Rochester Wedding Photos

Allison + Josh, 20 Sep 08

2008-09-30T21:20:00.003-04:00

Allison was a bridesmaid for one of Alan's weddings last year, and she wanted to hire him. Due to unforseen circumstances, I was called in to backfill for Alan and deliver for her and Josh. I was glad I had the chance to shoot their intimate, laid-back ceremony and reception at the Lower Mill in Honeoye Falls. Allison was super-excited about the day and could barely contain her emotions. All in all, it made for lovely photographs that I am proud to present.

(click on pictures to see in a larger size)

The veil and dress were just perfect in color and style for Allison. Really splendid.

I like how this one kinda makes a heart shape

Enjoy the memories from this friendly pleasant day.

-- Andrew --

Pauline + John, 13 Sep 08

2008-09-30T20:59:00.004-04:00

Some more from Pauline + John's awesome wedding. Since their wedding was on the 13th, they incorporated the number in some of the reception decorations. What I didn't realize until today was that this was my 13th wedding! What a coincidence!

(click on pictures to see in a larger size)

A little fun before the ceremony

Pauline and John wanted some shots with graffiti in the background. We even bribed a guy that was there painting to paint the date-- and he did a surprisingly good job!

Funky shoes + colors

The decorations were amazing.. so well coordinated and classy. Many were hand-made and the quality showed.

Some snuggles after the reception :) :) It was at this time that I left...

Thanks again- this wedding was awesome and fun to work on.

-- Andrew --

Pauline + John samples, 13 Sep 08

2008-09-19T10:33:00.004-04:00

Some samples from Pauline and John's lovely wedding on the 13th of September 2008:

(click on pictures to see in a larger size)

These are just some samples... still working hard to perfect all of the cool images I got from this creative and willing couple. Stay tuned for the final posting!

-- Andrew --

2 More September weddings

2008-09-15T22:41:00.002-04:00

Have two more weddings in September coming here soon.. stay tuned!

-- Andrew --

Naomi & Robert, 7 Sep 08

2008-09-15T22:18:00.004-04:00

Sunday September 7th brought me to the intimate ceremony and reception of Naomi and Robert. With a very laid back and non-traditional attitude they held a unique wedding with a close friend officiating and no bridesmaids or groomsmen (quite the contrast from my last wedding!) in Genesee Valley Park, followed by a reception at the Inn on Broadway in downtown Rochester.

Naomi and Robert were friendly and relaxed the whole day (except a little bit before the ceremony :)) and it showed through in the photos. The ceremony, held outdoors, had nice partly cloudy skies and cool weather. It honored the Jewish heritage of Naomi's family with a Chuppah, the smashing of the glass, and the Katubah signing (marriage license / contract) immediately afterward.

Their friend's Meghan assisting Naomi with the preparation:

Breaking with most traditions, Robert was there to help Naomi get ready

Relaxing a bit before heading out

Robert with this really cool retro-esque hat

Naomi couldn't resist playing on the playground after the ceremony

Soon after, we headed over to the Inn on Broadway for a nice reception in their upstairs banquet hall. Everyone had a fabulous time relaxing and enjoying the time together.

Robert and his mom:

the first dance.. can you feel the passion?

And finally some details of the wedding:

Thanks Naomi & Rob for allowing me the privilege of photographing your wedding.

-- Andrew --

Tessah & Jared, 29 June 08

2008-07-09T10:23:00.004-04:00

On Sunday June 29th, I had the privilege of photographing Tessah and Jared's wedding at the scenic Bristol Harbour resort in Bristol NY, along Canandaigua Lake's shores. They chose a country themed wedding, complete with wildflower bouquets, centerpieces and details. They included quilts in the decorations at the reception. The groomsmen wore snazzy custom shoes made by Jared along with khaki pants and a khaki colored jacket for Jared. The bridesmaids wore a vibrant green color, matching the green logo on the groomsmen's shoes.

First came Tessah with her (11!) bridesmaids, getting ready:

It was hot in the prep room, so her ladies helped out...

Some lovely bridal portraits...

After blessing the groom with prayer, the men gathered for some great photos as well.

Those funky cool shoes:

My favorite of the guys (click on the picture to see the full size version)

A monsoon of a thunderstorm (with reports of hail) passed through while I was photographing the groom. It stopped raining in before the ceremony, and threatened with a few sprinkles right at the start. After the weather cleared, we got some beautiful portraits of the two of them.

The moment when he first sees his wife (rain? what rain?):

Looks like a painting...

