In the old days, these pages used to alternate more regularly between wedding work and the occasional rant. Lately, it's been pretty much just the former. And while this post probably doesn't rise to the level of the latter, a front page photograph in Sunday's New York Times raises some issues worthy of discussion.

The photo I'm talking about accompanied a huge story in the Times, titled "Driven to Distraction," about the dangers of texting while driving. It takes up two full inside pages, not to mention the above-the-fold 1A position. It has lots of disturbing data about the trend that most of us are probably all too familiar with on our daily commutes: drivers who pay too much attention to their phones and not enough attention to the road. For the most part, the story centers around the tragic death of a woman in Oklahoma City, killed when a young driver ran a red light. Turns out he was on his cellphone at the time and didn't even notice the traffic signal. Inside, there are photos of driving simulators, the dead woman's smashed car, and the texting driver himself.

But curiously, the big photo on page one that leads all of this off has nothing to do with that tale. In fact, I'm not sure what it has to do with, there's so little information given. The photo is a tightly cropped image of a person text messaging in a car, while his front seat passenger holds the wheel. It's cropped so tight that the photo feels almost abstract, without context. No highway, no swishing background, no faces. The caption reads, "At 60 miles an hour on a Missouri highway, a 16-year-old driver texts with a friend as a 17-year-old takes the wheel." And sure enough, if you look closely enough, the speedometer on the dash shows that the car is doing just. (Truth be told, it looks more like sixty-five.)

As I sat pool side looking at the picture, again and again, two questions kept running through my mind: who were the two teens in the photograph and under what circumstances did they end up driving and texting at 60 mph with a Times freelance photographer in the back seat?? Remember, the story is mainly about the tragedy of the driver and the woman in Oklahoma. It also quotes experts from Michigan and Utah and Baltimore. And yet it's all hitched to a bizarre and anonymous lead photo of two teenagers in Missouri, a state not even mentioned in the piece.

Now, having been a photographer and news photo editor at USA Today for several years, I know that in many cases the art used to illustrate a specific story comes from a paper's photo archive. For instance, if there's a bad accident on the Bay Bridge and traffic is backed up twenty miles, there might be some good traffic pictures moved on the wire that day. Those pictures all get archived. And someday, if an editor were to say to me, "Hey, Matt, we're doing a cover story on Washington D.C. traffic woes," I might think to myself, I know exactly where to find some great pictures to go with that story.

But that doesn't appear to be the case here. Judging from the "for the New York Times" photo credit, the picture was more than likely assigned specifically for this particular story. Which begs that second question: how did a photographer end up on this dangerous ride? Was he scared shitless? (Other photographs with the story show drivers using cell phones, but all of those were taken from a stationary position outside, looking in as the cars passed a photographer by. Only this one is taken from the inside a car.) Did a Times reporter hook the photographer up with some teenagers he or she had already interviewed, teens who had admitted to texting while driving? If so, did these minors--and I stress, minors--offer to show the photographer just how they did it? Or was it the other way: did the photographer and/or reporter ask the teens to demonstrate their incredibly stupid and potentially deadly stunt? (There might be a third scenario, perhaps that the photographer was in the car for something else and the kids started with the no-handed driving/texting, but without any help from the story you simply can't tell.)

Either version would be a bit less than kosher, if you asked me. There are ethical concerns that are raised when a journalist goes along for a ride with people engaged in illegal activity, especially if that illegal activity is being specifically enacted or re-created for the reporter or photographer's sake. Add the fact that kids are, well, kids and things can get even more ethically squeamish. Did the presence of a professional photographer egg these two on? That is, did these two teenagers ham it up a bit, pushing the envelope even further than they would normally? Even those of us (oh, let's admit it: all of us) who have texted while driving would think it downright crazy to hand the steering wheel to the person next to us while on the Beltway. I'd be curious to see the whole take and see what kind of percentage of the shoot this stunt took up. Was the whole shoot a demonstration of dangerous driving or was there another part to it?

I'm hopeful and confident the picture shows everything it purports to show. I have no reason to believe the freelance photographer did anything wrong. Two weeks ago, the Sunday magazine had to deal with a photographer who presented a portfolio of un-doctored architectural scenes that turned out to be manipulated. This isn't like that at all. We have every reason to believe that the kid was doing 60 mph without a hand on the steering wheel. We just don't know why or how.

