Abby + Matt // Snode's Country Barn Wedding // Canton, Ohio
It probably goes without saying, but we love couples who love us. Couples who choose us over anyone else, because they love our work. Abby + Matt are the quintessential example. Abby is a photographer in Montana, and her family lives here in Ohio. They planned their wedding long distance, booked their venue sight unseen, and Abby knew from day one that she wanted us to be there. Apparently after she emailed us, she paced around the house waiting to hear back. After our Skype meeting, it was clear that we were the perfect fit.
Their wedding was incredible. The weather, the people, the style. Everything came together perfectly, from the unique details Abby hand designed, to the A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. breakfast buffet for dinner (in case you're wondering, yes, we think you should have french toast at your wedding too). We couldn't have asked for a better day, and we are so thankful to have been a part of their celebration.
Louisa + Patrick // Adventure Engagement // Anchorage, Alaska
How do you follow up a destination wedding in Mexico? How about a trip to Alaska! When Louisa + Patrick first contacted us about their upcoming wedding in Cincinnati, we couldn't help but notice that they live in Alaska. After talking with them, we all agreed that the only way we could truly tell their story is if we photographed them in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Lauren + Cesar // Riviera Maya Mexico // Destination Wedding
That time we shot our very first out-of-the-country destination wedding. In the Riviera Maya. In Mexico. Thank you Lauren + Cesar for bringing us down with you and allowing us the opportunity to be a part of your celebration. We won't soon forget it. The rehearsal:
The wedding day:
Location: El Dorado Royale in Riviera Maya
Megan + Paul // Just For Fun.
We're pretty excited about the session (so much so that we blogged it out of order). This isn't an engagement session, per se. Let's go back probably six months… Mindy and I were sitting in Dorothy Lane Market (a fancy local grocery store with an awesome dining area and great food), minding our own business. Sort of… we noticed this couple down at the other end of the cafe. They were über stylish, they looked like they were in love, and they looked like they were saying goodbye. We watched as they embraced, and watched him leave, hop in his car, and take off. She sat there, silent, pretending to read. Maybe even crying a little bit. We joked about how we figured they were from out of town. People don't dress that well to go to the grocery here in Ohio. As we cleaned up our lunch and headed out to our car, we had a mini conversation about something our friend Andria Lindquist talked about earlier that week. She talked about her own boldness and how she will approach random people and ask them to take their photos. We said, "man, we should totally just ask them if they'll model for us…" as we started the car and began to drive away. At that point Mindy stopped me, and said, "Wait. Screw it, I'm going in there and asking. Do we have a business card?" To which I responded they way I usually do when I get that question. "Umm… not on us. But we have this napkin and a pen."
I waited in the car while Mindy gathered up the courage to walk in and talk to Megan. She told her about how we noticed them for their fashion sense, and then saw a little bit of their story unfold in front of us as they said goodbye. She asked Megan a little bit about their relationship, and if they would be interested in spending some time in front of our cameras, because we felt like they might be a good fit. Turns out they were engaged, but also graduate students working through a long distance relationship. And we were right, although Megan grew up here in Dayton, she is originally from England, and Paul is from Nashville. "That explains a lot," we thought.
Megan was actually surprisingly warm to the idea of doing photos with us, but with all of their traveling and studying, it was a crapshoot at best. Mindy thanked her, handed her the napkin (apologized for how unprofessional we are when it comes to business cards), and we went on our way. It felt good to step up and ask, even if we'd never hear from them again. We had done something new, something we had never done before.
Fast forward a number of months. At this point we had nearly forgotten about the whole thing. Obviously we would never hear from them, so we moved on. Then we got a surprise Facebook message from Megan, asking if we were still up for it. They were going to be in town visiting family, and her and Paul were interested in having their photos taken. Wow! It worked? We were able to coordinate a day that worked, we got the absolute perfect evening, and this is what happened.
Devon + John // Dayton Masonic Center Wedding // Dayton, Ohio
We've been enjoying traveling quite a bit lately, but there's something special about shooting in your own city. Dayton has a lot of history, but the city's been through the wringer. It's great to spend time exploring different parts of the city and see how a revitalization is happening, slowly but surely. Below, you'll see a crazy bright blue wall. The day before we were downtown and that wall was white. And now it's been painted further and looks different again. As a photographer there's a little bit of a proud moment when you see something like that happen and realize that no one will ever be able to take that photo again (even us). Devon + John's wedding was amazing. We had nice soft overcast skies for a big part of the day, and then the sun broke out and gave us some incredible light. We had a couple that was ridiculously in love with each other, and we so thrilled to have their family and friends around them. We had a great venue and ample time for photos. Couldn't have asked for better.
Reception: Dayton Masonic Center
Salon: Square One
Ceremony: St. Joseph
DJ: Chris Hatke
Tiffanee + JT // Heritage Center Wedding // Cincinnati, Ohio
What can I say about these two? JT is that guy you want your daughter to marry. A man of faith, a military serviceman, humble yet confident, and he treats Tiffanee like a man should treat a woman. You can tell he knows how lucky he is when he's around her. Tiffanee is sweet, kind, and obviously very beautiful. She loves JT and knows how lucky she is to have a guy like him. They had the very first wedding at the Heritage Center just outside of Cincinnati, and everything was perfect. Even the bourbon bottles full of drinking water at each table and the fried chicken and waffles for dinner (which I ate too quickly to get a photo of). These two are what it's all about.
