1 Comment
Carey, Ohio | Basilica of Our Lady Consolation | Bluffton, Ohio | The Centre | Maag Wedding11/16/2021 the love story [as told by Jenna]We met mainly because of my sister Alex and where we were working, which was in the ER at St. Rita’s. I pursued him because I knew he wasn’t going to. Our mode of conversation was Snapchat because I didn’t have his number and he wasn’t on any other social media. I got his Snapchat and added him as a friend. I had swiped up on him when he posted a picture of his cat. Haha The first 3 days we talked about animals. And then he finally figured out I was interested in him so we moved the conversation more about each other. One night after work, he walked me out to my car and asked me out on a date. It was HANDS DOWN the best first date of my life. And I knew it was my last first date. Terner felt this way too. Fast forward almost 3 months, he proposed to me in front of my family and it everything I had dreamed of. Since then, we have spent the last 2 years wedding planning and enjoying each other. bridal prepBridal preparations took place at the Crossroads Church. The ladies lounged in one of the classrooms munching on subway and other goodies as they all had their hair and makeup done. Jenna wore a gorgeous pocketed, sleeveless, A-line satin gown. The neckline was a plunging V with a sheer modesty panel. The back dropped halfway down her back where a line of buttons ran all the way down the entire dress. The final touches were the beautiful beaded belt with a large bow on the back. Her hair was beautifully curled and swept up with a stunning jeweled hair piece and a cathedral length veil with lace edges. She wore strappy white heels, a gold bracelet, pearl necklace, and pearl drop earrings.
bridal prep Ashley and her bridesmaids sipped on mimosas in SoSerene’s beautiful bridal suite as the prepped for Ashley’s big day. Ashley wore a stunning white with blush undertones, A-line gown with a sweetheart neckline and teeny tiny delicate beaded straps. The back dropped midway down her back where a sheer panel met a short line of buttons. Her hair was half down, the upper half was swept up into a romantic intricate braid. Her look was competed with a pair of white Vans sneakers, a gold heart necklace, and a cathedral length veil covered in pearls. Ashley a bundle of nerves would burst into tears anytime someone told her how beautiful she was. She asked us to tell her she was hideous instead. Always wanting to please I did not hesitate lol. The trick worked perfectly allowing her to laugh instead. She was EVERYTHING but hideous <3
Osgood, Indiana | St. Catherine of Siena | The Saint Florian Reception Center | Fasbinder Wedding10/5/2021 bridal prep I'll be honest... I was a little nervous the 24 hours leading up to this wedding. I typically don't listen to weather apps until the morning of and even then if it's calling for rain I am usually willing a break in the rain into the universe. However this wedding was 2 hours and 40 minutes away and they were calling for rain allll day. I spent all afternoon the day before strolling the streets of Indiana on Google map street view trying to find pretty covered areas! Thankfully though, the weather did shift for us, and we only had a few surprise pop ups we had to deal with!