When you have an above-the-fold photo of two unnamed minors engaged in this kind of behavior, you want some information. But the Times story makes not a single mention of the pair, essentially relegating the photograph to dramatic window dressing for a story about some other people in some other state. It seems weird that such a huge story would hang itself on main art that feels so disconnected and anonymous, not to mention so weighed down by questions about how it was obtained. There's probably a good explanation and I'm sure the circumstances under which the photo was taken were discussed at length by editors. As a reader, I'd like to know, too. 

UPDATE at 1:30 am: Apparently there are other folks curious about the photo. PDN Pulse just published a piece in which the photographer, Dan Gill, explains the mystery. Turns out the photo of the kids came from an unrelated Times assignment a year ago, one involving following a group of high schoolers. The picture was taken during the course of that project. Which brings me back to square one: why didn't the Times do a better job--or any job--of explaining this to its readers? By writing around all of this, the paper was hoping it could fit a pretty round peg into a decently round hole. We got this story here and we got those pictures there. Perfect. But it would have been better to have been up front about the situation and avoid all of the mystery. 

You would think that after twelve years and 500 weddings, I'd pretty much be familiar with every venue Washington has to offer.

The Museum of Women in the Arts? Check. Meridian House? Check. The Willard? Check, check. I've been to  all of them, so many times over that I always try to look for new vantage points. Every venue has something special about it, from the funky corridors at the Monaco to the regal columns of the Mellon Auditorium, and from the Potomac views of River Farm to the platinum record-lined walls of the Recording Industry Association of America. But there's one thing that none of them can boast, a view so special that even I found myself marveling at it again and again.

Ryan Cheney and Alicia Frank-Meltzer were married on a windy day in June atop the Newseum, Washington's monument to the First Amendment located just a stone's throw from the Capitol of the United States. (And I'm not exaggerating by much, depending on your arm.) Nestled snuggly next to the Canadian embassy, the Newseum's roof deck doesn't just give you a feeling of being close to the Capitol. It gives you the feeling of being on top of it.

In fact, as Ryan and Alicia stooped under a chuppa that was flapping heartily in the gale force winds that day, I kept laughing to myself about the view. There are all sorts of places to get nice pictures of a bride and groom with the Capitol in it--the nearby Senate Park comes to mind, with its huge fountain--but there's just nothing like the sensation of looking down on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. It was awesome. Truly.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's get back to Alicia and Ryan. People make weddings great, not buildings, and these guys really made their day special with a non-stop stream of laughter. (Weird moment: As I typed that last sentence, Paul Simon, on iTunes, just sang this: "It was a sunny day. Not a cloud was in the sky. Not a negative word was heard from the people passing by." That pretty much sums it up.)

I go to a lot of weddings where there are slideshows playing of the bride and groom from their childhoods and dating. You can learn a lot by watching these shows. Here's what I learned about Alicia and Ryan: They go hiking. They go canoeing. They go running, cycling and swimming. They watch every sport known to man. They have fun skiing, skydiving and swimming with sharks. (Well, that last one is an exaggeration, but not by much.) I honestly think I saw every outdoor activity known to man represented by at least one photograph in that slideshow. In an era where too many people spend too many hours playing Wii in front of a TV set, it's safe to say that Alicia and Ryan are not those people.

The day started off for all of us at the fabulous Hotel Monaco. I'm starting to think they should just give me a room, I've had so many weddings begin or end there recently. With all that color, there's certainly no shortage of places to shoot. Alicia was getting ready with her two sisters, mom, and bridesmaids up in one room while Ryan was down the hall with his groomsmen. I smiled as I spied the bride's mother doing some last minute sewing on her beautiful dress, under the watchful eye of Thomas Jefferson. Ten minutes later, Alicia was in the same spot, looking absolutely radiant. (I'm a guy, so I don't know much about fashion. But her dress, with those cascading ridges, was way, way cool.)

We took some pictures around the Monaco and then hopped a cab over to the Newseum. I have to say, I love a bride and groom who don't require a fancy limo. It speaks volumes. (Which reminds me of the time, many years ago, when I was following the vintage Bentley carrying newlyweds Julie Newell and Nathan Leslie. The Bentley broke down and we all crammed into my messy Audi, filled with camera equipment, and had a great time driving home.)

After that, on to the Newseum, where we first got a little tour by a kindly security guard. Past the cool newspaper headlines ("Murder of President Lincoln!"), past the funny gift shop ("Not tonight, dear, I'm on deadline"), and up to the windy roof for the ceremony. The Canadian flag was flapping so loudly I thought a hockey game might break out at any moment. And then Alicia and her father Ron came out, with the sun glowing behind, and eveything else went away. (I should note for the record that later on, Ron gave one of the most moving toasts I've heard, one that left both bride and groom in tears.)

