Amy and David's Friendship Park Wedding

This year has been a little different for me.  Over half of the clients I have booked, I have not met until wedding day.  They have mostly been referred by friends, and are drawn to my style of shooting via my portfolio.  I always have at least one phone conversation, and many email exchanges before weddings day.  It can be  little scary at first, considering I will be with them all day on their wedding day.  I have not had one bad experience with any of these weddings.  In fact, once I meet up with the girl's and start photographing them, I feel like I have known them forever.  This is exactly how I felt at Amy and David's wedding.  As soon as I arrived to their apartment I was greeted with big smiles and just enough of a southern accent to make me feel at home.  The first thing David said to me when I met him that day was that he was very emotional and was without a doubt going to cry.  I was glad he felt comfortable enough to be so honest and open.

The day was one of those we had last month where the rain was lingering over us, but never really came.  Amy and David's first look was one of the sweetest I have witnessed. Emotions were high and the tears of joy flowed unapologetically.  I was so happy to have witnessed so much love.  The day was super laid back and full of so many laughs.  I was so happy have had such a wonderful experience with these two people.  They got married at Friendship Park along the river in Cincinnati.  It's a beautiful location with so many beautiful spots to take photos.   

Jessica and Craig's Neltner's Farm Wedding

The weather this wedding season has been very temperamental to say the least.  The wonderful thing is, Mother Nature showed up with rain and disappeared, leaving glorious light at all of the right times.  Most couples would have freaked out having an outdoor, DIY farm wedding with rain.  Not Jessica and Craig, they stayed so calm and smiled the entire day.  I have never seen a bride who kept it together as well as Jessica did.  What was important to them was their love, spending time with family and friends, and that they were getting married.  I think the rain added a bit of uncontrolled chaos that made the day more memorable. It also gave me the opportunity to create some stunning portraits of Jessica while we waited in one of the barns for it to pass.  Looking back at the day, I bet Jessica and Craig would agree that they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Neltner's Farm provided the perfect backdrop for Jessica and Craig's ultimate DIY intimate wedding.  The scenery is stunning.  It's here that I believe you get a glimpse of Kentucky at her finest.  The farm is surrounded by hills and gorgeous trees. Jessica and Craig worked very hard creating all of the signs, the altar, and decor.  Marti Heard Designs did a fantastic job, as usual with the floral designs and helped Jessica pull it all together. Everything had such a personal touch and was very creative.

Emily and Enzo

When Emily contacted me about setting up a session with her and her son, Enzo I was thrilled.  She wanted to capture the love she has for her little man and the special relationship they have.  She and her husband Todd are wonderful parents.  I look up to the way they haven't totally lost themselves in parenting, instead they incorporate Enzo into their activities.  He's such a sweet little boy who is so social and smiling every time I see him.

Now that I am pregnant, I have such a huge appreciation and a new found fondness for motherhood.  Emily has been so amazing answering all of the wacky questions I might have.  She doesn't judge, something I admire greatly in a friend.

I am grateful for the opportunity to give her these special images of her and her little boy. :)

First up, a few Polaroids

Amber and Erick's Kelley's Island Wedding

Last month Amber and Erick invited me to their family home to photograph their intimate wedding on Kelley's Island.  It was such a pleasure spending time with them and their family and friends.  Everyone came together to help make the event very personal and unique.  From the handmade bouquet to the homemade wine and beer, they made sure every detail was thought out and from the heart.  These are my favorite kinds of weddings to be apart of.   This location was very special for Amber.  I was blown away when we arrived.  It was perfect backdrop for unique photos. Amber's best friend did a beautiful job on her cake.  It was so good, I went in for seconds. :) Amber and Erick had so many talented friends who performed some of their favorite songs.

Jessica and Craig's Colorful Summer Covington Engagement

When I met Jessica and Craig in Covington for their engagement session we got around 15 minutes of photos in before it started pouring rain.  We decided to  wait it out in my car, the rain didn't stop, but it gave us a good opportunity to get to know each other.  They are a fun loving couple who I felt like I had known forever.  I love when I click with couples so quickly.  It makes spending time with them on their wedding day feel like way more fun than work.   We met up again a week later for round two.  This time the weather was perfect and I was able to take them to some of my favorite spots.  I am very excited to spend the day with them at Neltner Farm for their wedding next month.  Here are a few of my favorites from both days.  Look how cute that dress is!

