Claypool Photography: Brooke and Matt

8.8.08. The opening ceremonies for the Olympics (and also my little brother's 31st birthday). Normally, I would be parked in front of the t.v. watching the teams walk into the stadium with their flags waving and smiles beaming... There's something so awesome about the opening ceremonies, it's almost like you can't help but feel the excitement in the air. You can sense their happiness and their sheer joy of having come so far with their teammates. It's kind of like a wedding, which is where I ended up last Friday (instead of parked in front of the t.v.) thanks to the awesome Chantal Stone. It's been a while since I had the chance to shoot with her so when she asked me to come along for Brooke and Matt's wedding, I jumped at the opportunity! Here are a few of my faves from Friday!

The rings...

The ceremony was held on the roof of the Columbus Renaissance downtown. Their programs doubled as fans so guests could cool themselves if the heat got to be too much (very clever)!

A girl's got to touch up her lipstick before the pictures...

I LOVED these shoes!

One cool thing about shooting downtown is the ability to use buildings as backdrops...

Brooke's veil caught the wind at just the right moment here...

You could smell the chocolate on this cake at 20 paces!

Some detail from the cake (yeah, I had to get in closer)...

Brooke and Matt's rooftop kiss just as the sun went down.

After the ceremony, Chantal shot some formals. I have no idea what was said here, but the flower girls' expression here just cracked me up!

By far, one of the coolest ideas I've seen for a wedding favor. They had word searches custom made with the names of people, places and things that were meaningful to them. See if you can find "Olive Garden", "Pickerington", "Motorcycle" and "Ice Cream"!