As usual, I'm going on a bit. A big thanks to wedding planner (and friend!) Alex Kovach, as well as to my assistant, Cliff Owen. I could write another ten inches alone on the couple's two friends who stole the show late in the evening with a "Proud Mary" rendition for the ages. But for now, I'll wrap this up and let you look at some pictures. 

For a quickie "mini" gallery of some images from Ryan and Alicia's wedding, click here.

Hope you're all having a great summer thus far. 

Matt

Some quick odds and ends today.

We're thrilled that Washingtonian Bride & Groom magazine chose our photo of Emily Cohen and Jeff Nestler for the cover of their latest issue. I hear a lot about "the balloon bride" these days and couldn't be happier for Jeff and Emily and their newfound stardom.

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I've also been remiss in announcing some fun news.

Our very own Ashley Dally, who works very hard designing albums here at Matt Mendelsohn World Headquarters and who still refers to soda as "pop," was recently inducted into the Defiance High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Now, I've been known to tease Ashley a bit about her abiding love for her small Ohio hometown (maybe because I don't share the same affection for my dysfunctional Long Island high school), but this is serious stuff in a sports-crazed place like the Buckeye State. Her co-honoree, Chad Billingsley, plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, for crying out loud.

According to the front page story in the Defiance Crescent-News, Ashley lettered three years in volleyball, four years in track and three years in basketball. She still holds the school record for single season field goal percentage in basketball (58.4), set in 2000, and was the District Player of the Year in volleyball in 1999.

We're very proud of Ashley and can't wait to make our first trek to Defiance in September for her wedding to Cory Hornish. After processing about 567,345 wedding images in the last couple of years, it's about time she gets to look at her own.

Congratulations, Ashley!

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Finally, a quick (and belated) shout out to my trusty assistant Matt Lisack and his wife Karin, the proud new parents of Peter Lisack. Peter weighed into the world this past April at a healthy 7 lbs 4 ounces.

It's been a few months since Matt's been able to assist me at a wedding, but I know he and Karin are a bit busy not getting any sleep, running to Costco for diapers, and wondering if they'll ever see another movie geared for adults in their lifetimes. (Not for a while, guys, but when he's older, the Pixar movies are a pretty good compromise.)

Congratulations, Matt and Karin!

I'll be back soon with some more weddings to show. Right now we're trying to get caught up with albums, get ready for Alexandra's last day of kindergarten (well that went fast), and plan that September trip to Defiance. (Do we need a covered wagon??)

Take care,

Matt

Sarah Lackritz and Bones (no last name known) met while Bones was trolling for girls at a biker rally in Sturgis, S.D. and it was love at first sight.

Sarah, who works in corporate financial communications, and Bones, who spends most of his days drinking tequila, had just pulled into town when they spied each other outside a local saloon. Sarah, with her long hair and thin frame, remembers the moment exactly. "I saw this handsome guy riding a Harley, his beer belly and tattoos in full view. And that beard! It had the fragrant aroma of Elderberries and Budweiser. I knew right then that we were destined for each other."

They were married in a small ceremony near the Lincoln Memorial, surrounded by family and fellow bikers. As Bones kissed the bride on the cheek (he did), you could feel the collective gasp as far away as the White House.

Wait a sec. What's that? Bones isn't the groom? He was just part of Rolling Thunder on the Mall on Memorial Day? The groom's name is actually Danny? Oh. My mistake.

Let's start this over.

Sarah Lackritz and Danny Levy met while Danny was trolling the halls for girls in Usen dorm at Brandeis University.

As Sarah remembers, "He asked me out and I said no. And then I decided I actually liked him, so I found out where he was going on Spring Break and stalked him to Cancun. And that's how the magic happened."

Like I said, love at first sight.

This is the part of the blog where I'd say, "Seriously, Danny and Sarah had a beautiful wedding blah, blah blah" but with Sarah and Danny, there really isn't any "seriously." It would be hard for me to accurately describe Sarah's laugh, which is oddly much deeper than you'd expect, but trust me, it's ever-present and adorable.

These guys are a perfect pair. They laugh about everything together. The laughing started early in the day, while they were getting ready at the Willard and continued through the last throes of dancing at the majestic Mellon Auditorium. And from the Dep't. of Broken Records, for those of you who have read these blog posts, that's just the way it should be.

