I’m never late, at least for work. EVER. So when I came across four different accidents on the way up to Breckenridge (on the start of Labor Day weekend) I began thinking that my “never late” to a wedding would now be a “I was late once” to a wedding. Not a good feeling for any wedding but for Ari and Dylan’s wedding? I felt a pit in my stomach. Dylan has been a long time friend as we shared a friendship on and off the baseball diamond for almost 15 years. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be on time and giving my best for every wedding but I had this wedding circled on my calendar and my own expectations were to be perfect for them.

I drove a bit fast… some might say and was actually only about 15 mins behind so I was able to breath a sigh of relief. I was greeted at the property by Dylan’s mom and Dylan and Ari’s dog, Peyton… named after the greatest quarterback of all time, of course. I don’t want to hear it Tom Brady fans.

One thing that had been somewhat of an elephant in the room was how was Ari going to hold up on the day? Not because of nerves or anything like that but if you had seen the X-Ray of her leg a few months back with rods and screws supporting her (still) broken leg, you’d probably ask the same question. I showed up and Ari had an ice pack on her leg, a muscle relaxer in for pain and a look of determination on her face saying “I won’t let this define my wedding day.” Throughout the whole process, I was amazed at how she took this injury in stride and always had a positive attitude. I came over to drop some meals off for them after her skiing accident and I was perplexed to find her in such good spirits. At the time, it wasn’t even known whether she could walk down the aisle and fast forward a few months to her GETTING AFTER IT ON THE DANCE FLOOR… That was pretty special to witness.

This wedding was a special one for me. Not just because of how much I adore both Ariana and Dylan, but because there were quite a few familiar faces from weddings I had shot in the past. 13 weddings to be exact. Yeah, I counted. 13 freaking weddings that I had shot previously were all in attendance at this one wedding. On top of that, I felt like almost half of the guests I went to high school with. The officiant was my brother in law… who’s wedding I also shot. It felt good to go around and say hi, give hugs to that many people that I have captured on such an important and special day in their lives.

I look back on their wedding from this past weekend and I can remember a few AWESOME moments:

As the ceremony started, Dylan walked down the aisle and his groomsmen followed. Each and every one of the groomsmen came up with a mini shooter of booze and discretely gave it to him along with a hug. I honestly don’t know why or why it was even funny for that matter but through all of the stifled laughs and confusion… it was hilarious.
During Dylan and Ariana’s first dance, their dog Peyton was locked outside of the venue but there was a window where he could look in and see them. He wasn’t happy about it and the big hound let everyone know about it.
Ross Kastens. If you know Ross and have been to any other weddings where he was in attendance, you don’t need to keep reading this but for those of you who don’t I’m sure you can find him in the photos. During the ceremony, his mom (who’m I haven’t seen in quite some time) grabbed me by the shirt and said “make sure Ross keeps his shirt on this time…” In every single wedding I’ve shot, he is the life line of the dance floor and it is something that I seriously look forward to every time. It’s the best. If you’re ever wondering how you can have a killer dance party for your wedding… find your Ross, have him take his shirt off and you’ll have a dance floor to remember on your wedding day

I can’t thank Dylan and Ariana enough for having me be a part of such a beautiful wedding celebrating two beautiful people’s love for each other. Man, I love what I do. Cheers! You should have some shooters left…