Weddingbee boards

Our photographer doesn't blog as extensively as some, but she had a little recap and several photos up this morning (Merry-Go-Round Wedding, 8/24).

http://jenn-photojennics.blogspot.com/

She uses a photojournalistic style -- we had almost no formal/posed shots, which was great as it didn't cut into our time with guests at all. The downside is you may have to accept more photos of yourself making goofy faces than you otherwise would ;-)

For anyone considering a merry-go-round for a wedding/reception venue, I can highly recommend it! It was lovely and fun and just plain wacky in a way I couldn't have predicted.

I thought it would be a novel and pretty backdrop for our reception and that guests would ride it a couple of times at most. Actually, people rode it all night long. Every time I looked up, there would be friends and family riding by, in unlikely combinations and comical poses (backwards, sideways, making funny synchronized hand gestures to the music). I think everyone (from 18 months to 97 years old) rode it at least a few times, and some guests were on it all night.

We turned off the carousel music and had a DJ who had fun playing songs that went well with the carousel. People would start off dancing, and then run and get on the carousel (or vice versa). It was so fun to ride the horses, feeling the breeze and getting a panoramic view of the reception. But then, it was also a blast to stand by the rails and watch everyone ride by. Every time they rang the bell signaling that a new ride was about to begin (they rang it right after our ceremony kiss), I laughed.

At the end of the night, the DJ was about to play our last song, but instead guests demanded a "last ride" with the carousel's traditional organ music. Everyone (including our amazing caterer and his staff) piled onto the carousel and rode together. We laughed and sang and played with the children's Chinese yo-yo favors, passing them from hand to hand. It was a magical, zany moment. After that the DJ offered to play our last dance if we wanted, but we quickly agreed that there was no topping that ending to a fantastic night!

Thanks! I didn't realize this either, but a carousel is like a built-in photo booth because you get tons of fun shots of guests, like this one of my cousins.

A couple more...