Lauren & Mark 's Wedding at the Darby House

Even though we had a hot summer day for a wedding, we could not have asked for a more gorgeous outdoor ceremony at the Darby House. Surrounded by some beautiful greenery and nearby river, the shaded ceremony was perfect for this time of the year. I saw the engagement photos I took for Lauren and Mark throughout their home, where Lauren got ready, and printed for some of the details to the entrance of the Darby House. It is so much fun to see how my clients use these photos and it makes me so happy to see them hanging in their homes.

There was not a dry eye at the ceremony after Lauren and Mark exchanged their written vows to each other, (myself and my assistants included). I just love when couples share hand written vows and they had some of the best I’ve heard in all of my years photographing weddings. This day was so special and you can just see it in their eyes and smiles how happy they are with each other. I was so honored to be a part of their special day and I can’t wait to share these!

Some of the amazing vendors that helped put this beautiful day together!

Venue: The Darby House

Dress: B Loved Bridal

Hair & Makeup: LaPrima Beauty

Cake: Alice’s Piece of Cake

Florals: Hilliard Floral Design

Second Photographer: Jennifer Post

Emily & Ian Wedding

It was a gorgeous drive through the backroads on our way to Century Farms. My second photographer, Jen, and I were finding all of these beautiful landscapes to take photos of as we were driving into the town of Carrollton. After spending the majority of the morning staring at the weather radar, I was excited that Emily took the chance and decided on having an outdoor ceremony. Although it was a hot one, you would never know it with how beautiful everyone looked! We had gorgeous weather throughout the day and as soon as we were done with photos it decided to pour. Talk about perfect timing! This was my first time at Century Farms and I loved the traditional red barn feel along with the tall beautiful wooden doors. We had some amazing fields in the back for photos and just wait until you see the tree swing! Below are some of the amazing vendors that helped put this day together!

Venue: Century Farms

Flowers: Bouquet Studio

Dress and tuxes: Lavender Bridal

DJ: Ohio DJ Pros, Ryan Layman,

Hair: Rig and Co. Studio & Spa

Makeup: Make Me Blush Makeup & Beauty Lounge

Invitations: Shutterfly

String Duo: Chamber Light Players

Cake & Cupcake Bakers: Sugarfuse!

Cookies: Sweets by Mags & Family

Second Photographer: Jennifer Post

Exceptional Wedding Series

Since I am so focused on creating a unique wedding experience for each of my couples and pride myself on sharing their personalities in my photos, I thought I would start something new this year. After each wedding I want to share something specific that stood out to me from the day which I thought was special and unique to the couple.

I’m starting the series off with a great one from my first 2019 couple, Ali & Luke. After three years in the industry and working over 50 weddings, I have never seen this before and really loved the idea! Ali & Luke had these adorable Mr. & Mrs. aprons, (Amazon link below) which they put on right before dinner. They went behind the buffet tables and began serving their guests their food. I loved this idea so much, so I asked them a little more about why they chose to do this.

What inspired you to decide to serve the food to your guests at your wedding?

“The whole focus on our wedding, we wanted to be different. We planned for the marriage and the kind of wife/husband we wanted to be (counseling, praying, conversations, reading books) more than we planned for the wedding day, because that’s what it’s about right? Not to say, the wedding day isn’t important because making vows for life with someone is a big deal, but in our current “selfie” and social media “highlight reel” culture you can really get consumed with super high standards of the “perfect day,” large budgets, and lots of time and stress, then at the end of the day, it doesn’t really have any benefit to the marriage, for you or your spouse.

During our engagement, we talked a lot about showing grace to each other and serving each other as husband and wife. Even when you don’t want to. Rather than being worried about what the other is doing or most likely NOT doing, but loving the other well in how they need it. It’s the picture of how Jesus loves us... we are undeserving and flawed, yet He is devoted to us.

We were thrilled to exemplify that idea of servanthood. We didn’t want our wedding day to be just about us and whatever we wanted without concern of our guests. Just like how we would treat guests in our home, we serve and make our guests comfortable. How we love each other as husband and wife, is humbling oneself for the sake of the other: servanthood.”

- Ali Barhorst - Bride

Love this idea? Find Mr. & Mrs. Aprons on Amazon here! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. PS, did you know you can create an Amazon Wedding Registry? I think that sounds amazing and is just flat out brilliant! Check out the banner to learn more!

Should your dog be at your wedding?

Everyone who has a dog can probably say their pup is like family to them. So why not have them at your wedding day?! As much as I’m sure everyone would love to have their dog attend their wedding, there are some obvious logistics to sort out. I am going to help go over several things to consider when deciding whether or not to have your pupper at your wedding.

PS I am biased and my answer is always, “yes”.

Will the pup be in the wedding or just show up for photos?

Some couples feel their pupper should walk down the aisle and actually be a part of the wedding as a ring bearer or flower girl, while others think it may be best to just take a couple of quick photos.

Who will bring the pup to the wedding and bring them home?

Do you have a designated person to be in charge of the pup throughout the day? This person should not be in the bridal party so they would not have to miss any of the important festivities or photos. A date of someone in the bridal party might be a good option or even a cousin or family friend.

Will the pup behave or will they jump all over your fancy clothes?

A big question is always deciding how well behaved the pup will be at the wedding. Will they be super excited to see you and jump all over your fancy clothes, and do you even care if this happens? Lint rollers are always a life saver and if you have a dog I’m assuming you already have one on you at all times.

Will there be any special attire for the pup?

This is always my favorite part. I’ve seen adorable custom made suits fitted for dogs and even a classic bow tie or flower crown for the lady pups are a nice touch.

Should I bring my dog to my engagement session?

As you would probably imagine, it is a lot easier to manage a pup at an engagement session. Typically, if you have a friend to bring along to the session, they can watch the dog and even take the pup home after we’ve taken some good photos. I’ve had couples who will be in a more casual outfit while taking photos with the pup and then change into a nicer outfit when the pup leaves.

Below are some of my favorites of the pups I’ve had the lovely opportunity to work with over the past few years! (I’m missing some photos from older galleries and I’m really sad about it.)