You may kiss the bride....

While this shot is not technically perfect....

the mood is...

When faced with imperfect conditions,

light-wise,

it is best, I've found to "shoot from the hip"

in other words,

go with your gut.

The minister had just pronounced them 

Man and Wife,

and told the groom he could kiss his new spouse.....

This is not a time to hesitate.

The look of joy transcends 

any and all photographic short comings.

Even the look on the bridesmaid's face is priceless.

Never will any of these people feel exactly the way they did 

on this very moment.

Shoot!

Shoot! 

Shoot!

As fast as the camera would let me....

and the film...

as this was a wedding shot on a variety of 

films,

both manufacturer, color, B/W and speeds...

No Photoshop.

Only tweaking in the processing and developing.

Primitive...

Exasperating....

Spontaneous....

and in the end...

wonderful...

smiles.

When in Italy....

take the opportunity to shoot brides

wherever possible...

This couple was being photographed 

(very adequately, I must say)

and I was on vacation.

But that dress caught my eye!

Look at the weight of the fabric! 

Look at the detail!

They were in the right spot,

and so was I!

I couldn't resist.

So happy,

so pleased with the day,

so ready for the future...

I think this may be one of the reasons that 

I adore weddings.

So much promise, hope and joy! 

Of course there are exceptions,

but for the most part I have 

had the privilege to shoot 

many weddings just as 

happy and special as the one above.

Rarely 

in

such

a 

wonderful

locale

though....

smiles.

Did I mention....

that I am

 oh so

 ready for spring?

That I am completely 

tired of snow...

and 

that it is supposed to 

snow here in the next few days?

I want daffodils,

and tulips,

and crocus,

and 

red-bud trees,

and azaleas,

and 

well...

warm weather.

I want to 

sit on the beach with 

sand in my shoes...

I am a 

Carolina Girl at heart...

and 

when March comes around...

my thoughts stray

to the 

Carolina shore.

Some twenty years ago,

I was in a wedding,

as a bridesmaid,

on an island just south of Charleston, SC

the first weekend in March.

The weather was unseasonably warm,

in the 80's....

and we watched porpoises

just off the shore...

It was a magical weekend.

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss...

I am so ready for spring...

smiles

Is bigger better?

I don't think so.....

necessarily.

This wedding took place in Asheville, NC

over 10 years ago.

It was a small, mostly family affair.

The Inn that hosted the wedding,

also took care of all the 

guests on this long sunny weekend.

The reception was a larger,

more formal function at the nearby

Grove Park Inn.

Everyone had traveled some distance to be there.

Some from as far away as Europe.

While small, it was very intimate,

filled with emotion, 

and sentimental.

This moment was just before

the guests were 

hustled into the room in which the wedding was to take 

place.

The bride wanted the groom to see her 

just before,

so that he would not be overwhelmed.....

and neither would she.....

It worked.

The wedding was beautiful.

the reception was grand...

and everyone kept their composure intact.

This is the moment that defined this day....

at least for me.

smiles.