A few weeks ago, I officially kicked off the 2019 wedding season. If this first wedding says anything about how the rest of the year will go, I am in for a TREAT. Lizzy & Zach tied the knot in early March, and I am so excited to finally share the story of their day with you. These two are the sweetest, most genuine, down to earth people I have ever worked with. It POURED down rain throughout the time we had planned for their couples portraits and they literally embraced every single moment of the day. These photos are precious and I am so excited to send them over for them to relive their day once again. To start the day, I met Lizzy and her girls at her parents' house to capture the sweet and funny moments they would have while getting ready. In my opinion, these "getting ready" photos are so important to the story of the day. Lizzy was surrounded by her closest family and friends as she prepped to meet her groom at the alter later that day. These moments are relaxed and candid and are so natural before the "stress" of the wedding day hits. It's always such an honor to be invited in and trusted to capture these memories.
I also think it's really important to capture the details of a wedding day. I didn't really realize it until I started planning my own wedding, but SO much thought goes into the little things that make up a wedding. It's so much more than choosing your dress or your wedding colors, but designing the invitations, choosing your shoes, deciding on jewelry. So many decisions! A lot of it isn't necessarily noticed by guests, but it's so important to a bride. After so much planning, I like to be sure I document those decisions so that they're remembered later.
While I was spending time with the girls, my awesome second shooter Amanda (with AC Photo) was capturing all of the crazy things Zach and his guys were up to that morning. They were getting ready at Zach & Lizzy's house and so I didn't meet up with them until later that afternoon. Going back through their photos after the wedding made me realize why it's so important to choose a wedding photographer that offers a package with a second shooter. I had absolutely no idea what the guys did all morning or how much fun they had, and guess what? Lizzy didn't either. I was absolutely cracking up at what I found scrolling through these photos (a random tire? Peeing in the bushes? Group photos in the yard?) These are moments that help make up the day, and it's such a rewarding feeling knowing that I get to deliver back a full gallery where both Lizzy and Zach will see parts of their day that they had no idea even happened. A lot of these moments happen at the reception (just wait until we get there, wow!) but they also happen while getting ready!
Since most of these photos were taken inside, you haven't really been able to get a feel for the weather yet. I'll fill you in. Up until this point, it had just been cloudy. A typical Saturday in March. Chilly, but not cold, and cloudy. We knew it was predicted to rain at some point, but Cincinnati weather is usually hit or miss, and we were all hoping for a miss. This didn't happen. As soon as we started packing our things to head to meet the guys, it started POURING down rain. Absolutely crazy. We had about a 45 minute drive to our next location and we were hoping it would settle down before we arrived. This didn't happen either. Lizzy and I had talked about our "rain plan" in the days leading up to the wedding, and we decided that Devou Park would be the perfect location for their outdoor bridal party photos. The park has a bandshell that I knew would 1. keep them all at least a little bit dry and 2. would help with the natural light on a rainy day. This worked out SO perfectly. I ended up meeting up with the guys & Amanda here, and we worked to take separate bridal party photos without Lizzy and Zach seeing one another (they opted for no first look, but a gift exchange before walking down the isle. This was SO precious but we'll get there in a minute!).
This bridal party was incredible. They were so full of energy and didn't even complain about shooting in the rain. They were a constant group of smiles and giggles and honestly just let themselves have the best time (while still being cooperative!!). Their best friends were getting married! Who wouldn't be excited! After we finished up photos of the bridal party, we headed to the venue. Lizzy and Zach had their ceremony and reception at the Gardens of Park Hills. Not only was the space absolutely beautiful, but everyone there was SO nice. Definitely adding them to my list of preferred vendors. Once we got there, Lizzy and Zach stayed on two separate floors so that they wouldn't see one another until their ceremony. However, they got each other gifts and letters to exchange before walking down the aisle, so we found a quiet corner where they could take a moment and be alone to do this.