The reception was held at The Saint Florian, an old school building that has been remodeled into a really neat venue. On the second floor they have a beautiful bridal suite where the ladies were getting ready while sipping mimosas in their matching navy robes. Brooklyn work a beautiful sleeveless, A-line gown with a gorgeous train and keyhole back. Her hair was pinned half up with a romantic braid along the side, completed with her mother's cathedral length veil and a greenery comb when the veil was not in. Her heels were stunning and covered in gems, and being a realist she had some gem covered sneakers to pop on after the ceremony [smart girl]. the love story Although COVID separated people from their family and friends, it actually brought Wesley and Haylee together. When Ohio started initiating shutdowns due to COVID, the local farmers market had to get creative in order to save their season and livelihoods. Haylee's passion for supporting local agriculture, love for her friends, and now free time in her weekend schedule allowed her to step in and help Brown Bros. Farms and VanScoy Farms grow their businesses during the pandemic. She helped them on the weekends at the drive-thru farmers market and helped create content and promote their online advertising campaigns. What Haylee thought would be a short term gig, ended up continuing for the remainder of 2020 and is how their love story began. The Proposal!! Wesley was nervous all week trying to keep Haylee out of the loop on his surprise proposal..... He suggested that they go out to dinner for Valentine's Day a week earlier since it would likely work out better for their busy schedules and not be as busy as actual Valentine's weekend. Haylee and Wes had discussed that he wouldn't propose on a holiday, so this made Haylee start to wonder if something was up... but she didn't let on that she had any hunches. Before they went to dinner, Wes suggested that they go visit his Grandad's farm that he was in the process of purchasing to see the property since Haylee had only been there a couple times. As they drove back the lane on the property, Wes had his grandmother's tree (an Eastern Redbud) decorated with hanging pictures of the two of them, string lights, and a bouquet of flowers. The ribbon he used to hang the pictures from the tree was purple to match the blooms that usually emerge in May, but since it was early February with nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground, he had to improvise. As they got out of the truck and approached the tree, Wes had a bible in his hand that he had engraved for Haylee with her new soon-to-be last name and the verse "I have found the one whom my soul loves" - Song of Solomon 3:4. He nervously got down on one knee and pulled the ring off the bookmark in the bible and proposed to the love of his life. Even though Haylee had a hunch that it was coming, she cried tears of joy, saying yes to the man of her dreams. It certainly was a picture perfect proposal and more than Haylee ever could of asked for. bridal prep Haylee + Wes chose such a gorgeous venue when they selected Little Creek Barn! Everything is stunning from the bridal suites, the ceremony space, to the lower level reception space lined with windows to view the amazing property! Haylee sprinkled sentimental elements like glitter throughout her day :) I love that she took the time to make sure that so many parts of her day held meaning. Haylee wore a stunning sleeveless, fitted gown with a shear lace tattoo back that was completed with a gorgeous line of pearl buttons that ran from the nape of her neck halfway down her dress. The sweetheart neckline fit her perfectly and the long lace train was to die for. Her hair was beautifully pinned up and finished with a delicate beaded comb and a jaw droppingly beautiful beaded cathedral length veil. Can we talk about Haylee's shoes???? Um these babies are gorgeous. I've mentioned before that there are brides that grin and bare the pain of heels and others that say "um no thank you, I'll take comfort." Many times though flats can be a little lack luster. Not these from Kailee P!! Holy moly I'm in love AND it get's better! The flower girl's shoes match... how cute is that?! Haylee chose navy and copper as her colors and her florist had to search high and low for these toffee colored roses to represent that copper color but finally found the perfect ones! The blue thistles are also special since they are Scotland’s national flower and that reminds Haylee of the time she spent there. This is the bible Wesley had made for the proposal with her new name engraved on it. She wore beautiful drop earrings with a pearl on the bottom, her grandmother's pearl necklace, and a bracelet given to her by her mother. As I read the letter her mother gave her with the bracelet I can see she gets her sentimental ways honestly. In the letter her mother explained that the pearl bracelet belonged to Haylee's grandmother but that she had added a charm. The wing of the charm represented the wings that Haylee is growing as she starts her new life, the pearl, a rare and valuable treasure should remind her that her value can never be measured, and the blue drop represents the bittersweet tears that fall from her mother's eyes but as the precious metal wraps around the stone so do her arms around Haylee and she will never be alone.... ughhhhh you guys!! Stop making me cry over here!
bridal prep Jenna + Calvin are high school sweethearts. They met when Jenna was a freshman and Calvin was a sophomore. They have been dating for 6.5 years and engaged for 3. Seriously could they be any more perfect?
Bridal preparations took place in the bridal suite and dude cave on The Buckeye Barn property. Jenna and her girls sipped on mimosas in matching black jammies while they got their hair and make up done. The guys stood around looking dapper in their suits while enjoying beer and foosball. Jenna wore a beautiful fitted gown with a sweetheart neckline, sheer lace sides, delicate beaded straps, and a plunging open back that met a small line of buttons at her waist. Her hair was curled and beautifully pinned up with a beaded finger tip veil tucked underneath. She wore a simple bracelet, drop earrings, and jeweled sandals. bridal prep Caity's bridal preparations were nostalgic for me. 14 years ago this August I was doing the same thing, in the exact same place. Ebenezer is my childhood church and I spent A LOT of time in that building. When my original wedding location got flooded 3 days prior to our wedding, Ebenezer graciously opened their doors for us to have our ceremony there.
