Maxwell 48: The Maxwellhood of the Traveling Vest

[NancyDrewFan1989]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

The very worst hanging wedding dresses were the Bowers girls hanging theirs in a fucking tree. It was so weird.

That was one of the worst weddings photographed I have seen. So many of the photos outside were overexposed with light in the cornfields. In some of the photos the Cassidy and Lina's dresses seemed to blend in with the light. I can't help but wonder what the photographer was thinking or if either couple had a say in the editing of their wedding portraits. Then again, I just went to the Bowers and Bontragers wedding photographer website and many of the wedding portraits are bright and way overexposed. Definitely, not my cup of tea, but it could be someone elses.

7 hours ago, ClareDeLune said:

I can hardly believe they didn't make mothers day all about Gigi. Well they are very self-absorbed so I can believe it but oh god. Their elderly grandma lived alone and survived a pandemic; they should be kissing the ground she walks on and making it all about how thankful they are to God for her!  But she is Teri's mother not Steve's mother so no flowers for Gigi.

Gigi does so much for the Maxwell's as well. She actively participates and buys things for their gatherings if they ask. Gigi deserves so much more recognition than the Maxwell's give her. The should be kissing the ground she walks on every day of the year and be grateful that she puts up with Steve's crap because she genuinely loves her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

[Ozlsn]

15 hours ago, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

It took me a few seconds to realize the groom in he last photo was praying. I couldn't figure out what he was doing nor can I figure out why Christopher thought this was a good wedding photo to take of the groom.

My first thought was "buck's night should have been the weekend before" which I think proves that I am heathen. 

18 hours ago, kpmom said:

How many of you got dressed at the wedding venue?

I've been in three weddings and never gotten dressed at the venue. First one the bride and bridesmaids stayed in a cottage and got ready there before travelling to the winery where the wedding was held, second I got dressed after getting my hair done at the motel where I was staying with my boyfriend then met the bride and other bridesmaids at the (quite small) house they'd rented near the winery venue (yes, there is a theme here), my own wedding we hired a motel room close to the venue (not a winery) and the bridesmaids got dressed there. I don't know of anyone who has gotten dressed at the venue unless they were staying there now I think about it.

[Austrian Atheist]

I want to make fun of Christopher's pictures* but at the same time I feel sorry for him. I wonder how the sons are supposed to provide for their ever growing "crews" and fulfill all those high standards and strict rules of Steve at the same time. In every normal job you have business contacts to heathens and females (or worse: female heathens!). Would it even cross Christopher's mind to join a photography class with other people outside their bubble? At least Joseph and Jesse seem to maintain a low profile for their e-commerce software business. They even have non-Maxwell employees. But it's a mystery for me how the older two brothers make enough money for at least six children.

 

*

Spoiler

https://blog.titus2.com/2011/06/15/maxwell-photo-shoot/

 

[SPHASH]

1 hour ago, Austrian Atheist said:

I want to make fun of Christopher's pictures* but at the same time I feel sorry for him. I wonder how the sons are supposed to provide for their ever growing "crews" and fulfill all those high standards and strict rules of Steve at the same time. In every normal job you have business contacts to heathens and females (or worse: female heathens!). Would it even cross Christopher's mind to join a photography class with other people outside their bubble? At least Joseph and Jesse seem to maintain a low profile for their e-commerce software business. They even have non-Maxwell employees. But it's a mystery for me how the older two brothers make enough money for at least six children.

 

*

  Hide contents

https://blog.titus2.com/2011/06/15/maxwell-photo-shoot/

 

This photo shoot was god awful too.

https://blog.titus2.com/2018/03/12/newborn-maxwell-photos/

[HereticHick]

42 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

This photo shoot was god awful too.

https://blog.titus2.com/2018/03/12/newborn-maxwell-photos/

But didn't Sarah do that one?

[SunnySide]

7 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

My first thought was "buck's night should have been the weekend before" which I think proves that I am heathen. 

I've been in three weddings and never gotten dressed at the venue. First one the bride and bridesmaids stayed in a cottage and got ready there before travelling to the winery where the wedding was held, second I got dressed after getting my hair done at the motel where I was staying with my boyfriend then met the bride and other bridesmaids at the (quite small) house they'd rented near the winery venue (yes, there is a theme here), my own wedding we hired a motel room close to the venue (not a winery) and the bridesmaids got dressed there. I don't know of anyone who has gotten dressed at the venue unless they were staying there now I think about it.

