Omni Shoreham Hotel Wedding: Kelly + Phillip

November 20, 2017 Matthew D'Agostino (Dag)

Kelly and Phillip have been together for a long time, and it is obvious that they still got it good for each other. I don't know what tipped the scales toward marriage now, instead of earlier, or later, but I always look for the enduring traits in a long-term couple. It's hard to manage all of the details, and children, and relatives, and the threat of rain, so at first I found little sweet spots. However, after the wedding, in the photographs I made of Phillip and Kelly together, I began to see the magic between them. A light mist was falling, the sun almost set, the ceremony over, and it helped set a more intimate mood, for just those two. They joked a bit with each other, held each other, and I had found the part of them that I had hoped to show them later.

Kelly and Phillip's wedding was the second time around that I've photographed McClures. Phillip's brother, Antoine, had his wedding last year and Joe provided the main photography, and I served as second photographer. Every family has a rhythm, and this one felt familiar in my memory. It's rare that one gets to circle back in that way, and I wish it could happen more often.

I'd like to point out some other small things that I felt were special. When their pastor held them during his blessing, I recalled how so infrequently I've seen celebrants touch their couples, and I saw it as a real caring gesture.

Of course, one of the best things guests can do to show they care is have a good time. Children, of course, need no instruction in playfullness, and there's more than a few good photographs of them on the dance floor. The last photo in this blog post is one of my favorites. The girl holds herself to the rhythm, perhaps the same rhythm I mentioned before. And...check out the five different types of footwear each of the dancers is wearing in that photo. Obviously, I made this photograph later in the evening!