Keri + Joseph - Top of the Market Wedding - Dayton Ohio

Church: Emmanuel Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Top of the Market
Wedding Coordinator: Cincy Event Planning
Videographer: Allen Arts Media
Stationary: Belle Pivoine on Etsy
Florist: Floral V Designs
Makeup + Hair: Pinned Up
Wedding Dress Designer: Ines Di Santo
Dress Shop: Bella Bianca (Chicago, IL)
Men's Tuxes: Men's Warehouse signature collection
Watch: Shinola (Detroit)
Bridesmaids dresses: Anastasia Chatzka (custom dresses Chicago, IL)
Cake + Desserts: Ashley’s Pastry Shop (Oakwood, OH)
Cake Topper: Better Off Wed on Etsy
Caterer: Top of the Market
Band: The Sly Band

2015 - Year In Review

Every year we grow. Every year we learn something new. Every year we make so many new friends, and form bonds with couples that transcend their wedding days. Every year we're more proud of the work we've created, and this year is no exception. Twenty fifteen had it's fair share of challenges, but it was also an incredible year of growth, both as artists and as partners. Mindy and I have been so encouraged and blessed this year, and we have so many people to thank for making all of this possible. This thing we call our job is truly, sincerely, so much more than that.

Our DIY Kitchen Remodel

We’ve lived in our house for almost eight years, and over that time we’ve put our own touch on just about every room in the house. The house is approaching 100 years old now, so it’s full of interesting character that we really love. We’ve painted, repainted, repaired and reconstructed, landscaped, and decorated, but we never touched the kitchen. Now, this is partially due to the fact that the kitchen was the nicest room in the house when we moved in, and partially due to a lack of time and money, but those are no excuses for not even painting! We had grown increasing tired of the country styling, and we knew that it was time for a radical change.

The problem with radical changes is that they usually require a radical budget. We knew we’d have to get creative, which happens to be something we’re good at, and it’s really what makes projects like this fun!

We have a whopping two old pictures of our kitchen from before (even though we’re photographers, when we work on projects, we tend to put our nose to the grindstone and get after it, so we didn’t take “before” photos). These photos are actually from when we were looking at the house, so all of the stuff is from the previous owners.

As you can see, for an old house, it’s a fine kitchen, but despite the fact that it was mostly cream colored, it felt dark, cramped, and cluttered. We kept it a little more streamlined than this, but it was always a small kitchen.

We have a breakfast nook attached to the kitchen (where we were standing when we took the above photos), and it’s gone largely unused during our time in the house. We knew straight away that we could increase our space by simply moving the refrigerator to the other side of the wall separating the kitchen from the nook.

Of course, this meant we were left with a hole where the fridge used to be. It dawned on us that there was a cabinet in the basement that looked like it might match. Miraculously, the previous owner removed a cabinet to install the dishwasher, and kept it! It would fill this space nicely, and meant we wouldn’t need to buy a new one and hope we could find something similar enough to blend in.

We now had a floating cabinet with no countertop, which led us to our next step, which was choosing new counters and a new sink. We’d known for quite some time that we wanted a farmhouse style sink, and so we started shopping. IKEA’s Domsjö sink was big, beautiful, and within budget, and on top of that, it sits on top of the countertop, and doesn’t require a special shaped hole, which is perfect for a DIYer. We chose butcher block counters, also from IKEA, and we were able to cut the necessary pieces using just three pre-made units and only straight cuts!

The design of the kitchen as a whole was very important to us, so we took to Pinterest and started putting together ideas for colors, tones, and decor. Our whole house is very clean and minimal, so we wanted to keep things cohesive with the rest of the house, but we also wanted to break from our white walls and choose something bold. We found some awesome brushed gold hardware that we used to build the design around, and the gold accents led us to the design choice that we were most nervous about, but had the potentially to make the biggest impact: black walls. We decided to keep the cabinets very white and clean (in fact they’re the same color as our living room and dining room, Sherwin William’s Westhighland White), which makes the black wall really pop and gives us the bold look we wanted!

We’re SUPER excited about how everything turned out!

Our one splurge item for the kitchen was this amazing modern brushed gold faucet from Delta. It’s really the key piece to the entire design, and we wavered on the decision but we really think the kitchen design wouldn’t work without it.

