I bet even that bird thought this shot was cool.

I loved the colors of the bridesmaid dresses with the flowers.  So much so, that I had to get them involved with these pictures.

This really shows the attitude of this group.  They all had such a fun time together.

These shoes just reach out and grab your attention.

I think this next one is my fave of the day, but the reception entry is close.

Lebron James entry!  The full sequence!  Jordan almost pulled the plug on this after Lebron skipped town, but hey why not be the last person in Cleveland to take hold of this epic entry?  Besides, with a name like Jordan you should figure he can get it done a little better than Lebron anyway:)

Congrats to you both on such a fun, exciting day and a wonderful future together.

The boy-band pose to the bottom left is good stuff.

I love this next series.  Rachel's laughter and faces make the shot - the location was not that bad though.

These next shots were not only my favorite of the day - they are up with my top for the year. 

I must tell this next story.  We were catching a few extra shots outside the reception near the golf course and Kristin and I suggested Ryan kiss Rachel's shoulder.  He proceeded to give her some gentle pecks.  Rachel then tells us that the pecks reminded her of her twin baby nieces because they are "nursing" (if you know what I mean - and I think you do).  I of course didn't let that opportunity to question her connection with her husband and a nursing baby - and on came some legit laughter.  It is cool to see the joy captured. 

The entrance were Lebron's jersey was stepped on and the most built groomsmen came in in his wife's dress (she wore his tux) has to win the prize for most entertaining bridal party entrance.

I usually don't put pictures of speeches in the blog, but Ryan's brother describing how he vomits so violently that he breaks the blood vessels in his face if he drinks too much the night before had to be shared.

The next few family shots were so emotional.

I would like to title this next was "drawers".

Jesse got Erin's call in September of 2009.  She was living in Wyoming, so we never ended up meeting her.  She hired us, and then it was time to get all the details.  First Jesse asked where her wedding was.  A lot of the weddings we get in Montana are in the town of Missoula, or Butte.  Both are one of the biggest towns in MT.  But she said she was getting married in Stevensville.... 
"Stevensville?!  That is the town that Nelli grew up in," Jesse told Erin.  (This is a very small town about 30 miles outside of Missoula.)
"And what is the address of the ceremony and reception?" Jesse asked.
"It is just outside of Stevensville, kind of out in the country.  On a long dirt road called Tripp Lane, " Erin explained.

Ok... now let me stop this story here.  I grew up in Stevensville.  The long dirt road I lived on WAS also Tripp Lane! 
So it turns out that the ceremony and reception site was just 1/2 mile down the dirt road from the house that I grew up in.  In fact, my parents still live there, and when we go back to Montana to visit, we always stay there. It was to be in a field by a creek, the same creek that I would swim in as a kid!  And to make it even more ironic, the artistic photos were to be at the top of a hill where you can see the whole Bitteroot Valley and Rocky Mountains, all the way from Idaho clear into Missoula.  It is a piece of property that me and Jesse always ride the four-wheeler to, and gaze at the beauty of the mountains.
What a coincidence-  We would be shooting the wedding practically walking distance from my home! 

Now, the reason that I had never met Erin growing up, is because she didn't live there all year.  Her dad built a log cabin right on the creek about 30 years ago, so they actually lived in Eastern Montana and would only come to the cabin in the summer for a few weeks. 
I had been looking forward to shooting this wedding all year.  And when the day finally arrived, it was amazing.  So much planning and thoughtfulness went into this wedding.  They had cleared out a huge field in order to have the ceremony and reception there, right in front of the creek.  They built the dance floor out of tall logs and hung lights all above.  They had hay bails set out as seats and even a few handmade log benches.
We arrived in Stevensville about a week before the wedding.  Each day we would see more things being built(like the awesome dance floor) and saw as the big white tent was raised. 

Here is the Erin and Cam's wedding... I think one of the most special weddings I have ever shot.
 

I got pretty excited that we got to hang her dress outside in the tree!  We've never done that before.

Here is her detail shots on the carriage that took her from her house down to the ceremony site.  She wore the same pearl necklace that her mother and grandmother wore at their wedding.