When we arrived at the church, Brent, Caity's father, was hard at work setting up the elaborate back drop he had created for the ceremony, Wes and his guys were chilling in one of the nurseries, and Caity was munching away on some delicious smelling Subway with her girls. We got started right away on detail shots, hanging Caity's gown on a gorgeous set of doors her father had created for them to walk through. About 45 minutes before "dress on" time, Caity asked me, "Can I get my dress on now?" She was SO ready to get her day started! When the time finally came she slipped on her beautiful, cream and blush, lace, A-line gown. Her gown was sleeveless with the most delicate beaded straps I've ever seen, the back dropped mid-way down her back where a line of buttons started. Caity wore her short curly hair down with a fingertip beaded veil. Now there are three types of brides in the shoe department, the ones that don't care if their feet are screaming 2 minutes into their day, the ones that pick middle of the road heels, but are still gonna be hurting in a bit, and the ones that are ALL about comfort. Whatever category you fit in... I'm here for it and respect all of you. Caity was in the comfort category and chose a pair of white Birkenstock sandals... you go girl, it's your day, you do you! the love story as told by Brook Dallas and I originally met in high school at a county fair through mutual friends where we exchanged numbers and began dating shortly after. After dating about a year, we broke things off and went our own ways. In college, Dallas reached back out to me often to see how I was doing--mostly on birthdays or holidays--and one year asked if I'd get coffee when back in town. Since I went away for college, we did not see each other much at all after high school. Well, winter break 2017 I agreed to get lunch with Dallas one random Monday. We spent three hours at the restaurant catching up. We planned another day to see each other, and a year and a half later, he proposed. The rest is history :-) bridal prep I love when the bride and groom get ready at the same place so we can pop in and see both.
The ladies, in their matching jammies, were getting ready in the beautiful newly renovated bridal suite while listening to music, sipping on mimosas and munching on snacks. When the time came, Brook slipped into her stunning sleeveless trumpet gown. The bodice was sheer lace on the back and sides and was covered in little white beads. The back plunged to her waist where a small row of buttons continued till the skirt. Brook wore simple pearl earrings and her hair half up. Her look was completed with a gorgeous bouquet from the talented Bartz Viviano crew. The gentlemen were getting ready a floor below the ladies sipping on some beers. The groomsmen that came up to visit the ladies were very jealous of the "party" the ladies had with their music and food spread and decided to hang out a little longer up there. When it was time, Dallas in his custom made Brook face socks, put on his suit with the help of his brothers. This was hilarious 😆 after Dallas was dressed the rest of his crew decided they needed to recreate the classic bridesmaids fluffing the dress pictures, but with Dallas and his suit. Oh. My. Goodness. I love these guys they made the day so fun! Several months ago my best friend of 27 years (gosh that number can't be real 😬) called me up and said "Hey... do you want to go on a vacation, just the 4 of us? We are thinking we might just get married on the trip." UHHH, vacations are my FAVORITE thing and weddings are like my second FAVORITE thing... plus my bestie??? YES PLEASE!! We started making plans right away. However, just like most plans made in 2020, ours ended up changing too. Originally we were headed to Cancun. A month before we were supposed to head out the CDC put in place the policy of testing to get back home. None of us could risk being stuck in Mexico for 3 weeks (although if I had to quarantine that is the place I would choose!!) We ended up pushing their wedding date out a few months and changing our location to be states side. Turned out for other reasons that kept popping up this was the perfect timing and everything turned out beautifully. the details Bridal preparations started EARLY! We had decided on an early morning ceremony to catch the sunrise. This meant we needed to be out on the beach by 6:40 am!! I think we made it by 7:00 lol. Sarah wore a stunning flowy gown with a sheer lace bodice and lace up back, gold dangle earrings, and a gorgeous bracelet. Her hair was pinned up at the nape of her neck and finished with a vintage looking jeweled and feathered hair piece. For the ceremony she kept her feet bare and put on gold sandals for photos outside the hotel. May 16th is a date that will forever be special to Sarah and Keith but it is also Sarah's late grandmother's birthday. This is her grandmother's delicate ring that she wears all the time.