The reception was lovely, filled with fun times for the friends and family. Soon though the party ended and Tessah and Jared took off for their first night together as husband and wife!

Thank you for a wonderful opportunity. There were so many favorites of mine, so many great moments, it was hard to whittle it down to these few!

-- Andrew --

A rare opportunity... the proposal

2008-07-09T10:11:00.004-04:00

I had a rare opportunity a few weeks ago that most wedding photographers don't get to see.. the very beginning of the wedding story-- the proposal! So, the story goes... I had gotten together with this couple, Tim and Joanna, to do some practice couples photography a month earlier. I later spoke with Tim privately and he indicated he wanted to propose to Joanna and wanted me to take pictures of it.

So we set up a ruse for Joanna-- I called her and said that some of the pictures from the couples session didn't come out and we had to redo them, plus I was missing a couple other types of pictures I meant to get. She totally bought into it. Tim and Joanna showed up with her suspecting nothing.

Tim and I never finalized a "signal" but I did say that I think that covered it. I did set them up so Joanna was looking at me with Tim behind her out of sight..

Tim then said "I have a pose idea!" and got on one knee:

Joanna was very, very surprised (and happy!)

Smiles were had all around. What a special moment! I was so happy to pull this off with Tim and give Joanna something to remember for a lifetime. And she got a pretty nice rock too!

They also will be hiring me as their wedding photographer (date TBD), which I will be pleased to do so. Thanks to Tim and Joanna for a special opportunity!

-- Andrew --

Wedding Rituals

2008-06-27T18:32:00.003-04:00

Here's a few interesting facts about wedding rituals...

The white wedding dress

Technically, today's wedding gowns aren't white. They are "Candlelight," "Warm Ivory," "Ecru" or "Frost." But there was a time when a bride's wedding attire was simply the best thing in her closet (talk about "off the rack"), and could be any color, even black. To convince her groom that she came from a wealthy family, brides would also pile on layers of fur, silk and velvet, as apparently grooms didn't care if his wife-to-be reeked of sweaty B.O. as long as she was loaded. It was dear ol' Queen Victoria (whose reign lasted from 1837-1901) who made white fashionable. She wore a pale gown trimmed in orange blossoms for her 1840 wedding to her first cousin, Prince Albert. Hordes of royal-crazed plebeians immediately began to copy her, which is an astonishing feat considering that "People Magazine" wasn't around to publish the Super Exclusive Wedding Photos, or instruct readers on how to Steal Vicki's Hot

Wedding Style.

Giving away the bride
Remember that Women's Studies class you considered taking in college? Allow us to summarize what you would have learned: All of our society's gender issues stem from the fact that fathers once used their daughters as currency to a) pay off a debt to a wealthier land owner, b) symbolize a sacrificial, monetary peace offering to an opposing tribe or c) buy their way into a higher social strata. So next time you tear up watching a beaming father walk his little girl down the aisle, remember that it's just a tiny, barbaric little hold over from the days when daughters were nothing but dollar signs to daddy dearest. And that veil she's wearing? Yeah, that was so the groom wouldn't know if he was stuck with an uggo until it was time to kiss the bride and too late to back out on the transaction. (There is also some superstitious B.S. about warding off evil spirits, but we think you'll agree that hiding a busted grill from the husband-to-be is a more practical purpose.)

The wedding party

Talk about your runaway brides -- the original duty of a "Best Man" was to serve as armed backup for the groom in case he had to resort to kidnapping his intended bride away from disapproving parents. The "best" part of that title refers to his skill with a sword, should the need arise. (You wouldn't want to take the "just okay" member of your weapon-wielding posse with you to steal yourself a wife, would you?) The best man stands guard next to the groom right up through the exchange of vows (and later, outside the newlyweds' bedroom door), just in case anyone should attack or if a non-acquiescent bride should try to make a run for it. It's said that feisty groups like the Huns, Goths and Visigoths took so many brides by force that they kept a cache of weapons stored beneath the floorboards of churches for convenience. Modern-day best men are more likely to store an emergency six-pack at the ceremony for convenience, but the title remains an apt one. Ladies -- believe it or not -- the concept of the bridesmaid's gown was not invented to inflict painful dowdiness upon the bride's friends and female relatives thus making the bride look hotter by comparison. Historically, that dress you'll never wear again was actually selected with the purpose of tricking the eye of evil spirits and jealous ex-lovers (spicy!). Brides' faithful attendants were instructed to wear a dress similar to that of the bride so that during their group stroll to the church it would be hard for any ill-willed spirits or former boy-toys to spot the bride and curse/kidnap/throw rocks at her. (Ditto for the boys in matching penguin suits, saving the groom from a similar fate.)

