Some images from Unwrapped, the Union Project's annual holiday fundraiser. They had a circus theme this year, complete with jugglers, a tarot card reader, hula hoopers, and slackliners.

Good times!

Collin proposed to Amanda on the beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico. When it came time to begin their planning, they thought it would be the perfect place to return for the wedding.

It was.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye throughout the day:

 
Ceremony was on the beach, and the reception followed at the Blue Boy Inn, just a few steps away. I would be remiss if I didn't mention both the owner of the Blue Boy Inn, Marc, and the wedding coordinator, Mary, of PR Weddings. They were both wonderful to work with and did an amazing job pulling everything together. Some of the details from the day:

Love Collin's expression here as Amanda meets him at the end of the aisle.
 
The light during the ceremony was tasty delicious.


I love when couples mimic one anothers actions or gestures without realizing it. Collin and Amanda were both holding two fingers of their opposite hand during the ceremony.
 

A few portraits on the beach after the ceremony. This one is my favorite portrait of the day:

Another fave:

Fave:

Love this one:


After a few minutes of portraits on the beach, we spent a little time in the garden at the Blue Boy Inn. It was dark at that point and we were able to get some moodier, edgier images with a totally different feel than the beach images:
 

Love this:

Holding hands during one of the toasts:


A delicate and loving exchange of the cake:
 



After dinner, everyone changed into their swimsuits and most of the rest of the reception happened in and around the pool. Super fun.
 
Bouquet toss:

The recipients of the bouquet and garter:

Collin's parents:

Collin's dad and brother trying for synchronized backflips:

Amanda and Collin: Thank you. The two of you, and your friends and family, are amazing. I can't imagine a better group of people to spend a few days in paradise with. (When you renew your vows, I'm in!)
 
Ceremony Location- Black Eagle Beach, Rincon, PR
Reception Location- Blue Boy Inn, Rincon PR
Wedding Coordinator - Mary Baker, PR Weddings, Lajas PR
Caterer - El Bohio Restaurant, Joyuda, PR
Bakery - Delight Cakes, Francisco Rodriguez, Rincon, PR
Florist - Leslie LaRonga, PR Dream Weddings, Rincon, PR
Entertainment- DJ Eric Hodgdon
Bridal Salon - Elizabeth's, Sunset Village Calle Cambija, Rincon, PR
Makeup Artist - Elizabeth's, Sunset Village Calle Cambija, Rincon, PR
Dress Designer- Anne Barge

I love when weddings are truly celebrations of two families coming together, which was certainly the case with Jessica and Pano. The love and support from their friends and family was apparent as soon as we walked in the door.

Here are a few of my faves from their day:

The dressing of the bride and groom on the wedding day is ceremonial (and very interactive) in Greek culture.
Image below by Eileen:



Can you see the beginning of the tear forming in Jessica's dads eye? There is something about a father getting emotional on his daughter's wedding day that chokes me up every time.

Jessica and Pano, it was so, so wonderful to finally meet you and to be there to document your day! Thank you so much for having Kevin, Kelly, Eileen and me along; we had a blast!
 
Ceremony- Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, Campbell, Ohio
Reception- Maronite Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Bakery- Clarencedale Cake
Entertainment (Band)- Karizma Greek Band
Entertainment (DJ)- Stevie B DJ
Videographer- Focus on You Video
Transportation- Affluent Travel by VIP Limousine

I'm out of the office right now photographing a destination wedding in Rincon, Puerto Rico. I'll be returning phone calls and emails after November 12. Also, if you've emailed me within the past week or so, I'm currently able to receive emails, but not send them, so I will respond as soon as I get back. Should you have a pressing issue in the meantime, please email my studio manager at denise (at) kreedphotography (dot) com.

Amanda and Greg are married! Here are some of my faves from their day:

Let's all take a moment to swoon over Amanda's veil. And glasses. And overall personal style.

Christine was beautiful on her wedding day. Don't just take my word for it though. Check out some of the reactions she received:

This is one of my favorite images of the day; when her bridesmaids saw her for the first time after she was dressed. I love that while the actual expression is different on each girl, they each say the same thing: OMG, you look amazing!

Andrew watching her walk down the aisle.

I waited for quite a while for the priest's actions to mimic those of Jesus right next to him, and this is the closest I captured:

Great little stairwell in the church. This image is another fave.

Love those long veils

Another fave

Love this one with the city behind them.

Some of the details from their day. Christine chose a color scheme of dark blue, with green and orange accents. Everything worked together really well, and that orange uplighting at the reception really tied everything together.
 
First dance:

Another great dancing crowd, which deserves another hat tip to DJ Jeremy Ganss. He knows how to keep a crowd on their feet!

Love these next two:

Karen and Ben are good people. The kind of people that make things better; by their actions, their outlooks, their attitudes. I'm not sure what that chances are that two people like that should happen to meet, fall madly in love, and decide to get married, but I'm glad they did. I'm also glad they chose me to photograph it, because it was a beautiful, emotional day, that -despite a few bumps along the way-  turned out perfectly.

A few portraits of Karen. Isn't she stunning? (For the record, she is also quite charming, incredibly sweet, and full of grace, but those traits don't come across as well in photos.)  :


The ceremony was held at Smithfield United Church in downtown Pittsburgh. I think the way Karen is looking at Ben as they exchange their vows is a pretty good summation of how they feel about one another:
 
How cute is the flowergirl? Seriously.

A few portraits after the ceremony:

Karen's long veil was perfect for getting some dramatic images like this one:

One of my faves:

Dana and Chris tied the knot on a lovely fall day. The weather was gorgeous and all of the details fell smoothly into place to make for a memorable day. A few things that caught my eye throughout the day:

Dana and her bridesmaids got ready at her parent's home. We took a few portraits of Dana before we left for the church.


The ceremony was held at St. Vincent Basilica Parish on St. Vincent college's campus. It was simply breathtaking.

One more engagement session blog post for a couple who is now married. :)

I met up with Christine and Andrew at North Park on another fantastic early fall evening. We began their session just in time for that tasty soft light that happens right before sunset. Christine initially reserved me last year to photograph their wedding, but this was my first time meeting either of them. The first thing I noticed about Christine was how beautiful her eyes are, and how she positively lights up around Andrew. These two are so comfortable and at ease around one another; the depth of their connection was evident within just a few minutes of meeting them. What a gift to spend your life with someone you can laugh so easily with. Here are a few of my faves from their session:

That delicious light. This is my favorite image of the two of them.


The three of us were chatting as we walked around the park taking photos; about books, their upcoming wedding, how they met, her pending move to Chicago. As we were getting ready to say goodbye, Christine turned to me and asked if she had ever told me why she chose me as their photographer. She had come across my website early on in their planning and loved my style, but she kept looking. She would come back to my website from time to time during her search, and every time she looked through my images, she would cry. That was how she knew she wanted me to photograph her wedding; I was the only photographer who made her cry by looking at images of complete strangers, so how much more connected would she be to images of her friends and family?

Can I just say, as a photographer, an artist, and a person, how meaningful and humbling it is to hear something like that about your work? About what is essentially an extension of yourself? It's such validation when someone else connects with your vision; with your own small way of seeing the world. I cried on the way home. Thank you, Christine, for sharing that with me.