Stories of wedding photojournalism from the husband-wife team of Warmowski Photography
Kristen Gaines had her friends and family blow bubbles as she and Joel left Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church in Jacksonville last week. And they had a little help — a bubble machine. Walking through a cloud of bubbles is a nice way to leave, since many venues don’t allow guests to toss bird seed, throw rice and the like. What really helps is to have one (or two, or more) of these little bubble-blowing machines to help add to the show. Great idea Kristen!
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Tiffany reports that everyone who sees our copy of Emily & Jk McLeod’s wedding album loves this photo. The flowers for the wedding were done by Floral Designer Rachel Roman Speh of Godfrey. She provides flowers for weddings in St. Louis and the Metro East region.
Some more bouquets from the day . . .
Event details: Ceremony at Provincial House Chapel at the University of Missouri St. Louis; reception at Windows on Washington.
Steve and Tiffany Warmowski, photojournalism wedding coverage in St. Louis, June 2008.
Ushers, sometimes they can be a little sensitive.
So you and your fiancé go through your list of family and friends and choose who will stand up with you at your wedding. Then, you ask two or three more buddies to be a part of your day and serve as ushers.
But somehow, the ushers always seem to get a bit jealous when they don’t get to be in all the pictures. “Ushers, can you please get in the group.” And they start to grumble.
Tiffany and I picked up on a fun comment at Megan (Knoche) and Adam Wardlow’s wedding in Quincy this January. We now refer to ushers as “special teams.” The game is at a critical juncture — who do you call in to get the hard, dirty job done? That’s right, special teams.
The guys love it. I guess it makes them feel special.
Event details: Location/Quincy, Illinois, service at Madison Park Christian Church, The Ambiance for reception hall, Blumin’ Express Florist for flowers, Designer’s Edge Day Spa Salon for hair and makeup, Hy-Vee for cake, I DO Bridal Shoppe for tuxes, JJ’s Kitchen Catering for food, Elite Bridal for dress (St. Peters, Missouri).
Our blog is new, and we’re trying to come up with our best pre-blog ideas to post here. Text by Steve / Warmowski Photography.
Even though JJ, Julie & Phil’s Old English Bulldogge, couldn’t be part of the wedding day, in a sense he was part of the reception.
Each table at the reception hall, Hamilton’s 11o North East in Jacksonville, was adorned with a photo of JJ announcing the table number. The photo was cool, one I wish I would have taken.
Photos from the wedding are almost done! They’ll be linked from our web site on Thursday.
One of the most emotional parts of Jessica & Tim’s day (21 June 2008) was when Jessica’s sister, Carla, played her guitar and sang a song she had written just for her sister’s wedding day.
Twice this summer, we have seen ring bearers brought down the aisle in a wagon.
At Stephanie and James’ wedding (7 June 2008), the littlest one slept through the whole thing, including when the other ring bearer stood near the wagon to check him out during the ceremony.
And, Jenna & John’s wedding (24 May 2008) also used a wagon for the little ring bearers. There are two kids in this wagon. The littlest one is all bundled up against the wind and dust. (**note:The color scheme of Jenna and John’s wedding was camouflage – and the little ones were well coordinated.)
There are a couple of ways I’ve seen unity candle ceremonies done, and I wanted to share them.
One of the first things to figure out is whether or not you have your backs to your friends and family.
(below) For Alison and Chris (3 March 2007), the decision was simple. The chapel was very intimate and it was much easier for Alison (and her dress!) for them to light the unity candle from the front. Be sure to keep in mind the space available to you as well as your wedding-day attire.
Another thing that Alison and Chris did that worked with their limited ability to move around a lot, was the placement of the candle. Alison and Chris had their unity candle set off to the side, instead of in the center of the alter behind the pastor.
(below) Alicia and Matt (29 December 2007) lit their unity candle and also signed their wedding certificate while facing their friends and relatives. The bride may need some help from the groom in this situation, depending on the length of her train.
(below) Jaimee and Ken (21 June 2008) had their unity candle on the alter and there wasn’t the option of going behind. The alter area didn’t really accommodate having the unity candle elsewhere.
Some other things to consider when deciding where and how to light the unity candle:
-if you are planning to have music during the lighting, and you don’t plan to have any other activities during the song (such as giving roses to parents, etc.), you may wish to face your friends and family, and stay where you are behind the candle for a minute or two, since they will be looking at you during that time. I always think it’s sweet when couples take this minute or two to chat or just stare at each other!
-just like everything on your wedding day (except maybe vows and signing the marriage certificate) whether or not to do a unity candle ceremony can be a decision, not just a given. One thing you might want to think about when making that decision is to research the tradition and history of lighting a unity candle and see if it’s something that fits your personalities and relationship.
-of course, if location rules dictate, or you want to do something different, there are several alternatives to a traditional unity candle ceremony. But that’s for another blog entry.
I loved the simplicity of the unity candle at Christine & Bob’s wedding (10 May 2008), as shown in the photo taken before the ceremony. The ribbon colors matched the color scheme Christine and Bob had chosen for the day.
During the lighting of the unity candle during the ceremony, it seemed that Christine and Bob forgot the rest of the world existed as they whispered to each other and Christine planted a kiss on Bob’s cheek.
