Katie grew up spending her summers at the Chautauqua Institution with her family. She has many fond memories of the area, so she decided to host the wedding around the Chautauqua area. It’s important to use pieces from your life to design your wedding. The wedding will take on an amazing personal feel, something everyone seeks to accomplish. Because Katie and Mischa had planned such a personal wedding, everyone had an amazing time the entire weekend. Chautauqua is a Victorian-style community, so the wedding was designed to echo the local design. Not just another “vintage wedding”, Katie’s design drew heavily on her actual memories of the area.

Katie and Mischa’s personal touch spread beyond the wedding design. You could see it manifested in their love for each other, love for their friends and for family. Their friends gave amazing, personal readings during the ceremony. The Maid of Honor gave the most heartfelt toast and had everyone in tears. The love that surrounded the entire wedding party made capturing their wedding photos easy – all I needed to do was stand back and not get in the way. The effort they put into the wedding and the love that surrounded the day really comes out in the photographs. I hope you enjoy the highlights below as much as Katie, Mischa and I did.

The wedding rehearsal could not have been more fun. People were rushing to hug old friends they had not seen in years. Even the ring bearer got a standing ovation when he successfully made it down the aisle without getting distracted.

The rehearsal dinner was held on the Chautauqua Belle, an old paddle ship that cruised along Lake Chautauqua during sunset. The scenery was just amazing. However, I think the food was better. Hello lobster!

Katie’s dress was one of the best I’ve seen all year (or all time really). It matched her figure and wedding design perfectly. I personally loved the two-tone style and the detailed embroidery.

First look photos are always my favorite, and they are even better with the family dog. Did I mention we love dogs! We used the porch of the Athenaeum Hotel due to a little rain passing through the area.

Even the horse came dressed for the occasion. Metal hearts and lucky horseshoes covered the carriage and tack.

Following the ceremony, the wedding party simply to the reception – held at the Bell Tower in a gorgeous tent. The flowers and little details were amazing. I hear the food and drinks were even better.

After a sunset cocktail hour on the edge of Lake Chautauqua, it was time for toasts, dinner and dancing. The band played late into the night as nearly everyone was on the dance floor. I think even the grandparents got into the energy.

Katie and Mischa’s wedding ended up being one of my most enjoyable this year. The weather was a little worrying, but it held off until my late-night drive home. If you’re still considering your wedding plans, think about how to make the wedding personal. Buck the “industry” trends and do something important to you. In the end, considering a personalized wedding will make for a better, more loving experience.

P.S. – In hindsight, I should have stayed in Chautauqua through Sunday. It would have given me a chance to produce some nice personal work. The scenery is just so beautiful.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Their wedding was in Fairflied, Ohio, which is a bit of suburbia near Cincinnati. Suburbia can be good and bad for photos. The good – nice open spaces. The bad – it can look a little like, well, suburbia. We were discussing possible location ideas weeks before the wedding. Fairfield is on the other side of the state, so I couldn’t scout locations and provide advice as I normally do. We had kicked around some good ideas, but trouble was, they were just “good.” Katie and Jerry really deserved GREAT! With a little trust, they let me run with some location ideas.

I contacted a horse farm not far the other wedding locations. After just a couple emails, the farm was happy to let us use their property. I recommended the horse farm as a wedding location for a few reasons. It offered open spaces and great structure. As well, Jerry had rented a vintage Ford Model-A sedan for transportation. I thought the mix of horses and horsepower would work well. In the end, Jerry and Katie loved the location, and the photographs even more so. The farm ended up really fitting well with the flow of the entire wedding.

My clients usually give me a little trust from the start. I think this is because most of them find me through personal recommendations from friends and family. After that, I work hard to build trust and am thankful for every ounce. Hopefully, you can see below why trust works and a little influence can make a big difference -

The note above was written by Katie’s grandmother and the necklace is “Something Old”. I hear from the family that Katie’s grandmother teared up a little when she saw this picture. She loved the photo so much because she was unable to attend the wedding in person.

Katie was kind enough to get prepared in her sister’s old bedroom. The white walls really made for a nice, clean background.

Above you can see why I love the idea of sharing love letters before the wedding. Certainly, Katie’s were tears of joy.

Above, Jerry reading a note from Katie while awaiting her arrival for the first look.