Garter and bouquet toss.

This pair of rituals has long been the scourge of the modern wedding guest. What could possibly be more humiliating than being forced out to the center of a parquet dance floor and being expected to demonstrate your desperation by diving for flying flowers? How about grasping in the air for a lacy piece of undergarment that until moments ago resided uncomfortably close to the crotch of your buddy's wife? At any other point in time, that would make you seem wildly creepy. So why is it acceptable at a wedding? It used to be that after the bride and groom said, "I do," they were to go immediately into a nearby room and consummate the marriage. Obviously, to really make it official, there would need to be witnesses, which basically led to hordes of wedding guests crowding around the bed, pushing and shoving to get a good view and hopefully to get their hands on a lucky piece of the bride's dress as it was ripped from her body. Sometimes the greedy guests helped get the process going by grabbing at the bride's dress as she walked by, hoping for a few threads of good fortune. In time, it seems, people realized that this was all a bit, well... creepy, and it was decided that for modesty's sake the bride could toss her bouquet as a diversion as she made her getaway and the groom could simply remove an item of the bride's undergarments and then toss it back outside to the waiting throngs to prove that he was about to, uh, seal the deal. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue (and a sixpence in my shoe?) A common theme that you've no doubt noticed throughout this post: humans used to be a superstitious bunch. This rhyming phrase neatly lists a number of English customs dating back to the Victorian age which, when worn in combination, should bring the bride oodles of fabulous good luck. The something old was meant to tie the bride to her family and her past, while the something new represented her new life as the property of a new family. The item borrowed was supposed to be taken from someone who was already a successfully married wife, so as to pass on a bit of her good fortune to the new bride. The color blue stood for all sorts of super fun things like faithfulness, loyalty, and purity. The sixpence, of course, was meant to bring the bride and her new groom actual, cold, hard fortune. Just in case that wasn't enough, brides of yore also carried bunches of herbs (which most brides now replace with expensive, out-of-season peonies) to ward off evil spirits.

Saving the wedding cake

Why do couples eat freezer-burned wedding cake on their one-year anniversary? To answer this, we must look to the lyrics of a schoolyard classic: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage! It used to be assumed that when there was a wedding, a christening would follow shortly. So, rather than bake two cakes for the occasions, they'd just bake one big one and save a part of it to be eaten at a later date when the squealing bundle of joy arrived. Eventually folks warmed to the idea of giving the poor kid his own, newly baked cake, but the custom of saving a portion of the wedding cake far longer than it should be saved and then eating it and deluding oneself to believe that it actually tastes good is one that persists to this day.

Your Married Name

2008-06-09T08:52:00.006-04:00

A little humor here but if you are going to hyphenate your name a little attention may be prudent.

Evie & Jordans Wedding album

2008-05-15T18:56:00.002-04:00

A few pages from Evie and Jordans wedding album.
The panoramics are actually double page spreads.

Engagement session with Pauline + John

2008-05-14T13:58:00.007-04:00

Got together with Pauline and John at the nearby Charlotte beach for some fun photos. They were willing to try different things, and while I was setting up shots they clearly had a lot of affection for one another.

Click on a photo to see it in a larger size (blogger resizes them, looks bad)

John and Pauline have the most interesting marriage story I've heard in a long time-- while on a business trip, John realized he missed her. While eating at Taco Bell, he got the hot sauce packet with the phrase "will you marry me" several times in a row. Taking it as a message, he bought the ring the next day, then went home and proposed the following day. The rest, they say, is history! Naturally, we incorporated this in the shoot...

I look forward to shooting their wedding this upcoming September. Enjoy and stay tuned for more!

-- Andrew --

Portrait session with Eric, gone bad :(

2008-05-06T12:35:00.007-04:00

So with my new-to-me 5D arriving in the mail that day, I did a portrait session with my friend Eric. Really only did one setup, the "college student" look, because as we went outside to do some different stuff, the skies opened up at that moment and it started to downpour.

So we went to his little grad student cubicle took some shots, then he got the call... campus security informs him his car is in a ditch. So we head out and find it partially submurged. Apparently the parking brake never engaged and it rolled about 150 yards across the (empty) lot, missing everything and landing in the ditch. Bummer.

Glub, glub... he was OK with me posting the pics. About 15 people stopped and snapped photos with their cell phones. Would've been more had it not been raining on and off.