Claire and Ross's Devou Park Engagement

  Once again, Devou Park provided the perfect back drop for an engagement session.  Growing up, I visited this park a lot, so I shooting here is very comfortable for me.  Each season brings unique charm and beauty.

  It was a beautiful Spring day when we met for Ross and Claire's engagement session.  Everything was lush and colorful.  These two high school sweethearts along with their sweet pugs were a pleasure to work with.  

Kristen and Sean's Bell Event Centre Wedding

This love story is a very special one for me.  Though I have gone back and forth in my head about how I want to write it.  I decided the best thing I can do is be honest, to be true and hope to inspire people the way Kristen and Sean have inspired me. This love story is about strength, unconditional love, and vulnerability.  It's about the better and the worse, the sickness and the health. I remember the day Kristen's mother called me to ask if I was available for the wedding which was only 5 months away.  I was driving downtown,  feeling a little crabby.  I answered the phone while driving, something I rarely do. She sounded a bit nervous.   She asked me if I was available on the date of her daughter's wedding and if I could shoot an engagement session within a few days of the phone call.  She told me that within 2 months of getting engaged Sean, Kristen's finance had been diagnosed with stage IV Glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer and he was going in for surgery this week to try to remove it.  I pulled over immediately.  I snapped out of my selfish crabbiness and did everything I could to hold back the tears.  Yes!  I exclaimed to Kristen's mother.  I will most defiantly do the wedding and I will clear my schedule for the engagement session ASAP.

When I met Kristen and Sean for their engagement session they were vibrant and happy.  They joked a lot.  I asked Kristen what her favorite thing about Sean was and she said she loves how smart he is.  Sean said he loves how much she makes him laugh.  I wanted to make sure the session wasn't about anything but them enjoying each other.  It was the day before a life changing surgery, I didn't want any of the focus to be on that and neither did they.  We laughed and talked and got to know each other.  I left Kristen with a polaroid to hold onto while she was waiting at the hospital.

Sean's surgery went well.  They removed a lot of the tumor, he has to go through frequent radiation and daily chemo treatments.  He is currently still undergoing chemo to keep the cancer from growing  They have to take things day by day, enjoying every minute they are given with each other.  Something we all should do, really.

I hadn't seen Kristen and Sean since the engagement session.  When I arrived on the wedding day I was so excited to spend the day with them.  Everyone was in good spirits.  Kristen looked absolutely stunning.  They did a first look so they would have more time to spend alone that day.  From the time Sean first set eyes on Kristen he lit up and admired her all day.  Though Sean's cancer is something that has become an very important part of their lives, on their wedding day it was barely even mentioned.  The day was about celebrating the present and their hopes for the future, about celebrating their love.

I have kept in touch with Kristen throughout the past few months since the wedding.  I am so happy to say that Sean is doing great.  He is still battling the cancer, but has not let it stop him from getting his degree, landing a dream job, and getting a house with Kristen.  They even adopted a second dog, though I think that was more Kristen's idea. ;)  I feel very fortunate that I have crossed paths with these beautiful couple.  I hope the huge love they have for each other continues to give them the strength to continue living a life full of happiness together.

I can never say enough about how gorgeous the Bell Event Centre is.  

Sara and Forest's Surreal Engagement Session

I had an amazing time working with Sara and Forest.  When they contacted me about setting up their engagement session I loved all of their ideas.  They wanted to do something that represented their fun personalities.   They gave me lots of freedom to experiment and were up for any crazy ideas I had.  It was a pleasure getting to know them.  I am sad that I wasn't available for their wedding later this month, it has good time Kentucky written all over it, my favorite.

This image is one of my all time favorites.  I tell people all of the time, I never overly plan locations.  Sometimes you gotta just keep yourself open to what inspires you and leave room for magic to slip in.  We decided to stop by one of my favorite sunset spots when we were just about wrapped up.  Construction trucks were driving on the other side of the levee, which sent dust flying everywhere.  It made for a surreal, moody atmosphere that was just perfect.  I snuck in a few polaroids.  I love the way these  turned out. 

Engagement Photos at Devou Park

Spring weather, gorgeous flowers, and a beautiful couple in love.  This is my idea of a way to spend the perfect day.  Brett and Kat were so much fun to photograph.  Their wedding later this year is going to be so much fun, I can't wait!

 Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement photos.