I love the curious nature of horses. When we arrived, they were all back in their stalls eating oats. Within just minutes, they were checking out the new visitors.

Above are just a couple of Katie and Jerry’s first look photos. More are available in a post specifically about the first look.

Jerry chose the perfect tuxedo. It was not a rental, but a custom tailored suit.

Vintage car for the get-away – yes please!

The emotion above is priceless for the grand entrance. The little bit of motion blur really helps to convey the energy.

A funny Best Man’s toast is easy. Jerry’s best man gave the most amazing toast I have ever heard. It was funny and sincerely heart felt. I’m still amazed.

I think Jerry was amazed by the toast as well. His brother left no doubt that he loves Jerry very much.

Yes, that is an auto racing themed cake topper. There’s nothing wrong with that. Oh, time for some dancing!

Shout, Shout, Shout Shout!

Believe it or not, the above dancing shots all took place in just 20 minutes. Katie and Jerry really got the room hopping from the start!

There was one other thing really unique about this wedding for me. I normally work with the same great second photographer all the time. However, Michael needed a substitute for this wedding. Lisa of Brightside was kind enough to step in. She really was amazing the entire weekend. I will be forever thankful for her amazing help.  Also big thanks to the wonderful people at Walnut Creek Stables. They were amazingly generous with their time and so courteous.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

It just rolls off the tongue – “We kissed, under the willow tree” or “He said,’I love you’, under the willow tree” or “We sat and watched the stars, under the willow tree.”

“Perfect” for Brian and Holly was found “under the willow tree.” When their June wedding day finally arrived, the heavy spring rains had just passed. The gardens were fresh and in early summer bloom.

Most meaningful for me was the warmth that flowed from Holly, Brian and their families. I could feel their welcome and kindness the entire time I was working with them. At one point, Holly’s mother could see I was a little anxious. With just a couple kind words, she permanently changed the way I work. Somehow, in that moment, I found a “photography zen” that sticks with me to this day.

Below are some of my favorites from their wedding day. I have become personally attached to Holly and Brian’s images and I had a tough time choosing among them. So, there are more below than usual -

Yes those are leopard-print shoes, and they were smashing!

“Keep Calm and Carry On” sees like as good a mantra as any.

Holly’s sister, in her fine pink dress, was as much a joy to work with as Holly herself.

The Willow Tree (I thought it deserved capital letters). It’s positioned on a small peninsula gutting out into a large pond. The branches descend from the canopy and nearly touch the water, and the leaves are a marvelous teal-green. Underneath rests a bench, with Holly and Brian.

After the arboretum, we headed over to Lantern Court for the wedding reception. Lantern Court is an old mansion attached to the Holden property. Much like the gardens, Latern Court is like a little dream world. The wine was furnished by Holly’s dad and is homemade.

Holly used bud vases and a selection of flowers to help guests find their tables. As intended, all the guest took their flowers home.

No wedding is complete without shots of Jack Daniels…WAIT, what?

Holly and Brian’s wedding cake featured a vintage cake-topper that was used on Holly’s parents wedding cake.

For their first dance, Brian secretly wrote and recorded a song just for Holly. Far from cheesy, it was down-right amazing!

At dusk, the Lantern Court staff lit luminaries lining the drive just for Holly and Brian. As they took an evening stroll alone, I snapped just a few pictures. I’m told the wedding reception ended with non-stop dancing.

Brooke and I are really looking forward to our next dinner with Holly and Brian. At the last one, we got a chance to compare our notes from mutual, but separate, vacations to Napa. Now we just need to find a suitable restaurant.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Taking a step back, I should note that I didn’t yell the famous Admiral Ackbar quote “It’s a trap”, despite being tempted. You see, this is the first wedding where I have seen rain. I needed a solution and fast. I sent Michael for some umbrellas and I worked with the driver to get the transportation brought closer. In just a few minutes we had everything solved.

We moved off to the back-up location and got some amazing wedding photos. Truth be told, I think the “in case of rain” location worked better.

How about the rest of the wedding? It was simply filled with Jennifer and Chris’ amazing presence. They had such a beautiful wedding ceremony and an even better reception. Their friends were a blast, everyone danced, and the night was picture perfect. Below are just a few of my favorites with some commentary -

Jennifer’s wedding dress was out of this world! It was the perfect dress for her and she looked radiant.

