It’s easy to remember when we met her because that was the winter when more snow fell in Vancouver than in Winnipeg. No comparison in the temperature department, of course!
It was a fairly small but intimate affair, less than 100 guests. The ceremony and the reception were held in a community hall in Edmonton.
The big story preceding the main event was, again, the weather. The Weather Channel informed us of snow in Calgary the previous day, and on Saturday night that low pressure system moved into our region. Can you believe snowfall on May 29th? For obvious reasons the much anticipated Bocci Ball tournament had to be cancelled.
Although my photos are pretty grainy (max zoom at lowest resolution setting to avoid using flash; gotta get an SLR!!), I believe I captured the essence of the event in a few shots. Considering I’m not a professional photographer, and especially since I don’t own a digital SLR, I can say that I consider the essence of a photo to be more important than photographic clarity. I’ve been interested in photography for more than 20 years now, and in my humble opinion, it takes a lot of practice and study to learn how to frame a shot, and to anticipate when a moment is prime for capture. Anyone can buy a 10 or 12 megapixel SLR and achieve wonderful image sharpness, but it takes practice to learn how to build a scene. Sometimes I think photography is almost a “sixth” sense. And a wee bit ‘o luck doesn’t hurt either.
A case in point is the photo of Dan dancing with his Mom. For some reason, as I was photographing them, I glanced outside my viewfinder at the room at large and noticed that Lisa was watching her husband and Mother-in-law intently. I processed the compassionate expression on her face and promptly zoomed out to include her in the frame. It’s the expression on her face that makes the shot. Speaking of luck, I didn't notice until later that Lisa's sister and brother-in-law are seated in the bottom corner of the frame.
Another photo I really like is the one of the Minister applauding the newly wed couple just after he presented them as Husband and Wife. The Minister is smiling broadly, and Dan is grinning as he looks over at the Minister. That’s the spirit and emotion that should be present at every wedding!
Speaking of grinning, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening was excellent; he was observed to be sporting a rather impish grin throughout his shift. You can see him in the background of this shot where Dan is dancing with his Mom. As a former student of Toastmasters I find myself evaluating people involved in public speaking roles. It’s a bit of a curse sometimes, I must admit. That said, the wedding MC was very competent and witty. I remember he made a small mistake in something he said at one point, and seamlessly threw in a comment to the effect that he had just delivered a phrase with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. I guess you had to be there, but everyone laughed.
Shauna told me prior to the wedding that Dan had mentioned that there would be a bit of a surprise in terms of the bride and groom’s attire. They had chosen a “Mad Men” wedding theme. How cool is that?! The groom strode into the Hall wearing a neatly tailored black suit with a matching black fedora. Lisa was wearing a similarly themed 60’s style dress. Dan’s Best Man (brother Brian) also had a stylish black hat. Due to the inclement weather many of the official photos were taken indoors, on the stage of the Hall, which was elegantly adorned with long red drapes. That provided a classy backdrop for photos, including the “Blues Brothers” pose of Dan and Brian.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable and memorable “jet-set” weekend. Many happy returns to the bride and groom!
Oh, and by the way, I think it was a very fitting coincidence that Dan and Lisa’s wedding day also happened to be the 39th wedding anniversary of the presiding Minister and his wife.
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