Get Busy Commentin', or Get Busy Dyin'

SERIOUS BUSINESS ALERT! Do you guys remember when I did my blog extravaganza of like 5000 engagement sessions in a row? It was totally awesome.

And yet ... there was a casualty of the blog extravaganza, and it was Kristin and Justin. Everyone had done so good on commenting on all the posts leading up to them that I think by the time I got to theirs at the end of that stretch, everyone was worn out on commenting. Kristin sent me an e-mail saying that they would make sure that their wedding was entertaining/awesome enough to inspire at least one comment. I told her I didn't think that was the problem, because you may remember them as the couple with the two incredible cute dogs, Penny and Mr. Mophead.

So seriously, you guys. This is my last wedding to blog from 2008, and I need for it to go out with a bang, and I need these two to feel the comment love. So feel free to comment on this one, but really save it up for their full post (as opposed to this here sneak peek), and even if you are usually a silent stalker or feel like you don't have anything new or different to add, don't let it stop you. If you just want to say, "OOOOOHHHH PRETTY!" that totally counts and I will love you forever. So get pumped. The full post should be upon us next week.

Meanwhile ...

I find that I enjoy the sneak peeks for showing off group shots, maybe because I'm not so much in storytelling mode for the previews and the group shots, while very fun, don't require much commentary. :) Although I will say that this was a lovely church with huge windows, and I love the discovery of split toning, in case it doesn't show.

This is Justin and the groomsmen (sounds like a band). I'll let you figure out which one is Justin.

And this is Kristin, and she's so beautiful AND cute, and I loved her extremely classy use of pink here in the bouquet and with the ribbon around her waist. As I myself have done things such as beg my landlord for his old pink tinsel Christmas tree, bought a roommate a hot pink fishnet SHIRT (yeah, not a typo), and owned countless, and I mean COUNTLESS, Lisa Frank products (my favorite of course being the "Check Him Out" folder my senior year of high school), I have great appreciation for someone who can use pink with restraint and to such magificent effect. :)

Like I said ... full post next week! Get those commentin' fingers ready!

Kacey & Pete

You guys, I love Kacey and Pete. They were one of my earlier couples to book, if I remember right, and Kacey and I just hit it off right away (Pete wasn't at the meeting, or we would've too). I mean, I think you can tell how lovable she is just by looking at this pic:

Also, Kacey really kept me in the loop about wedding plans, and as soon as she picked out a dress, she sent me a picture, and I was SO amazed by it. It was just unlike anything I'd seen, especially when the shoulder piece (I have no idea what the technical term for that is) goes on, and I knew she'd look stunning in it. I'd been excited to see this dress for months, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

And this is Pete, the one that everyone has their hands on. Kacey told me when we first met that he doesn't like having his picture taken, but if that's true, he so didn't show it at all. Although a lot of guys completely forget themselves on their wedding days because they're so happy, and then they're all smiles and up for doing anything in front of a camera, and I LOVE that.

Also, Billy and I had a bonding experience really early on with the groomsmen while we were doing group pictures. Some of the ones not in a shot were standing off to the side, singing "Day Man" from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Does anyone else reading this watch this show? I love it, and I mean LOVE it, but you have to have a pretty sick and filthy sense of humor to enjoy it. Fortunately, my humor lacks in neither sickness or filth. So anyway, there was instant comraderie there, and I thought of them again when the season finale of Always Sunny was the Day Man Opera.

They went for seeing each other before the ceremony, which I increasingly think is a great idea. Before I started doing weddings, I was like, oh, but I love that moment when he sees her for the first time coming down the aisle! And I do! I so do! But I've kind of realized that you get the moment when he sees her for the first time no matter when it happens, and I've never seen a groom who has seen the bride before the ceremony NOT be excited to see her coming toward him, you know? So then you get to take all the pictures beforehand and go straight to the reception after the ceremony, and that's a plus too. But, either way, as long as you're happy and doing what you want to do, I'm all for it. :)

And look at the look on his face! Oh, I love it. :)

One of my total faves. Why can't there be a giant, whole cross-section woodpile everywhere? Oh, and that reminds me, in case anyone is wondering, this wedding was outside the lovely Oak Hill Mansion in Carmel, which I had heard about but hadn't experienced until this wedding, and it was gorgeous.

