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Natalie & Sean – A Blush Colored Wedding at Portage Country Club

When I woke, I could feel the nerves setting in. I’ve done this many, many times before, but the nerves still get me. I shuffled around the house as I quickly got ready. Out the door I went, and early. I can never really sleep the night before weddings, and nor can I wait to get started. After the drive to Akron for Natalie and Sean’s wedding, I arrived at St. Vincent church early. After a quick call to the wonderful Natalie, I knew the girls were on their way. I filled the time in between capturing some details around the church.

Soon enough, everyone was arriving and things started to get hectic. It was at that time that a nice calm came over me. Things were going well. Not just well. There must be a better word for it. Natalie and Sean’s wedding was going spectacularly well. The day was shaping up to be unexpectedly special. After the ceremony at St. Vincent’s, we headed over to University of Akron for some portraits, and then off to the wedding reception at Portage Country Club. Normally, a wedding day doesn’t fly by for me, but this one had. Making the hour drive back to Cleveland that night, I knew I had captured something like lightning in a bottle.

Sitting at home on Sunday, I could finally see why I was so excited on Sunday. It all started with Natalie’s blush-colored wedding dress. It wasn’t white or even off-white. Her dress was the palest of pinks. The wedding also had amazing friends and family, who were happy throughout. Sean and the gentlemen looked great in their tan suits. There were bridesmaids peeking, a funny priest cracking jokes about the father of the bride, and a groomsmen winking. Sean celebrated the union with typical style, the University was alight with purple blossoms, and we even had sunset portraits. My favorite moment – when the cake was so good that Sean refused to give any to Natalie.

Now the wedding season is in full swing, and Natalie and Sean’s wedding was the perfect way to start. I’m really looking forward to showing them the photos, and sharing more with you soon. For now, enjoy the highlights below.

Portage Country Club weddingin Akron with Natalie and Sean Portage Country Club weddingin Akron with Natalie and Sean Portage Country Club weddingin Akron with Natalie and Sean

Special thanks to –

Church – St. Vincent’s Church, Akron
Venue – Portage Country Club
Bridal gown – designed by Mori Lee, from Abbott’s Bridal
Floral design – Lori Reilly, Reilly’s Originals
Cake Artist – The West Side Bakery
Bridal Hair & Make-up – Georgies Salon

Erin & Dan – Downtown Cleveland Wedding at West 78th Street Studios

Normally April means never ending rain, clouds and temperatures that hover between cold or mildly tolerable. Strange enough, our spring of rebirth has been quite pretty. No late frosts knocking back the magnolias and plenty of sunshine. For Erin and Dan, our weather was a little ray of luck for their beautiful wedding. The day was beaming with sun and things could not have been more perfect.

The wedding itself was held at a rather new location in Cleveland – the West 78th Street Studios. Think of it like a vintage warehouse filled with some of the best art studios in the city, plus larger event spaces for weddings. Erin and Dan smartly scheduled the ceremony upstairs and reception downstairs to create a comfortable and cohesive experience for their guests.

What else is there to love about their wedding? I love how Erin and Dan gave each other matching love notes, completely by accident. I really enjoyed walking with Dan to the first look, where he saw his beautiful bride for the first time as she emerged from an elevator. Their friends were awesome, and the locations were once-in-a-lifetime perfect, like the Federal Reserve vault. We even got photos with Superman, but those are just for Erin and Dan.

Below are just a few highlights to enjoy. I do want to offer a special thanks to the team at Something New Entertainment. AJ and Justin made the entire night that much more special. Also, big thanks to Hilary Gent of smARTspace/Hedge for making sure everything ran tick-tock.

A spring wedding at West 78th Street Studios with Erin and Dan A spring wedding at West 78th Street Studios with Erin and Dan A spring wedding at West 78th Street Studios with Erin and Dan

Based on those last couple shots, I think Erin and Dan both had a blast. That’s all for today. To Erin and Dan, thank you! For everyone else, we’ll be back with more. The wedding season is just getting started.

Caroline & Todd – Evening Engagement at University of Cincinnati

It was a crazy day. Up at 6:00am and right into the car. After nearly five hours in the car, we arrived in Cincinnati. Thankfully, I had Brooke along for the drive. We dropped off our bags, grabbed a quick lunch, and then I was out the door. Before Caroline and Todd’s engagement session in Cincinnati, I need to do my scouting. We had picked some gorgeous locations – the University of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Natural History Museum, and Ault Park. However, I had only seen these places virtually. It was time to get familiar with them in-person.

I always love working in new and different places. The change of scenery really helps me to be more creative. Everything is different and I hone in on what’s most important. I drove a full lap around Cincinnati while scouting, and returned to where I started to meet with Caroline and Todd. Sitting at Panera, I shot a quick text to Caroline – “I’m here early.”

“OK! We are en route…,” she replied.

The day could not have been better. It was pure sun and a bit mild. Being late April, all of the flowering trees were alight with bright pink blooms. Topping everything off, Caroline and Todd looked smashing for their engagement session. I love pastels on film and their outfits were perfect. While Caroline and Todd met at the University of Cincinnati, they were now living in DC. They had flown in just for the session, and thankfully on time. Due to some east coast weather, they almost missed it.

After Caroline dropped her purse in the rental car, we headed off across campus. No more than 100 yards later, we had a problem. The purse was in the trunk of the car. The keys were in the purse. Todd came to the rescue. He made a few quick calls and the problem was solved. While we waited for the locksmith to arrive, we got started with a few photos.

I think Todd is a problem solver. While Caroline and Todd met at University of Cincinnati, they both moved separately to DC afterward. They both wanted to move things forward, and to formalize things, Todd bought a ring the next time Caroline was out-of-town. One night, Caroline and Todd were sitting in her apartment assembling IKEA furniture. In a private moment together, Todd proposed, Which brings us to today.

What do I love most about Caroline and Todd’s engagement session? Full sun and full love. They’re so expressive together. Deeply in love and it shows. I think you will see what I mean in the highlights below. Enjoy!

University of Cincinnati spring engagement with Caroline and Todd University of Cincinnati spring engagement with Caroline and Todd