To say that Saturday’s wedding was emotional is an understatement. There were so many moments that brought tears to both families. One of my favorite moments was watching Lindsey’s mother pin a piece of jewelry inside the wedding dress. Her mom explained that it was the first piece of jewelry that she had received from the bride’s father and that it was meant to keep them both close to her heart that day. During the ceremony I caught the groom’s mother smiling proudly at her son just before the bride walked in. And then there was the joyful smiles when the couple sat down together at their ceremony and could finally hold hands. During the ceremony the couple had two adorable little girls bring up the flowers for Mary. There were so many special touches throughout the day that truly made their wedding so special. The wedding day was also filled with plenty of laughter. From their fun entrance to  their first dance – you could see that these two are so much fun to be around. Thank you to Lindsey and Chris for inviting me to document and share in your beautiful day! I knew from the minute that we met we would have so much fun together! And a special thank you to their amazing family and friends who were so wonderful to work with. I know where Lindsey and Chris  get their spirit of kindness and their love for life!

Ceremony: St. Cecilia Church
Reception: The Pinnacle, McHale’s Events and Catering
Park: Riverside Drive
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Men’s Attire: Jos. A. Banks
Makeup: Mary Kay
Hair: Lindsey
Transportation: Motortoys
Officiant: Fr. Adam Puntel
Ceremony Musicians: Dave Auxier and Joanne Curoel
Jeweler: J. Foster Jewelers in Toledo
Flowers and Décor: H.J. Benken – Ashley
Cake: KHM Cakes, Karen Houdek
Favors: Say Cheese Photo Booth
Caterer: McHale’s Events and Catering
DJ: DJ Butlers – Rhett

A few words from the couple:
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
The most memorable part of the day was when the church doors opened and we got to see each other for the first time. We were a hundred feet away, but we both knew the look on each others faces. Or possibly when two cop cars rolled up on our photo shoot to frisk a guy and search his car. They at least left their lights off so our pictures won’t have red and blue all over them.

Funniest memory from your wedding day? See above or when the best man went to drop the rings in a silver tray to be blessed, and then freaked out when he realized the noise it would make and didn’t know what to do. Or when the flower girl high fived the groom at the altar.

Any advice for future bride/grooms? Have fun. Let people do the things you ask them to do and don’t worry about it. Enjoy the moment and take some mental pictures, because before you know it, the day is done. (but Brenda’s pictures will help fill in the rest)

Where will you be going on your honeymoon? Our honeymoon is still TBD for sometime in July. The best decision we made was staying in our wedding hotel an extra night so we didn’t have to go back to reality, but we also didn’t have to hop on a plane to somewhere.

There is something about playing dress up that is always so much fun. So why not get all dolled up for a fun fashion shoot? Leah won our Fashion Forward Photo Session on her eight year anniversary! We started by picking out an inexpensive dress at Yours Truly, Kelly in Reading that looked great on Leah. On the day of the session we met up with Amber from Mary Kay for makeup. I just love Leah’s eyes (aren’t they fierce!) so Amber gave her a smoky eye and a soft lip. Once we put Leah into her dress we accessorized with a fun black headpiece and jewelry. Leah and I had so many great ideas for the session! We started in Kings Mills area by the bike trail and finished in Loveland.

I asked Leah about her favorite part of the session. "My favorite part was shooting in front of the old cartridge factory. I lived in Lebanon and Loveland growing up and we would always pass that building. To actually be on the property in a wedding dress was awesome. "

What was it like to not worry about getting dirty? "It was weird worrying about not getting dirty. I think it’s a bit liberating to do a shoot like that. You’re in this beautiful gown but you’re allowed to get dirty and just go all out."

A big special thanks to Amanda for helping with the actual session, Kelly from Yours Truly, Kelly for helping us find the perfect dress and Amber from Mary Kay for awesome makeup!

Who doesn’t love happy hour? Thursday I had a wonderful time mingling with brides at Wine & Weddings at Receptions in Eastgate. It was so nice to see a wine theme at their beautiful location. Mindy brought her yummy cupcakes and The Cincinnati Sinatra sang some old favorites! Be sure to mark your calendars, they will be hosting these events on the fourth Thursday of every month. Thanks to all who came out and a special thanks to the Receptions team who always do an amazing job! The other wonderful vendors who participated include: Sphire Elegance, Cincinnati Sinatra, Cakes by Mindy at Receptions, Over the Wine, Love those Lashes – Amy Young, Special Occasions Bridal Shop, Mary Kay – Lindsey and Lisa, and Cincinnati Digital Photography