I'm in Albany to shoot a wedding tomorrow. I'm helping with the setup tonight. I'm not sure how I've ended up doing this.
Usually a wedding photographer shows up for the main event then ducks out before the first crazy uncle staggers to the dance floor. I've even driven the wedding planner, the officiant, and one of their friends from NYC up here. It's sort of a DIY affair.
This wedding is a very small event, a modest ceremony in the backyard of the groom's family home. The groom, Clancy, is a brilliant cellist. The bride, Angel, is trained as a harpist though working in the classic Chinese art department at Sotheby's. Harping gigs are hard to come by, she says.
Lucy, my former roommate and Angel's co-worker, is acting as wedding planner and running the show. She hired me for this gig. Angel's other co-worker, Ben, is the officiant. He's apparently received a certification from the Internet allowing him to do such things. You can get anything online these days.
George, a former co-worker of Angel, Lucy, and Ben, came along for the ride. Though he hadn't a role to play at the outset, he's become quite enthusiastic about decorating the place since we've arried.