This has been such a fun year for the McKinleys! Not only did I just get to do an engagement session for one cousin, I got to do a maternity for my other cousin! <3 <3  What a fun season in life I am so happy for my family and it was an absolute joy to sweat my booty off with these gorgeous people at the gardens :D  I can't wait to meet baby Coe and I don't think Emily could look any more beautiful <3 

Bride Dakota's day started with her crew at Shama's Salon and Spa. The ladies arrived to The Stables looking glamorous in matching personalized robes with their hair and make up completed. Dakota wore a stunning bright white strapless gown with a  sweetheart neckline, lace on the bodice, a stunning beaded and jeweled belt, and layers of tulle with sequence accents to match her sparkling Kate Spade Keds. Dakota's overall look was simple elegance with her long beautiful hair softly curled with a romantic baby's breath and rose crown. 

This ridiculously cute couple is one of my 2020 wedding couples and I couldn't be more excited! They were so sweet and fun as we explored some downtown alleys and played in a tall grassy field. I'm looking forward to photographing them again next June!! 

This session is extra special friends <3 Austin is my husband's cousin, and I am so excited for him and Jocelyn as they prepare for their wedding next year! I was so happy when they invited us down to visit them at their home in German Village. It is so nice to get out of little old Lima and explore. I literally walked one block from their porch and was like "we could do the whole session right here" lol. We didn't, we did walk around a bit, but boooooyyyyy was it hot and humid, we were all dripping (well except Jocelyn, she was perfect) so we opted to not walk all the way to the park as planned. But honestly we didn't need to, German Village is AMAZING <3 

A little backstory to the lightbulb image above; about two years ago Jocelyn had given Austin the lightbulb jar as a random gift and told him he could write all his brilliant ideas down on the scroll inside.  He was thinking about how he knew he wanted to marry her one day, so he decided to write it down and see how it felt..  he kept it in his drawer for the next two years. This past February they we were listening to "Harvest Moon" in their kitchen with their cats while drinking wine and he pulled the light bulb out. He explained to her how he’s always known. When she opened the lightbulb to see what it said inside, he got down on one knee with the ring.

OH. MY. GOSH!! Isn't that the sweetest story!!!! <3 <3 I am such a sucker for good love stories.

Let me introduce one of my 2020 couples!!! Kirstin and Zach hung out with me last month and have been super patient rock stars allowing my current weddings to cut the "Blog line" :) I tell you these two... once we got past that first weird 15-20 minutes, and when I say weird, it's not them being weird, it just takes some time to get used to snuggling and kissing in front of the camera on random public streets. Anyway once we got past that, these two were snuggling pros! Excited to see them tie the knot next June! 

We arrived to Brooke's house where she and her 11 bridesmaids were all a buzz with wedding preparations. There were girls in the most adorable matching personalized shorts scattered everywhere laughing and chatting, applying makeup and having hair done by the talented Guys and Dolls team.

Brooke wore a stunning lace and beaded gown with a V-neckline, shear tattoo back lined with buttons, and a beautiful train. Her hair was pulled elegantly up at the nape of her neck, adorned with a beautiful hair piece and finished with a beaded fingertip veil tucked up underneath. 

Amy and her crew got ready on site at Shady Brook Acres in their bridal cottage. As we arrived makeup and hair was in full swing and there were fans galore trying to keep everyone cool on what was going to be an obviously hot day! It wasn't long after I grabbed Amy's details and started capturing these special little things that I had acquired an audience. Amy's daughter and one of her daughters-to-be joined me and boy were they sweet and fun to chat with. My favorite convo bit was about Amy's ring when her daughter asked if Todd had picked that out for her and said, "Ya, Todd is ALWAYS doing nice things for her" <3

Amy's dress was gorgeous y'all! She brilliantly opted for a dress with no train which was perfect for a toasty outdoor wedding. Her gown had a deep V neckline, keyhole back, and beautiful beading all over the bodice. Her hair was elegantly swept up and finished with a delicate flower hair piece. 