Clearly the Maid of Honor came to party! She was an absolute riot from the start, and really welcoming too.

Just before the ceremony, I went upstairs to spend some time with the ladies. They were all watching the room below, patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin. I snapped just the one photo above.

The lighting throughout the wedding ceremony was simply amazing. Windows on the River has huge banks of windows throughout the building. They were an amazing backdrop on such a sunny day (except for the one moment of rain).

I still cannot believe we got this bouquet toss so perfectly, thanks to my amazing second photographer, Michael.

I hear party went on late into the night. I just wish I could have stayed longer and had more fun. If you would like to see more of Jennifer and Chris’ journey, make sure to have a look at their winter wonderland engagement session and custom designed Save the Date cards.

Now that wedding season is in full swing, I will have quite a bit more coming soon. I just need to find the time to gather my thoughts and work on the site. Cheers until next time!

See y'all soon,
Hunter

I arrived at the hotel, gave Jan a call and then headed up to their suite. When I exited the elevator, to my right, was the pool deck. The sun was shining but the deck was cast in soft shade. The lighting on the deck couldn’t have been more perfect. “Our apologies, but the pool deck is closed for the season” read the sign on the glass double doors. Bugger! Double bugger!

I met up with Jan and Dusty in their room and immediately noticed a sliding glass door onto the deck. Unfortunately, the deck for the suite was fenced off from the larger deck. The location was just too perfect to let go. We had to get access to the deck. Jan made a quick call to the hotel manager and the deck was unlocked just for their wedding photos. The sun was beginning to set, which created the most amazing light.

To start the photos, we decided to do a wedding reveal. Jan and Dusty wanted to see each other before the ceremony, which I always recommend for photos. Dusty and I went to the deck and waited for Jan. After a couple portraits of just Dusty, Jan came out in her wedding dress. Immediately I could see the connection between them. I think you will spot the reveal photos among the small collection below.

Jan’s wedding dress was absolutely gorgeous. The fabric and detail were stunning. And of course she looked radiant with it on.

I think you can see what I mean about the pool deck. The light was amazing. Reflections from distant buildings made all of the wedding photos really pop!

Later, we headed down to the street to get some additional variety for their bride and groom portraits. We even stumbled into their favorite park along the river.

On the bus, Dusty was trying to balancing Jan as gently as possible, while the driver did his best to give us all motion sickness. I could not help but to snap a few candid photos as the flickering sunlight passed by.

Dusty really wanted a creative formal photo with all of his groomsmen and the best man, his brother. Just after the wedding ceremony, we grabbed the following shot at the Athenaeum theater. Just a little extra lighting made the photo really come alive.

So when in doubt, ask for access. Frankly, I was prepared to jump the fence or fight off ninjas to get great wedding photos. But I guess a call to the manager was the easy way. Jan and Dusty are an absolutely amazing couple and deserve the very best.

That’s all for now. Next up will be some great pet photography of two weimaraners, but that is for another day.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

I finally finished editing all 569 of Rachael and Michael’s wedding photos. To this date, their wedding contains the most photos I have ever delivered. I tend to edit really tight so my clients receive only the best photographs. With Rachael and Michael’s wedding, I just couldn’t cut any more. It felt like I was choosing between my children (not that I have any, just saying).

Their wedding day at the Blair Center in Westfield, Ohio could not have been better. The sun was shining, the location was gorgeous and everyone was in a great mood. Talk about a fun group. Not only are Rachael and Michael gracious, their families are warm, welcoming and a blast to be around. Below are just a few of my favorite images -

The sunlit photos out on the green are some of my favorite from this wedding season. When I saw them after the wedding, I was in love instantly. I think one photo might even make my wedding portfolio. Also, I don’t typically publish dancing photos to often. With this wedding, everyone danced for hours and had a great time. It became easy to experiment and grab a bunch of party photos. Maybe next time I will have a little time to cut loose as well.

As for Annabelle (yes, I named my SX-70 Polaroid camera), she only made a brief appearance. The rest of the time Annabelle was just along for the ride.

That’s all for now, but before I go, let me know what you think about the new image layout. I think it looks sharp, but I would love your input.

See y'all soon,
Hunter