The mock wedding at the DWF convention
(My view from the audience)
Tampa, Florida
January 5, 2008
This wedding was hilarious! On Saturday, the Digital Wedding Forum staged the “Wedding from Hell,” starring our fellow photographers as actors in the most comical wedding that I ever hope to witness. Four DWF members were selected to photograph the wedding and its preparations, to demonstrate to us how they handle difficult situations.
The wedding featured all kinds of difficulties, including a bride who was 6’2″, and a groom who was 5’2″. The mother of the bride wouldn’t stop wailing or criticizing the bride’s hair. The groomsmen were wasted, and were even passing the vodka around during the ceremony. The bridemaids were smoking and adjusting their cleavage during the ceremony. A guest stood in the middle of the aisle with his huge tripod, blocking the view. The wedding coordinator presented the photographers with a 17-page list of formal portraits. The groom’s stepmother was dressed like a tramp and trying to steal the show. The four photographers were sweating the whole time. The rest of us were laughing our heads off.
I took lots of photos that day, all of which were taken with my point-and-shoot from a safe distance. 😉
The wedding began in the ballroom, with a bedroom set for the bride to get ready. Bridget, the bride, was actually changing behind that curtain. It was hilarious to watch photographer Greg Gibson peeking around the curtain.
We headed outside for the ceremony. Joel Weibner played the relative with the camera, blocking the view. Critsey Rowe was the ever-present videographer (with a VHS camera!). Jeff Newcum played the slightly intoxicated, flirtatious priest. Jen Bebb is on the right, getting ready to photograph this fiasco.
The rest of us were laughing in the audience, glad that we didn’t have to shoot it.
Photographers Greg Gibson and Susan Stripling tried to work through their laughter.
Aw, aren’t they lovely together? Bridget Joy and Robert Villena aren’t a real-life couple, but the funny thing is that they are office mates! They live here in Colorado Springs, and work side-by-side at their day job. I’m sure their coworkers are going to have a huge laugh when they see these photos!
Father Newcum had a phone call from a friend during the ceremony. Priceless.
Maid of honor Leslie Gilbert lit up a cigarette at the altar. Best Man David Pearce forgot the rings and hit on the photographer.
Bridesmaid Chelsea Elizabeth couldn’t stop fluffing the bride’s dress and veil throughout the whole day. Groomsman Jake Morrow brought vodka and shot glasses to the altar and passed them around.
My favorite actor was Nikki McLeod, playing the role of the step-mother in fishnets. She was perfect. I also loved the highway signs directly behind the altar. Good stuff.
Jake helped photographer Jen Bebb celebrate her survival of this monstrosity.
After the ceremony, Robert and Bridget jumped in the pool.
These guys were fantastic. Colorado Springs, represent!
Later that night, a huge group of us headed to a dance club downtown. This was the scary cab ride there. Our driver was insane.
A cool self-portrait by Steve Z, my new friend from Boulder. I had to go all the way to Tampa to meet some awesome people from Colorado.
There were lots of us there!
Shaking my groove thing
A funky shot of Mike and me dancing. I think Steve Z took this photo and the last two with my camera.
Melissa and Austin, although I kept wanting to call them Hayden and Justin
Mike and me
This is hysterical!!!!
Can you just imagine?!
have you ever had 1/4 of the problem this presented?
The bride is what kills me…and the mother in law?
And it looks like you all had a fantastic time afterwards!
This is hysterical!!!!
Can you just imagine?!
have you ever had 1/4 of the problem this presented?
The bride is what kills me…and the mother in law?
And it looks like you all had a fantastic time afterwards!
So is Colorado Springs! Garden of the Gods, Air Force Academy, Pike Peak (and all the other Mountains)…. wow!
Hi Nikki! You were completely awesome in the wedding!
Oh cool! You guys live in a lovely area!
Re: Tampa
Hi Chelsea! It was so much fun to hang with you in Tampa! I don’t know yet if we’re going to WPPI, but if we do, count me in for more booty shaking. 🙂
Your friends would probably get such a kick out of these pictures! We all can relate. 😉
Great to meet you in Tampa, and glad you liked my acting skills, what little they were!!
Nikki McLeod from Scotland
http://www.nikkimcleodphotography.blogspot.com
Looks like you had loads of fun! Next time you are in town, you should look us up.