I have only ever been in weddings that were held in churches. For every wedding we dressed at the churches. I am not sure if this is just unique to my region or faith, or if this is common for most houses of worship/other parts of the US. Each church had a special dressing area with restrooms, chairs, and vanity mirrors. Our dresses were brought to us there from someone who had picked them up at the cleaners where they had been professionally pressed. Our dresses (and the brides) stayed perfectly nice that way. We had eaten our lunch, done hair and makeup before dressing to lessen the chances of any accidents. The guys also got dressed at the church and keeping with tradition they were on opposite sides of the building so the bride and groom didn’t see each other before the ceremony. 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

2 hours ago, Austrian Atheist said:

I want to make fun of Christopher's pictures* but at the same time I feel sorry for him. I wonder how the sons are supposed to provide for their ever growing "crews" and fulfill all those high standards and strict rules of Steve at the same time. In every normal job you have business contacts to heathens and females (or worse: female heathens!). Would it even cross Christopher's mind to join a photography class with other people outside their bubble? At least Joseph and Jesse seem to maintain a low profile for their e-commerce software business. They even have non-Maxwell employees. But it's a mystery for me how the older two brothers make enough money for at least six children.

 

*

  Reveal hidden contents

https://blog.titus2.com/2011/06/15/maxwell-photo-shoot/

 

Like Jesse, Christopher works for Joseph. I think Nathan has a business, too, but I'm not sure what. 

[browngrl]

Some things struck me about Christopher's photos: 

1. he does not pay attention to detail - or at least attention to the details I think are important eg. the off centre dress, the cleaning products

2. When it comes to women he often take side profile pictures or pictures where the focus is on a thing eg rings, flowers. He seems to include a fair number of pictures of people walking away. I suspect he is trying to capture some spontaneity but to me it just reads like someone who is too shy or introverted to look someone in the face. 

3. His pictures more often than not seem to have a melancholy or gloomy ambience. The difference between his photos and Alison Bontrager's wedding photos is startling. The photos taken by the Bontrager photographer seem full of light - not so Christophers. 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by browngrl
wrote "two things" but then went on to talk about "three things" so I changed it to "some things"

[anjulibai]

I think it considers himself to be journalistic, so he doesn't do a lot of staging. But any journalistic photographer knows it's important to set up a shot well. They just practice it a lot so that they get good at doing it quickly. 

[Foudeb]

That picture of the groom praying looks like he is vomiting and someone photoshopped an armchair over the toilet. 

[Alisamer]

21 minutes ago, Foudeb said:

That picture of the groom praying looks like he is vomiting and someone photoshopped an armchair over the toilet. 

It looks just like that, but also has an air of "dear God what have I committed to please get me out of this!" It definitely doesn't look joyful or wedding like. 

[nausicaa]

On 5/26/2021 at 11:43 AM, Maggie Mae said:

I know! I think this is also one of @nelliebelle1197 or @nausicaa's pet peeves. (I can't remember which one of you always complains about this. Sorry!)

It me. 

It just so perfectly demonstrates how much Chris sees the function without the form ( bit of a problem in a photographer...)

My sister was a VERY part-time wedding photographer and she kept a nice hanger in her car in case the bride hadn't received one of those personalized hangers as a gift. 

[Exchange Atheist]

So many of those pictures are unintentionally funny. Not that I would be able to take better pictures, but, you know, I’m not pretending to be a photographer either. And I bet that even I would be able to straighten crooked candles before I take their picture.
 

Spoiler

 

This is not okay. Everything in this picture is off-center! Also, it looks like a flyer for a funeral home.

 

Spoiler

This kind of looks like one of those optical illusion rooms which are supposed to make people look like they’re wildly different heights. What is that door? What is it with that weird overhang under the stairs, why is ihre wall a different color there? Why is there a lightswitch beautifully cantered in the picture? Is the groom out of breath from running from the evil demons of dancing and fun? Just, why.

Okay, had a thought. Maybe they just don’t want to spoil the first look but also really wanted to at least hold each other’s hand before the ceremony. That’s kind of sweet, so I’ll go with that. Horrible photo to capture the sentiment, though.   

Spoiler

Not only did the groom bury his head in an office chair, he also slammed it against the door? It can’t be that hard to get a better shot!

 

[Ozlsn]

I'm guessing both the last two photos were praying ones, but seriously they are not good representations of prayer. I hope they are meaningful to the couple at least.

2 hours ago, SunnySide said:

The guys also got dressed at the church and keeping with tradition they were on opposite sides of the building so the bride and groom didn’t see each other before the ceremony. 

Heh, we managed that by being a 15 minute drive away from each other for most of the day. I still occasionally faux-whinge that my husband just mucked around* and had lunch with the groomsmen before getting ready in 5 minutes flat when the bridal party spent all day preparing, starting with hair at 8.30am! He did see me in the morning before I left though - we didn't bother moving one of us out for one day.

*they did go and collect the cars. Via mini-golf I think.

[SPHASH]

3 hours ago, HereticHick said:

But didn't Sarah do that one?

