Great shots as always. Love the bride's pink shoes.LOVE the moon shot.
As far as the uncomfortable part goes, I believe this arises because marketing tries to force us to accept a rigid mold of what beauty is. We are constantly force-fed what the "perfect" bride should look like. She should be oh-so-thin, have an "airbrushed" complexion, brilliantly white and straight teeth, and the list goes on and on. But in this quest for the "perfection of beauty", we lose the "human" aspect of our subject. The true beauty and uniqueness of the individual gets lost when trying to make them fit an unrealistic level of perfection.
As an example, there is another thread about before-and-after photos with PS work. Although there is a very high level of skill involved, my opinion is that the models look more like mannequins, and less like real living women: complexions unrealistically smoothed; eye shapes are changed; ears are made smaller; arms (already thin) are made even more slim; lips are altered; hair is added. The real person is lost.
Don't get me wrong, I believe there is a time for some PS work (acne, stray-hairs, etc.), but I believe it should be minimal. The true beauty of a wedding is that you have a man and a woman who have fallen in love with each other, despite their being imperfect. Capturing that in the photos is what photography is about.
Having said all that, Mel, you did a great job. Here's looking forward to your next post.
Patrick
PS - Do you arrive at each wedding venue in an invisible jet? After all, you are "Wonder Woman".
As rare as it is that I enter the wedding forum, the title of this thread had me wondering.
And, after going through this set, I'm absolutely amazed at the quality of work. I occasionally say wow in my head while on here, but this one had me say a few wows, out loud. Really, really incredible work.
Mel, you handled this beautifully.
I have to admit, I bristled at a term used by the first poster ("figmented"):
"well, shes got some really rad shots that dont show her badside.. tho her portraits arent gonna be a looker..."
My 5 1/2-year-old granddaughter is severely disabled, born with a rare syndrome. We've learned to ignore the stares and the insensitive comments, but it boggles my mind as to why mature adults miss the message--"There but for the grace of God go I."
This bride does not have a "badside". It's a beautiful thing when we witness a person like her groom, who sees deeper than surface beauty. He is exceptional, and I expect they'll have an exceptional marriage because of it. Your work is exceptional, too, Mel. Congratulations on a fabulous collection of wedding photos!
No comment on how the 'elephant in the room' was handled. These are wonderful pictures. Obviously the groom sees the brides true beauty, and the photos bring out that beauty as well.
Evan Baines wrote:
Why is there no emoticon for: "tips hat and inclines head in a respectful bow for recognition of superb professional achievement?"
Edited by Evan Baines on Jul 08, 2008 at 10:26 AM GMT
Hahaha! Thank, Evan... that is high praise from you.
I thought about you several times over the weekend. I'm SO sorry we couldn't get together!!! But we go through Nashville at least once or twice a year, so there'll be another opportunity soon! Maybe in October!
LOVE the moon shot. 
Here's looking forward to your next post.