Tampa
Fun times!!!! You took lots of fun pictures. That picture of me is hilarious 😉 Hope to see you at WPPI!
Chelsea
Great! This story is really funny!
I have some friends, who work as a weddding photographers, I think, I’ve to send them the link :))
Great! This story is really funny!
I have some friends, who work as a weddding photographers, I think, I’ve to send them the link :))
That looks hilarious. Thanks for sharing the photos and story.
It never ceases to amaze me how many self absorbed boobs actually do this. I just wonder if some of the people who wind up blocking the photographer’s (or ANYONE’S!)view realizes that they are a GUEST and have no right to be in the way, least of all the professional photographer, whose pictures matter a whole lot more than any guests personal shots (i.e. ones they’re taking for themselves and have no intention of copying for the bride and groom). Sorry. Done ranting now. The mockery of nuptials looks like it was a blast! And curse you for being in a place where the outdoor pool was open in January! 🙂
That’s right… this is my third year of attending DWF conventions. I love them!
There have been multiple situations where we’ve had guests blocking our view. If there is a quiet moment before the ceremony when I can talk to them, I explain the situation and politely request that they move to a side of the church. If they jump into the center of everyone’s view during the ceremony, there is nothing I can do. I won’t interrupt a ceremony or talk through it, so I just shoot around them and get creative!
The purpose of this wedding was to demonstrate ways to handle these tricky situations. The photographers gave us tips on how to calm down freaked out brides and moms, and what to say to Uncle Bob who is blocking the aisle. I’m not sure that I learned anything that I didn’t already know, but it sure was hilarious to watch. Basically it was an opportunity to laugh with people who can relate.
I remember you went to this last year, and I loved that everyone looked like they were having fun. I’ve been to some convention-y type stuff, and it was boring. Boo!
“A guest stood in the middle of the aisle with his huge tripod, blocking the view.”
So…what do you do? If they’re 100% screwing up shots for you, I assume you would need to say something (rather than trying to work around them)?
It never ceases to amaze me how many self absorbed boobs actually do this. I just wonder if some of the people who wind up blocking the photographer’s (or ANYONE’S!)view realizes that they are a GUEST and have no right to be in the way, least of all the professional photographer, whose pictures matter a whole lot more than any guests personal shots (i.e. ones they’re taking for themselves and have no intention of copying for the bride and groom). Sorry. Done ranting now. The mockery of nuptials looks like it was a blast! And curse you for being in a place where the outdoor pool was open in January! 🙂
Too funny!
Those pictures are hilarious! Thanks for the good laugh; I needed that.
What’s the actual purpose of the “Wedding From Hell”? Is it just the lot of you having fun, or is it “what could go wrong”?
Their photos were actually beautiful! I don’t think Greg, Jen, or Steve have posted their photos online yet, but you can see some of Susan’s photos on her blog: http://www.susanstriplingblog.com/
that sounds like so much fun. i’d be curious to see how the photographers pictures turned out from the mock wedding
Yes it is! Ray got dressed up all fancy for his daughter’s wedding. 😉
It’s so true… I’ve learned a ton from these conventions, and had an absolute blast doing it!
Oh yes… photographers are sometimes the biggest camwhores of all. 😉
Oh that’s right! Amy told me that she knows you! Yup, she was the weeping mother of the bride, and was totally hilarious in that role.
I don’t know if I learned a thing from it, but it was exactly the comic relief I needed!
You’re welcome! It was hilarious.
Is that Prevost as the Father of the Bride?
HOW FUN! And also HOW HELPFUL! This sounds like the best conference in the world!!!
Makes me wish I could just show up at photographer’s conventions. I think that a) I’d have a lot of fun and b) Learn a lot.
You and Mike are so cute! 😀
HAHhahaha omg that wedding is hilarious.
It makes me smile so hard when professional photographers do the camwhore couple thing, especially when it’s a photog couple. SO CUTE.
I can’t believe that Amy didn’t tell us that she was part of the wedding! And it looks even more fun than they were playing it up to be.
The mock wedding is hilarious! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing these!
that sounds like so much fun. i’d be curious to see how the photographers pictures turned out from the mock wedding