What a perfect day this was! I can’t tell you (okay I’ll try) how much I loved this wedding. Whitehall Columbia is an amazingly gorgeous venue and I loved everything about it! My friend Trish helped me with this wedding and we were both drooling over the simplistic details and unique character of the venue. We learned it used to be an elementary school that they redid. Such a cool idea!

Lonee was so beautiful in her simple gown. The lace on the top was so unique and just the right amount of pretty. I’m sure she would have looked beautiful in just about anything but the simple, non-loud dress looked amazing on her. Plus who doesn’t love a dress that takes two seconds to put on. Zip it up and you’re set! Ethan also looked snazzy in his tux. Ethan is good buddies with my younger brother Garren and so Ethan was always over our house doing crazy things. Lots of funny memories with Garren and his friends that I will refrain from sharing. I can’t believe Ethan is married now because that makes me feel very old. My brother and his wife just celebrated their first anniversary….goodness I’m old!

Life doesn’t slow down that is for sure. I’m so glad Lonee + Ethan chose me to capture their day because I had a lot of fun. They are so laid back and trusted me completely with my vision of where we should do wedding photos.

Two unique things that made this day one for the books: They were introduced at the reception in their Cavs Championship tshirts!!! It was awesome! I’m so glad I got a few pics of them beforehand. What better way to celebrate after a championship than to get married at the end of the week??

The second reason I loved this wedding is because the ceremony was UNPLUGGED. The pastor made a simple announcement at the beginning and everyone kept their phones in their purses and pockets. Lonee + Ethan wanted their guests to enjoy the ceremony in the moment and let me handle the photographs. This was amazing and absolutely worth it! Not a phone in the aisle (except for Lonee’s grandma being Facetime’d in since she couldn’t attend). Future brides of mine, please consider this! Not one person was mad or made a fuss about it!

Dinner and dancing was fun and to make it even better, they had donuts instead of cake. YES. Donuts! Not gonna lie I wanted to eat more than one but I didn’t! Their caterers were great too! Yummy BBQ and they treated me like family. Can’t ask for anything better.

Dress: David’s Bridal 

Florist: Precious Petals 

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Whitehall Columbia

Wedding Planner: Harold Maddock from Whitehall Columbia

DJ/ Entertainment Services: Beach Boyz

Catering: Old Carolina BBQ

To start off, this was a ton of fun! All of the below vendors and myself got together and planned a wonderful styled shoot. A styled shoot is an opportunity for various vendors to get together and show off their work. As a photographer, I am able to showcase all of the elements and bring a unique style to photographing all of it. A styled shoot also allows us to take our time. At a wedding, the usual pace is GO GO GO so to be able to pose the couple and shoot details with the clock on our side was a treat!

The Rising Tide Society is a wonderful organization that inspires creative entrepreneurs to inspire and encourage others. They have coined the #communityovercompetition hashtag and their mission has spread like wildfire in the last year. This industry has exploded recently and their goal to unite creatives is really unique and inspiring. What other industries have the type of leadership that encourages lifting others up? Their motivating motto is a famous JFK quote which I love: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Their involvement I have no doubt has greatly influenced the connections and networking of various creatives in the past year. I have met so many wonderful people in the Youngstown area that are so talented thanks to RTS. We have monthly meetings and meet at various local places. Each month is a different topic where we can bounce ideas and knowledge off of each other.

All of our models were so wonderful and were troopers as they dealt with the Ohio humidity. It was SO hot I could barely function in shorts and a T. And all of them were dressed up head to toe. LeAnn + Jered were amazing at being our bride & groom as well as Katie + Kyle as our MOH and Best Man. We had the cutest flower girl sisters – Riley + Alex. The cameras loooved them and you can see why below!

Below are all of the vendors I got to work with. Be sure to check out any of them on Instagram!

Venue- Beaver Creek State Park, East Liverpool, Ohio

Makeup- Bianca Heasley | You can find her on Instagram at @beautyby_bheasley | Studio 7

Hair- Emily Kobylanski | You can find her on Instagram at @emilykobostyling | Studio 7

Flowers- Jenny Wehr with The Willows by Wehr | @jennywehrwillow

Custom Sign & Custom furniture Designers- Rebecca McElroy & Libby McElroy with Junque Boutique | @beckyjunque

Cake- Jasmine Santos with Jazzy Cake Creations | @jsantos3087 | Facebook

Wedding invitation design & printing- Jennifer Dirksen with Minuteman Press | Sheer Photography

Photographers-

Greenwood Photography @greenwood_photo

Inspired Lens Photography @inspiredlensphoto

Jeanette Ann Photography @jeanetteannphotography

Jessica Kae Photography @jessicakaephotography

Lindsey Yeagley Photo  @lindseyyeagleyphoto

Lumin Images @luminimages

Mae B Photo @mae_b_photo

Melissa Moliterno @melissajoan_m

Menning Photographic @menningphotographic

Sarah Marie Studio @sarahmstudio

The images I’m sharing on the blog are mine, but you can check out the other photogs’ images by clicking here to view the #ytownRTSstyledshoot on Instagram!

I always love it when a couple is so passionate about how their wedding day will go for their guests and the experience they want everyone to enjoy. Shannon + Adam’s day was filled with so much fun and the CLE vibe was super awesome. I love being downtown with bridal parties. Windows on the River is an amazing venue and such a great spot for a wonderful guest experience. Talk about the views! We had a pleasant day as far as weather goes.

Hearing Shannon + Adam share their vows was heartwarming. The love they have for each other is intriguing and wonderful. I loved that I got to be front and center for that! Their first look was beautiful, her dress was beautiful, the whole day was amazing!

Best wishes to you both!!