Tag Archives: Cathedral of Christ the King

Valerie & Will in Atlanta, GA

February 16, 2010

I first met Valerie and Will a few years ago when I covered her sisters wedding in Charlotte, NC — Natalie and Ben. Way back then, Valerie and Will had just had their son Jude and a lot has changed since then. Jude has gotten a lot bigger and Valerie is getting ready to launch Blanqi a maternity fashion apparel company that I’ve produced imagery for and that will launch on Nordstrom.com in a few weeks.

They were married at the Cathedral of Christ the King and hosted their reception at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta where we shot their engagement session back in December.

As you take a look at their slideshow, you’ll notice that not only does Valerie have the coolest vintage dress ever – there aren’t many women who can pull it off like she did — she changed during the reception into a more modern and fun dress. Take a look and leave a comment below…

Facebook readers: CLICK HERE to view the slideshow.

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Cristina & Gabriel in Atlanta

May 25, 2009

Meet Cristina and Gabriel!

When I first met them at Cristina’s place in Midtown I knew right away that they’d be a joy to work with. They are both about as easy going and likable people as you’ll ever meet.

They got married at the Cathedral of Christ the King, by Father Neil, who just happens to be the brother of my wife’s friend’s sister’s husband. Whew, took me a second to write that. The reception was at the mighty Biltmore Imperial Ballroom. It was a joy to work with my new friend Mora Hostetter from Classic Weddings, who coordinated the entire affair and did a fabulous job. Affairs to Remember handled the catering and Catherine Walther did the beautiful florals (check out the slideshow).

My associate, Huy, was on hand to second shoot and Christina my awesome friend and former bride was there assisting.

Cristina and I spent a few minutes before the ceremony getting some beautiful images…

The kiss!

The next kiss! I just love this image in all it’s blurry glory.

Check out the slideshow… and don’t forget to watch it full-screen with the icon in the bottom right corner.

Enjoy!

Ben Vigil

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Christina & Mike

September 19, 2008

All my future bride’s can rest easy now because Christina and Mike broke the curse.

Before this wedding, every… single… time… that I’ve shot at the Cathedral of Christ the King it has rained. But no longer.

If you pay attention you might recognize the bride since she’s been on this blog a couple times, for their engagement session but usually as my assistant, who I’ve missed dearly since she left to pursue what she’s been trained to do. For the last year or so she’s been traveling the country with the theater production of The Lion King as the on-staff physical therapist. But now that she’s married, she’s back in Atlanta and can start helping me out again. You have no idea how stoked I am. But I know my time is limited because I imagine that she’ll be pregnant any day now if she gets her way.

Did I mention that she’s the youngest of 11 kids? But she’ll probably limit herself to 8 or 10. Moderation ya know.

Then there’s Mike, the groom. Mike, my friend, endeavor to deserve Christina because there’s no man on earth that does. I look forward to getting to know you better and maybe you two can pop out a few girls that are about the right age for my boys? :)

A few notes about the images…. Christina and Mike and their families are about as Catholic as the Pope. You’ll notice a rosary crucifix on Christina’s bouquet… engraved on the back is the date (in 1975) it was given to her oldest sister on her confirmation day and who later entered the convent (they see her once a year). She and all her sisters were wearing scapulars…it looks like a string necklace with cloth squares that hang in the front and the back. There are two priests that figure prominently on the images… one has been battling leukemia for a while now and the other is getting ready to serve as a military chaplain in the middle east. They are both priests in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and they are both her brothers. And then there’s Mike’s father who you see at the altar… he’s a deacon. We were joking that no respectable hispanic family is without a deacon or priest. And last, there were about a million kids…. when I first met Christina['s family], she was 12, and there were no nephews or nieces yet. I think the numbers had increased by the end of the reception, but that could be my imagination. :)

My friend and trusty second photographer Huy Cat was happy to see Christina and again, my trusty assistant Brian Steele rocked.

Remember that you can view the slideshow full-screen by clicking the last icon on the bottom right.

Enjoy!


Ben Vigil, shooting saints

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Lisa & Phillip in Atlanta

May 24, 2008

Ceremony: Cathedral of Christ the King
Reception: Maggiano’s Little Italy

*** CLICK HERE *** to view the slideshow

Lisa and I have known each other for a few years through my work with the Archdiocese of Atlanta so I was more than happy when she asked me to cover her wedding a few weeks ago.

