Andrea & Andy officially tied the knot last weekend and everything turned out absolutely perfect. I'm so glad that they trusted me to capture their exciting day and I love the way they added personal touches to the small details to make everything truly unique. I started the day with Andrea at Hotel Covington to capture the candid moments that happened between her and her bride tribe while they were getting ready. I've heard a lot about working at Hotel Covington, but this was my first time actually shooting there. Let me just say, it's absolutely GORGEOUS! The lighting, colors of the decor, the lobby, everything was just beautiful. There are so many unique spaces and pieces incorporated in their building and I absolutely fell in LOVE shooting there. Andrea booked a suite for the weekend and ordered Chick-fil-A to snack on during hair and makeup. She had everything set out and ready for detail shots and the morning just happened flawlessly.
After Andrea was dressed and ready to go, she slipped off to hide while we brought her dad into the room for her first look with him. You can just tell by the expression on his face that he is beyond proud of his little girl and he is absolutely blown away at her beauty. Such a special moment!!
While I was hanging out with the girls, my awesome second shooter Amanda (with AC Photo ltd.) was upstairs with Andy & the guys. I LOVE it when my bridal couples decide on adding a second shooter to their package. Going through these photos was so much fun and they completely show how the guys spent their morning. I know that I love these, and I can't imagine how much Andrea will like looking back on them later and being able to see exactly what her husband-to-be was up to while she was spending her morning in a completely different way. It's always great to have another perspective and it was so much fun having Amanda there to capture it for me!
As you can see, they spent part of the morning playing video games. Andrea & Andy are both huge gamers and we actually took their engagement photos in an arcade! As you'll see in the photos to come, Andy & Andrea actually took a few moments after their ceremony to be alone and play a short video game together just to catch their breath and appreciate the fact that they just got MARRIED! But we'll get to those photos later ;) Right now we'll start with their first look, gift exchange, and a little couples portrait session in the lobby of the hotel before we headed to Devou Park for photos with the bridal party!
Even though it started to rain on the morning of their wedding, it was bright and sunny by the time we made it to Devou for photos. We had all been concerned about the rain, but the real problem was the wind! It ended up being CRAZY windy! This bridal party was SO great though. They all cooperated and didn't complain about the chilly wind or the bright sunshine in their eyes! This was also my first time working with a small bridal party and I absolutely LOVED it. It ended up being so much fun and it made remembering everyone's name so much easier! Haha. They were such a fun bunch and the view at the pavilion made an absolutely gorgeous backdrop.
After finishing up photos at Devou, we headed back to Hotel Covington to take immediate family photos and wait for their ceremony to start. Their venue was absolutely beautiful and was the perfect place for them to say their own vows. They wrote them separately and it was funny that they both said that they were so excited to be the other's "Player 2" forever. It was just the cutest.
After their ceremony, we headed back inside to take a few more photos of Andrea & Andy alone and then photos with their extended families. After they signed their marriage license, the three of us headed back up to their room so that they could play a short video game and so that I could document the first "official" time they played as one another's "Player 2" as a married couple. These two are just the sweetest and it was so much fun being able to hang out with them on such a special day.
At this point in the day, all of the "big" moments were completed. Andrea & Andy were married, all family portraits were taken, it was time to start the party. I've worked a lot of weddings (I did quite a bit of day-of wedding day coordination before jumping into wedding photography) but this was one of the first weddings that had an outdoor reception. WOW it was so fun! Such a game changer! It was so neat to be able to capture all of the traditional reception photos (entrances, speeches, first dances, cake cutting, etc.) outside in the sunshine! It was still pretty windy, but this didn't ruin the party! I actually met Andrea in high school and she was the absolute sweetest by saving me a spot at a table with some of my old friends so that I could sit down for a moment and have dinner. It was so fun to be able to not only capture all of the fun she and Andy were having with their guests that I didn't know, but it was extra fun to be able to capture them having fun with the people that I did know! Andrea is actually the first to get married in her group of three best friends and the best part about this is that I get to capture the weddings of the rest of her friend group later this year & next year! Another great part about this? Each bride-to-be was up and on the dance floor starting with the very first song, this means that their weddings will be soooo much fun too!
Being a wedding photographer is honestly such an honor. I'm trusted to capture all of the small details of a day that unites two people as one, a day that involves months of planning, a day of so much love and excitement. It was such a blast to be able to document Andy & Andrea's day and I am so thankful they invited me along to do the job! Thank you so much, you guys! Congratulations again!!
Vendors from the day:
-Photographer: Dime & Zee Studios, LLC
-Wedding Coordinator: I Thee Wed
-Venue: Hotel Covington
-Flowers: Irene Hyatt Designs
-DJ/Videography: DMZ Productions
-Hair/Makeup: Mane Ave. Salon