Images & design by Eric Bucholtz
There’s something I enjoy about a cool foggy start to the day. (Not enough to switch from iced to hot coffee again just yet.) Maybe it’s the welcome cool down from yard work days outdoors sweating at 7am to a hint of autumn coming soon. Change in the air. School back in session. New beginnings with a new semester. Mile markers of good memories coming into view. Calm in the skies.
This spring and summer have been rich with celebrations, milestones, and joy. Last week we looked back a decade while marking an anniversary, today we go back 9 years for Katie & Mathew.
These are just a few of my favorite images and moments from their beautiful ceremony at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Katie and Mathew’s smiles say it all when they saw each other during Katie’s procession to the altar.
Despite storms brewing outside the Lady Chapel had a beautiful glow during their wedding ceremony.
The newlyweds beaming all the way down the aisle, brighter than July sunlight. The summer storms outside could not dampen their spirits.
And this, friends, is a key part I believe we all need for successful relationships. To realize life will not always be perfect, that rain will fall, and you’ve got to make the best of each moment. When life gives you thunderstorms and humid haze, you have a choice: You can run for cover or… go make diffused light portraits.
We made a short drive from Notre Dame to Saint Mary’s College for bridal party portraits under ivy covered arched walkways.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay dry, stay cool, and wait for sunny skies. There is something to be admired about couples who are determined to make the best of each moment, together, and will go out in the rain and weather the storms. Once these storms have passed may you look back on ordinary moments that become an extraordinary story together.
Even in a puddle reflection portrait the bride and groom were full of smiles throughout their wedding celebration!
Congrats, Katie & Mathew!
Happy 10th Anniversary to newlyweds Natalia & Jeff!
Here are some of my favorites from their wedding ceremony at Saint Michael’s Church and reception at Plymouth Country Club in Plymouth, Indiana.
Full disclosure: I was a far less choosy editor and far less technically proficient photographer in 2006 and digging through the archives showed a lot of images that made me question my decision to proof them. The “artistic soft focus” image above and below were ones that lacked sharpness but conveyed an unedited, unscripted emotion in the moments after the newlyweds made their exit. I debated these candid images again in 2016, and when they appeared in my Instagram feed as some of Natalia’s favorites… I knew I kept these shots for a reason. They show a moment few others saw, and only two present felt the full elation of being pronounced husband and wife.
It remains an honor to have told their wedding day story and celebrated with family and friends. Congrats, newlyweds, on your first decade, and to the decades ahead! -eB
On a day equally hot as today in July 7 years ago I joined Tracy and Andrew for one of my favorite celebrations of 2007. It was a day brimming with smiles, laughs, and humor that spanned from start at Holy Cross Church to the finish in the wee hours the following day at the Century Center Great Hall. On a wedding date like 7-7-07 there’s bound to be some luck, and I considered myself lucky to have spent it with these newlyweds, their families and guests! Congrats, again, newlyweds!
Quite possibly the most coordinated 21-person bridal party in a group photo, and some pretty sweet air on the classic jumping portrait!
Newlyweds making an entrance to cheers at the Century Center Great Hall
Editor’s note: Although my camera gear & techniques have changed over the last seven years, these smiles shared in 2007 are timeless.
Happy (extended) Valentine’s Day weekend! As snow graces northern Indiana once again this morning I ran across this warm, colorful, endearing portrait of newlyweds Tracy & Andrew while perusing a catalog of my favorite wedding photos. This moment of warm smiles & toasty temperatures comes from a sunny Saturday in July 2007. Enough of this winter weather, I think we’re all ready for spring.
Stay toasty! -eB
I think one of the things I like best about my work telling engagement and wedding stories through photography is getting to see so many friends happy.
Diana, Roger and I met up at the Beutter Park river walks in Mishawaka for a sunny evening of photos. It’s a favorite stop for wedding parties, senior portraits, and other portraits but I was especially glad to hear the park would be more than just a pretty location for them – it is where they met last summer. How great to be able to tell their engagement story right where they met!
We’re looking forward to celebrating their wedding day soon! Congrats!
It’s always a treat to photograph weddings for siblings, cousins, coworkers and friends when you get to see familiar faces when you go “to work.” Jill and Brad’s wedding on Saturday was the continuation of a great celebration with Brad’s family when his sister Amanda married last June.
You know the bouquet and garter toss that you see at most receptions? At Amanda & Justin’s wedding last June Jill caught the bouquet and Brad caught the garter. Continue reading “Jill and Brad’s Outdoor Wedding at Orchard Hills”
Last summer I picked up the classically cheap and funky photo making Holga camera as part of my creative escape from the immediacy and trigger happy shooting of digital photography. The Holga has become a quick low tech favorite of mine, and I’ve had some pretty cool candid snaps printed from some of our summer weddings. One of my favorites is… this one!
This outdoor wedding day was not only a fantastic celebration but a perfect day for Holga photos. I snapped 3 candid frames and especially liked the way this one came out. A high-res scan of it made it into the album too.
Check out that classic plastic lens Holga look – semi-sharp center and wonderfully “soft focused” and vignetted edges – all in camera! All that from medium format film from the mid 1990s – not too shabby!
Add this low-fi look to your photo arsenal! Pick up a Holga on eBay or Amazon. If you like what you’ve read here, buying through these links drops some change in the photo supplies jar. Thanks!