When she told me that she and Phillip were getting married at the Cathedral in Atlanta I smiled because I thought about something that I have to take a moment to point out. I realized not too long ago that every single time that I’ve shot a wedding at the Cathedral it has rained. Nothing catastrophic… just your average rain. And on this day mother nature didn’t disappoint but luckily, it didn’t affect Lisa’s day or the schedule in any way. So you’re warned: if you’re getting married at the Cathedral and I’m shooting… it’s going to rain.

Now, this is probably the quintessential “wedding” shot: Coming Down the Isle. There are a lot of photographers out there who are probably going to cringe, but it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites shots to capture. Especially at a Catholic ceremony when they have the full Mass (the Mass + ceremony is usually 1hr+) all the excitement of the day and the emotion that they’ve kept inside finally gets to come out… and you see it right there on their faces!

Favorite moment: we were shooting outside when Fr John arrived on the scene, and with nary a word the first thing he did was give Lisa a blessing, and she was in tears within moments.

Favorite surprise: as I was following Lisa out the side doors right before the Mass was to begin, the door opens in front of her and it’s her dad. Look at the smile on his face!

Favorite shot that’s not mine: Huy Cat was shooting with me again and we think so much alike. We both took this same shot but his was better…

Favorite Cathedral location: If you walk ALL the way around the church and come in the side doors by the sacristy and adoration chapel, this is the view you get.

Favorite shot they’ll love: the consecration being the high point of the Mass, I know this shot will mean the world to Lisa and Phillip. I’m going to blow this one up and send it to Fr. John because he’s asked for images in the past, and I know he’ll love this one.

Favorite little moment: no words, no posing, no prompting, just a little moment in time.

Favorite find: Totally posed, totally prompted. So shoot me. I’ve always loved the light streaming through these windows but I’ve never shot a bride or groom there. I think I like it.

Favorite image: just because. A lot of times there are these images that you see coming a mile away and you just do your best to be there in the right spot at the right time to capture it. This was one of those images, except the mile was more like 1.5 seconds. This is a completely pedestrian moment when we were done shooting outside and Lisa was heading inside to prepare for the ceremony. I decided to follow her and as I saw her begin to transition from the beautiful wash of outdoor light into the recess of the Cathedral I pushed the camera down to knee level, aimed, blind focused and… got the image I saw in my head a moment or two ealier.

Congratulations Lisa and Phillip!

Ben Vigil, CTK Rain Man.

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Vicky & Jason

May 9, 2008

Date: April 5, 2008
Rehearsal Dinner: Bistro VG
Ceremony: Cathedral of Christ the King
Reception: Country Club of the South
Coordination: Janice Blackmon, Watermark Weddings
Entertainment: Diane McIntosh
Cake: Gabriel’s Desserts
Videography: Jonathan Nye, Evolution Video Productions

*** CLICK HERE *** to view the slideshow

“Dear Jason, I am so excited to spend our lives together…”

That is how Vicky’s note to Jason begins. And this is how their married life begins:

One of the things that I sometimes find intriguing is the timing of the day. Since all of us capturing images on your wedding day (whether it’s two or three or four of us) all synchronize the times on our cameras I always take the images from all the cameras and edit the images chronologically. The part that I find really amazing is to see what the bride and groom are doing at the same moment. Sometimes you find the bride reading a note from the groom and vice versa at the exact same time. Here’s Vicky and Jason both getting ready to walk out the door and looking in the mirror.

The stunning bride…

Ahhh, the waiting…

Bride on the run image #1. Leaving the church in a stylish Rolls Royce.

This is one of my favorite moments of the day. Don’t think I’m weird. After Mass, the wedding party was invited over to Vicky’s parents’ beautiful home in Country Club of the South. As we were getting ready to depart for the reception, Vicky and Jason stepped into her father’s basement office and took a few moments to practice their dance one last time. Just Vicky, Jason and dad who snapped a few frames with his camera too.

Bride on the run image #2. Going to the reception.

The first dance…

This is where it gets amazing! Vicky’s mother, had alerted me in the weeks leading up to the wedding that if the weather held up then Vicky and Jason and all the guests were going to be surprised with an evening fireworks show. And surprised they were! This show was as good as the Stone Mountain show — just to give you an idea of the scale.

A very special thanks go out to Brian Steele for his trusty assisting/shooting and to Chris Torres of 6 of Four Creations for coming out and getting some amazing shots.

Congratulations Vicky and Jason!

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