Kelsie + Kevin // Columbus Wedding Photography

Mindy knew Kevin and Kelsie growing up. We spend the early part of the day shooting portraits at Kevin’s parent’s house, which is less than a mile down the road from Mindy’s parent’s. It’s a beautiful property with a seriously good sized pond/lake, fantastic landscaping, and a little tiki hut with a beach and a dock. It was the perfect place for their portraits despite the fact that it rained for a good hour right in the middle of our scheduled picture time. We made it work and I think things turned out fantastic. The rain cleared up in time for the outdoor ceremony, and the overcast skies made for some great soft light all day long.

In case you missed their engagement session, Kelsie has some of the craziest, beautiful rainbow eyes you’ve ever seen.

Yeah, that’s a horse drawn carriage dropping the bride off for the ceremony.

Salon: Rejuvenations

Flowers: The Flowerman!

Caterer: Country Caterers

Cake: L&P

DJ: Ohio DJ Network

Ashley + Nick // Dayton Wedding Photography

We love traveling for weddings, but I have to admit, it’s nice to be close to home. Ashley + Nick got married in Kettering, about a 10 minute drive from where we live. Can’t complain about sleeping in later and being home earlier! What a great couple. I consider them friends.

Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Kettering

Flowers: Hollon Flowers

Dresses: Altar Bound

Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse

Cupcakes: Sneaky Cat Bakery

Salon: 252 West Salon

Becky + Jesse // Dayton Wedding Photography

Becky + Jesse are one of our favorite couples ever, and we like them even more now that we were able to spend an entire day with their families. The whole bridal party was made up of brothers and sisters, and I’ve personally never met a group that was so friendly and cooperative. We had an absolute blast photographing these guys, and despite heat well into the 90s, everyone was so pleasant (and didn’t laugh too hard at my tie-shaped sweat line).

Salon: B. Douglas Salon & Day Spa

Flowers: Krista Brian

Suits: Jim’s Formalwear

Dresses: Altar Bound Bridal

Catering: Mrs. B’s

Cake: Cakes by Jerri

DJ: CSC Special Events & Creative Services

Lily + Joseph // Grand Rapids Wedding Photography

This is the third wedding that we’ve shot in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids has easily been our most popular city to shoot outside of Ohio, and the most interesting thing is that, according to some of our friends from the area, Grand Rapids has the highest number of professional photographers per capita in the country. I won’t say how accurate that is, but it’s fun that people are still inviting us to come up there instead of hiring a local. Lily + Joseph are such a perfect couple, their love is so evident when they’re together. And like their siblings said during their toasts, each one has an infectious laughter. We had a blast wandering through the small town of Lowell searching out some great spots and enjoying the weather.

Which turned sour. We had great partly sunny to overcast skies during our bridal party photos, and almost on cue when we returned to the venue the rain started. That meant packing up all the chairs and moving the whole ceremony inside. I couldn’t believe how great their attitudes remained and how calm they both were about everything. Their friends and family worked with the staff, and the whole thing was set up in about 10 minutes it seemed.

Despite the setback, the ceremony was beautiful, with Joseph washing Lily’s feet and vice versa. What a beautiful picture of humility and servanthood, it was pretty powerful.

Congratulations guys, we had a great time with you and your families, and thanks again for having us come up to the mitten state to be with you!

Ceremony + Reception: Grand Volute Ballrooms

Lauren + Michael // Dayton Wedding Photography

This wedding is a great example of what happens when you plan a perfect schedule with plenty of time for photographs. Lauren + Michael did a first look, and worked with us to plan their day. We had so much time, we were able to get some of the finest photos we’ve ever taken, and they day was stress free, relaxing, and definitely fun. We absolutely love it when we can make friends with our clients, and that’s exactly what happened with Lauren + Michael. Mike even told me at the end of the reception, “We were really looking forward to today. Yes, because of all the wedding stuff, but we couldn’t wait to work with you guys and see what you’d come up with.” Apparently they were absolutely thrilled with their engagement photos, and when the wedding rolled around they left things completely in our hands. They trusted us, and didn’t bat an eye when we asked them to stand behind a dumpster, or under some stairs on the side of a building.

Here at BRAUNphotography, we have a process in place to ensure this kind of bond and trust is developed with our clients. It starts with a face-to-face meeting, which followed by a complimentary engagement session. By the time the wedding rolls around, we’ve gotten to know each other, and there’s a level of trust that just can’t be matched by a photographer who just “shows up.” We do what we do for a reason!

Salon: Michael’s Salon & Spa

Ceremony: Polen Farm

Reception: Polen Farm

Flowers: The Flowerman!

Dress Shop: Sophia’s Bridal

Suits: Kenneth Cole via Men’s Wearhouse

Cake: elé Cake Co.

Catering: Cardinal Catering

Band: Joel Levi

Julie + Haddon :: Chicago Wedding Photography

Okay… maybe Chicago is a bit of a stretch. We had the privilage of photographing Julie and Haddon’s wedding at the County Line Orchard in Valparaiso, Indiana. It’s about an hour outside of the city. Close enough for me!

Julie is a friend of ours from Cedarville, Haddon went there too, but we’d actually not met him while we were there. Knowing Julie, we had some pretty high expectations. When Julie got to college, she predicted, “I’m not going to find a husband while I’m here.” Apparently Haddon had other plans. And I can say with certainty, Haddon exceeded our expectations.

They’re one of the couples that people just gravitate to. Mindy and I were driving back to our hotel room and both realized that we were sad the wedding was over, just because we didn’t feel like we were finished hanging out. The bridal party was excellent, the family was easy going. Overall, just one of the best weddings we’ve been a part of.

In his toast, Matt (the best man) described the couple best, “You can tell a lot about the character of a person by the company they keep.” Truer words were never spoken.