Apparently Pete is a big fan of the Cubs, and as a transplant to Chicago, I have many things to say on the subject of America's pastime in this city. However, the thing currently on my mind is that they also had a Fukodome table (oh, right, these were the table names, just to let you in on the secret--sorry about that, my brain skips over stuff ALL THE TIME). Anyway, there was an article I think in the Tribune up here about kids getting in trouble for wearing Fukodome jerseys to school, and he was all incensed, like, "My name is not a swear word!" (And that is, as closely as I can recall, a direct quote.)

Here's Kacey and her new niece/older flower girl ...

And here's another new niece and younger flower girl (sister of the older flower girl), eating some lip gloss. And please ... don't even act like you haven't been tempted once or twice.

SHUT UP. This was one of my favorite cakes of the year (although I didn't get to try it, but I bet it was delicious). As I think I've mentioned on numerous occasions, I'm a big Ace of Cakes lover, and I watch a lot of Food Network Challenge. It's funny to me that I watch so much Food Network because I'm not one of those people that just lives and dies for food, you know? I mean, I know those people, and I'm so not one of them. Eating is something that I have to do, and I have simple tastes. So my best guess is that I like it for the artistry more than anything else.

So anyway, this is about the CAKE, remember? The cake? So anyway, the point is that I've seen a lot of the smooth, sleek cakes and fondant and whatnot, but I haven't seen one that's as textured as this one ... maybe ever, and it was so unusual and the effect was just really successful. Now if only I had a giant check for $10,000 to give away ...

... and if only I had a giant check for ME for $10,000 ...

I got lucky once again with a wedding perfectly timed for gorgeous sunlight ... I'm telling you, when it's like that outside these weddings practically do themselves. :)

It's The Look! I'll spare you the dissertation this time, because I know you've all had to suffer through me carrying on about it time and again. And if you haven't heard all about it, well, just look at the picture above. :)

So not only is it completely unfair to have so many good-looking people in one family (this is Kacey's sister), this picture had me downright COVETING her hair and yelling, "NOT FAIR!" in my head. I love the length and fullness and color, but more than anything, my hair would NEVER hold a curl like that, especially such a big, loose, perfect curl. Oh stop! I am mortal sinning with envy over here right now! (But seriously, I'm excited for her that she has such beautiful hair.)

Awww ... I loved this! I love it when people cry at weddings. I mean, obviously I've never had a wedding but I do understand that feeling of having so many emotions that there's nowhere else for them to go, and I TOTALLY think that's how you should feel at your wedding.

Man, the backs of the bridesmaids' dresses were super fabulous too. Kacey and I must have similar aesthetic style. I bet I'd also like her home decor. It's just a feeling I have. And she might like my home decor, if she likes bills and homework all over the coffee table, dog toys on the floor, and a pile of coats in the papasan. I mean, if that's what you're into, boy, have I got the place for you!

This is a fine example of me entertaining myself. Billy and I usually take a few minutes while people are doing the receiving line to switch out cards and whatnot, so I was up around the reception site when I looked out and saw this huge crowd of people waiting to talk to Kacey & Pete, but none of my pics were coming out very interesting. Well, I happened to notice this tree face (because I always think those are hilarious!), so I snapped this one with the crowd a little fuzzy in the background and ended up loving it. I'm a nerd. :)

Easily my favorite groom ring shot EVER.

This was a grandmother ... I think she was Pete's but if I have that wrong, I'm sorry! Anyway, I had to include her because I LOVE HER OUTFIT. She looks like a cute and gorgeous Jackie O.

Ha! She's pondering the cake! I thought it was too cute for words. :)

Oh, and speaking of ... this is Kacey's brother, and I remember the day of the wedding Billy commenting that he reminded him of a young Mick Jagger. Totally. And before anyone gets all offended, thinking about old Mick, just stop, stop right there, and look at the hotness of young Mick:

Do you SEE what I MEAN? Young Mick was a stone cold fox. And also, just in case it isn't perfectly obvious, I did not take that picture. I do not have a time machine, nor do I regularly (okay, ever) photograph rockstars. The guy who took it is named David Bailey, and I think I need to look him up when I'm done with this post because he obviously rules.

Kacey and Pete were nice with the cake. :) Also, at their reception, they started it off with a lot of reggae during dinner, and I thought that was fun. It actually reminded me a lot of working at Grand Teton, which I'm sure a lot of you guys reading this remember me doing. Anyway, that was a fun summer and I lived in a dorm, which I never thought I'd get to do again, and there was always someone, at any hour of the day, playing Bob Marley. And since Kacey and Pete met at school in Montana, I'm betting there's something similar in their history. :)

Oh, I am DYING ... yeah, the cuteness just killed me. Do you see the look on his face? He loves her soooo much!

