Everything was planned so beautifully.  The room, the tables, balloons, the cake (which was amazing), and here they had this table set up in honor of Jack.  Esther, his mother, made these end pieces.  They were covered in beans and individually glued on.  She had worked on them for several nights. 

This was quite the Birthday cake!

Traditional Korean food:

Esther and Charles... Jack's lovely parents.

And here is Jack with his grandmother. 

Here he is with his nanny.. oh, and his silver spoon!

He changed into this traditional Korean outfit:

He is about to pick...

What is he pointing to?

What a loved little boy.  It was a wonderful experience to share with you.  Happy Birthday Jack.

The ring bearer would only agree to walk the aisle if he could go as a superhero - so he was the coolest ring bearer I have ever seen.  His cape is below.

I love the pic to the bottom right.  Kristin did a great job editing.

You can't tell from these photographs outside, but this was the hottest most humid day I have ever photographed.  It was literally like a sauna.  That being said, everything went well and Jen and Chad had a great time.

The bracelets and the rings were a gift from Jen and they are terrific.

The girls were cooling off Jen and I caught them!

Jen took me to this next location and I was so into it.  Pillars are the best!

One of my favorite shots of the day.

I love this next group shot.

I think this actually is my favorite of the day.  Jen was not posing for this picture, she was simply loving her time dancing with her husband.  I was super lucky!

These next shots have a story.  Jen's best friend since childhood caught the bouquet, and what turned out to be a nutty affair - Jen's dad caught the garter....so you can imagine that it made for a humorous remounting of the garter.

This is one of the few weddings I've got to shoot with Nelli this year.  We both had different ideas for a nice ring shot.  Can you guess who took the 1st shot and who took the second?

Rob and Cathy made the decision to see each other before the wedding.  It was one of the best first sights I've witnessed.  Nelli and I both had different angles, but the true quality of these pictures is seen in the joy of these two joining each other for this special day.

But Rob and Cathy weren't the only ones who celebrated this day.  Sophie was a big part of the day.

These are a few of my favorites from a relaxing stroll through the grounds of Holden.

We couldn't forget some pictures on the goofy side.  These kids sparked it.

I love these portraits from the Lantern Court library.

One important aspect of the day was the weather.  Cathy really wanted an outdoor wedding, but it began raining about an hour before the ceremony, just after we finished most of the pictures.  I was really hoping we could do it outside, because I knew it was important to Rob and Cathy.  The best man went and check for us a few minutes before and it didn't look all that optimistic.

The rain stopped for just enough time to give us an outdoor ceremony at exactly the time the ceremony was to begin.

We couldn't start the reception without getting a few more pics of these cute kids.

So Nelli talked me into this one, and I was a bit hesitant, but I don't think Rob and Cathy minded getting away for a few minutes and venturing into the depths of the forest at night.  I really think they never stopped smiling the whole day.  It was a blessing to witness a couple so captivated by each other.  I hope you like our experiment.

Rob and Cathy, thank you for having us be a part of this wonderful wedding.  Your kindness was remarkable and we loved capturing these memories for you.
 

Kristin edited this next pic (actually she edited a lot of these) and I must say she did an outstanding job.

The bottle to the bottom right contains a poem that Kevin wrote for Hillary.

Kevin is in the Coast Guard and we were able (for a moment until the sirens started blaring) to get some shots at the Cleveland station.  The boat closest in the pics was the boat that Kevin was trained on and has, as you might imagine, special significance to him.

It was right when everyone was on the boat here that we had to hurry off because there was an alarm.  It all worked out fine though.

I love this next shot.

You have to love Elvis and his bride.

We love taking photos together, so a midweek session is like a date for us where we get to be creative and get to know other couples.

This is where I passed the camera to Nelli.  Can you see what Chris has behind his back?

I love it when Nelli and I can combine our perspectives on a shot like this. 

I think I found my favorite, but it was a tough choice.

I don't think I'm the only one.

I was so happy to be able to be able to shoot with Nelli that I had to post a photo of her as the intro to what soon became one of our best engagement sessions ever.  It was wasn't Nell? " Yes, It was Jesse."  Yes, Nelli says hello.  We sit here together editing photos, designing albums into the wee hours of the night.  She actually just brought me some jalapeno/garlic stuffed olives to give the little pick-me up I need.  Was it not the best ever Nelli?  "I think your last shoot is always your favorite." Yes.