Moving the fridge also opened up a ton of wall space, which meant we could now install the open shelves that we wanted! This required some careful consideration of scale and materials as well, to keep the design cohesive and utilize the space without making things feel too cluttered. Cameron built the shelves using basic 2x12 wood from Lowes and some shelf brackets that we found in the AS-IS section of IKEA. We spray painted the brackets gold, and the totally cost of materials for the shelves was just $22 including the paint!

We mentioned at the beginning that this was an opportunity to be creative, both with our design and with our wallet. Here's the final breakdown:

IKEA Domsjö Sink - $299 (price has gone up since we bought it)

IKEA Karlby Counters - $99 x 3 = $297

Delta Trinsic Faucet - $365

Gold Cabinet Pulls - $3.77 x 27 = $102

Shelf Wood (2"x10"x10') - $10

Spray Paint - $14

Wall Paint - $34 x 3 gallons + $10 rebate/gal = $72

Floor trim - $4 x 2 = $8

Calk - $4 x 2 = $8

New Outlets, Switches + Covers - $70

Plumbing Drain Pipes + PVC Cement - $15

Total cost: $1260

Not bad for a total kitchen makeover. I'd say we earned more than that in home equity.

Flannery + Pat - Downtown Engagement

Connection. Do you feel it?

The two of them, talking, giggling, touching. Seated in the front of the bar they've been going to since they once lived in the neighborhood. Sharing memories and enjoying each other's company, sipping on familiar drinks they could've ordered for each other without question.

It's these moments, these stories, that we capture with our little photographic boxes. The physics of a camera system can be complicated, but they way photos make us feel is not. The way an image passes through a series of glass elements and makes an impression on a physical surface mirrors the way that same image passes through our minds and makes an impression on our soul. This emotional connection to photography is what keeps us going. This emotional connection with our work is what we look for in new clients. It's the fuel for what we do.

Do you feel it?

Kristy + Seth

Honestly, it's hard to even know where to begin. We have been patiently waiting to photograph our first elopement for a while now, but there's no way we could've expected it to be quite like this. Just five of us (Seth's best friend Nathan was our officiant/translator/captain/tour guide), traveling across the world to see and experience a country so rich with history and lined with a coast seeming chiseled out of pure romance. Vicenza. Venice. Cinque Terre. Portovenere. Four destinations, each with it's own character and charm. A wedding ceremony on the tip of a peninsula, stretching into the Mediterranean Sea. To use the word epic would be an understatement. This is Kristy + Seth's story. 

(We're so excited to share our very first wedding film, so make sure you scroll all the way to the end and see this magic in moving photographs.)

Jen + Shawn - Boston Public Library Wedding

Sharing this wedding is long over due. We originally met Jen + Shawn over a year before their wedding, at Lauren + Cesar's wedding in Mexico, where Jen was Lauren's Maid of Honor. We spent the day after that wedding hanging in the pool and sipping drinks with these guys, and we knew the friendships we formed on that trip would outlast the flight home. When Jen contacted us about heading to Boston, joining up with the the same crew, and photographing her wedding, we immediately said, "Are you kidding? We'll be there.".

We started our trip exploring the beautiful city of Boston, eating from food trucks  and experiencing Uber for the first time (at the time, Uber hadn't rolled out in Ohio). Thanks to Jen + Shawn's recommendation we ate at Row 34. The lobster roll and crab cake are to die for, we almost ordered seconds. Looking back, we probably should have. 

Before the rehearsal dinner, we met up with Jen + Shawn and did a short but sweet engagement session out on Pleasure Bay and Castle Island. Even when we travel for weddings we love to find a time to connect with the couple before the wedding. Even a quick session before the wedding can help take awkwardness out of the equation and allow us connect on a deeper level. There's no doubt this translates on the day of the wedding. 

We knew the wedding was going to be one of our favorites. The Boston Public Library was such an amazing venue. Full of stunning light, beautiful architecture, and like the rest of Boston, American history. We headed out to the iconic Acorn Street in Beacon Hill for portraits and then found some amazing light around the library. The courtyard was the perfect setting for the ceremony. As large as the library was, the ceremony still felt small and intimate. Dinner was held inside, and the room was elegant and romantic. After dinner we moved to a different room for dancing, and it very quickly transformed into one the best dance parties we've been a part of. Most of the bridal party was with us in Mexico so we were well aware that they knew how to party, but they outdid themselves. 

Happy one year anniversary Jen + Shawn! Thank you again for inviting us to Boston and sharing your wedding day with us!