Erin & Jon's Wedding at Lakeside Rose Garden in Fort Wayne, IN

We love Lakeside Rose Garden and were so excited to be shooting there on Saturday. Didn't it look just beautiful?

Then, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. The wind picked up. And we knew there was trouble ahead! I managed to snap off just a few photos before I realized I needed to keep my camera dry!

The groomsmen took it all in stride!

And so did the bride! Didn't Erin look phenomenal?

Erin was so good natured about Mother Nature's little trick on us! She even hopped over the giant puddle! I thought Jon was going to die laughing!

Isn't this a gorgeous group of women? Can you guess which ones are Erin's sisters? How about her new sister-in-law? The others are her great friends!

And the guys looked amazing as well! Even though they were soaked!!

FAVORITE!!!!!!

Another favorite!!

Ok. I'm a giant liar! I love this whole outdoor series! The clouds had broken, and we got some magnificent sunset light!!

HOLY COW!!! Love this photo!!!

Erin and Jon didn't have a wedding cake. They had a wedding pie!! It was so great! I had apple pie for dessert and my husband had cherry! It was very tasty!!

Fr Gregory says this looks like an ad for Kay Jewelers. I took it as a compliment! I love this photo of Erin with her father!

Erin and Jon started off their first dance just as every other couple does - dancing for the first time as husband and wife and completely in love!

And then the music scratched, they looked around, and BROUGHT IT with the coolest and most fun first dance I have ever seen! They had practiced quite a bit and it totally paid off! The surprise was a huge hit and the dance was SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - Erin and Jon are awesome!! I called Erin last week to confirm things like start time, locations, etc. Erin told me to start at 5:00. I thought to myself, "5:00am, oh boy...that's early". Nope. She meant 5:00pm. Totally laid back. Totally awesome! So my husband and I enjoyed a very relaxing Saturday until it was time to start.

We arrived at the hotel and Erin looked beautiful and was completely relaxed. I can't believe I had such a dream bride: intelligent, GORGEOUS, and completely relaxed! I hit the bridal jackpot!!!

We headed over to Lakeside shortly before the ceremony was set to start and were getting photos of preparations, candids, etc. Suddenly, the temperature dropped, the wind picked up, and we knew exactly what was coming. We didn't get under cover quickly enough, unfortunately, and Fr Gregory and I both got completely soaked! And you know what? It didn't matter. Everyone was wet, but we started the ceremony just a little bit late! As Erin came up to a puddle on her walk down the aisle, she just jumped right over it. Totally relaxed, baby!

At the reception, everything was moving along very smoothly. Our pants were sort of dry, and we were working it. And then Erin and Jon started their first dance. We knew something was coming, but even we were kept in the dark about all the details. Their first dance was the best one I have EVER SEEN!!! They started off with a beautiful slow dance, and moved into the most fun, choreographed, simply fantastic dance I have ever witnessed. All the guests loved it, and everyone was entertained. From there, the awesome DJ's from All Star DJ's kept the party rolling! We were having such a good time with the awesome music, we didn't want to leave!!

Erin and Jon, we were completely and totally honored to have been a part of your special day! You entertained us, and we love you guys, we love your families and we love your friends (they are AWESOME!!!). Enjoy your honeymoon!!

Olga & Miguel's Engagement Session at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus OH

So beautiful!!

Isn't Olga gorgeous?!?

I took this photo and just exclaimed, "Olga, you've got killer legs!" :-)

OW! My husband actually thought this one was too racy for my blog. I don't think so! This is just the way that Olga and Miguel are! Totally hot! Totally favorite!!!

After that racy photo earlier, I had to cool it down a little! :-)

But, oh heck! I'm bringing the temperature right back up! :-)

Another favorite!!!

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Wow! This engagement session with Olga and Miguel was HOT!! These two were such a blast to work with, and given that Miguel lives in California and Olga lives in Ohio, there's no doubt that they were enjoying the small amount of time they got to spend together!

Once again, I was concerned about the weather for this session (this seems to be a recurring theme in June!), but the weather cleared enough for us to spend some time outside and get some of these HOTT photos! As we saw the clouds roll in, we headed indoors and just in time, as the rain started POURING just minutes after we got inside. But, we had a great time inside too, but I kept getting distracted by the pretty butterflies! I'm such a girl! :-)

Anyway, Olga and Miguel, enjoy your time together, and I'll see you in August for the big day!!

