Posts tagged Garden | Page 9 of 16 | Columbus Wedding Photographer

Sarah & Kyle – An Evening Engagement Session by the Lakes

I was standing in the library parking lot at Coe Lake waiting for Sarah and Kyle to arrive. The plan for their evening engagement session was to start at Coe Lake in Berea, then head over to Huntington Beach in Bay Village to wrap up at sunset. It wasn’t until just a few minutes ago that I realized we planned their engagement session beside the shores of two lakes – Coe and Erie. Strange, but true. Maybe I should plan the same in the future, since I love how the photos turned out!

When Kyle and Sarah did arrive, I noticed something strange. Or, at least, it was strange to me. “You’re a paratrooper,” I asked Kyle. I had noticed something on his car that gave away his past. His paratrooper past seemed strange relative to how I had seen the two of them together. They are both very loving and clearly close friends. Furthermore, the idea of a hardened paratrooper didn’t seem to match with what I know of their engagement story.

Kyle hatched the engagement plan a full year in advance. Each year, Sarah and Kyle color Easter eggs together. It was this yearly tradition that initially gave Kyle the idea. Flash forward a full year and he was ready. Again they were coloring eggs together when Kyle scrawled a message on one egg with a clear wax pencil. Into the dye went the egg and the message was revealed. The note on the egg was presented – “Sarah will you marry me.” Of course the answer was yes, or we wouldn’t be here today.

That is some serious planning and a seriously brilliant idea! It definitely ranks as one the best engagement stories I have heard. I guess a good story deserves good photos. I certainly hope you enjoy some of my favorite highlights below –

A summer sunset engagement session at Coe Lake captured on film with Sarah and Kyle

Yvette & David – Cleveland Museum of Art Engagement Session

Sometimes you have to be patient for the right moment. We had originally scheduled Yvette and David’s engagement session for November. Due to some very unfortunate circumstances, our plans had to be delayed. The delay, by good fortune, was worth it. The original day we had scheduled turned out to be rainy and cold. Our new date could not have been more perfect. It turned out sunny and warm for their engagement session at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Huntington Beach.

The session itself turned out amazing – definitely work for which I am very proud. Truth be told, the real magic was created by Yvette and David. They were absolute naturals, both together and in front of the camera. They’re loving, sweet, funny, and exceptionally easy to work for. They really made my job effortless, and I believe this comes through in the photos below.

As we often do, we simply wandered around the art museum campus, chatted, captured some photos, and wandered some more. Just before sunset, we headed over to Huntington Beach park in Bay Village to get some photos along the beach. Rain clouds were moving in, but held off (just) until we were through. In the end, some of my favorites are from the beach. Hopefully you enjoy the highlights below as much as I.

A summer evening engagement session at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Huntington Beach with Yvette and David. A summer evening engagement session at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Huntington Beach with Yvette and David.

Like all of my recent sessions, the above was captured on film. I simply love doing sessions on film. It makes me a difference, and I think better, photographer. I slow down and pay attention to each moment. Every “click” burns money, so I make sure it’s right before capturing a photo. For the technical among us, the above is a mixture of 35mm and medium format, diligently scanned by the wonderful people at Richard Photo Lab.

Meghan & Aaron – A Summer Wedding at the Chautauqua Institution, New York

Weddings at the Chautauqua Institution are amazing for handful of reasons. The outdoor spaces are amazing, trumped only by the architecture. Also, Chautauqua is a thriving community and not just a cookie-cutter vacation resort. The people make the community and most of them have been a part of Chautauqua for years. For example, Meghan’s family has been a part of Chautauqua for four generations! For these reasons a many others, Meghan & Aaron’s wedding at Chautauqua was something truly special.

I could spend days listing all the amazing moments from Meghan & Aaron’s wedding. Their wedding was truly filled with the most amazing people, moments and emotions. Due to a lengthy list of “things to love” about their weddings, I’ll simply focus of a few key things. It all starts with their rehearsal held on the Friday before the wedding. I had come up early to do some extra scouting, and was kindly invited to attend the rehearsal and dinner. This gave me a chance to meet everyone before the big day and to capture some photos simply for the fun of it. It was clear from the start that the group assembled for the wedding was special.

I also love that Meghan & Aaron chose to do a first look before the wedding ceremony. Meghan had located a little Victorian garden nestled among the Chautauqua homes that made the perfect location. We carefully orchestrated the moment and came away with some beautiful candid moments and great portraits of Meghan & Aaron together. In case your curious, you can see a little bit more from their first look. The wedding party was also a little bit of awesome. Each member was family or a life-long friend. From start to finish, I had a blast spending time with this small group of close friends.

Meghan & Aaron’s wedding was made more personal by the design. Aaron, a graphic designer by trade, designed all of the wedding stationary, signs and other decorative elements. From water bottles to the uber-creative wedding invitation, Aaron did it all. The end results was a cohesive and brilliant design. Meghan’s touch could be seen throughout the reception at the Athenaeum Hotel. Beautifully simply hydrangeas and roses were all around. Tables were marked with the cities they’ve been and each guest was seated via a airline ticket escort card.

There was an emotional wedding ceremony at the Hall of Philosophy, heartfelt toasts, poignant first dances, and celebrating all night long. However, my favorite moment by far was something extra special. It was the finishing touch that made everything perfect. Like a dash of bitters in a whiskey drink. At the end of the night, all of the guests descended the hill from the hotel to the lake shore. Sky lanterns were handed out and guests slowly began to set them adrift, floating freely in the night sky over the lake. This candle-lit moment served as the perfect end to a perfect day.

A Chautauqua Institution wedding in New York with Meghan and Aaron A Chautauqua Institution wedding in New York with Meghan and Aaron A Chautauqua Institution wedding in New York with Meghan and Aaron A Chautauqua Institution wedding in New York with Meghan and Aaron A Chautauqua Institution wedding in New York with Meghan and Aaron

Wedding ceremony – Hall of Philosophy, Chautauqua Institution
Reception venue – Athenaeum Hotel, Chautauqua Institution
Event planning – Heavenlee Weddings
Floral design – Francesca’s Floral
Cake artist – The Cakery
Bridal gown – Davenport by Watters
Bridal party hair and make-up – John David Salon
Entertainment – Premiere Sound
Photo booth – Toy Brothers
Guest accommodations – Athenauem Hotel

Tagged: Garden