When I came into Melanie’s room at the Concourse Hotel in Madison there was a mini swarm of activity. She had just gotten her dress on and her bridesmaids were finishing up some final touches on it.
I love the colors here – the warm light above the mirror and the blue from the window.
That room has great window light. I managed to snap off a few shots as she fixed her makeup by the window.
Melanie and Greg chose to see each other before the ceremony, which more and more of my clients are doing these days. We like to arrange a “first look” meeting so they can have that special moment together where he gets to see her for the first time. I had Greg wait at the bottom of the steps in the lobby until Melanie came down.
We walked up to the Capitol to shoot some portraits, despite the blazing temperatures.
This light was so cool I couldn’t resist. A bridesmaid and groomsman asked Melanie and Greg to take a photo for them. Who knew it would turn out to be an awesome photo for me too!
So I’ll admit that I staged this one a bit. We were shooting at the UW Memorial Union and I thought it would be funny to have them stand in line for a beer. The photo actually didn’t work very well until Melanie glanced over at me with that look on her face. Too perfect!
Honestly, it’s rare that a “bride coming down the aisle” photo really moves me, but I absolutely love that Melanie looked over at her dad here.
The ceremony was held at First Unitarian Society, which has an amazing new addition now. What a sweet space!
I actually caught this one as they were leaving the reception. They had a dinner for all their guests but no dance.
Instead of a dance they and some friends went to a bar on State Street and had something of an after-party. I thought it was a really cool idea. I just wish I could have stayed there later with them!
Everyone couldn’t have been nicer or more fun to work with! Thanks for such a great day!
