Rachel & John, Part Two

Alright, I can't handle waiting any longer to post about the party of the century, and that is no exaggeration. I looked out at the crowd at one point in the night and there was not one single person sitting in a chair. Do you know how amazing that is? I don't think I've ever seen that, not even close.

So here was the party tent, which Jessie hung out with her tripod out on the golf course to shoot. She's pretty much awesome, I loved this shot.

And here's the bridal party, looking all nice and dignified. Keep that image in mind, because that's about the last you'll see of them this way. :)

This cake was incredible, and it looked like something you'd see on Ace of Cakes, minus fireworks and totally random themes ... so maybe more like something you'd see on Food Network Challenge. But very beautiful and classy, one of my favorites of the year.

The first dance, very cute.

For her dance with her dad, Rachel busted out the Dorothy shoes and there was a whole little story about The Wizard of Oz and how she and her dad used to watch it together after school, and how she went away to college but realized there's no place like home ... oh, it was totally cute, you would've loved it.

And here's the above-the-ankles view.

John and his mom ... I have really developed a soft spot for the mother-son dances. I don't know what it is, I just kind of love them.

Oh, and I have ALWAYS loved a dancing grandma picture. They're always so cute and happy and everyone loves their grandmas so much, it's like one of those rules of the universe, like how you can't be unhappy while you're out for ice cream.

This, I believe, is John's sister-in-law, and it's one of my total favorite pictures of someone at a reception, because it looks like it should be a magazine ad for a fun girls' night out with martinis or something. She just looks so pretty, and I love her earring flying out, and her eye makeup is amazing.

I made Jessie look at my camera after this shot because I was so proud of myself. The bouquet and garter toss are usually the most difficult parts of the entire day to photograph for me, because they happen so fast and usually under less than ideal lighting conditions. So getting a good picture of the flowers in the air is like ... a slam dunk. I would imagine. I suck at basketball. (Are we seeing a theme here? Yeah, basically if it's a physical activity requiring coordination, you do not want me anywhere near it.)

Rachel getting her garter removed. She's so CUTE!

Okay, so what I said about the bouquet kind of goes double for the garter because while the bouquet toss generally goes the same way, guys are MUCH more unpredictable with what they might to with a garter. It's hard to really explain these things if you don't witness them all the time, and it's something I never would've considered before becoming a wedding photographer, but it's totally true. So getting an awesome shot of the bouquet AND the garter at the SAME WEDDING is like ... a ... triple double? And by the way, I only know what THAT means because of its inclusion in some rap song of the 90's (possibly that "damn right it was a good day" song?), and my brother had to explain it to me. I'm a nerd. But anyway, point being, it was an accomplishment.

Rachel's mom MADE these cookies. Can you believe that? They were incredibly gorgeous and perfect, and tasty. And also, this is the beginning of me and Jessie going crazy on ring shots.

So, we go into the pro shop and we're looking around for stuff to take ring shots with, and obviously a big bucket of golf balls is going to call our names, right? That makes sense. But then this happened:

Yeah, we busted out the golf gloves and put the rings on them and posed the "hands" in a traditional type of pose. Anyway, we were laughing like crazy people, and of course if anyone had looked in, they just would've seen two maniacs in a pro shop messing around with golf gloves, and thinking about that only made us laugh more. We really had a good time at this wedding, and all the fun was contagious.

Alright, now we start getting down to business. There were drinks, there was dancing, there was ...

cake on faces?

Also, there was Rachel's dad, running around with a pipe in his mouth, trying to convince me that this guy was his son, and apparently, according to Jessie, leaping OVER tables. I unfortunately didn't see that so I can't verify it, but I don't see why she'd make something like that up, and I really wish I could've witnessed that.

But back to the cake, which very quickly escalated into a full-fledged food fight.

I'm telling you, I have never seen anything like it. I was LOVING it. I was snapping away, getting fun pictures, and just a little incredulous that this was happening right in front of my face. This, I'm like 99% sure, is what Jessie was mainly referring to when she called it a "movie wedding".