Now for more of the most adventurous couple I know.  These two took some dangerous steps for these shots with us.  No broken cameras and several smiles later it was well-worth it.

Can't wait for this wedding!

Yes, that's right - a beautiful wedding dress with pockets.

After an emotion-filled ceremony, we went back out to Alex's parent's house for some more shots after the ceremony. 

When we first arrived, David, myself and the girls went out by the lake.  It was really bright out, but there were hardly any other people around.  It was quite the contrast to the beaches near Cleveland on Saturdays.  It was fun and peaceful.  The guys were hanging back at the house relaxing for a while.  I got the feeling that maybe they weren't sure about spending a bunch of time doing photos.  I later learned that some of them had experienced some "cheesy" wedding photographers in the past.  I hoped to shoot down that mantra with a cool guy shot as soon as they came out.  I love photographing guys with their pals equally as much as girls.  I know both guys and girls cherish good friendships and the memories that are attached.  I hope the guys like this next one.  I'm pretty sure they all had a good time.

and so did the girls

The time with James and Alexandra alone afterwards was great.  I'm glad they got to take the moment in alone for a while.

Westwood Country Club was really nice.  The reception featured some great appetizers during a nice long cocktail hour.  Everyone was catching up and having a great time.  We also had the privilege of enjoying the full Jerry Bruno orchestra, which I always enjoy.

Congrats Alex and James!  It was great getting to know you on your special day.

We took a lot of just the guys shots and just the girls shots before the ceremony started.

This is Lindsey.  I was so impressed by her.  When I got home, I told this to Jesse too, that she totally expressed herself with how she dressed and presented herself on her wedding day.  Every last detail from the dress to the veil, the shoes, her hair,  the bracelet... everything just showed who she was.  I loved it.

This is Jesse's favorite. 

Jesse processed this for me.  It's like she's running into the woods...  looks like Alice in Wonderland to me!

Here is their reflection outside the reception hall of them looking at their cake.

This had the best dance I think I have ever been to!  It was so fun, everybody dancing and having such a fun time.

Ok, so this is my favorite shot of the day.... I just loved everybody's expression.

Now is top hat was one of the main events at Lindsey and Kyle's wedding.  We had Adam(a groomsman) get it for us in the reception hall.  It was one of the decorations.  We used it for a few props, and it somehow made it's way down to the dancefloor.  It ended being in the middle of the dance floor for the entire evening, being passed from person to person.  It was a blast.

I love it!

Thank you Lindsey and Kyle for having such a fun and awesome wedding.  I enjoyed the day so much, and am so happy to have gotten to know you two.  Enjoy the rest of your lives together!

Phil proposed under the stars - so this plaque has a special meaning.

This next shot if one of the many expressions Phil and Sarah made while watching the groomsmen perform with the girls sashes.

We went to the beach where Phil and Sarah had their first date - it means so much to them and it is an amazing place to shoot.  They had a few engagement pics here with us last summer and it rained us out then.  It was pretty funny because the exact same thing happened on their wedding - but we got some great stuff in nevertheless.

The reception was one of the nicest I have seen.  There were two ice sculptures - more appetizers and desserts then I can remember - and as you can see everything was outstanding.

The live band was great and when I think of the dancing it still puts a smile on my face.

We arrived at Jackie's house early in the day to capture some of the details.

The photo on the right is one of my favorite shots of the day.

Jackie was an abolutely beautiful bride. She was glowing all day, not just because it was her wedding day, but because she was five months pregnant! You can see her perfect baby bump in some of these shots. 

Take note of the groomsmen's matching shoes.

Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles!

 There were some very impressive moves on the dance floor!

A great thing about Nestor and Jackie's wedding was the location. The ceremony and reception were at the same place which was great, but what made it so incredible was the breathtaking view! You can see in these next few photos a backdrop of gorgeous pinks, oranges, and purples, as the setting sun illuminated this beautiful couple. 

That can't be comfortable....

Being a photographer, we all have our signature shots. If you've been following us for very long, you'll be able to notice each one of our own signatures to the way we take the pictures or even to the way we process them later. This is my signature shot. It was taken with a home-made macro lens that I developed accidently a few years ago. In the middle of a repair of a previous lens, I stumbled across the detailed capabilities this lens had. Here's a shot of Nestor and Jackie's rings.

Tiffany's ring shot.

All in all, the wedding was a success! We made some neat friends and witnessed true love at it's finest! Congratulations Nestor and Jackie!