In an earlier post, I alluded to the fact that Donna & Paul had chosen a really unique place for their wedding & reception, so I’m very excited to finally share some images from their wedding day. They got married dockside and then held their reception on the Ovation Yacht. We cruised down the Detroit River on a crisp fall evening and it was nothing short of magical. We feel like we’ve really gotten to know Donna well and she & Paul made this such a fun day for everyone. :)
Are you kidding me? Gorgeous!
If Donna’s dress looks familiar it’s because it’s the same style worn by Caroline Bessette Kennedy – it was an amazingly delicate silk creation and it was so Donna. She looked amazing!
These bridesmaids were so cool – they were so fun and ready for anything. :)
Does anyone else think Donna looks like Sandra Bullock’s twin sister? I mean, damn.
So let me tell you a little bit about these next few images. Donna did NOT want the typical wedding (in case you couldn’t tell by her choice of venue!) She specifically forbade the DJ to play the Wedding March. She hates the Wedding March. Paul knew it. Her bridesmaids knew it. Her family knew it. But what they didn’t know, is that Donna secretly told the DJ to go ahead and play it anyway – and abruptly cut into For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica! OMG! Coolest walk down the aisle ever people! It was epic!
I love this sequence – Paul’s reaction when the Wedding March comes on…and then when he recognizes the Metallica song. Awesome.
This is one of my favorite “formals” ever:
Shoes. Epic.
After the ceremony, the guests (and us!) boarded the Ovation and took in the sights of the Detroit skyline.
I must talk a little bit about photographing a wedding reception on a yacht, and in particular, working with the staff and crew of the Infinity and Ovation Yacht Charters. This was a first for us, and going into it, I have to say I was a little nervous. I grew up on the water. My parents had a couple different trawlers over the years and they served as big playhouses for my brother and me growing up. Ironically, I loved going on the water, but was was insanely fearful about drowning because I can’t swim at all. My parents were all big into the swimming class stuff, since we lived on a canal, but it had totally the opposite effect on me – it left me completely traumatized. (Really YMCA, do you think it’s a good idea to carry a fearful kid to the end of the diving board and unceremoniously dump them into the deep end? REALLY?) So anyway, I was a little concerned that this might be scary for me. I hadn’t been on a boat in years, and the last time, I was very alarmed at how the guardrail is much lower when you are 10 years older. And my heart did skip a beat upon boarding – that’s always the worst part for me, I’m always afraid I will be overcome with dizziness and fall in and drown in negative 2 seconds before anyone notices.
I’m happy to report that I had a breakthrough of sorts, because I LOVED being on this boat. It was absolutely glorious, and I was completely fascinated at the skill of the captain and his ability to back this huge yacht into a slip from a mile out into Lake St. Clair when it was time to return to the marina. It always amazes me how people are able to “park” boats at all. Every time we returned from a boat ride as kids, I was always poised for us to ram into something. Not because my dad wasn’t skillful (he was!) but because the physics of it just makes my brain hurt. It just doesn’t seem possible to maneuver a big floating heavy object into a confined space.)
Anyway, I digress. What I really wanted to get across is the fact that the staff and crew of the Ovation were outstanding. They treated us wonderfully, and I really think you can judge the quality of a venue by how they treat the other vendors. Just little things, like moving out of the way and letting us get down the stairs quickly as we lugged gear up and down the three decks, rather than banging into our gear. Or asking us if we needed water (always appreciated!!) Jackie, the Ovation Coordinator, was on top of everything, made sure everything stayed on the timeline, and was a pleasure to work with.
One other thing, the food was amazing. As we came back to dock, a round of late night snacks were served, including these dainty mini-grilled cheese sandwiches dunked in the richest tomato soup ever. A guest came up to me and asked what people were eating, and when I told her, I think she may have run someone down to get to a server. And I don’t blame her. Andy is still talking about those sandwiches. 
Donna & Paul – your wedding was seriously a blast and we are so happy we were able to document it. We wish you both the best! :)
If you’d like to see more, we also have a vimeo slideshow up here – which frankly is one of the coolest slideshows we’ve done to date. So you should check it out.
Finally, don’t forget that you can help this couple win a free enlargement by leaving a comment below! All commenters automatically are entered in a drawing for a $10 gift card as well. (Read details here.)
by Lynn
8 comments