These high school sweethearts were sent to me by Ruby's cousin (THANKS Shea!!) They traveled down to me from Toledo and boy did we have fun! I love how they laugh together, act goofy together, make random silly faces, and are just dang cute <3 They were seriously down for anything and even followed me into a field of waist high grass as I was having minor panic attacks lol. I didn't used to be this way but it felt the same as when I am in water that I can't see my feet in! I think if I had worn more than shorts and flip flops it may have been different, but every step and every time my bag rustled the grass behind me I thought I was about to be eaten lol. I am so excited for this couple to get married this October! It's going to be such a fun time <3 

On opposite sides of the church, both Monica and Chris prepped for their wedding day. The ladies chatting away while applying makeup, and the guys were hanging out being guys while passing the time on teeny tiny purple chairs in a kid's classroom :) 

Chris was dressed all in black except his olive green tie and suspenders. His  groomsmen were similarly dressed but wore a white tie instead. The littlest guy of the bunch was perfectly dressed for his duties of ring security, complete with a brief case and ID badge! 

Monica wore a gorgeous satin gown with beautiful embroidery and bead details. Her makeup was classically beautiful and her hair was worn down in loose curls. She wore a simple finger tip veil, diamond stud earrings and gold wedges. 

The bridesmaids wore different dresses all in the same olive green coloring.  Tying everyone together was the beautiful and detailed Mehndi adorning their hands.  

Did you know you can split a 2 hour Senior Session into two seasons?? That is exactly what Kaitlyn one of our 2019 Senior Models did! She was able to get a beautiful snow session (View Here) and a stunning Spring session too! I loved her HAT it just pulled this whole session together...that and her awesome posing skills! <3 

Bridal prep took place at the ceremony site, the Allen East Community Center in Harrod, Ohio. This building used to be the school and they still have original carpet lol...gotta love that vibrant green! We arrived to a classroom full of ladies in sweet matching robes getting beautified for the day while snacking on berries. The ladies wore dusty blue dresses varying in style. Sabrina wore a gorgeous V-neck, pocketed (I love pockets!) lace gown, lace heels, and a delicate belt. She wore her hair half up in loose curls, with two beautiful hair combs and a finger tip veil with lace accents.  Her jewelry was simple with a single pearl necklace and pearl drop earrings. 

We met multiple times at different parties but never really hit it off. One of us was always dating another person. In December 2014, I was planning a girl's night with my best friend, Amy full of sweats, wine, and chic flicks. Plans changed when I got to Amy's house. Amy said, "Hey, we are going to go to dinner with Moyer. He's bored and wants to hang out." Begrudgingly, I agreed and made Amy give me a nice sweater to borrow and made her do my hair and make up.

We met up at a Mexican restaurant in Bellefontaine, had dinner and a couple drinks. After dinner, Jason wanted to show us both his soon to be new house. We ventured over to his new place with a bottle of wine in hand. We stood in the kitchen listening to music and talking well into the hours of the morning. The rest is history. There have been very few days since that day that we have spent apart.

On February 23rd 2018, Jason's parents came over for dinner. They left around 9:30pm or so. Jason and I started cleaning up the kitchen. We had some Valentine's day candy laying around and one of the pieces reminded me of when I was a kid. I start rambling on and on about this story of why it reminded me of my childhood while I'm putting things in the refrigerator when Jason disappears. I yelled and said, "Hey buddy, this kitchen isn't clean yet! You better get back in here to help me out!"

In a few seconds, Jason came back into the kitchen and dropped to his knee. He was nervous and shaking like a leaf. He asked me to marry him! I thought he was kidding at first, but said yes as soon as I realized he was not kidding! Here we are, and could not be any more excited to be married! #makingamoyer #themoyerthemerrier #KellyMoyerWedding

Murraya and her girls got ready at a friends house close to the venue then ventured over to put on Murraya's finishing details. Murraya wore a form fitting lace gown with a full shear back and shear accents across the neckline and front of the bodice. Her hair was elegantly swept up at the nape of her neck and adorned with a delicate beaded accent and topped off with a gorgeous cathedral length veil. She wore beautiful drop earrings and an eclectic collection of bracelets that tied the look all together. 

Guys I am so excited to share this years model shoot with you!! This year we teamed up with Wonderfully Made Boutique for the styling and once again the talented Beauty by Jill team for makeup and hair. Wonderfully Made Boutique is a trendy & affordable boutique located in the historic downtown of Wapakoneta OH &  Bluffton, OH, the home of Bluffton University.  They pride themselves on helping customers discover their personal style all while staying on a budget.  They are a faith-based business who loves Jesus, fashion & building relationships with their customers.  Beauty By Jill is a salon offering all hair services, facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, body waxing, and private spa parties. If you haven't checked them out make sure to do so!

Once again thanks to our vendors and GORGEOUS models the shoot turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself! 

