Gina and Mike Part 2

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of joining Gina and Mike at Mike's family's house, along the river in Kentucky,  for an amazing reception.  If you follow my blog you remember  how laid back and intimate their wedding was.  The reception was just as intimate except this time they added a few more people and a boat to the party. :)

This is our view from the house.     This is Mike's grandmother.  Her husband bought the property for his family to have a gathering place for parties and summer fun.I loooove old barns!!!!

Mike's family is HUGE!  I got to hear stories from three generations about the memories they had of the house growing up.  This is a hole from a bb gun.  One of the little girls at the party told me that her dad put it there when he was younger.

There were amazing little treasures all over the house.

Coming up from the river.

Gina and her dad.

Gina's nephew taking a little break. Party time!! :) So I am really embarrassed to admit that as much as I love the river, this is my first time out in a boat. (unless you count the BB River boats) I had a blast!  I was hooting and hollering the entire time!    I love this!!! When Mike's grandfather bought the property for their summer house he also bought up all of the property next to it.  It is now occupied by his family.  They have their own little town. :) Captain Mike Beautiful Gina

Bubble time with Ethan. Gina's niece enjoying one of the cupcakes her mother made.

I bribed Gina's son with my camera at the wedding.  If he would do what I asked I would let him take a picture.  He loved it.  He would keep asking me all day to take a picture and when I let him he would just keep shooting and shooting.  Looks like he got a hold of his aunt's camera this time! :) I love these girls! Mike's mom did an amazing job organizing the party.  Thanks for such a great time! :)

Once it got dark we headed down to the river for the biggest bonfire I have ever seen.  The amount of stars we were able to see was breathtaking.  I need to get out of the city more. :) Mike and Gina, thanks again for allowing me to be part of so much fun! :)

Christin and Harold

To me one of the best compliments to your work in any profession is to be referred by a colleague.  I was beyond ecstatic when I was contacted by a fellow photographer about Christin and Harold's wedding.  He was already booked on their date.  He saw my work through a friend on Facebook and was wondering if I was available.  "What?  Me? "I thought to myself, I was flattered beyond belief.  I got Christin's contact information and after a long phone conversation with her we met for coffee and clicked right away.  She has one of those personalities that makes you feel like you have been friends forever, very comforting.  As we went over the details of her day I knew it was going to be beyond beautiful.  She and Harold had been planning this wedding for many years so she was well prepared.

There were so many things I fell in love with at this wedding starting with all of the beautiful red-headed women.  Christin, her mother Sindy, and her sister Autumn are all smoking hot red heads.  I can't explain why, nor do I need to, but I was really excited about this!

Next I loved the locations we used for photos.  We started at Cloud 9 Salon in Florence, which Christin's mother owns.  The stylist and makeup artists were great and the salon is a beautiful backdrop for photos.  Sindy did a wonderful job on Christin's hair and make up for the wedding.  Sindy's house, where the girl's got ready, has a lake and a beautiful greenery so we used that as a backdrop for Christin's bridal portraits and pictures with her girls.  For Chrisin and Harold's portraits I scouted out a location near the church.  It was a beautiful farm with fruit trees, and an old barn on it, perfect for a quick, private bride and groom session.

I had such a great time at this wedding.  From the moment I walked into the salon with the girls I was greeted with big smiles and hugs, I love that!   Thanks Christin and Harold and  all of your family for being so gracious.  It was wonderful spending the night surrounded by so much love.  Thanks for allowing me to capture these special moments for you!