Lima, Ohio | St. Gerard Church | Veterans Memorial Civic + Convention Center | Clark Wedding5/2/2021 the love story They could have had a really romantic story and been High School Sweethearts. Instead they were just goofy kids, that became friends after three long years of Travis’s corny jokes and Nicole’s impatient banter. They developed something deeper in late night talks on the swings at St. Charles, through prom dates senior year. After LCC graduation, Nicole and Travis took separate paths to separate colleges. But they kept their friendship alive by reconnecting on Christmas and summer breaks, with the occasional school year visit....Then it all changed in fall of 2017. Any true Ohioan remembers the game: the Buckeyes faced a heart wrenching loss to Oklahoma. Nicole, always pretending to be a sports fan, was at Little Bar watching the game. Travis, being a real fan, was at the same bar drinking his sorrows away. So, fate had it that they ran into each other. And just like that, Travis and Nicole found their way back to each other. Drunken nights out and long text conversations soon melted into calls and FaceTimes and regular weekend visits. And somewhere between the talking and laughing, real life and love started to happen. It’s a simple story really: Boy and Girl become friends, then Boy and Girl fall in love. So, no, they aren’t high school sweethearts. But their hearts stay young and their love continues to grow. And that’s the best kind of story in their book. Oh, and remember those late night talks on the swings at St. Charles? That’s where Travis proposed to Nicole. Where the next chapter of their lives together begin, in a story they will write together: Travis adding those corny jokes, and Nicole editing them out. It's a love story that practically writes itself, with the ending we were all rooting for. bridal prep Bridal preparations for the ladies took place between Beauty by Jill Salon and The Studio on High. I can't sing enough praises about both of these vendors! The Beauty by Jill team is always quick and professional. This time Jill even called me to make sure we were all set for our EARLY and tight timeline. The Studio on High is a new AMAZING space in Lima created by a photographer friend of mine. It is a gorgeous space with beautiful natural light that can be rented by the hour. When she announced she was opening this space a few months ago I knew it was going to be the perfect place for Nicole to get in her dress! Nicole wore a stunning flowy gown, with a intricately beaded, shear bodice with a high neck line. Her shoes and earrings were a beautiful dark green. She wore her hair pinned up at the nape of her neck, finished with two delicate hair pins and a beaded fingertip veil.
the love story (told by Madison) Matias and I met in undergrad. I was his laboratory assistant for his freshman Zoology class. I immediately noticed how handsome he was but tried to keep everything strictly professional. It wasn’t until he asked me for help on his Organic Chemistry homework that things really sparked. After I sat with him at the library helping him with O-Chem, we stayed and talked until the library closed. We then moved to continue talking in the student union and talked there until it closed. Needless to say, we hit it off. He walked me to my apartment that night and asked to meet up again. Over two years quickly rolled by with countless nights laying under the stars on the soccer field just to catch up on our day, adventuring while rock-climbing and hiking, and studying hard for our future professions. A lot changed in our relationship once I went off to medical school in 2019 while Matias was still finishing his undergraduate Biology and Chemistry double-major. Yet, his intentionality in our relationship never wavered. If we could not see each other on a weekend, we Skyped. If we could not Skype, we called. We began to talk about a forever future together pretty early on in our relationship. Honestly, it just felt like a match made in Heaven <3 Valentine’s Day 2020: Matias and I had been talking about getting engaged for some time now but I KNEW it would not be Valentine’s weekend. I told Matias on Friday night that I was absolutely sure he would not propose this weekend. I told him, “I know you are not cliche enough to propose on Valentine’s Day AND I have a medical school exam on Monday. You would not be cruel enough to make me miss a day of studying.” I was wrong! Matias knew that this was the weekend I least expected, so Saturday morning (February 15), I woke up to my best friend, Kristen, knocking on my bedroom door in my apartment. She walked in and told me to “Drop everything