After a little while, the girls started doing their makeup.  I loved that Karrie helped a couple of her bridesmaids with makeup - that’s a sure sign of a happy, relaxed bride!

Some of my favorite photos from the day are these shots of Karrie getting into her dress.  Her expression here says it all - too cute. 

The bridesmaids looked picture-perfect too of course - I loved that the soft blue of their dresses was given a little pop with killer silver shoes.

Stay tuned for more photos in a couple of days … including a very emotional first look and some killer portraits.

After waiting patiently outside for a good ten minutes or so, I finally let Ryan in to see Karrie for the first time.  This was such an emotional first look, my very favorite kind.

The guys scrubbed up so well!  It’s funny, when I went to find Ryan for the first look, I totally didn’t recognize him.  I was pretty embarrassed about this, until Karrie too commented that he was barely recognizable in his super swank tux.  And I have to point out the boutonnieres here - look at those feathers on Ryan’s!  SO pretty!

We spent a little longer in the suite, taking the formal photos, then made a quick dash around the hotel for some couples and wedding party shots.  It was really tough choosing just a few to blog … we got some really great stuff.

Karrie pretty much bawled her way down the aisle - too cute!  For such a short ceremony (just five and a half minutes long!) there was a whole lot of emotion going on.

After the ceremony, we grabbed a few shots out on the dock with the last of the fading sun.  I love how rich the colors were, and how the light caught Karrie’s veil.

Below are three of the winning images; I also placed second (!) in the Pure Art category … awesome!

Becky’s dress was pretty awesome and deserved to be photographed from every possible angle - including upside down. 

After a little while with the girls, I popped in to see how Deric and the guys were doing.  I was highly amused at how quiet they all were - such a contrast from the shrieks and giggles upstairs!

Back up to the girls - and I walked in just in time to see Becky being presented with her bouquet for the first time … this may well be my favorite photo of the day!  I’m pretty sure that if she hadn’t already been wearing most of her makeup she’d have been bawling at this point.  The florist did an amazing job - I especially love how she added in feathers.

I had a super fun mini portrait session with Becky, then headed downstairs to the third floor where the guys were pinning on their boutonnieres.

The first look and portraits will be along soon!

While we took a few portraits, I had one of the bridesmaids round up the bridal party for some group shots.  Everyone was in great spirits and seemed more than happy to work with my silly suggestions. 

I loved the girls’ dresses, and just look (again) at those amazing flowers.  So pretty!

We were hoping to start in the ballroom area, then move around the hotel for a mix of backdrops and lighting - but it was pretty busy in the foyer, and the funky pool area was actually being used by swimmers (who knew?!) … so we stayed put and brought out the mustaches.  Thank you, Archie McPhee!

Huge thanks to Becky and Deric and their fab friends for trusting me on this.  I hope you like the results!  Coming next: the ceremony.

Becky and her dad, Chuck, were both grinning from ear to ear as they walked down the aisle.  Yeah!

One of my favorite things about Holy Names is that the bride and groom are seated together on the alter, making it easy to record those little moments that are shared during the service.

Next up: party time!

The space was divided into dining, cocktail and lounge areas - I totally love the white leather couches in the lounge.  Guests started to trickle in pretty quickly, and as soon as they did, Ravishing Radish started service of the delicious appetizers.

After dinner, we went straight into toasts (Becky’s dad had everyone laughing and crying), cake-cutting and first dances …

And then it got all kinds of crazy on the dance floor (and in case you can’t tell from these images, I had a LOT of fun capturing it!)  Music was provided by the amazing Michael Benson Band, and they too had a blast, performing everything from Journey to Outkast.

See that big shot below, with the five guys?  That’s The Michael Benson Band.   I think they might kill me for posting it, but how could I not share?  I pretty much had to drag them into the photobooth, but it was totally worth it.

Huge thanks to Becky and Deric, and their friends and family, for making it such a fun day for us last Saturday.  It’s sometimes hard to believe that this is work …

© 2010 Kate McElwee Photography