I think Sarah just did Joe and Elissa's kids but assisted Chris with his family.  Joe and Elissa's aren't as bad as Chris and 2Anna's.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

20 hours ago, SassyPants said:

About Abby not looking happy... and this is not a knock on Abby, but more an indication of how odd and dysfunction the Maxwell’s’ approach is. Abby does not really fit in with how Steve likes to portray the family. All of the women tend to be dainty, exercise fiends, and Abby has a totally different frame. I hope to Bob that Steve does not make nasty comments or attempt to counsel her. She is at a tender, impressionable age. I hope the adults in that family are nothing but kind, loving and accepting of Abby for who she is and not who they think that she should be. Eff all that control, control, control and self deprivation.

Only problem is Steve is probably doing that already. There is little doubt in my mind that he being a control freak about who she hangs out with and what she does. I get the feeling Steve is working overtime to keep the married Maxwell kidults who haven’t left the compound under his thumb. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

4 hours ago, SPHASH said:

I think Sarah just did Joe and Elissa's kids but assisted Chris with his family.  Joe and Elissa's aren't as bad as Chris and 2Anna's.

Sarah was in Joe and Elissa's wedding. I believe she shot some of the groomsmen and Chris shot the bridesmaids. Anna Marie mentioned she's assisted Chris in the past. Probably for the family photos she took them. Maybe that's why Joe and Elissa's are not so bad compared to others because Anna Marie (might've) been the one behind the camera. Sarah has done photography in the past, but she seems to be focused more on newborn and family photoshoots and only does weddings when Christopher asks her to assist him. Sarah's photography is a lot better than Chris's. 

5 hours ago, Exchange Atheist said:

So many of those pictures are unintentionally funny. Not that I would be able to take better pictures, but, you know, I’m not pretending to be a photographer either. And I bet that even I would be able to straighten crooked candles before I take their picture.
 

  Hide contents

 

This is not okay. Everything in this picture is off-center! Also, it looks like a flyer for a funeral home.

 

  Hide contents

This kind of looks like one of those optical illusion rooms which are supposed to make people look like they’re wildly different heights. What is that door? What is it with that weird overhang under the stairs, why is ihre wall a different color there? Why is there a lightswitch beautifully cantered in the picture? Is the groom out of breath from running from the evil demons of dancing and fun? Just, why.

Okay, had a thought. Maybe they just don’t want to spoil the first look but also really wanted to at least hold each other’s hand before the ceremony. That’s kind of sweet, so I’ll go with that. Horrible photo to capture the sentiment, though.   

  Hide contents

Not only did the groom bury his head in an office chair, he also slammed it against the door? It can’t be that hard to get a better shot!

 

Is anyone else wondering if the bride and groom aske for a full refund because Chris made their wedding photos look like a dark comedy sketch for a wedding following a funeral?

[molecule]

OMG. The annual mulching post shows Melanie and her girls wearing pants.

Edited: I knew it was too good to be true. Now that I can enlarge the pictures, I see that they're wearing short skirts over the pants.

Edited May 28, 2021 by molecule
Oops

[clese]

Pants!!!

That's all I came here to say..

[sableduck]

I frankly have a sneaking suspicion Melanie and her girls do wear pants, especially around her family, but it will never be shown on the blog.

[Jana814]

12 minutes ago, sableduck said:

I frankly have a sneaking suspicion Melanie and her girls do wear pants, especially around her family, but it will never be shown on the blog.

I hope you are right about them wearing pants. 

[Captain Obvious]

1 hour ago, molecule said:

OMG. The annual mulching post shows Melanie and her girls wearing pants.

Edited: I knew it was too good to be true. Now that I can enlarge the pictures, I see that they're wearing short skirts over the pants.

No they're not. 

Well - Melanie and Bethany are wearing skirts on top, but Abby and Christina are wearing jeans, no overskirt. So is Chelsy.  Actually that's not Chelsy. Don't know who the woman in the coral colour tee-shirt and jeans is. 

I don't think it's necessarily as much of a big deal as we think. There's an area of grey where pants are acceptable for physical activities, even if Sarah, Anna and Mary don't ever wear them. I'm sure there'd still be hell to pay if a granddaughter or daughter-in-law ever wore them for church or Sunday family dinner, though. 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Captain Obvious

[Lgirlrocks]

It was either two different days or Melanie changed. In one picture she is in pants with  a T-shirt, in the other she has leggings and a skirt on with a different shirt. 

[deborahlynn1979]

Definitely two different days. ALL of them are wearing jeans in the first pictures. It made me so happy to see!

[Markie]

The mulching was on two different days. The first one, Melanie and her daughters wore jeans. On the second, when they worked with Steve and Teri and had pizza, they wore skirts over leggings.