Whitney and Andrew’s wedding at the Multicultural Arts Center took us to Mars and Back

When it came to Whitney and Andrew’s wedding it was all about the music.  Between the string quartet playing songs from movies Whitney used to watch with her grandmother, Andrew quoting the Beatles for his vows,  their “All You Need Is Love” cake topper, and Groove Alliance‘s 9-piece band that gave Bruno Mars’ brass section a real run for their money, it was an audiophile’s dream wedding.  From the loving looks on their faces that day, it’s clear that Whitney and Andrew will have a lifetime of making beautiful music together. With all that wonderful music, I was so glad to have fellow dancing photographer, Beth Ann Fricker, with me second shooting.  Having her there is as close as I can come to cloning myself. When I was reviewing our shots afterwards it made me laugh to see we had both done similar shots with the Hotel Marlowe’s unique mirrors even though we were in completely different rooms.  Whitney’s choice of dress was fantastic.  The elegant Lazaro lace sleeves looked gorgeous and made it so she didn’t have to keep pulling up her dress all day long like you usually do with a strapless gown. That day Whitney did two big reveals, one with her father and one with Andrew.  During the one with her father, he gave Whitney the heart necklace he gave her mom when they first got together.  He told Whitney that her mom was the first girl to steal his heart, and Whitney was the next one to steal his heart.  It was an incredibly touching moment that I was so glad I could be there to capture.  I loved some of the other personal elements they included in their wedding, like including their dog Brady as the ring bearer wearing a doggy wedding veil, and having the grandmas as the flower girls.  The other thing I really loved is that Whitney and Andrew were looking at each other while reciting their vows, NOT at their OFFICIANT.  You might think this to be an obvious thing to do, but in the end so many couples get so caught up in reciting what their officiant is telling them that they forget to gaze lovingly at each other.  Seeing the tears of joy on Whitney’s face wouldn’t have been nearly as sweet if they were captured looking at someone other than her handsome groom.

After the ceremony Groove Alliance rocked the house.  Everyone loved the megamix they played, covering everything from Bruno Mars’ “Locked out of Heaven” to Tina Turner’s “Rollin’ on the River”.  It was out of this world.