Sindy, Chrisin's mother did Chrisin's hair and makeup for the wedding.  Here she is with Christin having a beautiful mother/daughter moment. This was my first time working with a videographer at a wedding, it was fun.  This is Mario from Frameline Productions, he was a pleasure to work with.  If you are looking for a great videographer for your wedding, he is your man! I love this! This is Christin and Harold's daughter Adalyn.Right before the ceremony.   Look how Christin and Autumn do the same scrunchy thing with their noses when they laugh.:) The gorgeous girls! Their red hair looks so great with that green background. We only had 15 minutes to shoot their portraits after the wedding.  That is all we needed with this beautiful light. Their beautiful reception was held at the Madison South in Covington. A very sweet father, daughter, granddaughter dance.:) This is my favorite photo of the day.  I grabbed this image  right as they were headed into the reception.  I love everything about it, the color, the look, the location, Christin's beautiful hair.  (Sindy is good! ) Adalyn and Grandma Parker were literally the last two on the dance floor that night.  My kind of ladies.

Gina and Mike/Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

I have known Gina and her family for a very long time.   In fact her older sister, Amy and I had a pretty wild summer my sophomore year swimming in her pool and cruising around with boys. ;) My nephew, Austin is also Gina's cousin.  You see,  I come from a very small town where everybody knows everybody.  If you throw a rock you are bound to hit someone you are related to or someone related to someone you are related to.  When I heard through the grapevine Gina was getting married I secretly hoped she would choose me to be her photographer.  Gina is absolutely gorgeous, and I adore her mother and father Sally and Barry.  Gina is very outgoing and loves to have a good time, so I knew her wedding would be a blast!

Gina and Mike met through Sue, one of Gina's friends she met at work.  Sue is longtime friend of Mike's family, she knew Mike and Gina would be perfect for each other.  She was right, they met on a blind date, and two years later they were getting married.

When I pulled up to Gina and Mike's house, Mike was mowing not only his lawn, but his older neighbors lawn as well.  What a sweet guy!  He greeted me with a big smile and a southern draw.  Immediately I knew this was going to be a great wedding!

There are so many things about this wedding that I loved.  I loved that Gina's son Ethan was included in every aspect of the day.  I also loved the venue.  Since Sue was the one who brought Gina and Mike together they had the wedding at Sue's house which happens to have a wonderful view of downtown.  I loved how personal everything was.  Mike's best friend was the officiant, his sister did a bible reading, Gina's mother read a poem, the ceremony was very intimate with about 40 of Mike and Gina's closest friends and family in attendance.  I loved getting hang out with my old Baker buddies and getting to meet so many more wonderful people.  By the end of the night I felt like part of their family.  I loved how much people wanted me to eat.  Sometimes I don't get to eat at all during a wedding.  It was nice to have people more or less forcing food on me, which reminds me, I loved that chocolate cupcake I finally did eat at the end of the night, it was delicious! :)

Gina and Mike are throwing a huge reception/party in June so you will see them again on my blog soon.

We had a beautiful view of downtown Cincinnati.

I absolutely fell in love with Sue's house.  It is very eclectic and full of treasures around every corner, both inside and out.

Gina's dress was perfect for her laid back ceremony.

Sue has great taste in art. Instead of a bouquet Gina and Mike wore leis.

Yummy!

One of the ring bearers.Pre-shaven MikeI like the picture of Ethan in the background. Beautiful.Gina snuck in on this one, I love the way it turned out.Ethan made this for his mom and Mike, how sweet!I love the passion here!Nate, Mike's best friend since childhood was the officiant and his sister did a reading.I don't think there was a dry eye on the patio when Mike and his mom hugged.Sally and Colten, one of her 4 (soon to be 5, Colton's Momma, Nikki just found out she is having a little girl) grandchildren. Nikki, the youngest Baker sister, aren't they gorgeous?Amy and her daughter Avery.Mike's mother and father were smiling all day!Look at those beautiful eyes. Mike was such a handsome trooper. Despite his allergies, he ventured out into this field of flowers.  I love the glamourous,  vintage vibe here.  Does she remind  you of a certain pinup model? Ethan and Mommy.Mike's brother gave the toast.The beautiful Baker girls. The dads talking it up. I cannot thank you enough Gina and Mike for trusting me to be your photographer.

Your love is inspiring.