Nicole + Craig Get Married! {by Kitty}

Columbus is indeed a very small world - turns out Nicole, Craig, and their two adorable little boys live in my neighborhood and I ride my bike past their house nearly every day.  On top of that, Craig's family lives across the street from us and while we've been neighbors for a decade, I had no idea!  (Note to self: get out of the house more and get to know the people on my block better!) 

While their wedding was several years in the making, the day went by with relaxed effortless ease - only their closest friends and family attended the Art Museum ceremony and the dinner reception at their friend's restaurant, Z Cucina in Grandview.  Truly an example of how to enjoy your own wedding day - intimate, no complicated time schedules, room to let what happens happen and celebrate with the ones you love.  It was obvious all day long that the only thing that really mattered was that they were together and totally crazy about each other.

Ok, well, I'm pretty sure one other thing mattered: the food...oh dear lord, the food. FYI, if you haven't been to Z Cucina, you are seriously missing out.  Everyone was able to make their choice from the four dinner options printed on their custom letterpress menus...it was not an easy choice!  For dessert, four choices were listed and much to the surprise and delight of everyone there, the agony of choice was omitted - all four treats were served to each table family style.  The "cup cake" (which was the size of a brick) was covered with buttercreme icing...that actually tasted like real butter...I had to stop halfway through lest my sweet-tooth gluttony go from regret to remorse.

Thankfully after all that amazing food, there were plenty of antics and craziness on the little dance floor! 

Congratulations, Nicole and Craig!

Sneak Peek! Donna + Jason {by kitty}

Here's a sneak peek from today's wedding!

Jenni + David Get Married! {kitty}

Here's a peek at Jenni + David's wedding in Piqua.  Dan, Nick, and I had a fun drive through the country to get to this charming little town from where David's family hails.  Their wedding is another example of how good planning makes for great photo opportunities.  After the ceremony, we had a ton of time to romp around downtown, get a few shots at David's family's home, and still hit some lovely spots on the grounds of the Piqua Country Club.  Jenni and Dave and I had not met before the wedding, so it was wonderful to get to know them throughout the day! 

I'd been really missing black and white film and conveniently, Jenni and Dave's wedding naturally fell into a vibe where I could play and capture some more traditional style black and white images. That's part of the fun when it comes to weddings - to just go with the flow - no wedding is the same and each will determine how I approach it while I shoot.  While naturally I shoot all weddings in my "style" each has different atmosphere, aesthetic, and pace.  Keeps things unique and interesting! 

 

 

Thanks, Jenni + Dave! Congratulations!

Jeannie + Brian Get Married! {Kitty}

Hello again!  Always great to start off the season with a wedding this lovely.  I've been so looking forward to Jeannie and Brian's wedding after the fun of their engagement session and seeing them at Kelly and Dennis' New Year's Eve wedding.

 

I'm in love with the soft cotton garter!  (Finally a garter that won't scratch.)

We set a side a nice block of time to take photos before the ceremony, which gave us the opportunity to take advantage of the afternoon light.  Jeannie thought ahead and brought along matching hot pink wellies so we could traverse through the woods and stream for their photos. (Which was a good thing, considering all the rain we'd been having!)

 

 

The Browning Amphitheatre was a fantastic setting and coordinator Jen Woster-McBride made sure everything went smoothly.  The little flower girl was killing me. She kept practicing tossing the petals to the point where her dad took the basket away from her (which displeased her thoroughly.) When she finally walked down the aisle, she did so without once sticking her hand in the basket...she walked right to her dad in the front row - and dumped the basket out at her feet.  I always hope the little ones will improvise their roles and totally ignore the script. :D

Love and macarons and really great people!  I've photographed some of Jeannie and Brian's friends' weddings and also have a few coming up (like Nicole and Craig this weekend!) Really fun seeing so many familiar faces while I'm working.

Congratulations, Jeannie + Brian and thanks for such a wonderful day!

Mandy + Jerry's engagement session {by Kitty}

Last weekend, I went to photograph Mandy + Jerry at the waterside park where Jerry proposed. Mandy and I had a chat about what they would like from their photos - casual simple natural interaction. As someone who cringes when a camera is pointed at them, I understand the want to not have to "perform" during a photo session, so following them around as they wandered the park arm in arm worked out brilliantly!