So of course this made my life. It was so amazing and out there, and I must have told everyone I talked to over the following couple of weeks about this wedding. You KNOW I love a good story, and this one topped them all. I don't think I even made it all the way home without making phone calls to share the entertainment, and I told Billy he was SO sorry he missed this one.

There was one point during this whole thing where I completely slipped and fell on my butt, and hard. Of course, my only priority in times of tripping and falling is protecting the camera. Trust me, it's better that way. And yes, it has happened more than once, harkening back to my klutzitude. So really, there was nothing to break my fall, and, in a cruel twist of fate, I bruise super easily, so I had a big old purple souvenir for a week or two. (Also, if for any reason anyone reads this and feels bad, please don't. Please please don't. I can bruise in my sleep, from leaning my leg too long against something, from running into stuff, which I do all the time, etc. Sometimes my dog lands on me and leaves a bruise, or I'll have enormous dark blue and purple bruises that I have NO idea where they came from. There's nothing wrong with me, except that I'm a delicate little peach. And I've come to accept it and think it's really funny.)

Also, probably from falling in it, I went home with only slightly less cake on my pants than Rachel's brother had on his face. I had moved up to Chicago by this point and was staying at my parents' house, and my mom was like, "What's up with that?" (although I'm pretty sure she didn't phrase it quite like that), and all I could do was laugh.

Hilariously, when I told my friend Amy about this wedding, she just said, "Well, it certainly sounds like they got themselves the right photographer." True! I don't know if anyone could have possibly been as entertained as I was. :)

This guy totally wins the award for most cake on his head. Man, I think I saw people come out of games of Double Dare cleaner than that.

Now, there was one brief and horrible moment when Rachel first saw this where I really thought she might cry, and I was all standing to the side going, "Nooooooo!" in my head. But it turned out everything was okay--John and Brandi came to the rescue and she was smiling and laughing again in no time. It took me a little while to understand that probably most girls don't dream of their wedding day ending in a food fight involving their wedding cake. But things always end up happening at weddings that you don't expect, and granted, this one is way out there on some crazy end of the spectrum, but I can say that this is certainly a wedding that everyone who was there will be talking about until the day they die, and that's pretty awesome. So I was hoping that someday she'd be able to look back on it and laugh, but Rachel is even greater than that and was able to laugh about it pretty much immediately, which is why we all love her.

Awww, speaking of Brandi! Look at how much fun she's having!

And what's the point of having cake on you if there' s no one licking it off?

So the cake fight ended and we got back to the business of partying and dancing, and here Rachel's dad is twirling a bridesmaid.

And this ... DEFINITELY happened.

Rachel's dad didn't get ALL the fun--her mom got a little love from the bridal party too. :)

And I think from here, the pictures pretty much say it all. :)

(Except this one, because I don't even know.)

Rachel and John did end with a sparkler send off, which was beautiful and classy, and the perfect pretty and fun end to the day.

I seriously loved this wedding, and thank you guys so much for making it such an experience. I thoroughly enjoyed you and your friends and family. There was so much love all around. Thank you again for having us!

In case anyone missed it last time, the gallery is at http://sarahbrownphotography.instaproofs.com/. You may notice that there's a picture missing in the numbering sequence--let's just say that Rachel's oldest brother won't be running for public office any time soon! Rachel and John, that will be on the DVD I send to you, and you can blackmail as you see fit. My gift to you!

Rachel & John, Part One

So this is a first--I'm doing a two-parter for Rachel & John's wedding. And I don't want anyone getting any big ideas that they're my favorite or I love them more than you, or that they always get the front seat, or that they always get the good jobs, while you get the crappy ones, like mopping and dishes. (Seriously, I would ALWAYS pick cleaning a toilet over mopping a floor. I know I'm probably alone on this one, but mopping is THE WORST in my book.) I love all my clients the same.

