a rooster, some devil cows, and really good people

Erika and Chad kindly invited me to participate in their Bluegrass BBQ rehearsal dinner. I was told I was to have fun; no work. ...So of course I show up with my camera and start shooting...for which I was promptly scolded. (Fun. No work. FUN!) It seems I don't know what to do with myself sans camera attached to my face like a Clive Barker Cenobite. By the end of the night, I'd make peace with this fact.

E&C had their party at Hale Farm & Village which to me, seemed to be happily in the middle of nowhere. Turns out it's a little historical village full of lovingly reconstructed buildings that were moved from all over northern Ohio. They're amazing and I want to live in each of them, from the huge yellow colonial mansion (complete with picket fence) to the ramshackle cabin tucked away on the edge of the woods, aptly surrounded by forget-me-nots.

I arrived to the sound of fiddles and banjos coming out of this open barn. The sun was starting to set and the light coming through the boards was glowing warmly...the scent of roasting corn and chicken wasn't bad, either. ;)


Now this is a desert tree. Ho-Hos and Twinkies with a few tiers of petit-fours...guess which ones went fastest....
A sure sign that the food was worth waiting for: buckets of bricks of real butter. Oh. My. God. This was the best corn I've ever had in my entire life. Apparently, the corn is soaked for days in the husks...in barrels of sugar water.

This is Daniel, the historic gardener at Hale Farm. That's his friend, Richard the Rooster. Richard has his own website. I'm not kidding. Richard pulls a little wagon and even has fabulous feathers on his little toes. He was very friendly and likes a gentle petting.

I behaved and only took one shot of Chad and Erika...and their little dog.
Ok...the devil-cows... All night I was hearing this haunting echoing "mmmmmrrrRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr" coming from the west. The sound was ungodly loud...and really really eerie....so of course I liked it. They had to be cows and I instantly thought of the "devil's herd" from Ghost Riders in the Sky. On the way to find them, I came across these cute little sheep. They were very curious and liked having their noses stroked. Anyway, the mystery of the devil-cows was soon solved. Three little cows in a field on the east side of the road, a bunch of big cows on the west side of the road. The mamma cows and the baby cows were calling forlornly across the road to each other. It was very sad and sweet. I didn't take any photos; it was really dark and they were freaked out by the flash. By the way, did you know that girl cows can have big massive horns? 'Coz I didn't and thought it was weird that there were a bunch of bulls in one field. Forgive me; I'm from NYC.

I'm a new fan of bananas foster. I don't know what kind of vanilla ice cream they used, but I nearly licked the glass regardless of who was watching...and I hate vanilla ice cream.

Anyway, this gathering turned out to be a rather cherished evening, as I rediscovered how to accomplish a few neglected activities that have eluded me these past few years: relaxing, wandering aimlessly, investigating, photographing random things simply because I like looking at them, and people-watching without the obsessive need to document them. I should do this more often. :)

rebecca & nate's wedding

I know it's been awhile, but I have tons of pictures to post, so keep an eye out for more weddings (and a handful of engagement sessions) to come!

I want to start off with Rebecca and Nate's wedding at Corazón.


The Vera Wang bridesmaids' dresses were really gorgeous!
When he saw Becca for the first time in her dress, Nate wanted to do so in a private setting to keep the moment more special. Here's his mom and Becca's girls peeking as her sister covers Nate's eyes.

I love the Old World look of Corazón.
Bart from the Daisy Basket put together the most beautiful bouquets for the girls. They were all a little different, some with sweet peas, others with what we decided should just be called "redonculous," since none of us could pronounce it properly.





I really like this next image...I think they look like classic movie stars.

So Becca, Nate, and I were walking around the grounds to do their portraits and kept hearing this shrill half frantic, half furious shrieking. We looked around and there was this fat little bird who decided the open bed next to the walkway was a good place to have her babies. I don't know what she was thinking...she would've had the same level of privacy had she nested on the hood of someone's car.... One way or the other, she puffed up and screamed any time anyone would walk past her domain and throughout the ceremony, she made her protest. I'm sure she thought she was terrifying.
Nate and his family collected each and every one of these rocks from the beach near his home.
Rabbi Huber has officiated a few weddings I've photographed and I always like seeing him. He's great at explaining the significance of the Ketubah and I like hearing him sing.
Here's more of Bart's handywork. The long tables and organic centerpieces of lush flowers and moss flowed perfectly with the Tuscan setting of the venue. The chuppah he designed was perfect. They wanted their chuppah to compliment the setting, not stand out from it and Bart delivered!

This next shot is by Christa.
Here's Nate breaking the glass...a REAL glass, mind you, and a rather thick one...no wimpy lightbulbs for him! He was really quite proud of himself as you'll see. He should be; it was impressive.


Another fabulous shot by Christa as the wedding party gathers post ceremony.
Everyone was commending this bridesmaid for her bravery and mastery of these killer shoes. She even walked well in the grass. Kudos.


Larry Lee & Back In the Day provided some kick-ass entertainment! The dance floor was small, but packed to the walls. It's always fun to watch the bride and groom dance together for a large part of the reception and Becca and Nate really just seemed to enjoy themselves , each other, and their party.In fact, the band was so good and everyone was having such a good time, that the horah was nearly forgotten. With Bart's help, we got it going and chairs were flying!

Thanks so much to Becca & Nate for being so wonderful and to your families who were so involved and helpful throughout the day. I wish you all the best for your new lives together!

{venue: corazon, coordinator: nikki kington / flowers & decor: the daisy basket / dress: judd waddell / cake: jan kish / makeup: mukha / music: larry lee & back in the day}