A day later and the storm is still here...Shot the wedding yesterday and absolutely nothing went as planned. I feel really bad for this couple. We got there early, around 8am for a 10am ceremony. On the way there I was getting excited because it wasnt raining and it was actually starting to dry up. Once there I called the coordinator and she informs me that that is stuck in traffic from accident and was running late, ok no biggie, told her we were in the lobby and would meet her when she got there. Well, she got there and didnt call us and she went up to the room. Called her 20 minutes later and she told me he was there and she would come down. 10 minutes I called her again and she told me she came down but her sister just arrived so she went back up...Was starting to get a little frustrated at that point so we went up.
The backup rooms absolutely sucked. If it was my wedding I would have postponed it. The swan has very nice grounds but doesnt not have any kind of back up plan at all if it rains. We wanted to move to another location but the staff apparently wasnt so accommodating. Very disappointing.
Its now 9am, Get a call from the bride saying the limo was bringing the groom over. 25 minutes later the limo shows up. Now I know some people drive slow but there resort where they were staying is 5 miles away. He must of been driving backwards or something... Meet the groom and start shooting as he gets out of the limo. Super nice guy but not the most photogenic person and from all the crap they have been dealing with, you could see that he was already over it. He hangs out for a bit, checks out the gift shop, etc...after about 10 minutes we go up to the rooms. I make small talk with him and tried to ease him about the weather. After seeing the room, he says, "think the weather is bad? Wait until she sees the room"....
I got back down to wait for the bride while my partner stays with the groom. Its now started to rain again. There goes any chance for anything outside. Its now about 940am. Waiting, waiting, waiting....Since the limo guy is driving backwards the whole way, bride shows up at 1015am. She gets to the room and vetos that spot...She was like, what else?
At this point she turns to me and asks me my opinion. Apparently the coordinator wasnt doing anything and had no backup plan and no suggestions. I suggested we go downstairs in the hallways leading down to the convention rooms. More open, brighter, more space, better decor...etc...So down we go.
Its now about 1040am, 40 minutes late. The officient, musician (guitarist) were VERY accommodating and very helpful. They were both scheduled past their contracted times but decided to stay because of the situation. The groom was already downstairs ahead of the bride. He hung out at the new ceremony spot while the bride was around the corner waiting for the signal. It was about 15 minutes, talked with her and shot some more photos. She then informs me to check out her shoes...White flip flops...I looked at her and she said all of her luggage was still at the airport at home...it never got put on the plane by the airlines, her clothes (besides the dress), camera, camcorder, wedding shoes, and most of all... The rings were still waiting to be delivered.
Tried to lift her spirits as best I could, said its good luck for rain on your day and in 10 years you will laugh at this. She was handling herself very well and rolling with the punches.
Ceremony starts, and from then on things go rather well for the situation they were in. If it were outside on a nice day, it would have been amazing but with the conditions, not like I had hoped for.
We managed to get some good shots and she was very happy how we handled things and helped her feel more at ease. She was pretty upset at the coordinator for not doing anything and not being prepared.
Lots of PP to do these, shot about 800 photos between the two of us. Will post once I have a few completed.
