I’ve decided to start asking my brides to share a little about their day, so stay tuned for Ashley’s take at the end!

Isn’t her bouquet of anemone flowers gorgeous!? Good choice Ashley!

We started at the romanesque Troy Hayner Cultural Center for some pre-ceremony portraits.

The Miami County Courthouse is located just across the street. It was a great place for such a large wedding party. I’m always thrilled when couples want to take portraits at unique locations.

It was in the 90s that day, so between some portraits we found shelter inside Dunaway’s Beef N Ale. It gave us all a moment to breathe, freshen up, and just relax. I think every bride should find a “Dunaway’s” on her day.Since I was nine months pregnant at the time, I {unfortunately} did not get to taste one…

Ashley will explain this one at the end… truly an unforgettable moment!

The Orrmont Estate is picturesque for the ceremony, has several options for portrait backdrops, and has a tent for the reception.

Clever way to bring a new spin on this tradition!

I smiled & laughed so much, it was absolutely contagious. Loved all the ruffles she incorporated into the day:

Here are some questions I sent to Ashley, and even though she is super busy coaching soccer, she kindly provided some insight into her wedding experience!

What was your favorite wedding memory?

There are so many things!  However, If I had to pick one would be the beginning of the ceremony when my dad messed up his only line and everyone lost it.  My favorite pictures from that day is everyone laughing with them.  It was great that he broke the tension and I felt like I could relax from that point on.

Something you learned that you might have done differently?

I wish I could have made a decision and stuck with it!!!  I am so indecisive!  By the time of the wedding,  I am thankful that I still had 9 bridesmaids/best friends standing up for us on that day.  I made them order dresses then cancel their orders, pick out their own dress then return them  because I didn’t like the color!  It was never ending.  Finally, I found the prefect ruffled champagne colored dress but in all the wrong sizes.  So each bridesmaid had to basically have the dress remade to fit!  They should have hated me by the end. So, my advice, pick something and don’t think about it again.

Where did you get so inspired for all your amazing creative projects?

I am obsessed with wedding blogs!  Well, obsessed might be an understatement.  I spent countless hours looking at different blogs trying to find ideas.  I owe a lot of the final products to my sister and Kim Chamberlain {Cards by Kim – check it out. She’s the best and can design anything!}.  We would sit at work and shoot emails to each other of ideas or “themes” that we thought worked with the outdoor, casual, wedding that Jimmy and I wanted.  There probably wasn’t one thing that I decided on without asking those two first!  Kim made all the designing happen….I would just mention something I thought was cute or a color combo I liked and she would make it. {Here is a link to Ashley’s stationery & decor by Kim, click here!}

Ashley’s experience as a bride actually led her to begin a new business venture:

Where to begin with this…After working for a dermatologist I swore off both tanning beds and excessive sun exposure.  We had so many older patients that were in for wrinkles and sun damage and constantly complaining about their skin and I knew that I had to change my lifestyle.  That lead me to became obsessed with sunless tanning products in an attempt to have color year round.  Through a friend I heard about Tan Envy and tracked down a woman to spray my sister and I before our Derby Shower at my house!! The next morning I knew we had to own this because I couldn’t imagine not getting spray tanned every week.  I can spray each person to the color they’d  like to be without looking orange or even smelling like some of the sunless tanning products.  With a few instructions the tan can last for around 5-7 days and in 12 hours it looks like you’ve been vacationing for a week on the beach!  I love that we own this and can give others the perfect tan without the damaging effects!

You can read more about Better Off Bronze here.

I can not thank Jimmy & Ashley enough for allowing me the honor to capture their wedding day. I was so touched by the way everyone looked out for me, I’m blessed to have such supportive families to work with! I also have to thank my sister-in-law Amy Dozier of Affordable Photography & Lauren Worman of eLL Photography who stepped in and filled in for Rocky {this wedding was just shortly after his surgery}. I am so grateful that I have local connections in the industry to help when we really needed it! I’ll leave you with a behind the scenes shot Lauren took…

Nine months preggo, I don’t miss that particular stage ♥

She told me about her concept several weeks ago. I heard words like, rustic, flowers, teapots , Alice in Wonderland, and was completely hooked. I was so excited to see it come together and document her delicate teacup creations. I think they would also be very fitting for a bridal shower or a very sweet baby shower. These lovely DIY centerpieces are inexpensive, colorful, and the possibilities are endless:

I can just envision how much color they could add to a fall wedding…

I loved her vintage books & the idea to incorporate the playing cards as place settings. All of these elements would translate very well at the cake table too.

She traveled across the country, packed & mailed everything for the shoot, set it all up by 9 AM, and still looked so effortlessly beautiful!

