I’ve been to a lot of weddings this year. But a week ago I got to experience a wedding from a different perspective – as a guest! I love shooting weddings, but it was a nice change to be a part of the event for a change.

Most of all I was so happy to see my good friend Michelle so radiant and glowing. Michelle and I went to the same high school, but I don’t recall that I ever talked to her. It was a big school, and we ran with different crowds. She played tennis, and I played keyboards in a band. Oddly enough it was during our first semester at Penn State (a much bigger school!) that our paths crossed as we both had Religious Studies at 8am.

Memory lane: here we are at – can you guess? Do I even look old enough to drive? Not really. But this was right after my college graduation.

And here’s Michelle at the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied ceramics.

I know I said it was nice to be a guest… but I’m still me. So of course I brought a camera and of course I did some shooting. I decided to focus on shooting video, as I’m trying to get the hang of using my SLRs video functionality, but I took some photos, too.

The ceremony and reception were held at the Lake House Inn in Perkasie, Bucks County. What a beautiful venue.

The ceremony took place right at the edge of Lake Nockamixon. It was a warm summer day, but there was a refreshing breeze and it was quite comfortable.

This is Stephen.

As I mentioned above, I mostly shot video. The next photo is a frame grab from a video file. How perfect to have a sailboat silently cruise by during the ceremony?

When I said I brought a camera, that wasn’t exactly full disclosure. I brought two. Matt took advantage and did a bit of shooting, like this next one. An aside – J. Crew bridesmaid dresses are the best! I wore this dress to my sister’s wedding last year and was so happy to have an opportunity to wear it again.

Michelle is a master of ceramics. See those bowls full of Jordan almonds on the tables? Michelle made them all.

Photo by my wonderful friend Morna, whose family was just here on the blog a few days ago.

Morna and me. Photo by Matt.

I LOVED this room! The high ceilings, the painted floor, the chandeliers, the windows… Amazing.

Congratulations Michelle & Stephen! We had so much fun.