Jena & Brandon's Wedding at Aboite Lutheran Church and Reception at the Landmark in Fort Wayne, IN

Jena and all the ladies got their hair done at the very awesome Todd Shalley Co. hair salon in Bluffton, IN.

Jena was going to make certain that the ring was on Brandon's finger!

VERY HOT!!!!! FAVORITE!!!!!

A second favorite!! So awesome!!!

Isn't this cake gorgeous?!? It tasted great too!!

Its always interesting to me what people will use their engagement photos for. Some people get our custom designed guest books. Other people get creative in their own way. I've seen engagement photos used in slideshows (there's nothing like seeing your photo blown up on a giant monitor!). I've seen photos as give aways, I've seen the photos used on chocolate bar favors and I've even seen them used as table numbers! I loved Jena and Brandon's use for these candles!

This father-daughter dance almost made me tear up! The dance was going just beautifully as Jena and her father danced to "Butterfly Kisses". Jena, however, lost it, when the words "she'll change her name today. She'll make a promise, and I'll give her away" came on. It was so sweet to see Jena just be her father's little girl for a few minutes.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the lighting in this photo!! Favorite!!!

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - Jena and Brandon's exquisite wedding was on Saturday, June 28th and it was such a great day! The weather was iffy, but sure enough, when we needed to go outside, we were able to go outside and get some great photos!

This group was a ton of fun! Jena is a former sorority girl as were most of her bridesmaids! And these girls had such a strong and awesome bond! And they could party! And Brandon and his groomsmen were no slackers either! All of the bridal party were just awesome and I definitely enjoyed my time with them (although I'm still wondering what I missed on the trolly!).

Congratulations, Jena and Brandon! Enjoy your honeymoon!

Rachel & Matt's After 8 (aka Trash the Dress) Session in Fort Wayne, IN

Here's a hottie!!

Showin' some attitude!!

My mother-in-law took this photo! Isn't it awesome?!?

Totally hot!!!

Who is this hottie?!? Sorry ladies - he's married! :-)

FAVORITE!!!!

I was so excited to use a little off camera lighting for this series! I love how it turned out!

I can have two favorites!! FAVORITE!!!!

I'm so excited they got back into the fountain!! They did it for their engagement session as well!! Awesome!

LOVE THIS ONE!!!!

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - Rachel and Matt are back!! You've seen this couple of few times now from an engagement session about a month ago, to their wedding just last weekend and they came back to do a dress trashing (After 8 Session) on the Monday after their wedding! And they totally worked it!!!

We didn't have a lot of time on the wedding day to get really nice couple's portraits, so I'm SO glad they came back for this session, and we got a bunch of great couple's portraits done of them!! And then they went into the fountain!!

For their engagement session, Matt used Rachel as a body shield in the fountain to keep from getting wet. Well, Matt totally worked it for their After 8 session! This was soooo much fun!!

Big accolades go out to my mother-in-law, Connie, who joined me for this session! Did you see that photo near the top that she took? Isn't it awesome? This was Connie's first time using an SLR, and she rocked it!!! She has a great eye and got some great moments. A few more lessons on the finer workings of the camera, and you may be seeing her at a wedding near you! :-)

Liturgy and Ordination on Holy Ascension

I can't believe I forgot to add these slideshows from Ascension! Please enjoy!

Vespers for Holy Ascension Slideshow

I can't believe I forgot to add these slideshows from Ascension! Please enjoy!

Nicole and Sam's Wedding at St George Orthodox Church in Indianapolis, Indiana

Nicole and Sam chose to see each other just a moment before the ceremony began. It was a really touching moment!

How many Celtic details can you find in these pictures?

Isn't she a hottie?!?

Nicole and Sam's first dance! I love the focus on his wedding ring!

Nicole and her father had a beautiful dance!

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - Nicole and Sam's wedding was a really fun event! Sam has been after Nicole for a number of years, and 2 years ago, she finally gave in and the two started dating. A year ago, Sam proposed, and on Sunday, June 22nd, they were married!

The wedding was beautiful, with a beautiful church, a great choir, a lovely sermon, and of course, a beautiful bride and good looking groom!

The whole day was filled with a variety of Celtic details, from the programs, to her crown and ring, to the green candles, to tiny little green Celtic knots on the wedding cake! All in all, it was a really great event, with lots of attention to all the small details, complete with two people in love! Who could ask for more?

Nicole and Sam, enjoy your honeymoon!! And, congratulations!!