Right as we got there, the cake had toppled over from the heat!  But fortunately, they were able to call the bakery and have another one made up.  As I was editing these, Josiah my 2 year old son was very interested in these pictures.  He kept saying, "uh-oh...  what happened!" And would want me to show him this picture over and over!

This is Erin and her sister and mom helping her get ready.  They all had such a strong love for eachother.

I should mention also that Jesse took most of these photo's.  I was only his assistant this day, Jesse was the main photographer, but we both did the editing.  I think this is a very dramatic shot of Cam.

And I must say that I think Jesse is getting pretty good at the tilt-shift lens!

Oh ya, I forgot to mention that she had a really awesome veil.

I love this shot Jesse took of Cam... wow.

I think that they picked the perfect spot to have the ceremony.  Under a tree so you don't have harsh sun, and the sun was low enough to get a sun flare.

My fav of the day...  She is so cute!

So here is Jesse pulling out his tilt-shift lens in the ceremony.  He is pretty daring, but it pays off!  What a great shot he got.

So after the ceremony I was super excited about the kiss shot I got.  I told Jesse, and he right away was telling me that he was super excited about his kiss shot.  Mine is the one on the left, his on the right. 

Even the horses are posing!

This is the cabin that her dad built!

After dinner, we took them up to the top of the hill to do some artistic shots.  The sun was painting the sky so pretty.  They drove in his dad's old jeep, and we took my dad's old truck to use as props. 

Jesse took all these night shots and processed them for me.  I really think they turned out pretty!

So romantic :)

Erin and Cam, you guys have such fun personalities! 

And I love this last shot.  They had one last dance.  I saw how Erin just grabbed hold of Cams waist and hugged on to him so tight.  They were truly in love.  I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of this wedding.  I really believe it was meant to be. 

Love this next shot - I have seen a lot of feathers and flowers in bridal headpieces recently and they look great.  Kristin's creates an overall look that was perfectly fitting.

The small rings here were Kristen's grandmother's rings.

The church was insane - it was modeled after a church in France and it made us feel like we were in Europe.

Kristin (my wife) suggested I shoot through this lead-crossed window and I threw in a bit of flash around the corner on Ross and Kristen - and one neat shot was produced - of course this would all be for naught if the love was not there!

the girls did some silly peaking over their flowers...

and the guys must have been jealous and wanted a bit of flower action themselves.

One of my favorites - the photo is nice - but the emotion is very meaningful - I am humbled to be able to shoot things like this and provide a way of remembering such a special time.

the table centerpieces were terrific.

Good luck guys (especially while finishing up your doctorate Ross)!

We were able to capture some really neat shots during the day, especially at the arboretum we stopped on our way to the reception.

Love this detail shot by Jim

Later on, we decided to step outside of the reception hall just before sunset and took some of my favorite shots of the day!

It was such a fun wedding to say the least and I really enjoyed the opportunity to capture these moments for Zach and Jessica. I hope that these photos will always be a reminder of their love and faithfulness to one another. Congratulations Zach and Jessica.

Day One:

The henna party is a celebration before the wedding.  Henna is a red dye that is placed upon the bride's hands (as well as any other female guest who want to join in) in amazing traditional Indian designs.  When the dye stains the skin it is removed and leaves red markings on the skin for weeks. Nina had hers done the day before (it took six hours!).  As a wedding photographer I have always envied other shooters who have a great shot of henna hands in their portfolio - I was so happy to capture a few shots during the party as well as the next day, partially because I was able to fulfill my longing for that addition to my portfolio - but primarily because I was able to capture and save for Nina all those hours that went into such beautiful decoration.

During the henna party people would perform for Ravi and Nina.  Her close friend from college gave a spirited dance which was a treat to experience.

Kristin helped me edit this picture below to the left and it is turning out to be one of my favorites.

Day Two:

The second day was the actually wedding day.  Nina began early in the morning with a ceremony which involved her relatives dipping her bracelets in milk and placing them upon her wrists in preparation for her wedding.

