Claire and Shai are married!  Dad photographed their wedding on Saturday at the Mirror Lake Lyceum.  They first booked dad at the end of 2007 and had their engagement session about a year ago so dad has been looking forward to their day for a while.  Mom has been talking to Claire about the wedding plans and details through email and she was really excited to see how everything came together.  And it came together beautifully!

It is always wonderful to work with Darla Stafford, and she is so talented!  She did Claire’s hair and makeup the morning of the wedding as she got ready at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort.  Claire looked amazing!  Her gown was perfect for her and the detailing both around the waist and down the train was gorgeous.  Meghan and Angela from Dream Day Productions were the wedding coordinators.  Dad was happy to see them again and they did a terrific job.

To get family pictures done before the ceremony, Claire and Shai had a First Sight.  Shai had the biggest smile as he waited for Claire, who was teary with emotion, to approach from behind.  It was a really sweet moment.  Seeing each other before the ceremony did not take anything away from the emotion of Claire coming down the aisle though!  That moment brought both the bride and groom to tears.  Marci Vitkus was the officiant and led the couple through the Jewish traditions that they included.  Dad has worked with Marci before and thinks she is great.

The wedding colors were green and purple with accents in white and the reception room was decorated with bright floral arrangements in those colors as well as linens and chair sashes to make the tables pretty.  Mom liked how the guest tables were round and had white tablecloths and green chair sashes to contrast with the head table which was a long table with a green table cloth and white chair sashes.  Chivari chairs were used at both the ceremony and reception and dressed up the look.

Rob Sword of Sword Sounds was the DJ and Claire, Shai, and their guests had a blast on the dance floor!  During the reception, Claire changed into a fun dress and her and Shai performed a salsa dance.  They also packed the dance floor for the Hora.  Claire and Shai took a quick break from dancing to get some pictures outside the Lyceum at night, but when they went back in they weren’t ready for the party to end and neither were their guests!  Everyone was having such a wonderful time that the couple extended the reception to make the special day last a bit longer and to celebrate for just a little while more.

What a terrific day for an awesome couple.  Claire and Shai are great people and we know they are going to have happy life together.  Congratulations and thanks so much for having us as a part of your wedding!