How do you respond when your potential bride says “Oh.  Where do I perform?  On Broadway.  It’s a musical called Hamilton.”

Jaw drop.

Keep cool, Don.  Remember what you’ve been taught – act like you’ve been there before.  But how do you NOT get as giddy as a school kid at the thought of being invited to photograph the wedding of a principle performer in the Broadway version of Hamilton.

But, I did.  It’s important to me, at least on the surface and only initially, that I keep this veneer of wisdom that I get from gray hair, 500 weddings worth of experience and 15 years in the business.  Giggling would kinda break that, right?  And we went through an entire…hour or so…on the first phone call before this not-so-insignificant piece of information pops out.  The conversation has been fantastic.  I was already absolutely in love with these two and hoped they’d book me so this was just a perfectly marvelous layer of frosting on an already delicious cake.

But this also speaks volumes about the people that Sasha and Brian are – the lovely, emotional, sincere people that I came to know much better from the time of that phone call to the day of their wedding.  She didn’t lead with “I perform in the most popular show in the entire world and by the way my name is Sasha and I’m getting married.”  Nope.  Just Sasha.  The bride.  And Brian, a dazzlingly talented dancer and performer in his own, is simply Brian.  The fiance.

Their wedding was also simple – simply wonderful – full of emotion and laughter (and happy tears), and SO much dancing.  That first look with her dad…Brian seeing her as she enters the Ruins…those charmingly ridiculous jean jackets

And these are simply some of my favorite images.

Enjoy.

P.S.  The show.  Hamilton.  If you haven’t seen it just go.  Make any excuse.  It’s that good.