Kristin's pic below to the right is great!  The anklets Nina is wearing were passed down from her great grandparents.  Thinking about how important heritage is for each family during these days made me lament the fact that many of us modern westerners do not value our elders or our lineage.  More than ever I thought that some day - generations from now - Nina and Ravi's great grandchildren might look at their wedding photos and have a sense of honor for Ravi and Nina's love for each other.

As a Sikh, Ravi's preparation for the wedding was of great importance.  One of the "rights of passage" (as I understand it) for a Sikh is the ceremonial wrapping of the turban.  Ravi's father wrapped his turban which is a unique feature of Sikh religion and culture.  Sikh's only make up a small portion of India's population (or the world's for that matter) and the turban is a visible element that is important to their faith.  David - one of our studio photographers - captured these shots while we were with Nina.

There are numerous reference in western culture to the groom riding in on a white horse to "take" his bride - but in this case it was literally true.  With a processional of traditional drums mixed with bagpipes (Ravi is originally from the UK) and a crowd of his dancing male relatives in front, Ravi and his family approached the Temple to greet Nina's family outside.

The actual ceremony was in Punjabi (a language spoke in the Punjab region of India - the traditional home of the Sikh faith).  I only caught a few words in English, but the parts I did were very similar in content to other weddings I have been to.  One illustration was on the unity of a husband and wife.  The officiant describe Niagara Falls being owned by both Canada and the USA, but no one can distinguish down the river which water is Canadian or not.  In the same way, husband an wife must be one.  It was a great illustration and could have been read at almost any wedding I have ever attended.  The truly unique part though was the lack of vows.  In the Sikh religion the couple makes passes around their scripture instead of saying vows.  Though this is unique - it was very much like an Orthodox (Greek or the like) wedding.

Fort the outdoor shots after the ceremony we went to Whipp's Ledges in Hinckley Ohio.  I grew up not to far from here and have heard about these ledges for ages, but I have never gone.  I scouted out this area earlier in the week and was blown away.  It is amazing - but there is a little hike to get to the best part.  I was nervous that Nina would not want to hike a bit in her terrific but heavy garb.  Boy was I wrong.  When we arrived she literally ran up the trail (full dress and all) and beat all of us to the top.  She apparently loves the woods and showed us all up. 

This next shot might be my favorite - it is hard to tell there are so many.  Nina just climbed up on this rock and sat there - we were not even caught up to her yet - to enjoy the location and day.  I literally think my eyes bugged out of my head when I saw the potential for this shot and I could not have been more thankful for her just being herself.

These rocks are the craziest (in a good way of course) textures one could ask for in Ohio. 

These next to detail shots might be my favorite detail shots I have taken.

After our shooting in Hinckley - we went to Nina's home for a going away/goodbye ceremony.  It was a very emotional event to say the least.

Then we joined them at their new home with Ravi's family for a welcoming ceremony.

Day Three:

Day three is the reception.  The reception was the event that most mirrored a typical western wedding.  It was a beautiful time at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cleveland and the Indian food was amazing (not only this day but every day) - I could not get my fill.

There were special performances from a dance team from Toronto as well as plenty of general dancing.  I think I might be one of the few non-Indian wedding photographers who went home after three days and wanted to listen to more music in Punjabi - the rhythm was excellent and the dancing was so fun!

The drummer - Rocky - to the bottom right was quite a character.  He was posing a bit for the camera - but I am not complaining.

Blessings Ravi and Nina - It was an amazing experience.

With this image I wanted to create something that symbolized the heritage that is passed on from one generation to the next.  I love how it turned out.

Cute kids are always magnetic to my camera.  These two were so sweet.

We then headed up to East 4th for some pictures on a very busy day downtown.  I love this area to shoot...and to eat.  So many photo sessions are done here that I always try to challenge to use the environment in a way it may have not been used previously.  So in a symbolic gesture I've saved my favorite images from this part of the day as the 4th:)

Shannon and Mary chose the courthouse for their reception.  It looked brilliant.  We did a few pics there before taking a quick limo ride to the lake.

There a few delightful suprises awaiting Shannon at the reception.  One was the personalized elephant cake.  The other was a favorite gourmet dish.  Now as you can see, the food at the courthouse is top-notch, but Shannon has the same weakness as Mat and myself.  We are Chipotle addicts.  Shannon so much so that it was his wedding reception meal.  That type of clever thoughtfulness from Mary is the type of stuff that is going to keep their marriage fun for a long time.

