Schumin-Lysy Wedding
Part 2
And then it was back down to the basement…
Meanwhile, Sis made a last-minute decision to ditch the veil, and so she went without. It seemed to work, and her whole setup looked more natural without it. And then it was time! Everyone got into position, and I took up station in the second row of pews.
Walking the bride down the aisle.
Giving the bride away.
The ceremony begins.
Sharon gives the scriptural reading, Ruth 1:16-17, as Sis and Chris look on.
Brent then reads Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116.
Sis accidentally spoke over Don at one point, which caused all three to break into laughter.
Don gives the homily.
The Lysys watch the ceremony from their pew.
Sis and Chris hold hands as they exchange their vows.
The exchanging of the rings.
Following the exchanging of the rings, a prayer was said.
(Photo: Brittany Morrison)
Following the prayer, the pronouncement was made, and the newly married couple kissed.
As you can see, the wedding was beautiful. Back in the narthex, I told Sis, “Congratulations, Mrs. Lysy!” to sort of underline the you’re-married part. She didn’t quite catch what I was going for, though, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Schumin. Don’t know why we’re being all formal here…” Well, it was the thought that counted. But I was definitely happy for her nonetheless.
Afterwards, the guests headed to the reception, and the wedding party and the parents got set for photos. Laura posed everyone, and I got lots of photos…
Floral arrangement in the sanctuary.
The bride…
The happy couple…
Then we got the families…
The wedding party with the families…
And then just the wedding party…
After taking a round of photos in the sanctuary, we went out back. Sis wanted a High School Musical pose, where everyone was jumping in the air, and we were determined to get it.
Ready?
Got it!
After we got the High School Musical pose, we went over to the bell tower and got some photos over there. The snow really completed that setting…
And with all the church photos taken, we were off to the reception! Meanwhile, the hardest part of the photo shoot was over! The wedding shots were very scripted, and something that I was not accustomed to doing. The reception, on the other hand, was something I was more accustomed to, since I was basically running around, photographing people doing their thing. Really, photographing the wedding reception was not too different from the many protests I’ve photographed.
Due to the size of Sis’s dress, the wedding party rode to the reception in a limousine. From what I could tell, they definitely enjoyed the limo ride. Sis’s joked that if they didn’t want the limo, she could always ride in the back of our Ford Ranger pickup truck. That wouldn’t look redneck-like at all!
Making sure that the entire dress is inside the limo.
The wedding party in the limo.
Sis and Chris in the back of the limo, ready to ride to the reception.
By the way, someone explain to me why a limousine would have a mirrored ceiling. I found that to be really strange.
Going to the reception, I took the Sable. I followed the limo out of the church, staying right behind it until we got onto I-64. There, I deliberately overtook and passed the limo, blowing my horn in an attempt to get everyone’s attention in the limo. I was told later that my effort failed, because they were all doing their thing in the limo, oblivious to anything else. Oh, well… it was the thought that counted. I passed the limo in order to beat them to the hotel. One of the photos on my list was of the bride and groom entering the reception hall, and I wanted to be ready to meet them.
However, the idea of getting there before the wedding party didn’t entirely work. I stayed ahead of the limo the entire way after I passed them, doing my best to increase the gap as much as I could without getting nailed for speeding. I ended up getting to the hotel way ahead of the limo, but then lost my lead in the parking garage. See, the limo just had to drive up to the main door, let the people out, and then leave. I had to go up about three levels in the parking garage, park, and then take the parking elevator down to the main level (the only direct entrance to the hotel from the garage is a single, slow elevator).
As a result of the parking garage’s slowing me down, I missed the entrance. Drat. But no worries – lots more to get.
The signed guest book.
Checking out the wedding gifts…
A hotel employee puts the final touches on the buffet.
Don and his wife at the Lysys’ table.
The wedding party.
Uncle Bruce, Aunt Mary, and Dad.
Shortly after the reception got going, and dinner was served. First the bride and groom went through the serving line, and then the wedding party went through. Then everyone else went through…
The newlyweds hit the buffet.
Then the wedding party goes through the serving line…
Mom goes through the serving line, followed by the Rosenhafts.
I got dinner as well, and then headed over to the table where my parents were sitting, with the Morronis and the Rosenhafts, friends of ours from New Jersey. We had an absolutely wonderful conversation, as I’d not seen any of these folks in ages.
Then it was time for the toasts. I was back up and running, as David, man of honor, began his toast.
David’s toast centered on how long he had known Sis, and how he knew that Chris was “the one” as soon as he met him.
Sis reacts to David’s toast.
Then Brent, Chris’s best man, began his toast. Brent’s was really funny, as he started out reading from cards, like it was a memorial service for Chris, remembering their dearly departed friend. Then he was “interrupted” by one of the groomsmen whispering in his ear. Oh, Chris isn’t dead? Whoops. Then he continued, going on about how Chris was a wonderful person before he went on a crazy rampage. Another whisper in the ear. Oh, that’s not the case, either? He got married? He then said that he didn’t have anything pre-written for that scenario, and then gave his toast without cards.
Chris reacts to Brent’s toast.
Afterwards, Harry Colman, a friend from church, gave his own advice to Chris. Harry’s advice ended with the most important words to remember being, “Yes dear.”
Then it was time to cut the wedding cake. And this would be the time that my camera’s batteries would poop out. No problem, though – I had more. I quietly explained that they needed to hold for a moment while I swapped out batteries, and Sis turned to the guests and explained that we had to wait for a second for a battery change. Once I was set, then we did the cake-cutting.
After the cake was cut, Sis and Chris each fed each other pieces of cake.
And everyone had cake. I ended up having about two half-pieces of cake. What happened was that twice I started a slice, and then needed to get up to photograph something. Then the hotel staff, thinking someone was done, cleaned it up. But no worries. I got the equivalent of a slice.
Fist bump with Mom!
The newlyweds have their first dance.
Following the first dance, others took to the dance floor.
The family of the bride poses for a shot. From left to right, back row: Mom, Uncle Geoff, Nathan (Kate’s husband), my cousin Kate, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Mary, and Dad. Then in front, you have Uncle Geoff’s date Liz, Aunt Beth, and Uncle Johnny.
And the reception pretty much wound down from there. Sis and Chris decided to forgo the bouquet and garter toss, and everyone got ready for the rest of the evenings, as both families had other events planned for their guests, and the wedding party was going to do their own thing that evening.
The final shot of the day was one from the list, where we got the bride and groom leaving the reception. The Web site that Sis had gotten the list from had indicated “getting in the car”. However, they were staying in the same building as the reception. So we improvised, getting a shot of the two of them in the elevator car, waving goodbye. I had asked the front desk staff if they could key off one of the elevators for a minute, but they didn’t have an elevator key. So I ended up taking a slightly awkward pose, using one foot to hold the door, but it worked, and we finished just as the elevator began to sound its I’ve-been-open-too-long chime.
Waving goodbye in the elevator.
And the wedding was done! Now it was time to head back to my parents’ house to prepare for a party with our friends and relatives from out of town.
We welcome Chris to the family, and we wish Ann and Chris Lysy many happy years together.