Who:

Shonna + Harris

What:

Wedding

When:

December 1, 2007

Where:

Atlantis | Paradise Island | Bahamas

Following the ceremony, the guests kicked off the reception with a cocktail hour on the deck, while the bride & groom worked on formals with Meg & I.

~ Charles

Next it was on to details.

I LOVE this shot…the lights + band in the background really set this off.

Many of our brides & grooms are at a loss when it comes to what to do once you enter your reception. In my (our) opinion, the best “entrance” is followed by an immediate transition into the first dance. This sends a clear signal to your guests that the evening is beginning, and helps to cue everyone from the family to the caterer. So if you are in doubt about what to do first…first dance!!!

…after that, we leave it up to you!

A very cool toast. One of Shonna’s good friends transported a time capsule to the wedding that she had made with Shonna as kids. It had some hilarious items in it…including a few letters Shonna had written to her future self.

Thanks for such a memorable weekend guys!

Who:

Shonna + Harris

What:

Wedding

When:

December 1, 2007

Where:

Atlantis | Paradise Island | Bahamas

Rolling along with Shonna + Harris…after their first sight, we moved right into the ketubah signing.

~ Charles

How priceless are these faces?

As soon as the ketubah signing was complete, it was time to start the ceremony. This entire structure…doors, walls…it was all built on the ceremony location the day before the wedding.

Could these two be any cuter?

This is easily one of my favorite shots from the wedding day. I love the story that you can see in this image. The layers of faces & hands…love it.

Harris waiting for his bride.

Just like they practiced…

Who:

Shonna + Harris

What:

Wedding

When:

December 1, 2007

Where:

Atlantis | Paradise Island | Bahamas

Shonna + Harris opted to see each other before the ceremony in a semi-private meeting on the property. There were a number of ceremonial activities prior to the actual wedding ceremony that we’ll share next, so a first sight was a ‘must’ for their wedding day.

~ Charles

An honest reaction that I even get a little choked up over. This stuff is just too good for my trite commentary - so I’m going to shut up now and let you enjoy…

From the first sight, we rolled right into the couples formals. As preparation ran overtime, Meg & I only had about 10 or 15 minutes to work with the couple before they had to be whisked away again, so we found a low(er) traffic area on the property and went to work.

Who:

Shonna + Harris

What:

Wedding

When:

December 1, 2007

Where:

Atlantis | Paradise Island | Bahamas

After a party like that, who needs a wedding right? Get ready! Check out the “getting ready”…

~ Charles

The view from Shonna’s balcony.

I was literally the first person Harris saw the morning of his wedding. Harris…for that, I am truly sorry.

I love this moment. I think, for brides, it is a somewhat overwhelming, surreal moment where they actual start to feel like a bride. Sure…they’ve tried the dress on, had their fittings. But being in THAT moment, on your wedding day…it makes it real for the first time.

And while the girls were sobbing & hugging, the guys were ordering Heineken by the bucket. Beer & a balcony…does it get any better than that on your wedding day?

I never did ask Harris what his tattoo meant.

Funny story to go with this one. First, the girls tell Harris NOT to shave his scruff. They say “it will look great”. 5 minutes later…they say shave. 30 seconds after this shot was taken, the phone rings again. They reversed their decision, proclaiming Harris should keep the scruff. This was met by a somewhat hilarious round of yelling from the entire room of groomsmen loudly proclaiming that it was too late. It was priceless. Harris…I think clean shaven was the way to go!

This is one of my favorite moments from the day. I was in the limo with Harris. We were moving from his hotel room to the main resort area of Atlantis where he would see his bride for the first time that day. You can see that emotion in his eyes… almost the calm before the storm. Love it.

Who:

Shonna + Harris

What:

Rehearsal

When:

November 30, 2007

Where:

Atlantis | Paradise Island | Bahamas

After we finished photographing the awesomeness of the Atlantis property, it was time to get down to business! We started off with a late afternoon rehearsal.

~ Charles

The bridesmaids sunbathing while they had some ‘down time’

Meg, of course, fell in love with the little flowergirls

Shonna was escorted by Mom & Dad

The soon-to-be-weds

They celebrated in style at their open air dinner accompanied by live music

Shonna’s dad emceed the event introducing each speaker and entertaining the guests during toasts - he was such a ham!

It was such a special night - we were thankful to be there and get to know our clients a little better through the words of those who love them most.

Stay tuned for their wedding coming up next!