Sweet Outdoor Wedding at one of my Least Favorite Venues (Because of the Person in Charge)

Not every wedding I go to is always my favorite experience. It is still fundamentally work. Work I enjoy, but work nonetheless. MOST of the gigs that I go on are genuinely enjoyable; I feel like I'm treated like a human being with thoughts, feelings, and emotions, etc. And that feeling was pervasive with everyone present at the wedding (including the pastor, catering staff, and invited guests), however the person in charge at Stone Manor Country Club is not like any those attributes would think are a given with how to treat strangers.

The Good: The bride and groom were so sweet, and unique. They were very dedicated church goers, friends, and dedicated to their respective fields of work. Their pastor, Hugo Cheng, from Chinese Bible Church of Maryland was so kind and eloquent. It may come as a shock to no one, but I'm not always a fan of church (or pastoral) weddings, but this man had such a unique and beautiful take on love, marriage, marriage vows, and life, that I could have listened to him talk for hours. In fact I sought out some of his sermons in the weeks after!

I felt welcomed into their community instantly even though I am not a very big church fan, and I know virtually no Chinese. But I had a blast all day.

The bad: This venue has someone in charge who is just simply put... An asshole. This is SIMPLY my opinion, not fact. But whenever I see I'm talking to clients about photographing at this venue, I immediately dread having to interface with this guy. The very first thing he ever said to me was "are you a guest of the inn?" to which I said "no" wondering why he's just being an immediate dick to me. Then he said "you need to mover your car to the lawn out front." And I said "oh okay I'll do that after I drop my heavy stuff off" he then said "No I meant you have to move your car NOW". FIRST INSTANCE. Others, I was reviewing the ceremony with the pastor and he just interrupts me and tells me I'm wasting everyone's time. He really sucks. Again, this is my opinion. It's not meant to slander or harm in any way other than to shed light on my personal experiences. None of that was made up.

Anyway. Aside from all that, this wedding was super special, and I hope you enjoy the photos!

Love,

E