Rachel & Matt's Fort Wayne Wedding at Plymouth Congregational Church with Reception at Cerutis!

Warning! Artsy photo ahead!!

Oh my goodness!! This cake was so good!!! Rachel and Matt used the Nutcracker Sweet Shop in Fort Wayne, and not only was this cake gorgeous, it was sooooooo tasty!!

And the good taste continued! Not only did they have an amazing cake, but Rachel and Matt hired an amazing band: Dan Heath and the Paradise Band. The band was incredible!!

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - My husband and I used three words to describe Rachel and Matt's June 21st wedding: Beautiful, Elegant, Classy. This wedding was simply phenomenal, and we are so honored and pleased to have been a part of such a wonderful celebration!

The wedding was held at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fort Wayne. I think this church might have the most interesting ceiling I have ever seen! After a really beautiful ceremony, we proceeded to Cerutis in Fort Wayne, where we were treated to amazing food, phenomenal music from Dan Heath and the Paradise Band, and an incredibly awesome cake from the Nutcracker Sweet Shop in Fort Wayne. The whole evening was simply a spectacular time, celebrating the awesome wedding of Rachel and Matt! Congratulations, guys!!

But Rachel and Matt weren't done after the wedding! We met up again on Monday evening for an After 8 session, sometimes also called a Trash the Dress! I'll have some photos to show you in a couple of days!!

Tami & Marcus' Wedding at the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield OH

OH MY GOODNESS!!! She's stunning!!!!!

This is Tami peeking around the corner, waiting to walk down the aisle!

Tami's two brothers gave her away!

Tami and Marcus had the best string quartet! They are a young group (just entering into high school I believe) but were extremely impressive!!! Great job!!!

Ummm....are you kidding me?!?!?!

I LOOOOOOVE this photo!! My very good friend, Cat McKinley of Catherine McKinley Photography in Akron OH came down to shoot this wedding with me! Cat is the master of posing and she taught me some great tricks!!! Didn't she do a great job with Marcus and Tami?!?

TOTAL FAVORITE!!!!!!!

And this one too!! I'm allowed to have more than one favorite, right?

This cake tasted soooo good! It was beautiful anyway, but then once we tasted it, OH MY GOODNESS!! SOOOO GOOD!!! This cake was made by Dixie Fisher of Cakes by Design.

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO - My friend Cat and I met up in Springfield OH to shoot the magnificent wedding of Tami and Marcus. And what a wedding it was! The groomsmen were a ton of fun, the bridesmaids were beautiful and the life of the party, and well, just look at Tami and Marcus. Totally a photographer's dream!! The entire wedding was truly spectacular, and we were so thrilled to be part of the event!

We are excited because this will not be the last time we see Tami and Marcus (who unfortunately, live quite far away!). Their bridesmaid and groomsman, Brooke and Zach, are getting married in Springfield OH in October, so we'll be seeing the whole crew then! I'm so excited to get to work with such a great group of people again!!

Tami and Marcus, you guys have been a dream! Enjoy your honeymoon, and we'll see you in October!!

Heidi & Micah's Wedding at Central Park in Warsaw, IN

Oh my goodness!! Heidi is such a beauty!!!

Micah, seeing his bride coming down the aisle! I love the look on his face!!

And the look on hers, as well!

Totally a favorite photo!!

Ummm...yeah! How amazing are they?!?

Are you kidding me?? These two are stunning!

FAVORITE!!!!

I love the angle on this photo!

Micah's brother, the best man, gave, what I would consider, the greatest best man speech I have ever heard!! Great job!! It seems that Heidi enjoyed it as well!

This group could dance!!!! The floor was completely packed the whole time!! It was awesome!!

WARSAW, IN - It was finally time for Heidi and Micah's wedding!!!! You first saw Heidi and Micah on the blog back in October when I shot their first engagement session!!! It was so cold that day, that we scheduled another one for spring. We decided to do their second engagement session at the very same park, Central Park, in Warsaw, IN, where they were to be married. But it was cold and miserable that day too! So we rescheduled their Spring shoot and finally did it playing mini-golf! But, then Saturday came, and we had a spectacular day at Central Park in Warsaw!

We actually thought we might have some weather trouble, given that Friday night was miserable. But Saturday couldn't be more beautiful!! Heidi was stunning, Micah was awesome, and the whole day was just perfect! I am so happy for these two, and I hope they are enjoying their honeymoon!!

Congratulations!!!