As much as I hate to relegate that photo of Alexandra drinking her chocolate milkshake "tea" to second fiddle status, life goes on and it's time for a new post. Luckily for me (and you), last week's wedding of Emily Enos and Jay Sherron III was such an incredible display of happiness and fun--all despite some incredibly challenging weather conditions that would have rattled another couple--that I couldn't wait to get to the keyboard this morning.

Last year, in the piece I wrote for the Washington Post magazine about my second life in weddings, I tried hard to balance the examples of folks who miss the point of a wedding with those who do. In one specific instance, as I was trying to illustrate just how out of control some weddings have become,  I wrote, "Things have gotten so bloated that I was actually taken aback when a bride once said to me, "I'm so excited to be marrying Derek today."

That bride, from many years back, was Stacey Sykes, and I'm sure she won't mind me "outing" her today as the source of that quote. Stacey married Derek Wood back in 2003 and I still remember how she giggled with excitement as a ring was slipped on her finger. What I (and other guests) first mistook for laughter was really just uncontrolled excitement.

I am reminded this afternoon of what Stacey told me back in that upstairs bathroom of Liriodendron, a mansion in upper Maryland, as she stared at a wedding dress hanging on a door, not because it's warm and fuzzy--"I'm so excited to be marrying Derek today"--but because it seems to be, in crystal form, what everyone should be thinking on his or her wedding day. And to be clear, I'm not so much faulting brides and grooms who worry more about things like table cloths and party favors as I am praising those who manage to keep their eyes on the prize.

And last Saturday, as violent thunderstorms, pouring rain, and humidity that could only be described as biblical honed in on the little grove outside of Woodend, a mansion in Chevy Chase where Emily Enos and Jay Sherron were about to be married, I experienced a bit of deja-vu. Completely ignoring these weather conditions that were, to say the least, daunting, Emily turned to me and said, "I'm just so happy to be marrying Jay today!"

I, of course, smiled to myself when that sentence left her lips. Emily had no idea she was following in the footsteps of another great bride from five years earlier by uttering nine little words. She was simply enunciating the only concern in her head--marrying Jay.

And so out we went, down to the grove. Yeah, it was tad dark in that cluster of trees, photographically speaking. (I was switching between shooting available light at 1/60 at 2.8 at 1600, for the photographers among us.) And yes, the rain was falling on us a bit. But Emily wanted an outside wedding and nothing was going to get in the way. I secretly dream about these scenarios (though in reality, they're always tougher than one's dream)--the idea of shooting a bride and groom in the rain with not a care in the world, just as I secretly dream about a kids' portrait shoot in a downpour as well. There's something liberating about it all. While everyone was trying to protect the bottom of Emily's dress from getting muddy, one person seemed not to care one iota: Emily. (In truth, I could see that Emily was going to be carefree and relaxed when, a few hours earlier at her parent's home in Fairfax, she ate ice cream and played with her golden retriever while wearing a wedding dress. True grit)

And if I'm praising Jay and Emily for being troopers, I really have to say the same for their friends  and families as well. Not a complaint was heard from anybody, only laughter, even as we were forced to do our family pictures inside the tent with other guests seeking shelter from the rain. No worries, no gripes, only can-do spirit. And once you've stared down weather like that, everything else is a breeze (no pun intended), especially when there's an enormous fan creating a tunnel of cool air around.

Emily and Jay had a great 1980's cover band and I found myself smiling each time they launched into a new song. After all, I shot a lot of concerts in the SUNY-Binghamton West Gym from 1980 to 1985, when I was a photographer for our school paper. Half those acts were on the playlist last Saturday night. Cyndi Lauper? Shot her in 1982. Flock of Seagulls? Shot them in 1983. The Bangles? Shot 'em in '85, I believe. I can't remember where I put my keys five minutes ago but I remember every opening act of every concert I've ever been to.

Right now, Emily and Jay are sitting on a beach (or in a rain forest, perhaps) in Costa Rica. If I see a "hit" on our traffic report from there I'll know that they've seen this. And I hope they do, because they truly did everything just right. It was a really special night.

To see a little mini gallery of pictures from Emily and Jay's wedding, click here.

Take care, gang.

 

Matt