BUT.

I think you'll see, when part two rolls around, why we needed to go with two posts. There were definitely two phases of the wedding, and I've got to do them both justice. CAVEAT--you have to comment on this post before I'll give you the next one. If I don't feel that you have adequately oohed and aahed over Rachel and John, I will deprive you of the glorious reception, and you do NOT want that. Hear?

Alright, so let's do this.

The very first picture of Rachel and John's epic wedding post(s) is ... ME? Yeah, that's right. I mentioned in their sneak peek that Rachel and John got married on her family's golf course. I showed up and was pretty much immediately given my own golf cart and casually asked if I could handle it. I, of course, said I could. Meanwhile, I have never driven a golf cart in my entire life. Did you know that these things basically have two speeds? One is stopped, and the other is pedal to the metal.

So I'm basically driving this thing like it's an episode of Dukes of Hazzard and having the time of my life, and I insisted that Jessie Knuth get out and take a picture of me driving it. I mean, after all, this was probably the highlight of my wedding year and surely nothing would top it, right? I mean, the EXCITEMENT of my own GOLF CART ... so we're just being TOTAL nerds, and by the way, Jessie is the best assistant ever (and so is Billy, no one freak out), and I was so excited she was with me for this wedding. But anyway, I was trying to convince her to photoshop some mud and blood onto the golf cart to make it look super badass but I guess she didn't get to it.

But still, don't I look awesome driving it? I think I look awesome.

Well, the golf cart carried us out to the guys, who were actually really willing to participate in pictures, which is always helpful and a good thing. We were still getting warmed up a little bit, and this is the "everyone who's wearing a tuxedo, just get in" picture. And what's with the hands, you say? All Rachel's dad's idea--he's a nut and you have certainly not seen the last of him.

Meanwhile, back at the clubhouse, Rachel was getting into her dress, and you know how I love the all-hands-on-deck pictures. And also, do you remember the engagement pictures where I could not shut up about her magical Jennifer Aniston hair? Yeah, seriously. I think Rachel might be one of the prettiest brides in the history of the universe, and how did I get so lucky to get so many hotties this year? Everyone made my job so easy!

And speaking of hotties, Rachel's mom! I didn't realize until I was going through the pictures how much Rachel looks like her mom, but then you start seeing the smiles and the facial expressions, and totally.

Checking out the back of the dress ... oh, I just love her face!

The golf course was fun for some golfy pictures. Also, in case it didn't show from the novelty of driving a golf cart, I know NOTHING about golf. Nothing. I tried to hit a ball once and it rolled like 75 ft. Pathetic. So even though I very much enjoyed The Legend of Bagger Vance ... and, probably more importantly, Happy Gilmore, I have kept my golfing strictly limited to that of the mini variety. Which I also suck at.

Seriously, I think it was about a year and a half ago, a suitcase fell out of Billy's car and onto my foot and I really thought it was broken (turned out it was just horribly, disgustingly bruised, which I learned after hitting up my dad's ER for an x-ray, which is really the way to go--everyone came in and fawned over me and told me funny stories about my dad while I ate gummy bears and watched American Idol). So I was trying to still have fun in spite of my injury and decided I could stand alright, so Billy took me putt-putting. And do you know ... I actually slipped and fell in a water hazard? I mean, I know I'm the klutziest person alive, but Billy said that I was the only person he know that water hazards were actually hazardous for.

Oh, and I love this so much too! This is the maid of honor (Brandi! I remember her name because she e-mailed me!) and both of her kids. The little boy became my boyfriend (and Billy wasn't there to stop him!), which is probably how I got such a cute shot out of him. When the girls were upstairs getting ready, he was REALLY upset that he couldn't be with the boys, but he had to walk out with the ladies so there was no choice. So anyway, it was a little chaotic, as things tend to be pre-wedding, and his sister was running around like a little miniature maniac. So I just looked at him, and I said, "She is CRAZY." And he laughed, like a really surprised, out loud laugh that you would expect from an adult, not a kid his age. And after that, we were BFF, and he would follow me around and hold my hand. Ah, if only it were that easy forever, am I right?

