Drew has plenty of personal history with Costa Rica but never dreamt he would get married there someday. He first went to Costa Rica in college to study Spanish for a month. While in Costa Rica, Drew visited Manuel Antonio (where the ceremony took place) and instantly felt a connection with its tropical beaches. While on that same trip, he even slept on the beach right in front of where he would eventually get married someday. After college Drew and his friend (and mine) Jeremiah got in a car and drove over 7,000 miles to Costa Rica. What was their final destination? Manuel Antonio!
Here’s a shot of them in Guatemala on the ride down there:
Unfortunately a short time after they arrived, they ran their car off a bridge.
They luckily were O.K. but the accident forced them both to head back to the States prematurely.
Fast forward a few years and Drew falls in love with a beautiful girl named Shay. They get engaged and start planning a wedding. Shay always wanted a beach wedding but wasn’t excited about the beaches in Florida (where they live) and wanted to think about something different. Slowly they began to consider an international beach wedding and Drew mentioned the idea of returning to the beaches of Manuel Antonio to get married. Soon this unlikely option becomes a reality.
The wedding week was a relaxed time with friends and family. Most of the wedding guests (along with me and my team) the week before the wedding at Karahe, a resort which was next to the house where the wedding took place.
Overall, the entire week was an amazing experience for me and my team.
The ceremony was on the beach under the trees. One of the most meaningful aspects of the ceremony for Drew was the role his father played. He had just finished his second year and seminary and was able to perform the ceremony for Shay and Drew!
Married!
The reception was at a nearby restaurant that over overlooks the ocean from above. Since Shay and Drew had spent the week before with all their guests, they could party at their reception and not feel like they had to greet and talk to everyone that came! And what a party it was!
This weekend was the wedding our very own Josh Hausen. It was a great event, and we are so thrilled for Josh and Laura. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Josh since the fourth grade and I can’t imagine finding a better fit for him than Laura. It just seems so natural that they would spend the rest of their lives together.
The wedding was an all out ABP team effort. I (Jeremy) was in the wedding, Bryan and Rob photographed it, and Branden shot 8mm video. Caleb was Josh’s best man and also was in charge of arranging all the music during the ceremony (by far the best wedding music I have ever heard). The wedding and reception took place at Birmingham’s own B & A Warehouse.
One of the coolest features of their very laid back reception was the Polaroid portrait studio that we set up. Using our Mamiya RZ67, Bryan shot Polaroids of all the guests.
Here’s the camera with all the Polaroid film:
We then took all of the Polaroids and mounted them in a Cypress Album, which also served as their guest book. The finished product was a signed guest book with super fun pictures of all their friends and family. We’re so excited about how it turned out that it will now be available as an official A Bryan Photo offering. I love it when we are able to offer something new that really adds extra flavor to the reception. It was so cool to see all the friends and family have a great time.
Guests admiring the Polaroids:
Here’s a little video I made explaining the process.
The morning of the wedding I photographed Drew and his groomsmen “surfing”. I put “surfing” in quotes because almost all involved were extreme amateurs. Nevertheless, we all had fun. I photographed the session with my Holga and Lomo. Just in case I got submerged, I would have only lost $200 worth of equipment. I’m really pleased with how they turned out!
Bonus Video for the week! At the resort where we stayed, there was this dog that attacked everyone who ran into the water. In true ABP fashion we decided to turn the problem into a game. Here are Jeremiah and our friend Chris Oakley being chased by the dog. One of these two was not very successful at this particular game.
I just got the film in from the Shay & Drew’s wedding in Costa Rica and wanted to post a quick preview! You two are so hot! Surfing preview coming tomorrow!
I’m back in Birmingham after an amazing week/wedding in Costa Rica. It was one of the first times I truly relaxed in 5 years! The wedding was beautiful. We shot 28 rolls of film, but for now here’s a preview from a digital capture of the wedding day. Shay and Drew, you are wonderful! Expect another preview next week when I get their film back from Richard Photo Lab!
