Chantel & Paul blew me away with how much of this wedding they did on their own! How they managed to do it all without being completely stressed out, mystifies me. I think I'll only be able to scratch the surface, but I tried to capture images of as much as I could. They were married at the beautiful and quaint Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church in Spring Arbor, MI.
The flower girls were simply adorable, even when they weren't at their happiest.
Chantel & Paul decided to see each other before the ceremony in order to get all of the posed images out of the way. They had a LOT of guests attending (300+?) and didn't want to make people wait after the ceremony too long before eating. I love that grooms get a chance to express themselves when they see the bride privately... maybe they feel more comfortable without everyone watching them. (Or maybe I'm just totally biased and would love it if everyone did this!!)
After we did the typical family portraits indoors, we headed outside for some more interesting shots with the bridal party and just the bride & groom. As we were walking, I heard this *chink*chink*chink*chink* and couldn't figure out what it was until I noticed that one of the groomsmen had spurs on. Later on he ditched the spurs and donned a cowboy hat instead. Niiiiiiiice.
Just in case there were any doubt that we were on the Spring Arbor campus, here's the landmark of proof!
I think the best moments happen when people think I'm done taking a picture! HA- these girls were so fun! Aren't their eyes gorgeous too?!
So, there are a lot of DIY brides out there who make their own invitations, arrange their own flowers, and maybe even make their own cake, but have you ever heard of someone growing and entire plot of sunflowers in the HOPE that they will bloom for their wedding day!? Well, that's what Chantel & Paul did. They planted their own seeds and grew their own little sunflower field. I'm still in awe.
The ceremony was beautiful, and very moving...
(some people are against taking pictures during prayer... if this is the case for you, please let me know in advance... otherwise, I see it as an opportunity for emotional moments like the one above)
One of the things that was really important to Chantel & Paul was a group picture of all 300 something guests. So, right after the ceremony, I BOLTED up to the sound booth in the balcony to get set for the huge group shot. We worked it out with the minister in advance that after the bridal party made their exit, he would ask the guests to remain in the sanctuary and move toward the center aisle for an entire group shot to be captured from the back of the church. I had the bridal party walk back in and stand in front of everyone so they were the most visible. This church had a nearly perfect set-up for this shot, especially with the wide open row in the middle! I took a few lighting test shots while everyone was getting into place, and then fired two rounds of continuous mode shots (just in case of blinks). I'm really impressed with the results- especially considering this entire room was illuminated with just one little on-camera flash with a lightsphere attached!!!
(click here to see what it looked like without the flash)
Note to all men: at some point you will need to hold a woman's purse. This may also be a cautionary reason why you might want to take an interest in the purses your girlfriend or wife may be purchasing... "Honey, should I go for the quilted pink paisley or the black leather?" Obviously this man chose to NOT offer his opinion... he he he... doesn't he sport it well though? I have to give him props for pimping it like it's his own man-bag!
Back to the DIY stuff... so, on top of GROWING their own sunflowers, they also SMOKED their own brisket!! I think they said they were smoking it the entire day before the wedding! With enough to feed 300+ people?! Wow. I'm not sure if the strawberry topping was homemade, but I loved that they had it to serve on top of the cake slices!! Too bad I didn't get to try any! It sure did look good though!!
I think the best man gave more of a Roast than a Toast! He told some great stories and had everyone rolling with laughter!
The first dance... with a little audience...
I think Paul will make a great daddy... just look at him with those girls! I think I know who he learned it from too...
When you know a lot of kids will be attending, you have to find things to keep them occupied. Dancing is one thing (if you don't mind playing a lot of songs that kids can participate in), coloring books are another (which Chantel & Paul had), or you can just pick a place like the Marshall Activity Center that has its own arcade!! How fun is that? However, it still couldn't keep one kid from getting caught red-handed in the cherry tomatoes!!! The look of guilt here just cracks me up!
There's always one guy who loves to steal the show on the dancefloor... and this was that guy!!
Name that tune!
I think it's someone's bedtime...
If you actually read all of this, CONGRATULATIONS (you must really like me)! Please take a moment to leave a comment about which image is YOUR favorite (and if you say why, that's fun to read too!) Chantel & Paul will receive a free gift enlargement (8x12) of the top pick!! (and if they don't like it, they can give it to someone who will!) The winner will be chosen next Friday- which means you have one week to vote and to get everyone you know to vote for your favorite! I can't wait to see how this turns out!!!