because Matias is taking you on an adventure today!” Matias had left my apartment early that morning to create the first story of our forever future. He left notes at locations that were meaningful to us and sent me on a massive scavenger hunt to find all of the notes. Kristen was my chauffeur. Kristen gave me the first “clue” and it led us to a rock climbing gym. I had to climb a problem to get my second note. Next, the clue sent us to a public library where Matias had left a copy of the same Organic Chemistry homework that I helped him with on that first day we had talked. After that, he sent me to my favorite coffee shop and had a table reserved with a bouquet of flowers. He sent me to a local chocolate shop to treat myself and set up an appointment for me to get my nails done!! The next clue after getting my nails done lead Kristen and I to a park in Columbus, OH. He had included pictures of the area I was to find in the letter. I found the location, found my last letter and opened it. It said, “STOP! Do not open this letter. Put on a blindfold and let Kristen read the letter.” I put on the blindfold and Kristen started to read the letter. A few lines in, I felt someone grab my hand and Matias began to say his proposal to me. Kristen took off my blindfold and I was able to see the love of my life down on one knee promising to love me always and to stand by me even in the challenges that life brings. Of course, I cried, and of course, I said “YES!!” I am beyond blessed to have this man as my partner in life, forever fellow adventurer, and the man who always points me back to realize what is most important in life. I love you earnestly, Matias. bridal prep Crimson Lane is such a beautiful venue! It also makes bridal preparations easy for the whole crew with ample space and beautiful suites to get ready in. The gentleman lounged in the men's suite, sharing stories and listening to and singing worship songs. The ladies wore matching robes and worked on each other's hair and makeup, laughing and chatting away.
Madison wore a stunning sleeveless, A-line, lace gown with a plunging v-neckline and beautiful white fur stole. Her hair was pinned elegantly at the nape of her neck and finished with a delicate beaded hair piece and cathedral length veil. She wore nude heels and silver dangle earrings. Her something borrowed and blue was a sweet ring that belonged to her momma. Madison and her bridesmaids are incredibly talented and made their own bouquets. Madison finished hers off with a rosary that was given to her by a late dear friend. bridal prep The ladies gathered in matching robes on the upper floor of the Stone Ridge Golf Club to get ready, sip mimosas, munch on pizza, and open their gifts from Allison. Allison wore a stunning long sleeved, a-line gown with a plunging lace lined back that met a small row of buttons. Her hair was pinned up at the nape of her neck and finished with delicate beaded hair pieces. She wore silver strappy heels, dangle earrings and a tiny blue & silver anklet . Her look was completed with a cascading bouquet filled with burgundy, cream and white flowers.
Lima, OH | Shawnee United Methodist | Wapakoneta, OH | The Grand Plaza | Cory + Amber Ream Wedding9/29/2020 the love story (as told by Abbe) Alex and I met through a group of mutual friends, and it took about a year of our friends encouraging a relationship before we both finally complied. The rest seems like history. We both consider ourselves extremely blessed, despite the pandemic and change of plans, to be able to stand in a church before God and our families to make a promise to one another. The truth is, we almost did not get the chance to do this. We are eternally grateful to the neurosurgeons who were able to save Alex's life when he had an aneurysm rupture. We are so happy we have this opportunity and look forward to what the future holds for us. bridal prep The ladies arrived mostly ready, the finishing touches took place in the back room of the sweet little country church. The bridesmaids wore a variety of dresses in different shades of blue. Abbe wore a beautiful pocketed, A-line, grosgrain, off-shoulder gown, with buttons lining the whole back. Every wedding dress is special but this one was a little more so because it had been purchased by Abbe's late grandmother. Abbe's hair was elegantly swept off her neck and finished with pearls and eucalyptus leaves. She wore simple leave earrings and her grandmother's pearls. Abbe opted for fashion and comfort in a pair of pearl covered Converse. Her bouquet was a combination of white, cream and greens, wrapped in lace and finished with her grandmother's ring tied to the stems.