Addressing Invites/Thank Yous

For those of you who didn't win the merit badge for good handwriting or don't want to develop carpal tunnel before slipping on your wedding rings, this post from Design*Sponge has a fantastic cheat! Check it out!

Kelly + Dennis' New Year's Eve Wedding {kitty}

And here we have Kelly + Dennis' New Year's Eve wedding!

A classic and gorgeously elegant wedding, a party with two rounds of "Country Roads", and ushering in the new year with fun and happy people was a great way to spend New Year's Eve.


All the details were stunning and as usual, Tim from Mukha Spa did a fantastic job on Kelly's makeup.

A few shots with the wedding party (thank you, ladies, for braving the cold!) and then K+D spent some time with us and Julie + Chris for photos and video footage downtown before heading back to the Westin.


Cupcakes. Oh, the cupcakes. Toward the end of the night, the cupcake table was out in the hall and I spied a girl stealthily swiping one off the table in a rather perfect drive-by...I followed her and snapped a shot of her guilty face as she realized she'd been caught. I'm not posting the photo here...but you know who you are! ;D
Video feed was set up for the countdown to midnight and we all got to watch the ball drop. Happy 2011!

Many thanks to Kelly + Dennis and their friends and family for being so warm and welcoming. It was a great way to start the new year!

courtnee and eric's engagement session! {by caroline}

It was so much fun being able to be a part of Courtnee and Eric's day! We had a really great time hanging out and taking pictures at their house. Even their dog wanted to be a part of the pictures :)

People who are in love always look great in pictures :)

Liz + Bill's wedding {kitty}

I'll be back to write about Liz + Bill's wedding, but right now I want to get these up so they don't have to wait a minute longer!






I'll be back to write about Liz + Bill's wedding, but right now I want to get these up so they don't have to wait a minute longer!

BHLDN ~ Anthropologie does weddings

So excited I don't know what to do with myself. "Hello? Over here?" are probably the words Wolfgang will be directing at me on Valentine's Day as I spend hours pouring over the BHLDN website on their release date. I was never that little girl who'd wear a white tshirt on her head and pretend to be a bride...but from what I've seen so far, I just might start doing it now (pretty sure I have a white Anthro tee somewhere....)

They currently have their website rotating gorgeous detail shots of sparkly things and soft raw edged fabrics, which will cruelly taunt me in the weeks to come. So...please join me in my torment and take a look. You can sign up for more information about when the site goes live.

colour themes ~ peacock!

colour theme ~ peacock by kitty maer weddings
click on the image to see the individual items

frugal finds ~ dresses under $255

frugal finds ~ dresses under $255 by kitty maer weddings

Style BC219-Beach Wedding Dresses
Style BC148-Beach Wedding Dresses
Style BC160-Beach Wedding Dresses
Style DE009-Designer Wedding Dresses
Style DE009-Designer Wedding Dresses
Inexpensive Wedding Dresses-Style DE211

let it snow!

inspiration ~ snow by kitty maer weddings featuring rubber shoes

All this snow has me dreaming of winter wonderland weddings...with, yes, a photo session outside.

Just throw on a faux-fur stole or fluffy shawl over your dress and some Wellies (with warm socks) under it and you're all ready to go!

Helen + Rob's wedding {Kitty}

Really happy to share more of Helen & Rob's photos from their wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, CA.

The very talented Jim Minics accompanied me as my second shooter for the day.

I loved Helen's dress...looks like snow drifts.


Helen & Robert have been together for a long time and Robert is a photographer himself, so they were very at ease in front of the camera. It started out as a rainy day, but the weather held out for us to get plenty of photos. I really love the light after a good rain, too.

The receiving line was worked into the cocktail hour - champagne with strawberries were served to guests while they waited to congratulate H&R and their families.



Check out the action shot Jim got of Rob's daughter (who was Helen's maid of honor) catching the bouquet!

Out of town weddings always provide new adventures - new locations to shoot, new challenges, fresh inspiration, and meeting new people who very often I'm meeting face-to-face for the first time on the day of! This was no exception and we had a wonderful time sharing the day with Helen & Rob! Thanks, guys!

inspiration ~ Audrey

inspiration ~ audrey by kitty maer weddings