In the interest of full disclosure, I have to let you know that the gorgeous bride is my cousin. 🙂 Blond hair and blue eyes run in the family… just look at my son! 😉
You might remember Rebeccah & Rollin from the engagement session we did last summer. Just as I did when I posted their engagement post, I’m putting waaay too many images into one blog post…
Rebeccah & Rollin’s wedding was a great way to kick off my 2008 wedding season – start with a ridiculously good-looking couple, add in a super fun family, an awesome bridal party, one rocking band (The Uptown Band, out of Reading, PA), and a fantastic location (The Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA)…. What more can you ask for? Without further ado, here are the images:
Rebeccah’s dress was just breathtaking! The princess skirt was literally as wide as she was tall! Here it is on the king-sized bed in the hotel room, and below that is a close-up of the intricately beaded bodice.
I loved the reaction of Beccah’s bridesmaids as they caught a glimpse of her in her dress for the first time:
One last picture with the mother of the bride (my aunt Nancy) and the matron of honor (Beccah’s sister, my cousin Jessica). Jessica was very brave when she asked me in 2005 to photograph her wedding (my first!). I’ve come along way since then 😉
My son Jake was the ringbearer. He’ll be two at the end of this month. We all crossed our fingers that he would walk down the aisle and then stand at the alter with the wedding party. Instead, he broke away from the flower girl Rachel, and ran down the aisle towards me, yelling “Mommy! MOMMMMMYYY!” the whole way. I have to admit, it was pretty darn funny! 🙂
We had a little trouble staying serious during the formals 🙂
How hot are these two??!
Luckily, Rebeccah trusts my crazy suggestions 😉 I got in this pose first to show her that yes, I was really serious, and it would, in fact, make a great picture…
Bill (Rebeccah’s brother-in-law) and bridesmaid Amy make their grand entrance to the Eden’s Courtyard:
Rebeccah and her father (my Uncle Robin) during their first dance. My “assistant” (my dad, Jim Valentine) actually shot this particular image – way to go, Dad! 🙂
Rollin and his mom:
What’s better than feathers and hydrangeas?
Laughing during the best man’s toast:
This lucky gal caught the bouquet:
The look on Beccah’s face is priceless!
Yup, that’s my little boy! Jake looks too darn cute in a tuxedo, I must say!
And this little lady could certainly cut the rug as well!
I’ll end the world’s longest blog post with one last picture of the beautiful bride. Rollin – you’re a lucky man! Congratulations to both of you!
Thanks again Bec & Rollin for letting me be a part of your special day! Hope the Honeymoon is AWESOME!!! 🙂 Love ya lots! – Cuzin Kel
awesome job kel! you took some amazing pictures- i’m sure they’ll LOVE them!!!
Simply Awesome! Those are fantastic. You’ve got what it takes!
CR
I can hardly catch my breath as I look at these photos, Kelly. I continue to be amazed at your photographic prowess. That fourth shot is perfection, the two of them with his face leaning into hers….the shot where your cousin trusted you and put her red-polished toes up on the mirror and reclined on the carpet. Wow. You are a master. I am so honored to have “met” you and to be able to follow your art. I have looked at the sites of your mentors, those whose work you admire and are inspired by. But it is YOUR work that speaks to me. You are my muse. I owe much, much of what I am becoming as a photographer to you. I could go on and on. I could eat your photographs, they are that delicious. But I had better call this comment quits before someone suggests you put a restraining order on me.
Oh, MckMama! I’m blushing! You are too sweet!
Thanks all – I had such a great time shooting this! …well, that’s after I had a nice long soak in epsom salt and slept all day Sunday 😉
Truly amazing pictures! And What a beautiful couple!! And Jake is “the man” in his tux!
Those are gorgeous! And I loved, loved, loved your story about Jake running to you down the aisle. How impressive for the little man to even make it down by himself!!! How sweet and what a cute memory you will have of that in the future.
Your cousin and her now-hubby look like they could have been photography models like the ones you have taken pictures of at conferences! And her dress was so fairytale-like. I’m sure that your photography added to its magic!
By the way, you know I know zilch about photography, but I am a lover of it. Is there a name for the shade you frequently use like the last picture of Rebeccah? It doesn’t look brown enough to be sepia, but it’s not really b&w, either. Anyway, it is beautiful and lends such a sophistication to your portraits.
Thanks Kristen & Kristin!
To answer Kristin’s question – I use a number of Photoshop Actions in my post-processing. The specific action I ran on the last picture of Bec is a split-tone. It actually has a blue shade to it, which I can increase or decrease. (You can see a little more of the blue shade in the picture of the dress spread out on the bed in front of the window). It’s one of my favorite actions! 🙂
What a treat that was Kelly! I didn’t want the post to end. My favorite one is the one with your cousin’s arms draped over the back of the groom. To say you have a great eye is such an understatement! You are superb and truly an inspiration.