Mat Crawford

David and Marybeth - Married on the Jersey Shore

2010-07-06

When Jesse mentioned that he had a wedding for me to photograph on the ocean I was pretty excited.  When he mentioned that it was in New Jersey - I must be honest - I was not certain what it would be like.  Being from Cleveland Ohio, a place that does not have the greatest reputation throughout the United States, you think that I would have learned not to judge a place by its reputation.  When Kristin and I arrived on the Jersey Shore we were blown away by the beauty of the area.  But it was the people that truly made our trip an amazing experience.

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.

Tags: jersey shore wedding destination wedding red bank wedding long branch wedding graphic design wedding taylor university wedding taylor wedding new jersey wedding

Mat Crawford

A Sweet Sneak Peak

2010-07-02

JUST A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME!

Tags: Finest Moments Wedding Photography

Jesse Boone

Kevin + Mary Married!

2010-06-30

Kevin and Mary are such a remarkable couple.  Their wedding was equally remarkable.  From the hand-crafted decorations to the most active dance-floor I've seen in a long time, their wedding was something special and everyone knew.  My videographer Joel and associate photographer David were with me on this one and I don't think either one of them wanted to leave at the end.  It was that much fun!  I also (as is becoming regular occurance) ran into a few connections from past weddings whom I will seeing again soon.  It's so cool when photographing weddings starts becoming somewhat of a reunion with friends.  That's precisely what it felt like with Kevin and Mary.  They were fun and sweet and Irish, which are all good things.  They also had a unique style really demonstrated it with their wedding.  That's how it should be.  What better opportunity in life to express yourself than your wedding.  You've got everyone's attention.  Note to future brides and grooms: follow the example of Mary and Kevin.  I wish I could show more of the details here, but at least you'll get a glimpse.

They made CD's for their guests and I've been listening to it all week.  Anybody who puts Van Morrison on their wedding disk will get me to give the whole collection a listen.

Here is a picture that meant a lot to me.  Kevin and Mary decorated their wedding with pictures from their parent's and sibling's weddings.  They really valued family and their heritage.  This was a special thing I noticed about them, and I was very impressed.

Congrats Mary and Kevin.  Hope you have an amazing time in Riviera Maya and I can't wait to work on your album!

Tags: cleveland wedding photographer, destination wedding photographer

Jesse Boone

Brad and Brittany A+Session

2010-06-30

Brad and Brittany came straight back from Cancun for what was one of the most beautiful photos sessions I've had on the lake.  When Brad and Brittany first met with me, they were interested in a Trash the Dress session we offer.  However, like many of our clients, they weren't interest in trashing the dress.  They were interest in getting some romantic, sunset and city shots that they didn't have time to do on their wedding day.  For them and other clients we've had to re-term this session we offer.  We started calling it the day-after session for a while, but few actually did it the day after, so now we've termed it our "A+ Session", and it ties nicely into another service we've been preparing the launch: The Anniversary Session.  The "A" also stands for "Afterward" in Brad and Brittany's case, or "The Aftermath" for those dedicated trash the dressers.  I love portrait sessions like this.  I want to do more and more of these.  We've started offering this for anniversaries in order for couples to re-connect.  We just schedule a double-date with Mat and Kristin or Me and Nelli and have good time together, perhaps going back to the place you did photos on your wedding day.  That can bring back the memories of love and re-kindle relationships by bringing into remembrance the joy and goodness of the relationship.  For Brad and Brittany, coming back from Cancun, re-kindling wasn't the primary motivation.  They just wanted relaxed romantic shots in a beautiful setting.  Let me know what you think.

Congrats again Brad and Brittany!  We wish you and your families the best always.

Tags: cleveland wedding photographer, destination wedding photographer

David, Jim & Tiffany

Bart and Krista Married!

2010-06-30

I was really excited for Krista and Bart’s big day because of the location they chose. Although it was a bit of a hike for me to get there and a few minor road blocks and detours, it was well worth it when I arrived at the Brown family farm. The landscape was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, and the love that Krista and Bart had for each other was more than beautiful. The ceremony was one of the most unique weddings I’ve been to because it was located on a hillside just on the edge of a small pond. This made for some really neat shots since I was able to shoot some beautiful landscapes from all different directions. Some of my favorite shots were taken during the reception when the wedding party and Jim and I were able to sneak away for a bit to take pictures in front of the hay bales. The sun was setting and the colors were just absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have asked God for a better day! I remember Jim remarking that he took some of the best ring shots ever, and looking through them later at the studio, he was right! They were so very unique and absolutely gorgeous! Krista and Bart’s love for each other, along with the love from their families and friends, was so evident that day. I was so grateful to have been a part of their beautiful day! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bart and Krista Brown!

Tags: Finest Moments Wedding Photography