Jessica and Craig Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Couples always snicker when they tell me they met in a bar.  I think it is great! What better place to meet?   When you go out,  you are all dolled up, you are surrounded by your friends, you are relaxed, you are having fun.  You are you at your best.  And yes, the alcohol does help with nerves and hesitation.  ;)  When you meet the person you are meant to spend your life with I don't think it matters where you are.  The chemistry is there.  You know when it feels right and to deny that because of where it happened would be a tragedy.  Jessica and Craig met in a bar and a couple of years later they met again at the altar.

Jessica is a little shy, having so much attention on her on her wedding day took a little getting used to.  She had a great group of girls around her to keep her calm and relaxed.  Jessica and Craig saw each other for the first time when Jessica's very proud father walked her down the gorgeous aisle of St. John's Church.  It was amazing to witness.  When Craig took Jessica's hand and walked her up the alter I could see all of Jessica's shyness go away, her smile lit up the church.  Craig was her strength.

I had a wonderful time with Jessica, Craig and all of their family and friends, who traveled from 18 states and as far as Amsterdam to witness their love story.  Thanks for sharing in this special day! :)

Jessica and the girls started at Mi Salon in Florence for hair and makeup..

A classic bridal portrait.Jessica's gorgeous flowers were arranged by the Secret Garden.Craig seeing Jessica for the first time.This one is so special.  Dad giving away his only daughter.   St. John's church in Covington is breathtaking. I drive by this church daily, I had no idea all of this color was going on inside.  I love this!Timeless flower girl attire, I love it!Some of Craig's friends from New Jersey and college celebrating the great garter catch this guy just made.

All about LOVE

I have had the best past few weeks.

Here is a little peek at the gorgeous people that have entered my world.

Amber and Bryan,  whose wedding I photographed last month, scheduled a love session when they got back from their honeymoon.

Jessica and Craig were married at the beautiful St. John's church in Covington last weekend. Ashley and Austin are getting married next year.  We did their engagement session on Austin's uncle's farm.  This is Michael and Jessica, they were married Friday at the Anderson Center.  These two are enjoying a cocktail on a beach somewhere in Mexico right about now. :)

Ashley and Nathan Carnigie Event Center

Back when I did their engagement session earlier this year I wrote about Nate's infectious laugh.  That infectious laugh has rubbed off on  Ashley, and on their wedding day, that is what they did, they laughed and enjoyed each other all day.  I love so many things about this wedding starting with Ashley, she is absolutely beautiful and such a sweetheart. Taking pictures of her was a total treat for me.  The fact that she wore purple shoes makes me adore her even more (purple is my favorite color and I firmly believe it looks great on everyone).  :)  She looked  amazing in her vintage style dress from European Bridal.

Nate is a good friend of mine so it was extra nice to be able to celebrate with him and to catch up with tons of old friends.  It is great to see people I care about find love.  Being surrounded by love feels good.  I am so thankful to have shared in their special day.  It was classy, and elegant, and sweet.

I started the day with Ashley and the girls getting ready. Ashley's dog Bentley was by her side the entire time she got ready.  Nate and all of his guys got ready at one of his groomsmen's house.

I like that Nate and Ashley borrowed family heirlooms to wear.  Ashley wore her grandmother's sapphire ring and Nathan's grandmothers pearls.  Nathan wore his grandfather's cuff links.   Ashley's hair was so cute.  Ashley Davis at Vintage Salon did a great job.  The girl's dresses are from David's Bridal.This was my biggest bridal party so far.  I am pretty proud of this one. :) The ceremony and reception were held at the Carnigie Event Center in Newport, Kentucky.  It is loaded with cool spots for photos. What a great candid moment with Ashley's Dad. This is my one of my favorite bridal portraits ever! :)Yes! Their cake is homemade by one of Ashley's friends.  It was delicious. Time to party! 

Amber and Bryan Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

It wasn't the venue or the vows or how beautiful Amber was.  It wasn't the dress or the (really cute) shoes or the that the sky was the perfect shade of blue. What I will remember most about Amber and Bryan's wedding is that they are two of the kindest people I have been lucky enough to be around.  Photographing their wedding was a far more than an honor, it was a gift.

These two are meant for each other.  Being around this kind of love feels good.  It was the way they could not stop looking at one another like no one else was there.  While they stared into each other's eyes with tearful smiles, I saw pure affection and devotion,  compassion and happiness.  This is what love looks like.

Amber and Bryan, you are why I love what I do.

I started the day with Amber getting ready.

Gorgeous! All of the girls were so nice.The first look. Amber's flowers were arranged by Case's Golden Leaf Florist.  I just love a sweetheart neckline, so feminine.They got married at St. Joe's Church in Cold Springs. The white rose represents Bryan's grandmother.  It was placed next to Bryan's mother to represent where she would have been sitting. What a great looking couple! :) My favorite!

A look at what is coming up...

From playing in puddles, to playing golf, I have been photographing a little bit of everything over the past month.  Here is a little peak at what is coming up on my blog next week.

