jorgensen’s annual matrimony madness

One of my favorite places to shoot in Columbus is Jorgensen Farms: both venues! So when they have their annual (well, it’s the SECOND one) contest to pick favorites, I spend WAY too much time looking through and judging what THEY’d consider the best. Well, clearly, all my couples are THE BEST, and I’m emotionally connected to these images. Here are some that I’m looking through to pick a favorite. Do you have one? LMK in the comments!

Jordan + Geoff | married at Revery

bride stands in Revery overlooking Columbus, Ohio skyline

summertime (+ the livin's easy)

The absolute DELIGHT of summer weddings is that you can basically get away with doing photos in short bursts anywhere until about 9pm. Is there anything better than that? Long summer nights make me happy unlike anything else in the world. Not even as a wedding photographer, but as a whole entire human :)

so what, right? WELL! Whenever I get to talking with a couple about their day, we’re, of course, going through the timeline. The hill I’ll die on includes: Make sure you ENJOY your wedding day and don’t just schedule everything around the photos, kay? I say this with the caveat that: your wedding needs to be a summer wedding ;) I know I know, FALL THOUGH! But hear me out.

The freedom that comes with a summer wedding means you can schedule your photo time in a way without getting overwhelmed. If you’d like to do a first look, do that (those photos? they’re the best because you require about ZERO PROMPTING).

What’s great about first looks, and, well, me is that I won’t make you do anything that doesn’t feel right. I can pretty much guarantee my prep will sound like, “ok, you’re in line together, now….take it as it feels right. