Posts tagged City | Page 12 of 13 | Columbus Wedding Photographer

Sara & Ryan – Autumn Engagement Session in Chagrin Falls

This year has certainly been one of engagement sessions. The vast majority of my wedding clients choose to include a personalized engagement session. In addition, I’m often contacted by couples looking for stand-alone engagement sessions, typically due to out-of-town or destination weddings. So is the case for Sara and Ryan. They will be getting married out-of-town next year and they needed a special engagement session during the autumn season.

We met up at Jeni’s Ice Cream in Chagrin Falls. I don’t know how, but all three of us resisted getting a scoop, which is a tough act of will power. As we wandered around downtown Chagrin Falls, we talked about how they met and how they got engaged. Like Brooke and I, they simply met at a bar. Sometimes a simply story is a good story. I asked about their careers. Both Sara and Ryan work for the military, which is not unusual for my clients. However, after hearing a client has a military career, I tend not to ask additional questions. Not because I’m not interested, but because questions can often be met with “I can’t talk about it.”

We decided to mix up Sara and Ryan’s engagement session a little. We worked around downtown Chagrin Falls, and then headed for a local MetroPark in the valley.

Below are just a few favorites to share from their all-film engagement session –

Autumn engagement session in Chagrin Falls with Sara and Ryan

I think the above and below are my favorites. They came out just perfectly and really represent Sara and Ryan as a couple.

Autumn engagement session in Chagrin Falls with Sara and Ryan

The evening sunlight in the MetroPark was simply perfect. Some locals may object to their Steelers outfits, but I don’t discriminate 😉

Autumn engagement session in Chagrin Falls with Sara and Ryan

So that’s all for this personalized engagement session captured on film. For the photographers out there, this is Fuji 400h on Contax 645. The black and whites are still Fuji 400h, but desaturated. Nothing but the best!

Sarah & John – Engagement session by the lake

Sarah and John found me first. The timing for our introduction was just right. We chatted via email and on the phone about their upcoming wedding in Cleveland. Sight unseen, they decided to book me. Admittedly, it was a little rushed because we were excited to work with each other and didn’t want to loose the opportunity. Flash forward a few weeks and we were meeting in person for the first time. Sarah and John were in their car, sitting in my drive way. I was packed and ready to, so we headed off for their engagement session. I think when John met Sarah the timing was just right as well.

Sarah and John first met through work, which can be a sticky situation, but the timing worked perfectly. As they got to know each other, their work roles diverged, taking them in different directions. As their personal relationship came together, their work connection drifted apart. The timing worked just perfectly.

And they are perfect together – both beautiful, both smart, and both funny. Sarah and John’s relationship even has the little things, like their height. Sarah is just the right height to comfortably lean on John’s shoulder.

For Sarah and John’s engagement session, we chose to soak up the summer near the lake. We were briefly joined by their two dogs, so we visited a dog park in Rocky River. Then we headed off to downtown Cleveland for a little more formality. The light was brilliant, so I shot most of the engagement session on film.

Below are just a few favorites featuring Sarah and John (and a little of Reggie White too) –

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

Gorgeous light pouring through above. Below, the ham that is Reggie White.

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

Love Sarah’s dress. She made some great choices for the day.

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

Above – a little magic. I wanted some sun flare, but I didn’t expect this much. However, it’s a happy accident. I love, love, love the results.

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

As the sunset, it added just a little extra pop that you can see above and below.

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

We ended the day on a point sticking out into Lake Erie. We almost lost the light as the sun set, but we managed to catch the last peachy tones of the day.

Summer engagement session by the lake with Sarah and John.

The last photo is so quiet and still. I absolutely love it. While this may be the last photo, it kinda wasn’t the end of the session. After the engagement session, I headed out to dinner with Brooke. We just so happened to bump into Sarah and John again, which gave us a chance to meet the entire family. It was such a treat to meet the family before the wedding. It makes me anticipate Sarah and John’s wedding that much more. Can’t wait!

Joanna & David – Hyatt Arcade Wedding in Downtown Cleveland

Internally, we had been preparing for Joanna and David’s wedding for weeks. Everything had to be perfect. We scouted the Hyatt Arcade in downtown Cleveland on multiple occasions. We went over the plan again and again. Finally the day had arrived, and what a day it was. While planning and scouting always has a place, nothing had prepared me for what was about to unfold. Start with amazing ladies making up the bridal party, add the most incredible “first look” I have seen, and top it off with one heck of a party! Oh, and throw in a dash of awesome parents.

Joanna and David really had something special going. And it all started with the first look. In fact, the first look was so amazing that it deserved an entirely separate post. I suggest you check it out. Beyond the first look, the wedding was centered around family and close friends. And I can understand why. David’s near-twin sisters were so sweet. Joanna’s sister and Maid of Honor is lovely. And their friends kept the whole group laughing and having fun. Heck, I think Michael made fast friends with David’s dad.

Even better was the location. The Hyatt Arcade is a mallway of sorts left over from the turn of the century. Featuring four floors and an atrium roof, it is completely decorated in bronze-painted wrought iron. To which Joanna and David added a smart, modern design. The whole place glowed warmly at night. My personal favorite was the table numbers, featuring photos from each year of their lives.

Once the festivities began, things really got crazy. The hora was amazing (and a little scary). A Soul-Train-esque dance line broke out and there was even a singing bride with a microphone. To say it was great fun would be an understatement.