Hitting it off with our photographer

For those who don't know me that well, I'm kind of superstitious. I wish on clocks when it's 11:11, think it's funny that Greg's area code is the same as his birthday, and will buy almost anything when it's the last one in my size. It's some combo of  fate + kismit + meant to be.

So when I was hunting for a photographer and found Sean Walker, it was only fitting that he started his business after a stint in minor-league baseball. And loyal readers will know how much we love baseball, and it seems to love us back. He got injured after a few years and decided to make the hobby he'd developed on the road into a new career. (He's been booked every weekend this summer and into October!)

The phone calls I've had with Sean start out with poking fun at our Washington Nationals, hoping the best for his San Diego Padres and eventually talking about shooting the wedding. When we finally met him for our engagement photos, we could tell that his personality was a great fit. He's energetic, spunky and down to earth. When he blogged about our session, he even extended an invitation to a game. (Alas, we won't be back in SD until Thanksgiving.)

His ease with making us comfortable in front of the camera could be chalked up to him having been there before; he and his wife, Brianne (who will be our second shooter), were models for a Jessica Claire photography workshop this year in SoCal. :)

Aren't they adorable?!
(source)

And when you couldn't think things could get bigger than being a baseball player then starting your own business ... Sean and Brianne are expecting their first child! They had the most genius idea for finding out whether they're having a boy or girl, and it involved this:

Seriously, the coolest idea! (source)

You must check out the result (and more fun pics) of their gorgeous party on their personal blog.

Greg and I wish Sean and Brianne the best of luck with what life's got in store and can't wait for them to shoot the wedding!

Love and baseball schedules

We've been anxiously awaiting the release of the 2011 MLB schedule, which finally came out tonight.

About halfway through this season, we bought full season tickets for the rest of the year at Nationals Park, which came after my mostly-in-jest battle with the Nationals ticketing office and Sharon's discovery that she has a favorite baseball team. Between then and now, we've acquired about 12 Nationals T-shirts (Sharon has one each for pitchers Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard and yet another urging the Nats to Let Teddy Win), five or six ballcaps (one of which Sharon got Clippard to sign during a blood drive), two balls I caught during batting practice (one of which Sharon later got pitcher Doug Slaten to sign when she spotted him in plainclothes in the stands during his suspension), two or three songs from iTunes that the players use when they come to bat (the full list is here; my favorite is "Prrrrum" for Alberto Gonzalez, despite the fact that Cosculluela appears to be wearing a Pirates hat in the music video, though I am also partial to Pudge's early '90s "Check Yo Self" goodness), numerous gross-out moments from Adam Kennedy's disgusting habit of spitting his chewing tobacco into his hand and then tossing it into the outfield after reaching base, and various other Nationals knick-knacks.

So, yeah, we've grown to like the team a fair bit.

We're definitely going to renew our season tickets for next year, but we haven't decided yet between the full or half season plan. One big consideration was whether we'd have to miss a bunch of home games around our June 4 wedding in San Francisco (and also have to find a way to dispose of the tickets). We were planning to get to California a few days before and then maybe take a weeklong honeymoon.

Turns out, the Nationals will be on an 11-game road trip (their longest of the season) at precisely that time. Sharon noticed this and was blown away. Then I pointed out the cities where the team would be traveling: Phoenix (where Sharon first worked out of college and where she got her surprise proposal), San Francisco (Sharon's hometown and our wedding locale), and San Diego (my hometown and unanimous best city in America). Not to mention that NL East teams only visit each NL West team once a year, making the scheduling fluke that much more unlikely.

I'm not usually one for signs, but this coincidence makes me incredibly happy. I can't wait for another season at the ballpark with my all-time favorite seatmate.

Behold, the vanishing white tie!

Creative Commons photo from babiegirl on Flickr.

Sharon and I noticed a trend when looking through various wedding blogs and suit shops: a lot of grooms dig the white-tie, white-vest, white-shirt combo.

Check it out for yourself on Google Images (it was the least biased way I could think of demonstrating this); at least half the guys have white ties. Here's another example (full post) from a wedding that our photographer shot.

Each time, I think: where is the tie? Oh, there it is! You just have to look very close.

I understand that weddings are extremely bride-centric, and that, yes, the man's all-white ensemble does technically match the white dress, but it all makes the groom fade into the background.

Some alternative ideas that I'm exploring:

(1) Match your tie to your suit (example picture and full post), and have the groomsmen wear a different color tie.

(2) Match all the ties to the bridesmaids' dresses, and have the groomsmen wear a different color shirt (example picture and full post).

Finally, lest any of you question my fashion sense, let it be known that I've been rockin' the sexy ever since high school, as the below photo attests.