Shot a wedding yesterday with Evan (Baines) in Memphis--Bride and groom were very sweet and great to work with--the family was also very friendly--a good day overall...but odd
Our morning started at 9 am--We arrived at the trendy bridal salon a half hour early to scout it out--when we walked in with our camera bags, the proprietor gave us a puzzled look and asked if he could help us--We told him who we were and that we were shooting a bride at his shop, yada yada and he quipped, "Well no one told me about that"--the bride's family is walking back and forth and "distracting" the stylist, so the proprietor pulled the maid of honor aside told her that if the family didn't stop "bothering" the hair dresser, then he would "Give the bride her $40 back and kick her out"--meanwhile, the bride's family had rolled their suitcase into the lobby and were doing their make up and hair in the lobby/waiting area...all of this angering the proprietor-we later figured out that the bride had scheduled her hair appointment without telling them it was for her wedding, thus the $40 fee instead of $150 (ballpark guess) and thus his attitude with both us and the bride's family
During the ceremony (outdoors in a botanical garden), family members and friends were walking behind the bride and groom to take pictures and video (this is DURING the nuptials)--one of the relatives also walked up to the bride to fix her dress in the middle of the ceremony-the father of the bride was there, didn't not walk his daughter down the aisle (not sure what that was about)
I also learned (right before the wedding) from the groom that they were already married-He's a Navy man and they had tied the knot 6 months before-However, they never mention this to Evan when they booked him 6 months ago-not a big deal but wondered why they never told us before
After the ceremony and formal shots, we took the bride and groom away to get some intimate shots in the garden-they seemed tired after a bit and Evan gave them the option of taking a break--they said they would like one and would see us later at the reception--however, this was at 2:30, approximately, and the reception wasn't for another 3 hours (5:30)-has anyone ever had a 3 hour break in coverage like this? it was a first for Evan and I
Later, we arrived at the restaurant (in a strip mall) early to scout and realized quickly that they had not rented out the entire venue-during the entire reception, regular customers were dining at tables and picking up take out orders-the bride and groom also showed up to their reception about an hour and a half late
It was a very strange wedding indeed-anyways, that was our day yesterday-hope you all had successful saturdays yourselves
Part of the reason the couple needed a break was that the groom flew in from California that morning....
Definitely a wedding of adverse conditions. 1pm outdoor wedding with dark clouds but patches of blue sky/sun, causing 2-3 stop swings in eV throughout the day. The reception restaurant was pulling ISO1600 @ f/1.2 1/100th, with a dark ceiling and off-colored walls. The restaurant was also so cramped we could barely move, and we were VERY limited in off-camera lighting options.
Edited by Evan Baines on Apr 07, 2008 at 09:22 AM GMT
I have done two weddings in the last couple of years where the b&g were already married, and they were just doing a ceremony for the families. They were both military. The first wedding both b&g were Air Force, and the groom had finished his tour and was not re-enlisting, so they had to get married for him to be able to live with her on her post (civilian restricted airbase), and the other was a marine who got married before he shipped out to Iraq. Both weddings were a bit "different" than a normal wedding. As a matter of fact, both services were done by non-clergy. They just wanted to have a "wedding" and reception that the family could attend. Mine were not near as strange as yours, though. I got some incredible images from the Marines (full dress uniforms on the groom and groomsmen) and the hotel they had it at went all out for them.
yeah, andrew, i 2nd for evan-the break was a little tough but it's a good feeling to complete a wedding like that and know you came away with some pretty good stuff-plus, it's a fun story to tell
During the ceremony (outdoors in a botanical garden), family members and friends were walking behind the bride and groom to take pictures and video (this is DURING the nuptials)--
I had a guest walk up the aisle and stand in the pastor's pulpit during THE ENTIRE CEREMONY taking pictures. The bride and groom did nothing about it and she was in almost every shot I got...there is NOTHING I could do. If it wasn't for my husband, that wedding would have been ruined. He got some great shots.
That is insane, but I'm sure you guys pulled some awesome stuff.
I had a wedding that was 1 hour (at a local park by a lake around 2pm in AZ). There were about 7 guests. They were taking pictures, filming and walking around the bride, pastor and everyone the ENTIRE time. There was no order or structure, kinda done on a wing. It was interesting.
kathy and spence, that is so strange-guess there are more people than i thought who don't understand boundaries-did the bride and groom seem to mind? or even notice? ours didn't seem to be phased
Remember that post about the elderly Asian lady who pushed by the bride to get to her seat... AS the Dad was escorting his daughter down the aisle? THAT was hysterical!!
haha I love the bit about telling the hair people it wasnt for a wedding. I think it is so rude when people up their prices just because it is a wedding.
yeah, the "wedding" buzz word will up the price like 200 to 300% in some cases-funny how that works-but yeah, the hair thing was funny AFTER we left the shop
