Sometimes brides and grooms have reception halls with absolutely stunning backdrops for portraits, and sometimes their reception halls are a bit more modest.  As far as beautiful wedding pictures are concerned, this doesn't neccessarily mean much.  I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph Liz and Kevin getting married, and while the reception hall they chose had stunning grounds during the summer, during the winter months there wasn't much in bloom.

That's why it's fantastic to have a photographer who does her homework.  I always like to check out the venues ahead of time to find the best places to shoot, and what to expect ahead of time so I can plan accordingly.  Because of the seasonal needs of the reception hall's grounds, we shot a lot of the formals in the bride and groom's church; which happened to have a beautiful grand piano in it.  We were able to get the amazing shot you see above.

*Please be aware my blog's spellcheck isn't working right now, and it's 6am while I'm writing this...if you see any typos, my apologies