I know I always brag about my luck with wedding weather--even when the weather doesn't look so good--and this day was no exception. It was glorious from start to finish. As I drove in to the Willard, I passed about 10,000 bikers parked along Constitution Ave. for the following days Rolling Thunder parade. I thought, Hmmm, this is going to be a logistical problem, doing pictures by the Lincoln today.

Silly me. When I gave Sarah the option of going the opposite direction, to the Capitol perhaps, or making our way through the throngs of motorcyclists, she didn't even think twice. "Bikers!" she squealed with excitement.

And so off we went. The Harley folks were really gracious, allowing Sarah to sit on a hog and providing unlimited background extras. Everyone was screaming best wishes at the couple. As they stood on the retaining wall in front of the Lincoln Memorial, an audience of 100 folks applauded from below. Sarah and Dan ate it up, waving to the more sparsely-dressed biker crowd from their perch. (Sarah's patented dance move is one in which she points both arms at the sky and laughs, and she repeated it again and again to the mob's delight.)

As we walked back to our bus, that's when we found Bones and his posse. They posed for fun pictures with Sarah and pretty much had us in stitches. When someone asked Bones how much he would "offer" for the beautiful bride, he didn't miss a beat: "If we wanted her, we'd just take her." And with that, he leaned over and kissed Sarah, giving her a wedding memory she may (or may not) relish for decades to come.

We all headed back to the Mellon in a great mood. The upper balcony is an incredible spot to take photographs, with all of those columns rising above. We did family pictures up there and it was wonderful to see Sarah and Dan pose with their respective grandmothers. While signing her katubah, Sarah clutched a worn copy of the Hebrew Bible, the same one grandmother used at her wedding. (Her grandparents were married for 62 years.) During the wedding ceremony, the rabbi recounted the story of Danny and the Brandeis dorm and once again all the wedding guests were laughing uncontrollably.

It's always good to be at a wedding where laughter is the overriding dynamic. It puts a bride and groom on a trajectory that can only lead to great things.

To see a mini gallery of pictures from Sarah and Dan's wedding, click here or follow the link under Photo Galleries in the right hand column.

And, since I'm a bit crazy and my mind is always wandering, looking for a cheap pun, here's a little verse for you. Maybe it's not so cheap after all.

Thinking back to the season before
Looking back through the cracks in the door
Two people were married
The act was outrageous
The bride was contagious
She burned like a bride
These events may have had some effect
On the man with the girl by his side
The arc of a love affair
His hands rolling down her hair
Love like lightning shaking till it moans
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones

--Paul Simon, Hearts and Bones

Take care,

Matt

Another week, another great wedding to bring you guys.

Last Sunday, George Hou married Lily Chen in a beautiful ceremony at the Willard Hotel. If you've followed these posts carefully for a while, you'll know that I think the Crystal Room at the Willard is one of the treasures of Washington, D.C., a space that dates back a hundred or so years to the time when "lobbying" actually meant the lobby of this very hotel. So when I heard that's where Lily and George were going to stage their ceremony, I knew they had good taste.

The first time I photographed George and Lily, we were surrounded by beauty of a different kind. It was two months ago and the cherry blossoms had just reached their peak. We met at the Tidal Basin early on a drizzly, chilly morning. It didn't matter, of course, because the blossoms photograph much better on overcast days--there's better saturation of the flowers--and we all had fun watching me make a mess of my pants, sitting in pools of muddy water.

Luckily, there was no rain to worry about on the day of the actual wedding. May 10th was a glorious day here in the nation's capital. George and his family hail from Radnor, Pennsylvania, right near the campus of Villanova University, and I had fun chatting with brothers Tom and Will about our various six degrees of separation. (Kelly Corrigan, the bestselling author of The Middle Place and whose wedding I shot many years ago, comes from Radnor.)

On the other hand, it was a pleasure talking with Lily's father, Chen Shouyan, who doesn't speak English, and who traveled here all the way from China. Sometimes you don't need actual words to get along. He brought his daughter the beautiful traditional Chinese dress you see her wearing in some of the photos, and he was very proud and eager to see me including that garment in the pictures.

Cliff Owen, my assistant and old friend, made a beautiful photograph of Lily and her dad right before the ceremony began. It's simple, quiet and touching.

Towards the end of the night, Mr. Chen and I had an entire conversation and neither of us seemed to notice that we weren't actually speaking the same language. It made it more fun.

Mr. Chen is returning to China in a few days and I wanted to make sure I got this post up before he left. (The Hou family in Radnor is probably equally as anxious!) So for the first time in my life, I'll stop talking (or writing) and just post the galleries.

To see a mini gallery of images from George and Lily, please click here.

See ya,

Matt