Halloween 2008
All the ghosts and goblins were out in my neighborhood tonight. Here are a few photos of the kids in their great costumes… I think the best costume of the night was my nephew, Logan, who dressed up as Hannah Montanna. What a hoot!
Beth and Clay – October 11, 2008
It is really amazing how perfect the weather has been the last couple weeks. It’s been a long-lasting and quite beautiful Autumn for which I am grateful. I don’t even think we’ve quite peaked in color yet, although that will certainly be in the next few days, if we haven’t reached it yet. In any case, my drive to Ithaca and Cornell University, for the wedding of Beth and Clay was stunning since the colors are in all directions that you look. Put all those colors next to deep blue skies and warm temperatures you end up with a perfect mix. The wedding reception was in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall. This is a beautiful location for a reception. The room itself is so impressive and there is a large outside patio with unparalleled views of Cayuga Lake and surrounding hillsides. Quite a backdrop for the wedding reception of Beth and Clay.
The Bride and Groom had their first dance to the song, “At Last” by Etta James.
The Father/Daughter dance was “Stand by Me” by Ben E King.
My friend Robert Kaussner and his assistant Lauren were the photographers for this wedding and the catering was by the always outstanding Kata and Tina of Word of Mouth Catering.
It was a fun reception with lots of dancing and merriment. Thank you Beth and Clay for letting me share in the excitement of your wedding and I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos I took…
Jamie and Evan – October 4, 2008
Autumn has been kicking into high gear lately and the weekend of October 4 is pretty much when the colors started exploding. Jamie and Evan had a perfect day for their wedding reception at The Fontainebleau Inn.
During the cocktail hour, a Cornell University acapella group, “Cayuga’s Waiters,” performed for the guests on the outside, covered patio. A variety of great songs were sung and Jamie was being wooed by the group as can be seen in this photo…
At the conclusion of the cocktail hour, Formal Introductions took place and immediately after the Bride and Groom were introduced, they had their beautifully choreographed First Dance to “Home” by Michael Buble.
The Bride’s Mother, Katia, had a big surprise in store for Jamie. Katia had secretly been taking singing lessons for several months and had prepared to sing a special song (“I Hope You Dance”) dedicated to Jamie and Evan. I had a stealthy introduction prepared to let the guests know that something very special was about to happen but at the same time I did not want to give away the surprise as to who or what it would be. So after I made my announcement and left the microphone in the stand in the middle of the dancefloor for the “unknown” person to take and begin the song… something I could not have anticipated happened. Another guest who had also prepared a song to sing approached the microphone and began to sing. Not only were the Bride and Groom surprised, but so was Katia, and me. It was one of those things that had an “OMG” stamped all over it.
As the other guest was singing to the Bride and Groom, the already nervous Katia came up to me and asked me what she should do. I quickly put her at east and told her that this would all work out and that I would just make an additional announcement when the first singer was done and she could then sing her song. It was really a brilliant “mistake” because everyone was truly surprised and it was one of those impossible to predict, special moments that will be remembered by everyone.
After an amazing meal, prepared by Word of Mouth Catering, more formal dances took place; the Father/Daughter (“I Loved Her First” by Heartland) and the Mother Groom dance (“Cheek to Cheek” by Julie Andrews).
A wonderful period of dancing ensued and it was a great pleasure to be able to be a part of Jamie and Evan’s wedding. Thanks so much. Here are some more of the photos I took at your reception…
A Beautiful Autumn.
Here it is a week after the fact and I’ve been unable to compose my blog post about Jamie and Evan’s wedding at The Fontainebleau Inn on October 4, 2008. But do not fear, a full report is coming soon. Here are just a couple photos to whet your appetite.
I’m heading to Ithaca today for a wedding reception at Cornell University. The weather could not be any more beautiful. The sky is cloudless and the most gorgeous blue and the leaves are peaking in color. It should set the stage for an incredibly awesome Fall wedding for Beth and Clay.
I’ll be posting about both of these weddings very soon but until then, enjoy this fantastic weather.
Here is a shot I took a couple days ago of a view across Skaneateles Lake.