I photographed this little girl as well as her brother pictured below around my neighborhood.  The session ended with all of us getting soaking wet in a puddle. I am so happy I have such cool clients. :)   I chased this little girl around her grandparents farm in one of my favorite places in Kentucky. A friend of mine asked me to take pictures at a golf outing his family hosts every year.  It ended with largest bonfire I have ever seen.  Yes I know I have said that before, but this one topped the last one by about 30 feet,  it was HUGE!!

I love this picture, classic.

I shared a few of my iPhone pictures from the Warped Tour yesterday, but they are nothing compared to these.  The Warped Tour is one of my favorite things to photograph.  I love all the craziness!!!  The rain just added to the fun!

Bardstown Kentucky Wedding

I have been brought to tears more than once while editing these wedding photos.  Sometimes I get so lost in my camera on a wedding day I don't get to actually soak in all of the emotion going on in front of my lens.  I see the a wedding as magical moments that I will later piece together to tell a story.  When I look back through the images I get to relive the day as a viewer again.  This wedding was special, the love between Valarie and Shawn is so evident in their pictures.  I am so happy they chose me to be their photographer.

The wedding was held about 2 hours south of Cincinnati in Bardstown, Kentucky, which is also known as the Bourbon Capital of the world.

We started at a local hotel where Valarie, her sisters,  who both served as her bridesmaids, and her mother got ready. Valarie's sisters wore jewelry they made together with Valarie at The Bellevue Beadery.  I like how Valarie dressed her shoes up to match the girl's dresses. April Christine,  did a fantastic job on Valarie's makeup. All of the guys had personalized cuff links.

Since we were in the Bourbon capital, you have to have a variety of bourbon to choose from.    Valarie and Shawn opted to do a first look, which is when we set up a very special meeting between the bride and groom before the ceremony.  Seeing each other before the ceremony allowed them to spend more time with their guests at the reception. It was very sweet and full of emotion and  I was able to capture every bit of it.

I just love LOVE! :)     Valarie's flowers were  arranged by the local flower shop in town, Bardstown Florist. The ceremony took place at My Old Kentucky Home, an absolutely gorgeous outdoor venue. After the ceremony we headed to Bardstown Country Club. They prepared a wonderful dinner that was followed by delicious cheesecake for dessert.

Thanks for sending me home with leftovers Valarie.  Dave was a happy guy when I walked in, lemon cheesecake is one of his favorites!:)    This was taken as I was getting in my car to leave.

Perfect! :)

Atwood Hill Winery Wedding

I met Ashley and Nick when I photographed Ashleys sister's wedding last year.  When they contacted me to photograph their wedding I was thrilled.  Sometimes as a photographer I feel I become part of my clients family, like a cousin you only see on special occasions. ;)  I have been to some weddings that I didn't want to leave because the family was so good to me.  Feeding me, making sure I am hydrated,  it is easy to get attached.  It is nice when those special occasions do come up and I get to catch up with everyone again. :)

The wedding was located at a beautiful little winery in Morning View, Kentucky called Atwood Hill Winery.  This place is gorgeous.  Perfect for a quaint outdoor ceremony.  I just love when my clients choose unique locations for their wedding.  It makes my job so much fun.

Thank you Ashley and Nick for letting me be part of not only your wedding, but also your family.  It is always a pleasure.

We started at Ashley's parents house with the girls getting ready. This is Ashley's nephew, David.  I feel like it was just yesterday when we did his newborn session.  He's already a little man. :)         Ashley wanted her wedding to be laid back and relaxed.  I think daisies were a great choice for the carefree vibe. It was a perfect day for a wedding. There were so many great spots for pictures. The cake is by Ginniebug Creations. Ashley's mother, Kathy and her Aunt Anne made all of the sweets.  My favorite part of the wedding, besides all of the love, were the three m&m cookies and one unbelievable brownie I had.  So good!  Kentucky cooking is something I never pass up. ;)  I really like the next picture, ALOT!   Nick and his mother,  both looking great. This is Audra, one of Ashley's bridesmaids.  She was in a wedding I photographed in last October.  It is always nice to see a familiar face.  Since I have been obsessed with silhouettes,  you know I had to do a pregnant one. :)

Below Audra I used the moon to do a little light painting.

Featured on rocknrollbride.com!

If you are a fan of my facebook page you have already heard how excited I am to have Jeremy and Ashley's photo session featured on rocknrollbride.com.  It is my first time ever submitting work anywhere and I got featured,  yeah!  In my little photo world that is a huge accomplishment. :)  Be sure to head over to rocknrollbride.com to see lots more photos from that shoot.  I cant thank Jeremy and Ashley enough for being such bad-ass models and thanks to Kat for featuring me! :)

Rock and Roll

Inspired by a desire to push myself creatively, many nights admiring the rocknroll bride.com, and the photography in FOAM magazine I set up this rock and roll themed photo session with Jeremy and Ashley.  I wanted to create something edgy and fun.  I needed to create  something that I feel would really represent my personality and the type of photography I love, which is still hard for me to define through words. :)

Jeremy is a good friend of mine, he has a great sense of style.  I knew he would be perfect for the shoot.  I asked to see if his friend Ashley, who is a hair stylist at Pinnokios Salon in Northside, would be willing to be my "bride".  She is gorgeous, and has the tattooed look I was going for.  We planned the session so that we would be out during that magic hour before the sun sets.  Beautiful.  I am so happy with the way these turned out!