Mary + Josh ~ Sneak Peek! {by Kitty}

Mary and Josh leave tomorrow for their honeymoon, so again, I want to get a few up here before they take off!  More photos coming soon!

Meredith + Joe Get Married! {by Kitty}

HI!!  Well, Meredith and Joe are leaving tomorrow (today, technically) for their honeymoon and I want to send them off with some photos of their wedding from this past weekend.  I'll be back to add some very fond thoughts of the day, but right now I just want to get these up!  So...more later!

Ok, but one thing: Gold star to the first person to leave a comment guessing what the song is that induced the last couple of images!  

Mere's dress: Girls in White Dresses / Mere's hair: Kat @ Penzone's on N. High / Mere's makeup: Jade @ Penzone's on N. High / Joe's tux: JCrew / venue: Athletic Club of Columbus / flowers: Snap Dragon / cake: Lady Di Cakes / custom printed ephemera: On Paper

Donna + Jason Get Married! {by Kitty}

It's always such an honor to be chosen by another photographer to photograph their own wedding!  I've heard so many of my photographer friends say how hard it is to hand over the reigns and trust someone else to do it when they wish they could, but obviously can't do it themselves.  I'm afraid I'd spend my own wedding day looking around thinking, "Is she getting this?  Is she getting that?" But the handful of photographer brides and grooms I've had the pleasure of photographing have all just let me do my job and let me do what I do without expecting me to clone the way they work. 

That said, working with Donna and Jason was a breeze!  We had a long list of destinations for their portrait session, but given the sweltering heat and mugginess, after their first look (we were lucky to find a lovely spot in the shade), we made use of the rain-alternative and headed off to the State House to enjoy the air conditioning and the beautiful interior.  (Being a photographer, Donna knew photos of them with sweat drenched faces does not make for favorable wedding photos!)  Then off to Mouton - their friend's gorgeous little café/wine bar in the Short North for some wine and relaxation before the ceremony.  So while we didn't get to run around as we'd planned, we still got tons of photos with lots of variation, AND they were able to stay comfortable and enjoy their wedding day. 

 Champagne was served to guests to sip during the ceremony - there were a few rows of chairs for immediate family and everyone else stood where they wished under the tent.  This is always nice - people huddle up together, I saw arms around waists, heads resting on shoulders.  The flowergirl decided her bouquet was better off on the ground at her feet not six feet down the aisle so everyone had a good laugh.

 Obviously, I have some foodie couples this year!  Besides the very colourful desert/candy bar, Donna and Jason had three food stations at The Venue - Mediterranean, Southern comfort food, and a seafood bar which included the biggest freshest shrimp ever.  Another nice touch was the couches they set up as a lounging area, it really gives a homier feeling to an event.

Everyone knows how much I love the "that guy" at each wedding.  Well, this time, there were more than one and I feel they earned a blog board of their own. :)

 
Congratulations, guys!  Morgan and I had a great time spending the day with you!

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!