family. Her innocence and sensitivity is wonderful to experience.
This is a move that I plan on seeing again as soon as I can fit it in. It has a great soundtrack, consistent momentum and the last 30 minutes will make you want to laugh and cry, probably simultaneously (that was my experience anyway).
New York State Festival of Balloons
My Labor Day weekend was spent with my wife and in-laws. Part of our time was spent in Dansville, NY for the New York State Festival of Balloons.
Our plan was to watch the balloon launch Monday night at 6:00pm. We arrived right on time and there were quite a few balloons being inflated, but due to the inclement weather only one balloon actually lifted off untethered. We decided to try our luck again the next morning.
The alarm went off at 5:00am and we hopped in the car and drove back up to the Dansville airport. When we arrived, it looked like the weather was going to prevent the launching again. We stood around for about 30 minutes waiting to see some activity where the balloonists usually prepare to lift-off. But seeing no activity we decided to call it quits and drive back home. Just as we had gotten back on the highway, we had second thoughts and figured since this was the last day of the festival, that maybe we should stick around for a little while longer. We turned around and we headed to McDonalds to have breakfast and wait a while longer. As we were discussing whether we should just drive back home if the weather didn’t improve, we overheard a few people saying that the balloons were launching. We went outside and were greeted with the magnificent sight of 8 Hot Air Balloons lifting off. Here is a photo of us (minus me. There is a reason I take the photos you know!) looking pretty at 6am in the morning.
And the liftoff of the balloons…
I counted 22 balloons in the air and there may have been as many as 25. It was really interesting to see how the wind currents took some of them in one direction while others headed off in another direction. Apparently the wind in Dansville can swirl because of the surrounding hills making things a little unpredictable.
After all the balloons had become airborne, we decided to leave. We soon noticed a ReMax balloon headed in the same direction we were going on our way back to Wayland, so we decided to track the balloon and took off on backroads trying to watch its eventual landing. Here is a series of photos which shows our adventure.
Traditionally, when a Hot Air Balloon lands on your property, the crew gives the land-owners a bottle of champagne as a gesture of thanks for allowing them to land. As it turns out, the balloon landed within about 100 feet of my father-in-laws property. Darn! So close, yet so far to a bottle of champagne. It sure was fun watching the balloons and something you should consider doing in the future. the Balloon Festival is Labor Day weekend every year in Dansville, NY.
Jennifer and Phillip – Sept 2, 2006
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!
