Nicole & Brian | Cheyenne, Wyoming Wedding Photographer
You know when a couple tells you they are planning to take a double decker bus downtown in between their ceremony and reception with a crowd of friends they call their “wedding crew” that the day will not be dull. And dull is was not. In fact, it became a day that went down in the history books for Janelle Rose Photography. And it’s taken me a long time to decide to blog this, but it’s just too good of a story not to tell. It was the day I got a black eye while shooting a wedding. That’s right, a black eye. The day started out a lot like most wedding days, but you’ll have to scroll down the page to find out how that happened.
I adore this couple, and I love how they incorporated their personalities into their amazing day. Nicole, sweet, precise and sentimental, made her own pottery for the reception tables and crafted her own and the bridesmaids’ brooch bouquets. The brooches were given to her by women who attended her bridal shower. Nicole also incorporated a brooch that belonged to Brian’s maternal grandmother into his boutonnière. Brian, boisterous, fun and full of energy, decided they should make their reception entrance by busting through a giant ream of paper, football-game-style. More on that later.
Nicole and Brian were married at St. Mary’s Cathedral here in Cheyenne, with their reception at Little America Hotel. It was a beautiful day filled with lots of friends, laughter, and beautiful color. I loved Nicole’s bouquet and the jewel tones she chose for her accent colors. They complimented the bridesmaids gold sequined dresses perfectly. Nicole planned so many amazing details, and this day was truly a labor of love for her. We loved heading downtown during the break between ceremony and reception, and it just so happened that Freedom’s Edge had the street blocked and the Josh Gonzales band was playing. It was a lot of fun.
Liz and I were so honored to have been a part of Nicole and Brian’s gorgeous day! Congrats you two!
Ceremony Venue: St. Mary’s Cathedral
Reception Venue: Little America Hotel and Resort
Flowers: bride and family
Transportation: Bristol Bus Company, Mike Pannell
Ok, folks. Here it is. So I typically crouch down at receptions near the entrance door in order to get the best vantage point for people making their way into the reception. That’s exactly what I did here as well. I crouched down right next to a table, kind of tucked in and to the side, noting that people would be entering down a small aisle next to said table. I guess I didn’t anticipate the speed and force with which Brian had planned on making his entrance into the room. So, here I am, documenting the paper before the entrance…
…and here’s what happened next.
You see, the paper didn’t exactly break, and Brian, having not really even seen the room and the positions of the tables, just came in full force, trying to bust through the paper. He ended up busting through me instead. My lens took the brunt of the force, with my eyepiece putting a nice circular black eye around the eye socket. 
Here’s the stellar shot I got on impact….
….and Nicole’s face as she realized what happened.
Lucky for me, some nice friend also got it on video, so if you’d like to see the epic “photographer tackle”, here you go (a big thanks to Luke Jackson for this gem):