This was hilarious--the flower girl was doing a good job dropping petals (which they sometimes forget to do, pressure and whatnot), but then she was also stopping to pick them up, check them out ... so her brother just stopped with her and started giving a dissertation to some random guest about how she always does this, and they've been practicing at home. It was completely adorable, laugh-out-loud cute.

And speaking of cuteness, that's Rachel's brother carrying the train. I can't imagine any circumstance where my brother would do something like that for me. To give you an idea of my relationship with my brother, at least one that's PG enough for the blog, he was helping me move this past summer and I kept flipping him off when I passed him outside. He was finally like, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?" and I said it was because his hands were full and he couldn't do anything about it. He said that the next time I did that, he didn't care what he was carrying, he was going to throw it down and flip me off back. Well, sure enough, the next time I see him, he's carrying a HUGE box. And I do mean huge. It was full of like blankets and stuff, so not fragile but still pretty heavy, and just about as wide as his wingspan could accommodate. So he gets this evil grin on his stupid little brother face, throws the box probably twelve feet or so into the air, flips me off with both hands, and catches it again like it's nothing. And then he left to go kickboxing. I SWEAR.

You guys know what a sap I am for this moment.

Awww, and for this one. This was just such a pretty wedding. I was talking the other day to my friend Maggs, who happens to be Jessie's sister, and I told her I was about to post this wedding. She said, "Oh, right! Jessie called it "the movie wedding", and said that everything that you think only happens at weddings in movies totally happened here. Which I completely agree with.

Oh, I had to have so much restraint from showing this in the sneak peek. I love it--it's so honest. That's something that I really want to focus on with my photography in the coming year--catching the honestly of the moment. And you can just see everything she's feeling on her face. Awww, I'm having a little girly internal squeal moment for her right now!

Someone is hilarious! (My money is on the preacher man.)

A little golf course wedding action! You should've seen the holes from the high heels on the green (is that the right word?) after the wedding. But Rachel said the groundskeeper said it was okay, something about aerating ... I don't know, if there's one thing I know less about than golf, it's landscaping/gardening/lawncare. I like to say that I not only do not have a green thumb, I have The Black Thumb of Death.

Rachel was pretty emotional during the ceremony, but lucky for her, she's a really pretty crier. Me, not so much--I get all puffy and red and gross. And see, that's one of those things that only happens in movies too--people are pretty when they cry. And do you know who I think is awesome at that? Keri Russell. And Claire Danes.

Awww, and John was all smiles all day. He was completely laid back in the best possible way, and all he cared about was making sure Rachel had the perfect day.

Aren't they sooooo cuuuuuuuute? (Sorry, couldn't help myself there for a minute.)

A wide shot of the setup--pretty cool, right???

And here are the ushers in the back, John's brother and Rachel's brother, and what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall of that conversation.

I think this may have been Jessie's, but I lose track after awhile. But since they look like they're looking at someone else, I assume that someone is me. We busted out the golf cart for a bunch of the group shots, and it was so fun--we even got people up on the roof.

And finally, Rachel's dad pulling the golf cart into the garage. And seriously, if I drive like it's Dukes of Hazzard, he drives like it's Die Hard. And I've never actually seen one of those movies, but I do remember seeing previews where a cop car jumps off a ramp and smashes into a helicopter, and I rolled my eyes so hard they almost fell out of my head. Except now, after seeing this, I'm thinking maybe it's possible after all. :)

And that brings us to the conclusion of part one. The reception is next, and I was so entertained by the events that transpired there that I am STILL talking about them, so you won't want to miss it.

The gallery is up at http://sarahbrownphotography.instaproofs.com/. Go there if you need your daily fill of gorgeosity (totally a word), and stay tuned ...

TO BE CONTINUED