This wedding was no doubt my biggest of the year – most guests, longest day, and totally packed with love and excitement from start to finish! Samantha + Barry’s big day was such fun to capture. Local wedding photog Scott Shaw joined me for the day so we could cover all sides! And the videography team at The Image in Motion was also on hand to film every moment – I love working with them!
It was a hot August day when I traveled up to Cleveland for their wedding day at Landerhaven. Samantha and Barry opted to do a first look before their wedding events began, so they could get as many photos out of the way as possible! Orthodox weddings can get a bit crazy and crowded, so it was really nice to have Samantha and Barry’s first look be private so they could have the moment to themselves. Gettting most of the photos done earlier in the day helped relieve some wedding-day stress and gave them more time for pictures than they would otherwise have, without missing much of the festivities!
Once the events began, the guests filled the space with energy and excitement that never truly went away for the rest of the day. With Scott over at the Tisch and myself at the Kabbalat Panim, we covered both sides as they came together for the Bedeken in the grand atrium. Their guests sang and danced as Samantha and Barry spent a moment together and he pulled her veil over her head – and then Barry was carried off above the crowd on a guest’s shoulders, as guests moved over to the Chuppah ceremony.
One of my favorite moments at an Orthodox wedding is when the couple’s friends rush the aisle just as they are pronounced married – and Samantha and Barry sang along with their guests as they ushered them out! We had some great evening light at that point in the day, and though it was still hot, they obliged me for a few more “just married” portraits outside. Onto the reception, guests danced the night away to both separate and mixed dancing, but there was also a first dance, toasts, cake cutting, a flash mob dance and a surprise serenade from the groom! Mazel Tov to Samantha and Barry! I hope you love reliving your day with these pictures as much I loved taking them!
