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.

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!

The day before Halloween these two will tie the knot! I met up with this adorable couple while the spring trees were still in bloom. It was crazy windy but they rolled with it and rocked their session.  I loved that they incorporated Tyler's firefighting into a few of our downtown photos. These two are so sweet and I can't wait for their big day coming up soon!

Katrina and I met up in early Spring for her senior session and I fell in love with her vibe and look right away. From her blue eye makeup to her Vans t-shirt <3 What a cool girl!

This beauty is my neighbor!! She was like 10 when we moved in to this neighborhood... I can't believe she is a senior already, time sure does fly!

No, you aren't crazy... yes, you are seeing spring trees lol. I've been sitting on this couple's blog for a minute [or 10] Abby + Will are the SWEETEST! My Momma [aka my second shooter] and I drove up to meet these two at Wildwood Park in Toledo. I am such a fan of the Manor house, garden, and grounds so it was a quick "YES" when they asked if we could go to that location. The redbuds were perfectly in bloom and these two were all smiles and heart eyes. I am so excited to be joining them at another one of my favorite places, Nazareth Hall, for their ceremony right in the peak of fall color!!!

Hey friends... we are just a few weeks out from things getting CRAZY around here! Fall is typically the busiest time of year for photographers...but this year for me a little more so than normal! I will be at 7 weddings in 6 weeks followed by an 8th wedding after a week break! SOOOO I thought it is time to spam you guys with a few of the engagement sessions we took of these beautiful people I'll be spending my fall with <3 First up is Haylee + Wes. They will be getting married at the new + gorgeous venue Little Creek Barn. For their engagement session I took a little trip out to the family farm because farming is absolutely central to their careers, relationship, and how they actually met! Wes taught me the difference between straw and hay [total town girl here]. We had a sweet little visit from their fur babies and then danced under the gorgeous sunset! Isn't Haylee's dress to DIE for.... OMG I was soooo excited when I saw her in that thing [insert all the heart eyes]

Exactly a year before Carter entered this world  I was photographing his parents' wedding  <3 I seriously can't say enough how full my heart is when I get to photograph the little ones of my bridal couples!!

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.

I photographed this family at the beginning of the year but I have a new slideshow maker that makes posting so much easier so here they are now! What a fun newborn session! Harlow is a super energetic, fun, sweet 3 year old and the best big sister! She may have stolen the show a little, but hey.. with that age you gotta roll with everything. Thank you Lauren and Aaron for sharing your sweet girls with me!

I photographed this beauty last fall but dang it she fell into the "fall burnout" abyss of not blogged clients. I AM SO SORRY!! Better late than never I say! PS if you are senior or anyone for that matter thinking about a fall session. Now is the time to get on the schedule! With 7 weddings in 6 weeks starting the last week of September my fall openings will be a little more restricted... or I could just be trying to squeeze everyone in and not sleeping... who knows 🤷‍♀️

This sweet little nugget belongs to the sweetest past bridal clients! What an absolute joy it was to see Mallory + Jacob again and to photograph this sweet thing.  Thanks for inviting me into your home!!

I could photograph these two everyday for ever and ever 💕 Veronica and Mark are one of my amazing past bridal clients and nothing makes me happier than documenting the growing families of my all my brides and grooms! Baby Rhylee is here now but I still had to show off this gorgeous couple that makes my job so so easy!

You guys... I swear I just photographed her senior pictures like yesterday!! When Jenna reach out to me about photographing her wedding I was SO excited! Like, I actually don't take July weddings anymore due to a crazy summer schedule, but I just knew I had to make an exception for these two 💕 In exactly one month I get the honor of photographing one of the biggest days of their lives and I am stoked! Thanks for choosing me you two! 😘

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!

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 :-)

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. 

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.

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 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.

Laney is hitting the blog today! She is another senior that opted for the split season 2 hour session. Pretty sure the first session felt colder than the snow session 🤔 it was allll kinds of cold, windy and misty that first session but Laney rocked it both times and her snow session is to die for 😍

Every year I have at least one client that is adventurous, brave, (and maybe a little crazy) that wants snow pictures 😄 This year I had 4 on my waiting list!!! The last few year have been tough in the snow department. But not this year!!!!!! As I type, most of us are snowed in from the foot of snow we got last night 🥶 Thankfully all my snow clients have been taken care of so I can just post my beautiful clients instead of romp around in this craziness lol. 

This is Bayli class of 2021.  The best snow is the morning snow, so you have to be ready to go at the drop of the hat! The morning Bayli called me it was the gorgeous kind of snow that sticks to everything. We decided to go for it, but by the time we got out there it was transitioning to a wet snow. Thankfully we worked super fast and got everything in before it started to melt all around us! Thanks for be my adventurous type of client Bayli!

Olivia || Senior Model, Class of 2021 🎓 Olivia opted for the 2 hour split senior session with her model package. That meant she got to do 5 different senior shoots and by the 5th shoot I asked her, "Are you tired of me yet?!" She smiled big and said NOPE! 💕 If you like to be in front of the camera and want 5 different shoots for your senior year now's the time to apply! Only 8 days left till the applications close. Hop on over to www.capturedbylydia.com/2022-senior-model-call to learn more and fill out an application!

Did you know our 2022 Senior Model Call is open right now??? Cierra was one of our stunning 2021 models. If you want to model for Simply torn, not once but TWICE, and have a fun paint shoot in addition to your personal senior session(s), now is the time to sign up!! Visit www.capturedbylydia.com/2022-senior-model-call by Feb 24th to submit your application.

How can I be photographing this gorgeous woman's engagement session and wedding coming up??? It feels like I just did her senior portraits yesterday! This coming year I actually get to photograph 3 weddings of my past seniors and I can't believe it! Time really does fly.

I met up with Ashley and Jonathon in downtown Van Wert before hopping out to a sunflower field where we captured the sky turning a crazy dark blue before our eyes as a massive derecho approached. It was so cool but I definitely felt like I had been dropped straight into the movie Twister as I pushed us to the very last second of shooting! Right as I hopped in my car and closed the door the first gusts of wind carrying a dust wall hit and rocked our cars...whew!! These two are so sweet and fun,  I can't wait for their big day at the gorgeous SoSerene venue!

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.

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.