Do you guys ever notice how like about once a post I go into total mushy girl mode? I can't help it, though! It's a real tough job, having to hang out with love all the time. :)

I don't know how much you can tell, if you don't know him, but this is Kacey's dad trying to keep it together, and let me tell you, during the dances with the parents, there was not a dry eye in the house. It was so sweet.

WHAT!!!!! Do you see how awesome I'm getting at catching the bouquet in the air? Seriously, I love how every job that you have makes you develop weird/special little talents. For example, did you guys know that when I waited tables (at Texas Roadhouse in Muncie, all through college for anyone who missed that), I could pick up a stack of ones and tell you how many were there just by weight and thickness? And I was like, SHOCKINGLY accurate, within a few dollars each time (like five or less). Man, that was awesome--I should've taken it on Letterman while I still had it. And as a Ball State grad, I surely would've had an in, right?

OMG, how cute was this removing of the garter? I loved the cute and coquettish way that she's holding out her leg. (And yes, "coquettish" truly was the only word that would do.)

I had to pick this picture to go last for its "Bye, now!" quality.

Man, these guys were great. I really, really enjoyed everyone at this wedding, and that includes the guests. There are also two more things I would like to sincerely thank Kacey specifically for.

#1. When I got to the getting ready site and was snapping away at the girls, Kacey told them I take "bomb-ass pictures". HELLO! You know I love compliments like that, and it easily made the top three of the year. Thank you so much! I hope you still think so. :)

#2. Right before Christmas, when I was losing my mind, and I won't get too into specifics here, I had one of those It's a Wonderful Life moments, and I was George Bailey at the Building & Loan, and Kacey was the lady who asked for $17.50. You probably have no idea what a huge lifesaver you were to me in that moment, but you made my life a little easier and I really appreciate it. :)

Thanks again, guys! I'm so glad I got to be a part of your wedding and I love your pretty faces!

(Oh, and as usual, the link to my InstaProofs site, where you can see the rest!)

Katie & Mark, and Don't Cry for Me (Argentina)

OMG, people. I was starting to think I was never going to get this wedding blogged, and I'm sure Katie was too, because it has been done since CHRISTMAS. Usually, I finish them at night and blog them the next day, so this is a big lag for me, which is where my Don't Cry for Me Argentina reference comes in--I have a very delicate balance going right now where I go to work all day, try to do things like blog and read and look at pictures and keep up on trends, and then I go home and edit pictures all night, and then I sleep and do it again. So for the last couple of weeks, my job has expected me to, oh, I don't know, WORK, and it has gotten me a little off-kilter with things such as the blogging. However, I think things are slowing back down again here, so we should be good to go. Now dry your eyes, I know my sob story just about killed you, but I need your vision focused so you can see the hotness and funness (totally a word) of Katie and Mark. :)

Oh, she is SO pretty. You may remember Katie and Mark from one of my favorite pictures of the year, where they were kissing in a field of flowers and there was perfect sunlight so they were just a little bit backlit, and it looked like they were glowing. Oooooh, I love that picture. And these guys just kept on bringin' it.

Awww, the groom watching the bride walk down the aisle. Never gets old.

But are you ready for Sob Story Part Two: Electric Bugaloo? Yeah, I thought so. I usually have an incredibly vivid memory for the weddings I shoot, but when I started on these, I realized that I didn't really remember much besides being horribly, grossly sick. That is like THE nightmare, because it's not like you can call in sick, you know? So I just loaded up on drugs (of the cold and flu variety, which are legal, generally speaking, unless you're using them in your meth lab), got as much sleep as possible, and charged on! And I have to say, as I looked through the pictures, I thought that maybe I should get sick more often because these turned out pretty great! Toot, toot! That's the sound of my own horn being blown, in case you didn't know.

But anyway, point being, as I went through the pictures, the wedding came back to me and one of the things that I thought was so interesting was that this preacher kept talking about how he had to leave right away for the Colts, and I'm all like ... What? Don't the Colts just play on Sundays? What am I missing here? Turns out, he's the chaplain for the team! That's pretty awesome, right? (Although apparently we all should've been praying a little harder for the boys in the playoffs. Just saying.)

And here's Katie being walked down the aisle by her most dashing father. (I find that the older I get, the more I like referring to people's handsomeness as "dashing", because it makes me feel like I'm in a 1940's film noir or something.)

