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.