Okay, so after going on and on about the fantastic weather Pam and Dan got last weekend, somehow Dawn & Reza managed to top that and in the middle of November, none the less! The florist arrived and was lamenting the fact it was too bad they couldn’t move their Dearborn Inn wedding outdoors to the gazebo. I pointed out that the wedding wasn’t until 6:00 and it would be pitch black by then, so even though it was a balmy 70 degrees, I didn’t think anyone would enjoy the wedding as much! This was a fun wedding for me. I’d met Dawn at a wedding she stood up in a few months back. It’s always a treat to work with someone who know what to expect from me and knows they’re in safe hands. There’s a mutual respect right off the bat. Our only hitch was that I wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous day and wanted to take some photos of Dawn and the girls outside before it got too dark. We would have been fine light wise except getting make up on took about 45 minutes. This is pretty typical, it’s just that neither of us had put that into the schedule! So with light fading very fast and Dawn starting her internal countdown, we headed outside for some very quick photos. Dawn could’ve knocked me over with a feather when she asked if she and the girls could do a jumping shot! And so we did… pregnant bridesmaid and all! I headed off to find the too long ignored groom, Reza (his brother was sleeping in the room Reza was supposed to get ready in, so we decided to let the very jet lagged best man get some z’s instead of intruding for photos). By the time I got back to the bridal suite, it was time to walk down the aisle. A last minute panic had everybody rushing out the door. It wasn’t until after the ceremony started that I wondered why on earth both sides of the wedding party were so darn chatty DURING the ceremony. Lots of whispering, gesturing, giggles. Had no clue what was going on. Then I see the very last groomsman passing something down the line of groomsmen towards the best man… each of them smiling very broadly. Once the ring exchange started, I saw Dawn’s shoulders heaving. Her veil obstructed a good view of her face. I thought she was sobbing. Nope, turns out she was laughing uncontrollably! Seems their rings had been left back at the suite. The officiant pulled off her ring and the furthest groomsman had donated his ring to Reza for the ceremony. The officiant’s ring didn’t fit Dawn at all. It was funny that everybody who was standing up knew what was going on, but none of us watching could figure out just what exactly was wrong! The reception went really smoothly. Skye ran the photobooth with the full backdrop and props. Everybody had a great time. If you’d like to see more photos from Dawn & Reza’s Dearborn Inn wedding and reception, please check out my other blog at www.themichiganweddingphotographer.blogspot.com.