Thank you Shannon and Mary for having me be a part of such a special day.  It was great meeting your families and witnessing your love.  May your marriage always be blessed.  I rejoice with you that you found each other.

For her sister's wedding a few years ago, we stopped at a little carnival on the way to the wedding and shot a few pics.  Miranda wanted something special for her wedding day as well and an old time custard shot seemed like a good fit.  We had some fun and got a few terrific pics.  Most brides are not willing to do much before their wedding - so this excurstion made for a one-of-a-kind pre-wedding stop.

I love the face on the bottom left - it is a classic.

Ryan and Miranda got the guys custom made cufflinks that matches each of the guys personality in some way.  I was a huge fan of this personal touch.

If you look closely you can see Ryan tearing up.

Kristin thought of this next pose and it was a winner!

The shot below is a bit nutty if you are not Ryan or Miranda - but I had to include it for fun sake.

The pic to the bottom left is just awesome.  And the pic to the right needs a warning - "Watch out boy she'll chew you up - Oh here she comes - She's a maneater!"

Normally I don't put shots of the bridal party entering the hall, but the naked baby with the bowtie earns a place in the top pics.

In the evening we went outside the reception and shot a few pics with the sun low in the horizon (and a few night shots).  This is a great time for Miranda and Ryan to simply enjoy each other and think about the day while it was still happening.

This one is probably my favorite of the day - or atleast in the top few.

This next one was not the best shot of the day from a photography standpoint - but I think it was  a special moment. we try to be on the sidelines and allow the bride and groom to be with each other and ignore everything else - but sometimes it is a bit challenging.  This was a moment where I think Miranda let her gaurd down a bit and grabbed Ryan's face and looked into his eyes and kissed him.  Hopefully this shot will bring back those memories for the rest of their lives.

I threw together this slideshow for giggles - enjoy!

miranda from Mathew Crawford on Vimeo.

So this picture gets us to Montana.  I took Joshy(6) to scope out the area.  We are here to shoot a wedding.  And that is another story, another blog post.  Really an amazing story of how we ended up shooting this wedding.  Me and Jesse are actually going to shoot it in a few hours.  Stayed tuned, Jesse already told me I get to blog the wedding...  :)

This last pic is a picture from the back porch of the house I grew up in.  I don't know if I have ever seen a rainbow this beautiful!  Have a great day!  :)

Last year we photographed David and Marybeth's college friends (from Taylor University) here in Ohio.  Apparently they liked our work enough to have us join them in the home town on The Shore - which is a humbling honor.  Right from the beginning we recognized that Marybeth and David were a special couple.  Marybeth was one of the sweetest brides - fawning over Kristin's little pregnant belly almost as much as she was focused on all the wedding details.  Marybeth told us the story behind David and her relationship.  They have know each other since they were in elementary school - David being the older boy Marybeth always had a crush on.  They went to school together for years and she even put his yearbook picture next to hers to see if they made a good looking couple (which I must say that they do).  Towards the end of his high school days David finally asked Marybeth to prom - and that was the beginning of their relationship.  Fast forward through college - these childhood friends were getting married.

By the way - the picture above to the left is an invitation designed by David who is a graphic designer.  He actually designed all the printed elelments that made up the day and they were the best I have seen.  If you want to check out his work you can go to http://www.davidyurkanin.com

Kristin shot the pic below while I was catching the front view.  I am a fan of the composition.

The church they were married in was the neatest church I have been able to photograph in. 

I had to throw this one in.  While I was shooting the family formals this was going on behind me.  Pretty funny.

Shooting at the beach can be tricky - for the person to be bright enough the sky is usually all white and overexposed.  For the sky to look nice the couple would be too dark.  There are photography tricks around this situation, but today it just worked out perfectly with little effort.

I like so many from the day, but this next shot is a stand out one.

We ran off for a bit during the reception to catch a few pics with the sky lit up from the setting sun.  It was a nice nice way for Marybeth and David to take a break together and for us to catch a couple different photographs.