On November 30, 2013, I had the honor
of photographing an absolutely beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. There were two beautiful brides – a SPOUSE
and a SPOUSE – because after all, marriage should not be about a gender and a gender.
The wedding took place in Bloomington,
IL at the Miller Park Pavilion. The
venue was beautiful, especially as the sun was going down and the reception
hall was lit with white lights.
Each bride had her brother standing
beside her, along with 3 bridesmaids.
The wedding party was an absolute blast as you can see from some of
these pictures. To me, there is nothing
more reassuring on your big day than having those who know and love you best
standing next to you.
We started the day by taking some individual
family pictures, as well as some wedding party photos. The first look Amanda and Janelle got of each
other was priceless. From giggles to
kisses to tears, it was very obvious at that moment that these two truly love
each other.
The Dodge side of the family has many
children. I love how each side used the
children to introduce the individual brides (aunts). When you have so many kids, you never know
what may happen! These little ones did
just as they were supposed to!
The ceremony was simple, yet
perfect. Instead of lighting candles,
the two made (or attempted to make) a scientific concoction. It’s always nice when there is a little comic
relief to what is supposed to be a serious occasion. After all, nobody likes serious all the
time! What fun is that?
The reception immediately followed in
the lower level of the Pavilion. Let me
just say, this was by far, one of the most creative receptions I’ve ever
see. Both have a background in Science
and the entire reception was centered around that! The assigned seating was done on a Periodic
Table, the center pieces were beakers and test tubes, and the cake topper even
the Science Symbol. I absolutely loved
the thought that went into it!
The traditional cake cutting,
father/daughter dance, and toast rounded out the reception. Instead of the dollar dance, they did a
dollar dash (forgive me if that’s not the
actual name). I learned, during the
toast, that Amanda is a very competitive person. As a matter of fact, her maid-of-honor was
rather surprised that Janelle and Amanda lasted because Janelle may have beat
Amanda at something a time or two. Each
bride had to run around the reception while music was playing and try to
collect the most money. For the sake of
Amanda’s pride (and the marriage), let’s just say that they tied.
This truly was a beautiful day. From the first look, to the first kiss, to
the first dance, it was more than obvious that these two were meant for each
other. Thank you for allowing me to be a
part of your big day!
Until next time…