bridal prep Kirstin wore a fitted off white and nude lace gown with a plunging v-neckline. The back of the gown had a small line of buttons, the train was long, light and airy with a delicate floral pattern. She wore her hair in loose curls and half up with jeweled hair combs and a fingertip veil. Her heels were low profile with jewels. She wore simple diamond earrings and a pearl covered necklace.
bridal prep 2020 has been weird. << I think that sums things up. The world events have impacted SO SO many things, but in MY tiny part of the world, one of the things that had me holding my breath as the tidal wave of change came rolling at us, was how is this going to impact all the sweet couples in my life that are getting married??!!!! Thankfully (so far) the impact hasn't been tremendous. It did change two of the weddings I will be photographing this year and this was one of them. Sarah + Tyler opted to split their wedding between this year and next. Holding a small intimate ceremony this year and a reception next. Although it wasn't what was originally envisioned by the couple it was PERFECT... even with the rain 💕
Bridal prep took place in the stunning bridal suite at Crimson Lane. Sarah wore a gorgeous fitted lace gown, with a V neckline and a high, shear lace back, complete with a line of buttons from top to bottom. Her hair was swept up off her neck, completed with jeweled hair combs and a veil tucked up at the nape of her neck. She wore a string of pearls on her neck and wrist, along with a delicate golden chain that belonged to her grandmother. Her earrings were pearl and jeweled studs, she brought a turtle that was gifted to her to represent loved ones that couldn't be present and she finished off her look with a stunning bouquet of eucalyptus, berries, white and dusty blush roses. bridal prep Hunter and her group of lovely ladies scored a beautiful little gem in downtown Findlay for the bridal prep. Main Events is a darling little rental area with such a cool look! The owners even came in the night before and decorated with wedding related items! All the girls wore the cutest robes with lace sleeves and munched on fruit and donuts while the talented team from Beauty by Jill worked on Hunter, her mother, and Tyler's mom.
Hunter wore a stunning lace fitted gown with a high neckline and gorgeous shear covered keyhole. The gown had delicate lace straps that graced her gorgeous shoulders and revealed a plunging back line that hit at her waistline where it was met with a line of delicate buttons. Her train was gorgeous and consisted of 3 different layers of lace. Her hair was expertly pinned up in gorgeous curls at the nape of her neck and topped by a gorgeous beaded hair comb. Her cathedral length veil was tucked up under her curls and fell beautifully down her back. She wore large jeweled drop earrings accompanied by a second set of earrings Tyler gave her as a wedding gift. She wore pretty pink heels and carried a gorgeous pink floral clutch. Her bouquet from the Petal Shed completed her look and was stunning with it's variety of pink, burgundy, and white flowers. bridal prepAlexis, Chad, and their giant crew of friends and family gathered at the Civic Center for their bridal prep. This was SPECTACULAR news for me coming into this wedding, as pretty much every photographer in the area was a little stressed by the less than ideal weather caused by tropical storm Olga. The Civic Center has gorgeous large windows and is one of the very few areas in downtown Lima with coverage, so it would have been my suggestion even if we weren't already there!
Alexis and her ladies (and sweet baby Barrett) were busy with hair and makeup in the conference room at the connected Wingate Hotel. They all buzzed around in their matching personalized hoodies while they munched on morning goodies, and sipped on mimosas. Alexis wore a gorgeous fitted, sleeveless, bateau necked gown. The dress was white with blush undertones and covered in gorgeous lace and bead details. The neckline and sides were shear, and the back was open. Alexis wore her hair curled, half up, and finished with a cathedral length veil with beaded trim. Her shoes were silver and covered in gems, she wore drop jeweled earrings, and a few pearl and jeweled bracelets. Her look was completed with a breathtaking bouquet from the talented Ivy Hutch on which she wrapped Chad's grandmother's handkerchief and attached charms with images of her grandparents and uncle. |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|