Bill Weaver Photographers» wedding

Abby and Geno’s great adventure

Bill — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:58:21 +0000

Welcome to Abby and Geno’s story!

Abby and Geno’s wedding was truly a community effort, one that was both heart warming and amazing to witness. As photographers we get to bear witness to a lot of stories from weddings to documentary projects, but seldom do we get the chance to capture the story of a community coming together to collectively launch the fruits of their efforts.

Farm communities, unlike their more urban cousins, have a history of pulling together whether it be recovery from a natural disaster or raising their kids in ways that ensure the survival of generations worth of legacies. Abby and Geno represent such a collective effort.

Their wedding had an additional level of meaning since Abby’s mother Kaye, widely known and respected in the community, succumbed to cancer several years ago. Abby is also an Iraq war veteran.

The Galleries below represent our interpretation of their story, beginning with their engagement photos, Abby’s star light bridal portrait and culminating in their wedding.

Click the thumbnail photos to see the collection then click each photo to enlarge it or click “show as slideshow” to see the collection as a slide show.

Abby and Geno Engagement

Abby and Geno live in Southwestern Minnesota where Geno farms the family farm and Abby runs a local insurance agency. We photographed them in three locations in order to capture their wide range of interests and the context of their lives together. The first location was in SW Minnesota , we used the shoot not only to capture Abby and Geno but also to scout the location of their wedding reception...unfortunately our shooting was limited due to heavy spring rains. The second location was here in the Twin cities at one of our favorite urban locations; St. Anthony Main and the historic Mill District in Minneapolis. Both of these sites offer range of locations that include vistas of the Minneapolis riverfront and the historic Stone Arch Bridge. The final location was on and around their farm in Winnebago.

80 Photos

Abby_geno_wedding

29 Photos

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Cast – supporting roles family, friends and…..

Bill — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:06:50 +0000

Family group photos are always expected but rarely used, however, they are very important to both families. We discovered when one of our clients had a sudden death in the family and the photographs of that person during our client’s wedding helped the family get through a very difficult time.

The problem is that after the ceremony everyone wants to get on to the party and it becomes a real challenge to coral all the right people. If family and group photos happen prior to the ceremony it is less likely that family and friends will drift away. All this aside, we work to make the photos go fast and most importantly be fun for all concerned.

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Cast – the Boys

Bill — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:04:54 +0000

More often than not the guys are most fun to shoot because they tend to be more relaxed, less concerned about doing strange things. That is not to say that the ladies are not fun…just that the guys are more willing to go along with our crazy ideas! They are also less likely to feel the need to be formal which in turns creates a greater opportunity for their true nature to show through. It is also fun to have a little guy in the group because he usually wants to be like the big guys which always lends itself to great shots.

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Cast – the girls

Bill — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:53:13 +0000

Regardless of when the bride and groom see each other we always photograph the girls and the boys before the ceremony. If the couple are not seeing each until the ceremony, our time with the wedding party is usually when we encourage each group to relax and have fun. The more we can accomplish that the more relaxed everyone is during the ceremony.

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Couples

Bill — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:52:11 +0000

Our wedding couples typically opt in for at least one engagement session just to get themselves used to being followed by paparazzi. The session also gives us a chance to learn how the couple interacts with each other so we can better anticipate photos that represent them. Usually if a couple has a favorite location or activity that is within the metro area we will photograph them there, otherwise we have a long list of great locations from very urban to woodsy.

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Brides

Bill — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:27:05 +0000

We don’t normally do bridal portraits most of today’s brides just are not interested in them. However, over the last couple of years we have had some who requested them. Most of the time we shoot them in out own english garden and maybe an additional location. Some we shoot strictly on locations chosen by the bride.

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Act 3-Celebration

Bill — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:50:21 +0000

This is the time the fun begins both for our couples and ourselves. The wedding party starts to move into Partay Mode and we get to be creative. When there is time between the ceremony and the reception we often have our couples come up with a spot they would like go to and have some fun. Once the reception begins and the dance is underway we use strategically placed off camera flashes to help bring an additional creative touch to our images. While dance photos often get old after a few snaps we try to liven them up by adding zoom effects to enhance the movement and excitement and occasionally we will use color gels on our flashes to add contrasting color especially where there is only room lights.

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: act 2: ceremony

Bill — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:50:24 +0000

While the ceremony is the whole point of a wedding assuring our clients of our best photos is often dependent on church policies. Depending on the strictness of said policies we often will position extra cameras in unobtrusive locations to capture the ceremony from other angles. Cameras are set up to remotely trigger from my cameras, in much the same way I cover a sports event. All of that aside some of the best shots are of the kids who are in the wedding party. .. somehow they just think the whole thing thing is about them!

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Act 1 – Preparations

Bill — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:33:50 +0000

For couples who choose to see each other before the ceremony, this part of there day can be a time for grounding. Many of our clients express how important it was for them to see each at this time…the tender intimacy helped to ground them and eliminate any anxiety related to the remainder of the day.

Choosing to see each other before the ceremony also gave them the chance to bring in the support of their wedding party and combined families.We don’t advocate for either choice since ultimately it is up to the couple.

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WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS: Act 1 – Preparations

Bill — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:37:07 +0000

This part of a wedding is where the excitement and anticipation starts to peak. The bride and her attendants gather usually in a special room within the church or if not in a church somewhere separate from the groom and his gang. For the bride this is the time for her assistants to take over…making sure everything is in place before they hoist her dress and she makes the classic bridal dive into her wedding dress.

The guys are a little non-plussed by the whole thing and most would rather rather not be photographed…however there are a few lucky times especially with the father pr brother of the groom.

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