Chelsea + Alex

Chelsea + Alex were a last-minute, but welcome, addition to my summer schedule. I say welcome because it's always great to work outside and, despite the heat, work with sunlight rather than yet another church architect's cruel take on stage lighting. The ceremony and reception were at the relatively new but well-appointed White Oak Winery in Cambridge, Iowa.

Kari + Scott

Aquaman and me

I don't recall any career counselor ever telling me, "Here's a job you'll love. You're going to don a scuba suit with a professional golfer and wallow around in a murky public golf course pond in Wichita. Oh yeah, you'll have to make a nice portrait of him before he strangles you."

Woody Austin, left, is a top-30 PGA golfer who, unfortunately, took a dive into the water when he fell chipping out of a pond at the 2007 President's Cup. His fellow pros and the golf press have since dubbed him Aquaman. He's a good enough sport that we were able to, first, get him into the scuba suit, and, most importantly, get him in the water in public. I think having his wife there to cheer him on helped a lot.

Love of the Irish: Erin + Nick

If there's one time in your life to go all out, a wedding would be that day. Erin + Nick went 1st-class all the way. Even the girls bathroom at the reception was adorned so well, it was a shame I had to leave after taking a picture (security was, however, fairly insistent).

The dance floor was vast but I don't remember one inch of parquet being empty the whole night. My favorite flourish came at the end of the evening when waiters passed out slider hamburgers and old-school bottles of Coke. It was the delicious exclamation point of incredible day.

Katie + Ben • Ames, IA • 8.4.2007

Lindsay + Ben • Red Rock Lake, Iowa • 7.28.2007

It was a hot one on the lake for Lindsay + Ben's outdoor wedding. Lindsay was a model of grace and the boys, dapper in their khaki suits, brought just enough levity to the proceedings to get us over the usual wedding bumps. A good time was had by all.