Posts tagged Garden | Page 15 of 16 | Columbus Wedding Photographer

Makiko & Dylan – A Holden Arboretum Autumn Wedding

It almost seems like ages ago when Dylan, Makiko and I first met. They were just beginning to plan their autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum’s Lantern Court. Truthfully, they had me sold at autumn wedding in Holden Arboretum. It just got better as I learned more about them. Clearly they’re in love. What’s different is the distance at which their love must remain active.

After initially falling in love, they have had to maintain their relationship over great distances. It almost seems like they have spent more of their relationship apart than together. Makiko, studying biology, currently lives on the west coast. Dylan, working in a rather secret job, reside on the east coast. As it has been for quite some time. However, you never feel the distance in their relationship. Clearly, it’s a marriage made to last.

And what a marriage it was. Lantern Court was decorated beautifully for their autumn wedding. Inside, the design was sleek and featured a very Japanese flair. Outside, nature took care of the rest. The trees in early October were just beginning to turn. Hints of orange, peach, crimson and purple were popping up all over.

Below are just a few highlights from one of my favorite weddings this year.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court with Makiko and Dylan

It goes without saying that Ramona did an amazing job with the styling. The ladies came out looking gorgeous, especially the bride.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

Above, special candy favors made in the Father-of-the-bride’s home town and a very special kimono. I love the golden wave motif!

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

Little details inside Lantern Court. It’s as if everything was perfectly set for the wedding day.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

Above – I love the Makiko’s mom and Maid of Honor looking as as she get’s ready. Below, taking care of all the last details.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

What made this wedding a favorite? Makiko and Dylan’s first look photos. They came out perfectly, due completely to the moment.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

One of my favorite photos from this past year came be seen above-left. I just love the peaceful moment.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

In my world, there is nothing better than a first hug. After all, we all want to marry our best friend.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

Above, a very beautiful and very Japanese centerpiece. Below, a wonderful toast by a close friend.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court

Above, an old Polish tradition – signing to the bride and groom. Below, a first dance certainly to remember.

Autumn wedding at Holden Arboretum's Lantern Court with Makiko and Dylan

That is all for today. More is definitely coming soon. And for Makiko and Dylan, I am sure you will have many wonderful years together. And after all that time apart, I am certainly the years will be together, forever.

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!

Tagged: Garden