On a sunny day out in the open ocean, you can look down and see a particular shade of deep blue that seems to go on forever. That entrancing blue is my favorite color. It’s also one my favorite things about Katie – her eyes are the same endless blue. What I love about Jerry is his stoic nature, and our shared passion for auto racing. Apparently, Jerry really knows how to wrestle a fast car around a small parking lot. But most importantly, I love that Katie and Jerry gave me trust and allowed me to influence their wedding plans.
Their wedding was in Fairflied, Ohio, which is a bit of suburbia near Cincinnati. Suburbia can be good and bad for photos. The good – nice open spaces. The bad – it can look a little like, well, suburbia. We were discussing possible location ideas weeks before the wedding. Fairfield is on the other side of the state, so I couldn’t scout locations and provide advice as I normally do. We had kicked around some good ideas, but trouble was, they were just “good.” Katie and Jerry really deserved GREAT! With a little trust, they let me run with some location ideas.
I contacted a horse farm not far the other wedding locations. After just a couple emails, the farm was happy to let us use their property. I recommended the horse farm as a wedding location for a few reasons. It offered open spaces and great structure. As well, Jerry had rented a vintage Ford Model-A sedan for transportation. I thought the mix of horses and horsepower would work well. In the end, Jerry and Katie loved the location, and the photographs even more so. The farm ended up really fitting well with the flow of the entire wedding.
My clients usually give me a little trust from the start. I think this is because most of them find me through personal recommendations from friends and family. After that, I work hard to build trust and am thankful for every ounce. Hopefully, you can see below why trust works and a little influence can make a big difference –
The note above was written by Katie’s grandmother and the necklace is “Something Old”. I hear from the family that Katie’s grandmother teared up a little when she saw this picture. She loved the photo so much because she was unable to attend the wedding in person.
Katie was kind enough to get prepared in her sister’s old bedroom. The white walls really made for a nice, clean background.
Above you can see why I love the idea of sharing love letters before the wedding. Certainly, Katie’s were tears of joy.
Above, Jerry reading a note from Katie while awaiting her arrival for the first look.
I love the curious nature of horses. When we arrived, they were all back in their stalls eating oats. Within just minutes, they were checking out the new visitors.
Above are just a couple of Katie and Jerry’s first look photos. More are available in a post specifically about the first look.
Jerry chose the perfect tuxedo. It was not a rental, but a custom tailored suit.
Vintage car for the get-away – yes please!
The emotion above is priceless for the grand entrance. The little bit of motion blur really helps to convey the energy.
A funny Best Man’s toast is easy. Jerry’s best man gave the most amazing toast I have ever heard. It was funny and sincerely heart felt. I’m still amazed.
I think Jerry was amazed by the toast as well. His brother left no doubt that he loves Jerry very much.
Yes, that is an auto racing themed cake topper. There’s nothing wrong with that. Oh, time for some dancing!
Shout, Shout, Shout Shout!
Believe it or not, the above dancing shots all took place in just 20 minutes. Katie and Jerry really got the room hopping from the start!
There was one other thing really unique about this wedding for me. I normally work with the same great second photographer all the time. However, Michael needed a substitute for this wedding. Lisa of Brightside was kind enough to step in. She really was amazing the entire weekend. I will be forever thankful for her amazing help. Also big thanks to the wonderful people at Walnut Creek Stables. They were amazingly generous with their time and so courteous.
