I can’t say I’ve ever photographed a wedding where the wedding itself was a surprise to a majority of the reception guests, who thought they were attending Jennifer and Al’s annual holiday party and a milestone birthday party for Al. Sure, there were probably some in attendance who’d suspected, but from what I could tell, the secret wedding earlier in the day came as a surprise to most.
I started the day with Jennifer and her bridesmaids at Charles Scott salon in Rocky River, a western suburb of Cleveland, then it was on to St. Raphael in Bay Village, where I met up with Melissa, who graciously came all the way from Michigan to help me photograph the wedding in Andrew’s absence while he was off to the wilds of Peru, honeymooning with his new wife.
After the ceremony, we headed to Jennifer and Al’s place where we braved the cold for some pictures outside. After that, Melissa and I went to the Lakewood Country Club in Westlake where Gina of ShiShi Events had set up the most beautiful cocktail lounge decor, complete with swanky furniture and moody lighting. As I mentioned, the vast majority of guests thought they were attending a holiday/birthday party, so imagine their surprise when the DJ announced the new Mr and Mrs Adams to the crowd! The congratulations and well-wishes that came after their first dance as husband and wife were really super and great fun to photograph.
It was a great party and we were honored to be involved. Congratulations, Jennifer and Al, and Happy Birthday too!
I love the first dance and the candle shots.