I photographed everything at Aullwood Farm in Englewood, Ohio. The blue bells were in full bloom and so dreamy. I have an obsession with {photographing} flowers.

The fresh flower teacup centerpieces could serve as favors for guests or you could even request that someone plant them for the bride & groom while they are honeymooning to warmly welcome them home. Thank you so much for your ideas & coordinating every single aspect of this project, Sarah.
We need to make this a tradition! ♥

I will devote an entire post to the DIY paper flower making process, I can’t wait to make a bouquet for my office at home!

After absorbing Vania & Christine’s insightful presentation, {and of course asking questions freely}, we got our photography gear together and headed out to a private orchard to shoot a group session. Their location of choice is perfect. They have definitely inspired me to seek my own reliable “outdoor studio” here in Dayton.

The models, married couple Kristian & Skyler, were adorable! They were open to all suggestions and calmly posed in spite of having “18 shutters & 36 eyes all over them” as Vania explained in the recap of the workshop.

I love photographing just before sunset when so many gorgeous colors unapologetically flaunt their beauty:

Vania & Christine brought a mini trampoline and it was genius! Kristian was adventurous enough to do a few takes for us {in the amazing wedding gown} and this is probably one of my favorites from the day. She made flying look effortless:

I’m so glad they included a group session! I loved watching Simply Bloom work together and get a better understanding of how they direct their clients during a shoot. There is so much to learn by observing. At first I felt a little shy to “jump in,” but I find comfort holding my camera. It’s familiar. I forget that at this point it’s hard to put on shoes or bend over… There is an energy that compels me to capture everything that is playing so beautifully before my eyes. I have a hard time putting it down.

Thank you for sharing this experience with me as I revisit such a fantastic workshop! In the final part, I will share how they’ve impacted me personally at this “interesting” season in my life.

I have been anticipating the moment when I could reflect and share the goodness from an experience that will most certainly shape the rest of my photography career. I am obviously referring to the absolutely amazing Simply Bloom Workshop I attended last week in Huntsville, Alabama.

If you aren’t familiar with Christine & Vania’s work, then you must check out their portfolio and blog! Every time they post new material I am impressed by their unique vision, talent, and most of all, consistency. They draw out the beautiful essence of each and every lucky person that is captured with their cameras. Their style is romantic and their artwork truly inspires me. I was thrilled when they announced that their workshop would be held during a time when I could attend.

Simply Bloom Photography is relatively new to the wedding photography industry, but it’s not an accident that their partnership is light years beyond their two year experience. As they shared their story, it’s very clear Christine & Vania are passionate and committed to their work. They both graduated as graphic designers and evolved into photographers {one of the reasons I love them so much}. Their evolution was not by chance, they’ve mastered their craft on purpose. They have put a lot of time and research into how to remarkably push the envelope in their business and their images. It’s usually difficult for two artists to work together so fluidly, but there is an absence of competition or pride.  Watching them work and interact in perfect sync was enough to make us all wish that perhaps our best friends will be interested in forming a photography partnership someday…

I took some quick snapshots during our breaks, because the chapel was so adorable I couldn’t resist:

For some reason this pregnancy has me disliking cake {what once used to be one of my favorite desserts}. However, the peanut butter frosting from Gigi’s Cupcakes was pure addiction. I won’t lie, I’ve fantasized about having it again…

It was adorable how Christine used the trampoline for a little more height. Being 62 {and a half} inches myself, I can appreciate any and every little boost I can find!

Vania… she has one of the biggest smiles of anyone I’ve ever met!

The models were actually past wedding clients for Vania & Christine. They were fantastic & very patient with all of us scrambling to shoot them.

The workshop was a full day and intense. I don’t think I’ve scribbled so many notes since my Flash class {no kidding, seven large pages and I write terribly small}. Being eight months pregnant, I was a little nervous about the trip & whether I’d be able to keep up with everyone else. It was so incredible I almost forgot about my limitations until dinner. By the time our crème brûlée arrived, I could barely keep my eyes open. I can’t remember the last time a day has passed so quickly, but exhausted never felt so good!

Christine and Vania, thank you so much for all the work & preparation you put into such a lovely workshop. You made us all feel very welcome and shared so many valuable insights that I ponder over constantly. You deserve every honor and recognition that you have earned, you work so hard & produce amazing photographs. Thank you for inspiring me & teaching so much! ♥

{I will be posting my favorite shots from the styled session in the Part II Post from the Simply Bloom Workshop}.

