So there won’t be any wedding photographs on the blog from this past weekend, because there was no wedding to photograph.  However, I still managed to watch a bride come down the aisle, and watch a couple of parents wipe away tears while watching their daughter recite her vows.  For the first time in over two years, I actually attended a wedding as a guest (actually as a groomsman no less), and this weekend was extra special because my youngest sister was the one getting married!

I’ll admit that I’m biased about this one, but one of the more unique and elegant features of their ceremony was the decision to eliminate the traditional unity candle lighting in favor of asking everyone in attendance to light a candle as a symbol of the commitment that their friends and family are making to support the bride and groom through their presence at their ceremony.  Obviously as a photographer anything visual like this is going to jump out and make an impression on me, but also the fact that I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings and have not seen this done before was really cool.

I know it’s not as trendy and probably won’t generate millions of hits on YouTube like crazy-ass first dances, or foolish strutting bridal party processionals, but this is the type of classy and original addition to a wedding ceremony that I’d love to see catch on.

Here’s what it looked like courtesy of Amy Aiello Photography

Rather than post a bunch of crappy snapshots, you can take a look at Amy Aiello’s blog by CLICKING HERE to see a few of the official photographs from Mary Jo and Frank’s day.

Well, I guess I had to post ONE snapshot….Little Jack got all dressed up in a suit for the big day and helped pass out programs and candles to the guests as they came in! (after being thoroughly bribed with loli-pops!)