He was cool about the whole situation until he saw the water draining out the door. Then I felt sorry for him. Bummer. So I loaned him my truck for the week while his car gets fixed.

Next post (weather permitting) will be the e-session with Pauline & John! Can't wait!

-- Andrew --

Portrait session with Leigh

2008-04-23T10:07:00.007-04:00

Hooked up with Leigh at the lovely Schoen place-- so many neat spots there for photos!-- and we did a portrait session together. This was done au-naturale-- no flash. After spending a nice spring day outside we wrapped it up with a cup of coffee at the nearby Starbucks. A great session that had some great photos. Thanks Leigh, you were easy to work with!

And for my favorite:

-- Andrew --

New Bookings

2008-04-17T10:21:00.002-04:00

Andrew has been busy with new clients. Look back soon to see some engagement portarits.

Andrew Welsh

2008-04-06T23:32:00.005-04:00

This should have been posted long ago. Rochester Wedding Photos has a new (well not new anymore!) photographer. I'd like to introduce you to Andrew Welsh. Andrew is so dedicated to photography and shooting it's really exciting to watch him. Make sure you look at his potfolio on the site. Be sure to start seeing alot more action from Andrew!

Nok & Tim

2007-08-13T23:20:00.000-04:00

Frequently I can sense the anticipation in a couple of the big day to come, even in this case when the wedding is 1.5 years in the future. That's how far in advance Nok & Tim had booked me to be their wedding photographer. This time the tables were turned a bit and I was the one getting really excited about the shoot. I love shooting every of my wedding projects and am honored by my all clients for allowing into there life for a brief but intimate moment and that they recognize the artistry & sensitivity I bring to their pictures. For Nok & Tim's wedding my nerves were a tad more jumpy than normal. Like most Brides, Nok throughly researched & planned every detail of their day. She even tracked down a DJ she loved so much from a wedding she went to 4 years earlier. When she choose me over a top competitor and was posting every move she made on the theknott.com to her knottie friends, I guess you could say I was psyched!

The day came and the weather was perfect. Sunny & dry, warm in the sun but not hot. Nothing worse than a sweaty bridal party. The pictures tell everything.

Kerri & CJ

2007-08-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

I had to get permission to shoot this wedding. Kerri & CJ's wedding was June 23rd, which also happens to be my wife's birthday. Holidays & family events are super important to us. Fortunately permission was granted because like all my couples, the wedding was great. The ceremony was held at the St. Paul's Episcopal (corner of East & Westminster) and is one of the prettiest churches in the city. Did I mention that the Bride was pretty also? Of course she was! Kerri is also one of the sweetest people I've ever met. At one point CJ kidded arounded that I should come on the honeymoon to shoot but realized it was mood spoiler.

Tammy & Mark

2007-08-12T00:42:00.000-04:00

A prefect june wedding. Tammy & Mark, Rochester natives currently living in Manhattan returned to host their wedding a the Rochester Divinity School. A wonderful venue for beautiful couple. I really felt honored to shoot this hip NYC couples big day

March wedding image

2007-07-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

I wanted to start off showing some of my fav pics from the year. I realize it's July and these pics have snow in them. Katie & Scott had a beautiful wedding and about 16" of snow on the ground. Who would have thought we would get a snow storm St. Patrick day morning. To be honest I thought it was wonderful. Pure clean white snow! How symbolic and what a why to start a new life together. I really love the image of them with the snow balls. Since a snow ball fight was out of the question I knew I had to incorporate some snow balls into one of their portraits. Congrats guys!

Gettin' around to it....

2007-06-27T00:34:00.000-04:00

I've had this blog for 6 or so months and I'm Finally putting something here. You would think I was afraid of computers or something. The complete opposite actually, I'm a bit of computer dork/ photoshop maniac/ pro- anything web, digi & I even used a site called Google once! I'm funny too!

The wedding season is upon us and things are in full swing. So far all my couples have been fantastic! I think the universe directs people to you for a reason, not that I'm all new age and consult my crystals before grocery shopping but it's true, think about it. I know Bridezilla is out there but we haven't met and doubt we will. I do understand the pressure todays wedding couple must endure. planning, dreaming, meetings, web searches, phone calls, phone calls not returned, returned phone calls with mega attitude, parents, budgets, friends that don't understand, jealous friends and the occasional fiance issue. Whew..... That was a mouth full!

There I blogged.... My next post will have pictures!

Rochester Wedding Photos blog is here!

2006-12-02T13:59:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I'm pleased to say that the blog has started! I hope to be adding updates and pics soon.