So if you follow my work...you know I tend to shoot a lot of serious face photos. Lindsay could totally rock a serious face, but it just didn't fit her! Some people are just meant to smile all the way through their sessions <3 So that's what we did.  I loved working with Lindsay and her sweet momma was trying to hold back the tears. I already know I am going to be such a mess when my kids get to this stage in life. My favorite thing from this session... hearing her sweet momma say to Lindsay something along the lines of, "Wow. You are just so beautiful, I know you are beautiful, but I don't get to just sit and stare at you all the time like this, you are so so beautiful." <3 That's right momma she is beautiful and you made that!! Enjoy that beauty!   

Hannah + Tyler had a short & sweet intimate mid-week ceremony surrounded by family and friends at the gorgeous Jameson Manor, followed by a moment of celebration in the courtyard with a few delicious desserts. Hannah's mom (Gigi's Cake Pops) made the cake pops and they were SOOO YUMMY!!! 

Ja'Kyra….. girl you are beautiful! You mastered the serious look and the laugh... you're a pro!  Thanks for taking the long (and pokey) route through the field when there was a clear path only 6 feet from us lol. 

It is 70 degrees today....so I feel a little weird sharing this snowy maternity but it is the last winter session I have to share folks! So I promise all blogs from here on out are going to be headed in the right direction weather wise! 

Daphna, Daphna, Daphna....girl you are gorgeous!! This is the 2nd maternity that I have had the honor of capturing for this family and this time we got to include their sweet boy. AHHH I love how these turned out <3 <3

Kaitlyn, one of our 2019 Senior Models, wanted snow.... SHE GOT IT!! Are her red lips not PERFECT?? This shoot was not easy because of the cold but Kaitlyn pulls it of like a pro <3 

Have I mentioned that I love my job??? Dakota & Marcus are another one of my sweet and amazing bridal couples. They invited me up to Wildwood for their session and I was super excited since I had just photographed a wedding there a couple of months prior. Listen, this is a beautiful park, but the love these two have and how sweet they are to each other was all we needed for their awesome session <3 I can't wait for July to join them for their big day!! 

One of my fav families added a little one recently!! I can't wait to meet their little boy <3 I am sure little Brooklyn is the best big sister. And can we just take a moment to obsess over how GORGEOUS Jenilee is????? [Sigh] I wish I had looked an eighth as stunning as her....I did not... and that is all we will say about that lol. One of the fun things about Jenilee is she is always thinking of cool things to try and pushes me to think outside the box. When she approached me about the backlit picture I was 100% onboard and had actually just shot one like that in the rain and was super excited to try it again.

​OH! One last thing I want to talk about is sweet Brooklyn and what a trooper that girl was!!!!!!!!! OH. MY. GOODNESS it was so windy and SOOO cold and she did not complain once. At one point she sat on my chair in the middle of a field huddled under one of my blankets just singing all kinds of songs. Gosh I love her <3 

This girl made it so easy <3 We split her 2 hour session into two days about a month apart. For the second session her boyfriend who was home visiting from boot camp joined us. THEY ARE SO CUTE!!! 

Ummmm Taylor Swift's doppelgänger????? I am sure she is tired of hearing that but it hit me mid-way through her session and I just couldn't keep it in 😬😳

When Caitlin contacted me she said, "I don't know where I want my pictures taken but I know it has to be inside because I have bangs and I don't want them blowing around" I was like...I know JUST THE PLACE!!  (Btw it was a good call on her part it was windy as HECK the day of her shoot lol)

Y'all!!!! I am getting so excited for this wedding season that is coming up! We are only about a month out from my first wedding related photography and I am itching to get back at it! 

This is Kylie & Ryan one of my August couples for this year. Guys they are seriously the sweetest! We were struggling to find some fall color for their session. I swear the fall colors have been so unpredictable these last couple years. Thankfully Kylie had spotted some amazing reds while on a walk at Heritage park earlier that week! So we started downtown and then rushed over to the park to catch the sun kissing the tops of the trees. I had so much fun with these two and I can't wait to capture more of their sweetness on their wedding day <3 

Who's cold??? Silly question right? Ohmergersh it is ridiculous out there. I am currently cuddled under my heated blanket at my desk longing for the warmth we had during this October session. Yes, they have had their pictures for a long time :) I've just been backed up on the blog end... sorry guys!!

​I cannot tell you enough how FUN this couple is!!!! I was laughing the whole time! Veronica can go from a stunning serious model look to hilarious silly faces in 1 second flat! These two flow together so naturally you would think I hired some models for a styled shoot. Loved every second of their session and literally cannot wait till their wedding this fall!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3