On a gorgeous morning a few weeks ago, Kelsey & Rusty were going through all the preparations for their wedding ceremony. Just before the ceremony started the storm clouds started billowing in over the Chugach. Kelsey stuck with her original plan of an outdoor wedding and after maybe three minutes of sprinkling rain, she ended up with an absolutely beautiful ceremony and beautiful day!

The ceremony was held at O’Malley’s On the Green and it made for a location both inside and out. The wedding party was….well, non-stop entertainment to say the least! Rusty has several brother’s who were not afraid to ham it up for the camera and who pulled out all the stops on the dance floor. Needless to say, it was quite the party and we even had a moosely visitor toward the end of the night!

Congratulations to Kelsey & Rusty on the start of a long and happy life together!

]

Chelsea & Sam were married at Alpenglow at the top of a neverending dirt road in Arctic Valley. The day was spectacularly sunny and warm and beautiful! A dream day for sure!

Chelsea is one of those people who has a special knack for making you feel like you’ve known her forever. She and her merry band of bridesmaids welcomed me into their group and I spent a full day following them around from the hair salon to the mountain top. It was on the mountain top where I first caught sight of Sam and got to witness the perfect wedding gift — Mr. T cuff links! They were a present from his bride to be and Sam was ecstatic.

Sam & Chelsea were married outside in front of their family & friends.  The reception was kicked off with plenty of dancing including my favorite dance of the evening, Sam & his mother dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.

Chelsea, you are a stunning bride!  Please don’t use the photo of the two of you strangling each other as your Christmas Card!

Here is to a lifetime of fun, love & laughter!

I thought I’d post one more of the weddings that I helped shoot while in Alabama.  This was the very first wedding that I photographed with Mark Lawley & Associates.  I told Mark how common it was to have outdoor weddings back in Alaska, and all he had to do was have me follow him around one time to realize why southern brides love air conditioning!  It was ridiculously hot!  Summer hadn’t even gotten into full swing yet but you could easily see how an outdoor wedding could knock a bridal party off their feet!  Thankfully, the rest of the summer, the weddings I helped with were all indoors!

This particular couple was going on an Alaskan cruise for their honeymoon, so I felt right at home meeting the bride for the first time.  She was surrounded by a wonderful group of friends and we had an easy morning spending time at the salon.  They chose to have a “first look” where the bride and groom see each other prior to the ceremony and it was a beautiful opportunity.  I had never participated in a wedding with a “first look” before and had the good fortune of witnessing several more before the summer was over.  What a great idea!  I wish I had thought of that with my wedding.  

When we arrived at the church we were joined by Keith and Carla,  additional members of Mark’s Photography team, who took over with the bulk of photographing the wedding.  I was able to step back and watch some seasoned pro’s in action.  It was a great start to a wonderful summer!