Every now & again you may find yourself in a situation you’ve never seen before. The past few weeks I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be a part of a few firsts.
This past weekend I stood beside one of my dearest friends as he married the woman of his dreams (and trust me, she’s way out of his league!). For the first time I was privileged to be a Best Man. I likely bugged him to death as I ensured he was taken care of. But when his bride, Amber, walked down the aisle I felt like a 7th school girl as tears were pouring down my cheeks. It was all too much to process. There I was standing alongside several friends, among which are some of my closest, & I rejoiced with such enthusiasm as Ismael took Amber’s hand in marriage. It was one of my proudest moments! For a brief moment all distractions subsided, I lost concern of myself & was able to concentrate on them. Such are the joys of life!
Here’s the beautiful couple just after the ceremony (taken with my camera phone).
Another first happened at Ish & Amber’s wedding. As a gift, Ismael bought all the groomsmen matching ties to be worn during the wedding. Accidentally, one of the groomsmen left his tie at the hotel. Ish was planning on wearing a bow-tie during the wedding & had brought two to choose from. So, I offered my tie to the other groomsman & I wore the other bow-tie. It was the first time in my life I’ve worn an actual bowtie (maybe with the exception of a tux). But this time it was for real… it had to be tied. And, I’ll just go ahead & tell you, there’s an art to tying a bow-tie. Thankfully, one of the bridesmaids came to the rescue. I was rather excited about wearing the bow-tie & because of my nerdy glasses, I was referred to from thenceforth as “The Professor.” Pics coming soon!
Last, I wanted to share with you an event I photographed about two weeks ago. Approximately a year ago, Van Sliger aka “Vango”, became one of my good friends. I ran into Van on several occasions as he attended a few events I led worship for. One evening I finally had the opportunity to invite him to attend our men’s fellowship/accountability group. He quickly became a core part of our community as he possesses a rare ability to fuse biblical wisdom & humor. His wisdom is uncanny & he’s the kind of friend anyone would only wish for. One early Wednesday morning, Van told us of a promise he made to his late best friend. Just before his friend’s passing, he made Van promise that he’d do stand up comedy at least one time. Van held true to his promise & on September 23, he did stand up for two back-to-back shows, “Comedy with a Point.” Scores of folks attended, showing incredible support & applause for “Vango”. And let me tell you, Van had the crowd in stitches. I was fortunate to share this occasion with my friend & capture images from his night in the lights.
My brother from another mother was also present, Mr. Jason Wallis. Jason primed the audience with his humor & offered an unforgettable introduction for Vango.
Some crowd pics I captured during Vango’s routine.
by Ben Finch
1 comment
Ismael - Yeah and My Boy Looked good in that bow tie. You made need to wear one more often!!! Thanks for everything.