HA! It always cracks me up when I get caught!

I loved this picture of all the girls sitting the same way with their flowers in their lap. I also got a corresponding picture of the boys with their legs crossed and hands in their lap. Later, at the reception, I took a picture of the girls' side of the table, with the flowers in vases, and then the boys' side of the table, with a big row of beer. :) I was super entertained.

Loved this too. Sometimes it's hard to get a lot of detail in those low-light or candlelit shots, but every now and then the mood is just right, and that's how I felt about this one.

I couldn't decide whether to post a picture of Katie tearing up during the ceremony, because it was so sweet, but in the end I went with one of her huge, radiant smile, because that was most often how she looked, and I thought most representative of the ceremony.

Makin' it official! (Also, I don't know why I'm allergic to putting the "g" on the end of words today. Maybe I'm a little Hoosier homesick, who knows.)

Holy BLEEP, I cannot get over my love for this picture. I want to make enormous prints of this and hang them somewhere prominent with signs pointing to them that say, "I TOOK THAT!"

And this. Gotta have the silhouette picture, and when there is a peacock stained glass window at your fingertips, you do not ignore that. It is like a command from God (especially since it was in a church--I know how to put two and two together).

So, I've heard of party buses, but a party trolley was a whole new world for me, and I LOVED it. And if you live in Indianapolis and want to rent it, there's the number. :)

Did these guys rock out this picture or WHAT? I love it. The trolley dropped everyone off at the canal for some pictures, and let me tell you, jumping in the air while on stairs is not for the faint of heart, and most especially if you're over water, even if you know there's no hungry sharks in it, and these guys ALL worked it. Way to go, bridal party!

I liked this because it too reminded me of Katie and Mark's engagement pictures, where they wanted to wear sunglasses and look all badass (and succeeded admirably, if I do say).

The lovebirds on the canal ...

And again ...

And okay, one last one with my former home in the background. And would you check out that sky, and those two hot babes on the back of the trolley?

I always love it when couples go the charity route in lieu of favors (although favors are fun too, don't get me wrong), and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is a little near to me and Billy's hearts because our former landlord and current friend Phil works for them. Except it's not just like a job, it's like ... well, he loves it, and you can tell. And it does remind me of his bunches of teenage volunteers coming out to plant trees on the empty lot next to us, and his shepherd squeezing out of an impossibly tiny hole in the fence to hang out with everyone. And it did make Indianapolis more beautiful. And if you want to know more, their website is http://www.kibi.org/.

Now, up to this point in the wedding season, Katie and Mark had the best food by far, no contest. The last wedding of the year did give it a run for its money, but in the meantime, I present for your consideration: Butter Trio. I mean, that should be the end of the argument right there, but Billy probably has something to say about it. And the four cheese tortellini (maybe that was what the pasta was called?) was outstanding. It was all just SO GOOD.

I think what mostly cracked me up in this one was Mark's neck muscles straining so hard. Hee! I love the grooms watching the bride walk down the aisle, but cake pictures are always right there with them on top of the list. So great.

Oooohhhh ... they just look so GOOD, you know?

And this totally has to go down in the history of all-time greatest dips. :)

Katie and Mark's song was True Companion, by Marc Cohn, and it gets me every time. In fact, it was on SB's Mellow Mix Volume 2, which I made in college (the first song, if I recall), so I was excited to hear it again, and you know, it just seemed perfect for them. And since then, on the random occasion when I hear it on the radio, I totally think of them.

The girls were having SO much fun out on the dance floor together, which I loved. :)

Billy got this one, and he loved it. He was so proud that he came to show me, and I of course thought it was really sweet and deserved to be seen. And he's such a good assistant. :)

And finally, the happy and gorgeous couple, together, smiling, and having a good time. Which is hopefully how life goes for them.

Alright, y'all! I'm finally wrapping this up, a good 24 hours after starting it. It was so fun to go back to this wedding and look over it, because it was just so full, you know? Katie and Mark have huge families (and the Colts preacherman told Mark he was basically marrying into the entire east side of Indianapolis, and I believe it) and tons of friends, and I loved it because the celebration just kept going and going (and the food kept coming, and I already told you how awesome it was). Like in my head, they might still be having that party right now, and I wouldn't even be surprised. :)

It's been up for awhile and I assume that most everyone reading this would have seen it, but Katie and Mark's gallery is up on my InstaProofs site, if anyone would like to check it out. As always, online ordering is available and blog comments are a girl's best friend!