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!