My husband was a groomsman for a friend this weekend. There was a professional photographer covering the ceremony and reception, but I took some photos of my own. It turns out I have some odd ideas of what constitutes wedding photography.
This is one of the houses on the property where the wedding was held. We were told it dates back about a century and a half. Yes, that’s chinked log construction.
This one I took because I loved how clear it made it that this was a joint project. The chisel marks on the top log are so very different from those on the bottom.
This wreath started as pure decoration. Some bird decided that the art should become practical.
There’s a summer kitchen on the back of the house. I suspect that this old rock structure was previously a summer kitchen, when more cooking was done here. I had to catch a picture of the sunlight in the leaves.
Slanted sunlight caught me again at the reception.
Husband, with kilt and bear. Because who can refrain from taking that picture.
Head table with stuffed moose head. Again, how could I not?
I think what you’re calling a summer kitchen would be called a “No Smoke!” down here in Alabama.
See, building a chimney is a difficult proposition and if you don’t get it to draw jest right it’ll smoke up your house somethin’ awful. So they used to build just the chimney and light a fire in the fireplace and if there was no smoke out the top they’d holler, “No Smoke!” and build again somewhere else. Which is why there are (or were) just chimneys sittin’ all over the south.
Or so I was told.
Perhaps it’s from working in the building industry for a few years now but I find myself drawn towards older styles of architecture. Not so long ago I was at a wake of sorts at an old vineyard. If I had been taking pictures there would not have been people in them.
Also, that’s a badass kilt your husband is rocking in front of that bear. That could totally be a panel in an oatmeal cartoon.
That location is beautiful!
I was thinking it looked like a scene from Brave…
Wait, your husband is the one in the front?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Best wishes to the happy couple
Having photographed over 100 weddings, I looked at it from the perspective of a cultural anthropologist. Recording a primate mating ritual. They are all much the same, from a Greek orthodox, catholic, jewish, etc. Except for the evangelical christian wedding; a cross between a circus and a hoe-down. It took everything I had to keep from laughing all the way through. Evangelical christians have more than a few loose screws, they are truely strange, like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Over all great fun, getting paid to go to church and a party.
Best. Wedding. Photography. Evar.
And I think your husband should have his own TV show or something. He just looks like he could.
Also, WTF is that rock wit teh rings? That’s awesome.
Caz, my understanding is that those chimneys down south are usually the remains of slave quarters or were left courtesy of Generals Sherman and Grant.
I took a closer look at the rock structure. I think it was a water feature, but I’m not 100% sure. Also, thanks for the television show offer, I’ll have my bad-assed people call your people.
FYI: Kilts are better than pants. Women have a really awesome thing going with the whole wearing skirts thing, I’m totally jealous. From getting married in a (rented) kilt, I would totally have a wardrobe full of them if only they didn’t cost a bomb.
I love your photos of the building, Stephanie. The details of the grounds that the marriage were on is something I find get missed so often, as well. I also love your attention to detail – I would have missed the whole collaborative construction business on my own.
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks for sharing the photos, I particularly enjoyed the ones of the building. I think that if you look carefully at the photos, you’ll notice that the bottom log is actually a repair. The logs above it are hewn with an adze (not a chisel), while the bottom one is sawn. The marks on the bottom log are not consistent with any shaping operation, but a more likely due to it’s being “nudged” into place.
It’s not uncommon for the bottom log in older buildings to rot, due to ground contact, or close proximity to the ground. Add insects, and you can see why the bottom log probably needed to be replaced.
It’s still a joint project, but over successive generations of builders/restorers.
Tom