Katie & Zach Wedding

Pretty in Pink.  Katie and Zach who was an amazing couple had an equally amazing wedding day with a SUPER amazing gown.  The bride wore a beautiful pink blush wedding dress, an incredibly romantic alternative to the typical all white or ivory wedding gown.  GORGEOUS!  Let's just say  "50 shades of pink", Pink was the main color but not overwhelming- from her dreamy and ethereal dress, to her soft pink shoes,  bright pink flowers and touches of pink in all the little details.

And you will not catch this bride running in heels.   The bride is crazy about her Toms (really, who isn’t), so the bride and all of her bridesmaids supported the Toms movement “One for One” and wore a pair of Toms for the event.  So needless to say it was a “Tom-tastic” event….looking great, being comfortable and helping others in need all at the same time.  One bridesmaid got a little more fancy and opted for the Toms wedge.    Toms wedding collection can be seen here, “Change a Life, with your next big step.”

And even though killer bees attacked us as we started her bridal photos and we had to move indoors, we really got some amazing shots inside the church in front of the stained glass windows.  These might just have turned out to be some of my favorite images.  So thank you bees!!!!

The bride and her bridesmaid entourage went totally DYI and made their own bouquets from a local flower shop, The Flower Man.  Jealous-These ladies are SUPER crafty!  WOW!

Moreover, the super cute Grooms cake which featured canoes was a scene straight from their first date and was a surprise from their parents.  ADORABLE!

The night ended with a killer DJ and some serious tasty food from the 4 star local restaurant of El Meson, who offers exciting and yummy Hispanic cuisine. 

VENDORS

Reception: Cox Arboretum Metro Park   |   Church Ceremony: St. Luke Catholic Church
Cake: The Cakery    |   Flowers: The Flowerman 
Catering: El Meson   |   DJ: Hey! Mr. DJ
Hair& Makeup: Square One Salon    |  Shoes: Toms
Ring: Elizabeth Diamond Company  |    Dress Shop: Splendid Bridal

Ashley & Chris Wedding

READY SET…..AWESOMENESS!!!!

Ashley & Chris are a SUPER FUN and FANTASTIC  AMAZING couple who I absolutely fell in love with.  They are a truly special and quirky couple.  They are always making faces and inside jokes and they didn't hold back just because it was their wedding day!  They saw this as an opportunity to have total fun, as you should!!!

From the start, I knew this was going to be a super fun and exciting event when we brainstormed together before the wedding to talk about their vision for the images they wanted to capture.  At this meeting we came up with some crazy funny Photoshop ideas that we could photograph on their wedding day.  They really made it so easy and such a blast to work with them.  The couple was down for WHATEVER and would jump into whatever position whether wild and crazy or a serious/romantic moment. 

They have a wiener dog named Charlie (of course they do!), which we used in one of the outrageous Photo-shopped images.    He couldn't attend the main event so we wanted to incorporate him in another way.  So we decided to photograph the Bride and Groom on the wedding day and then Charlie a few days later- then work them together for a memorable shot. 

Chris's hobby is painting so he designed and painted all the centerpieces.  After the reception they were taken apart and given away as gifts to the guests.   He also designed all the wedding printed materials such as invitations, escort cards and programs. He is pretty amazing!

Wedding are emotional days, especially when all your loved ones can't attend the event. My heart went out to Ashley when I heard that her Father passed away seven years before.  To remember him she wore bracelet with his thumbprint cast into the metal.  It was a beautiful way to honor his memory.  She also had a special father/daughter dance with her whole immediate family.  It was really sweet and it made me cry!!!   

During the reception, they had a crazy dollar dance so they could ensure that they spend time with each guest and this was also a perfect opportunity for one of her bridesmaids to "make-it-rain”.  Then after a night of serious partying, the couple they hired Zombie Dogz, a local food truck that specializes in gourmet hot dogs for a late night snack.   YUM!

What a great event and a great couple!!!!!  They truly contributed to so much to the creative process and helped to make their images so much more their own.  But they also trusted me to bring my flair as well, and were open to "trying" stuff to see what worked.  The best example is that on the way to their reception I saw this beautiful hill behind the hotel.  It was quite a climb, but I saw some beautiful images that could be made.  They were totally on board with it.  So we hiked all the way up this mini mountain and they now say that those images are their favorites from the whole day.  It was worth the extra time and energy. 

Team Ashley and Chris!!!  Thanks for making my job as a wedding photographer a complete blast.  I live for these kind of events and this is the reason I got into wedding photography in the first place.

VENDORS

Reception: Hilton Garden Inn    |     Dress: David's Bridal
Cake: Libby's Luscious Layers    |    Flowers: Flowerman
DJ: Fresh Air Entertainment   |    Late Night Snack: Zombie Dogz

Laura & Gregg Wedding

Laura & Gregg's classic modern wedding was held at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton, Ohio and incorporated the couples world traveling spirit.  They are a super funny, carefree couple that I didn't get to meet until their wedding day!  That doesn't happen much to me so I wasn't sure what to expect.

They did an exceptional job incorporating sophisticated style into their modern venue. On each table they featured a favorite place they have traveled.  Check out their luggage tags escort cards!  Instead of cake they had an assortment of Graeter's Ice Cream flavors-  this is an Ohio favorite!  

VENDORS

Reception & Catering: Schuster Center
Hair & Makeup: Natalie with Wedding Hair of Ohio 
Ice Cream: Graeter's     |    Flowers: The Flower Shoppe

Lauren & Jacob Wedding

Get ready for the most adorable and sweetest couple ever!  Lauren is a teacher and Jacob is a youth pastor, so getting married in a church was the only option.  Since their ceremony was very traditional they opted for a fun and modern reception venue.  The Top of the Market offers an eclectic space in downtown Dayton in an old warehouse setting complete with exposed brick and huge aluminum garage doors.  Design elements were kept to a minimum to not overwhelm and take away from the industrial feel of the venue.  However, the couple personalized the space with gorgeous light colored flowers as well as large prints from their engagement photographs. 

The night also featured a popcorn bar with a variety of flavors, coloring books for kids and a photo booth.  The guest gift was a stand up frame to hold a photo booth strip of photos from the photo booth, which is always a big hit with the guests!!!   The night of dancing ended with a dramatic sparkler exit.  This super cute wedding and couple will be soon featured on the Blushing Blog.

VENDORS

Reception: Top of the Market  |     Dress: Wendy's Bridal
Hair/Makeup: Eye Do  |    Cake: Frosted
Flowers: Floral V Designs  |    DJ: Party Pleasers
Wedding Planner: Dream Day Café