I’m not like most girls. I never bought a wedding magazine, I never fantasized about diamond rings or white dresses… not until, that is- the day I had an engagement ring on my finger. Part of that could be attributed to my natural independence, but another part could be attributed to the minimal six months it took my husband, Joe to go from first date to proposal. He went to Israel with his Dad (all of a week after he met my parents) and came home with a custom-made ring from Tel Aviv. Despite the quick jump to a proposal, we had a fairly traditional length engagement, a little over a year. So this is when my innate need for originality and creativity sprung into action. A complete obsession with all things wedding ensued…

I always have and will always be completely driven by aesthetics. So, when planning this wedding my first priority was that it had to be beautiful, followed closely by original and affordable. The key to an original, beautiful and affordable wedding? DIY. I’ve always been a bit of an “art nerd” so there was no question- I would be hand-crafting everything I could for this wedding. Therein lies complete creative control. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent with paper, scissors, micron pens, hot glue, burlap sacks and ribbon strewn across the table in front of me. This is the beauty of a 13-month engagement though, you can invest in creative processes over a long period of time (it seems long at first, but wow, does it go by quick).

I loved her eclectic centerpieces. She used sheet music, vintage postcards, ribbon, twine, etc. to make each one unique. Her favors were burlap bags with chocolate covered coffee beans tucked inside… loved them!

Don’t be afraid to go non-traditional routes, with your location, invitations, centerpieces, anything and everything. More often than not, when you throw traditional expectations out you will end up more accurately representing yourselves as a couple and… saving money (oh, how wonderful!). Don’t believe me? Well, I have examples. Our invitations were vintage postcards with added paper decals displaying our names and the wedding date on the front and rubber-stamped wedding information (date, place etc) on the back. When it was all said and done, those invitations cost about 50 cents apiece, letter-pressed invitations (and RSVP cards) bought at retail can cost $5 or more apiece, easily. This option saved us anywhere from $500-$800. Hopefully, they came across as creative and aesthetically pleasing as well. I thought they were.

Another, traditional “must have” that can get expensive is live floral centerpieces. I knew we didn’t have the dough to cover $70 centerpieces for each table-yikes. So my solution was to make flowers from book paper, floral wire and vintage buttons. Joe even contributed “baby’s breath” made from speaker wire and crumpled paper. Explore options for centerpieces, express your personality, and as a result, very likely save money.

I loved that they wrote their own vows. It made the ceremony very personal.

She was stunning. I’ve known her for years and now she’s all grown up. {Sigh}.

They were married at The Historic Duluth Depot in Duluth, Minnesota. I love when brides have their ceremony & reception in the same venue. It gave us a lot of time for portraits, there was a lot to work with in a small vicinity. During cocktail hour, guests were able to peruse the museum and look at the train exhibits:

Location, location, location: The venue- dun dun dun. This is a big decision. But never fear, the non-traditional rules apply here too. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make the white walls of a convention center look good? You will save yourself a lot of time and money (not to mention hours of fighting with rolls of tulle) by choosing a venue that speaks for its self. Out-door weddings are becoming increasingly popular; barns, State parks and family member’s back yards. You name it. But don’t forget that museums, concert venues and in our case, train museums also make great venues. The Historic Duluth Depot with its French château style architecture, 88-foot ceiling and two original brick fireplaces made for an easy (tulle-free) venue choice. Joe’s grandpa also worked for the railroad in Duluth, so he was able to tell guests about the trains in the railroad museum during cocktail hour. He even designed a few of them. Duluth was a perfect spot for our wedding because of familial ties, a historic charm, beautiful views of Lake Superior and most conveniently- affordability. Future brides, keep this in mind during planning- often venues outside of the city are cheaper, as are caterers etc.

Sarah & Joe also agreed to do a “first look” before the ceremony. It allowed them to have some special portraits taken during some peaceful & private moments. Every bride will admit that once guests have access to them, it can be hard to steal time away {especially with family traveling hundreds of miles to see you}.

These were taken during the family portraits. I love that they have non-traditional backdrops for their family & wedding party portraits.

The bridesmaids were fearless, I’m not sure how they maneuvered up the train in heels! I climbed up after this shot, and it was quite a step…

After the ceremony there is also a sense of excitement & relief. Big smiles are abundant. Adding the handcar into the scene was hilariously fun.

Again, I really liked that they were all willing to move around & let me work in some creative places for their portraits. Makes it so much  more fun to look back on…

The End. The Beginning.

I hope that this was helpful to brides planning their weddings! I would love to do a DIY post about how she made her paper flowers next time she’s in town {ok, Sarah?}. Stay tuned. Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your advice & perspective. It was an amazing honor to capture your lovely day ♥.

Enjoy :]

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Date: April 25, 2009