Wedding Reception in KY

Last Friday afternoon, we went up to Bowling Green, KY (Alex asked if that was a bowling alley when she heard the name of the city. Hehe!). Michael's cousin, Will had gotten married in December in Poland. Since the KY-relatives weren't able to make it to the wedding, Will's parents held a wedding reception that Friday at a Holiday Inn. It's a very pretty hotel inside with multiple water fountains running down alongside a dimly lit glass elevator. The "salon" where the reception itself was held was beautifully decorated.

Will's mom, Anita (Michael's aunt) had asked me months prior to the event if I would photograph it. I was thrilled to of course! I had rented - for the first time - a couple of fast lenses from lensprotogo.com - fyi - Paul (the owner) is excellent to deal with - friendly and responds quickly to emails even on weekends! I highly recommend them and will be renting again from them for a wedding in April.

So anyway, we got there early, and Michael helped me to set up my AB400s. There wasn't a dance floor, just tables, and this was the first time I was using my studio lights to crosslight a reception. The room wasn't huge, and because the room lights were dimmed during the event, it definitely helped that I had brought my ABs. I took a lot of detail shots - cake, flowers etc. - and then took some of the couple and a few requested shots. Will's stepdad had even built this amazing, gazebo-like structure where the couple remained throughout the reception. Thankfully, Michael kept Lucas busy so that I could photograph.

During the reception, they had a video of the Poland wedding (very pretty) and a slideshow. Then there was dinner - by which time the kids were very hungry. My poor babies. Lucas, naturally, was very loud and crabby until he was fed. Anita had ordered HUGE platefuls of chicken nuggets, macaroni and fries each for the kids. I mean, they easily could have shared one plate. We did have cake, but there was no couple-cutting-the-cake thing. By the end, the kids were sleepy, so my in-laws brought them home (to their house) while Michael and I helped clean up.

Michael has another cousin getting married in April at this very same hotel. I've also been asked to photograph that event. That will be my first actual ceremony to photograph! Should be fun!

Below is a slideshow I created of the reception. If you're unable to view it here, you can go directly to YouTube: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ylYiDZDxgQo