Amanda & Jansen

A Family Affair, Filled with Emotion, Energy & Beauty!

In the Western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, lies the town of North Olmsted. The burgh, near the bustling international airport serving Cleveland, is poised for a mayoral change. And the man likely to take that post is the patriarch of the energetic family at the center of this fantastic wedding that took place on the last Saturday in June of 2009.

And on the other side of the aisle is a family whose father facilitates the citadel of free speech in Cleveland - a forum for politicians and other dignitaries.

And FAMILY was the true core of this marriage. Amanda & Jansen made sure of it. And it was lovely!

Oh yeah, the families were E-N-E-R-G-E-T-I-C and expressive!

So - as you can see - the skies were perfect for the duration of the day. Once the ceremony ended - which yielded this tender moment:

... we headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the waterfront in Cleveland. The bridal party's energy spilled over:

And also had more pensive and loving moments:

Then the day turned into a party that started out with some stunning details:

...and continued with a real celebration!

and in between, there were touching emotional moments:

A gorgeous day, a gorgeous couple, tight-knit families, and a perfect ending. Congratulations Amanda & Jansen!

Elizabeth & Andy

Unconventional, Frenetic & a First-Lady like Bride!

(these photos are all processed in the Mora Photographic option called "magazine style", as they might appear in a modern fashion magazine. Click here for more info on the different processing styles.)

We began this nearly perfect day at Elizabeth's parent's house. The bridal party was - ummm - enthusiastic at the time of my arrival. Actually, it was more like I showed up at a rave, and snuck in with a camera. And by enthusiastic, I mean off the hook.

Elizabeth was prepping for the ceremony, and was the center of the bridesmaid's tornadic effect.

Some of the bridesmaids took the time to chill for a quick shot:

Once the final touches were dabbed and clipped and sprayed on, we moved a few miles away to the church - a Greek Orthodox church in the town of Westlake, Ohio, outside of Cleveland. The dress was donned, the accoutrements put in place, and the bridal party sequestered themselves into the bridal room, conveniently placed near a window...

Once in their room, the ladies' tension became palpable - or not. Oh yeah, and also that First-Lady thing - does Elizabeth remind you of an American icon?:

OK - there were fellas involved too, but this part of the day belonged to the women. But once the ceremony began, the stunning chapel became the real star. It is a gorgeous church, and provides a setting that bursts with its own personality.

The ceremony was full of great candid moments:

Now the ceremony was over, the bride THRILLED, and the photographic moments were everywhere:

So here's something about the ebb and flow of the weather on wedding days. We started off with a warm sun - by the time we arrived at the chapel, the clouds have moved in, fat with rain. During the ceremony, with the guests safely inside, the rain fell for a few minutes, only to blow away in time for the parting moments of our location shoot. The sun broke through the clouds, giving us a Hollywood moment on the edge of the Great Lakes:

Off to the reception hall (also located at the church). The traditional Greek whirlwind of a reception began and provided the appropriately tornadic end to a magnificent day:

Before we leave you, there were a few serene moments during the reception that provided a loooong breath that inhaled love and exhaled more love:

Congratulations Elizabeth & Andy!

Betsy & Chris.

A perfect day. A little red car. A terrific couple.

(these photos are all processed in the Mora Photographic option called "magazine style", as they might appear in a modern fashion magazine. Click here for more info on the different processing styles.)

So there we were - A bunch of guys, jackets off, taking pictures in the sun. A prelude to a day-long series of festivities, anchored in the middle with the moving wedding ceremony that bonded together Betsy and Chris, 2 ebullient and sweet people.

It all started with the red Datsun. Chris made certain that we took a shot or two around his pristine 1969 Datsun Roadster... and it became the touchstone of the day's photographic journey. The car became a beautiful frame for a series of shoots with the groomsmen, Chris (by himself) and the brand new bride and groom as soon as the ceremony ended. We'll see those shots in a second, but the emotional ceremony took place first. Some highlights:

OK. Here are the other car pics. Pretty cool, huh?

As Chris accelerated - a little too enthusiastically at one point - Betsy's veil whipped about like a flag in a storm... throughout the ride, though, a sense of adventure and wonder whirled with her as her husband of 45 minutes showed his excitement-by-speed. We parked the car, packed the limo full of bridal party, and headed off to our first of THREE locations! And this was pretty cool - Chris asked if I knew of any "urban brick facades" for a shoot. AHA! I scouted out a favorite area of urban - ahem - desolation, and arrived upon an abandonded building on E. 40th and King street in Cleveland.

Once everybody started breathing again, we headed off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - affectionately called the "rock hall" in Cleveland - for our second location.

While in the shadow of the great rock and rollers in history, we spent some time stylin' up Chris and Betsy for their own photoshoot moment:

Then, off to the geographical heart of Cleveland - Public Square for the final location shoot for the tiring bridal party. They needed a break - so we spent about 15 minutes shooting there, so we could get to the reception site for a little downtime in preparation for the emotional time to come.

Phew - a bottle of water later, and a quick drive up the interstate, we prepared for the reception. The bridal party had a suite at the hotel location, in which they unwound for about 45 minutes prior to the introductions. Some fun moments:

Now - let's back up for a minute and look at some of the details from the day (before we let the music begin):

Now the music begins. The speeches ring out. The champagne flows. And the tears follow...

And the dancing... it begins and ends with the first dance. And the ending to THIS first dance was nothing short of elegant.

So, Betsy and Chris got married. Huge congratulations from all of us!

And this is how it looked from Mora Photographic's camera's. Hope you enjoyed.

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Stephanie & Andrew