Adam Streisfeld and Jen Thompson like to kiss each other on the nose a lot.
That may be a weird way to start this entry, but as I sat down to write today, without a moment's hesitation that's what popped into my brain. And it's probably a good thing, since, as we know, first impressions are always right. And if one were forced to distill two people down to first impressions, I would have to say that Adam and Jen are really silly together. Wonderfully, goofily, happily, playfully silly together. As Ira Gershwin once wrote, "Who could ask for anything more?"
I noticed this about these guys the moment I met with Jen. Our first conversation centered around barbecue. Again, not your average place to start, but who wants average, right? Somehow were were discussing the best places to get barbecue around here (growing up on Long Island, where the options are pizza, pizza and more pizza, we didn't get much pulled pork or chicken) and Jen mentioned a place called Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que that was a favorite of her fiance. That was it. I knew I'd shoot her wedding.
Why, you ask? Because Pierce's isn't on the beaten path, and only true barbecue lovers would go out of their way to get there. Pierce's Bar-B-Que is located a couple of miles off of I-64, not far from Williamsburg, Virginia. A couple of miles means that it's not E-Z on, E-Z off. There are plenty of those places, mind you, your McDonalds and other assorted fast food options, but when you're driving up from the Outer Banks or wherever, you want good food. And so people in the know (us) always make the extra effort to go to Pierce's, even if the sign is tiny and we always forget the way. Sure, the line is out the door and people hover on top of you waiting for empty seats. But to me, that's the sign of a place worth waiting for.
See? I'm a sucker. Talk to me about good food and we're friends for life
I'm also a sucker for fun people, as I think I made abundantly clear with the last couple of posts about Stacey and Dan and Rebecca and Josh. When I shot Adam and Jen's engagement photo, I think I actually tried for three minutes to take a quasi-formal photo of them. Things deteriorated from there and I think Adam ended up carrying Jen around the studio on his back. You can't force round pegs into square holes and we gave up pretty quickly on the normal thing. You have to let your clients be themselves.
And so, on the day of their wedding, when the nose kissing thing started, I didn't bat an eye. It's really great to see people that happy. And even better, to see people who feel completely relaxed in their own skin. (My daughter Alexandra kisses me on the nose exclusively. Getting anything else out of her is a waste of time, unless there's a promise of Carvel.)
Adam and Jen got married at the Carnegie Institute in Dupont Circle. There aren't too many places I haven't shot around this area but the Carnegie was new territory for me. It's spectacular. With its impressive columned facade and breathtaking rotunda, it's just an ideal place for a ceremony. (Some folks bumped into Ralph Nader, who has an office here, though I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind but that's a story for another day.)
Jen looked gorgeous as her long veil kept blowing away on her. And Adam got to wear the same yarmulke he wore at his bar mitzvah. Seeing each other for the first time, Adam did a little silly dance, and later, as his parents escorted him down the aisle, he made a motion like he was going to flee the joint. And even later, as they were being announced for the first time as husband and wife, Adam and Jen ran into the room so fast they might have given Olympic 100m champ Usain Bolt some competition. These guys just exude fun energy.
Their reception continued the theme. Bypassing the norm, Adam and Jen opted for stations that featured things like pad thai in little cartons and mashed potatoes with toppings. (The sweet potato option was amazing.) In fact, the more I think it, all you really need to know is that Jen and Adam didn't go with a Gershwin or Cole Porter staple for their first dance. Nope. They chose the blues classic Grits Ain't Groceries. How cool is that?
If, by the way, you're wondering what any of this has to do with the title of this post, Tubular Bells (better known as the theme to The Exorcist), I'll tell you. A few days ago, I got an email from Jen assuring me that she had gotten the message (she thought) of the last couple of entries: that brides will email me from their honeymoon in hopes of stealing a peak at some of their pictures. This was NOT the intent of her email, Jen swears. She simply wanted to tell me about the myriad ways one can be serenaded on one's honeymooon by a steel drum band. Here's her list:
- The theme from "Titanic," by Celine Dion
- "Chariots of Fire"
- "I Will Always Love You," by Whitney Houston
- "I Saw the Sign," by Ace of Base
- The theme from the "Exorcist."
Jen continued, "For whatever reason, the resort always played the last song at breakfast. Hearing that particular tune just as you were sitting down to a nice omelet was rather ominous, particularly as the resort was populated by rapacious birds that would spear food right off your plate if you weren't cautious. I have attached a picture of one of these birds, attempting to rob the sugar bowl; and also of us at the top of St. Lucia's second-highest mountain, being big dorks. I can't imagine you're surprised."
No, Jen, not in the least!
To see a mini-gallery of pictures from Adam and Jen's wedding, click here.
Matt
p.s. a big thanks to my old UPI buddy Cliff Owen, who assisted me on this wedding, and made some beautiful overhead pictures.
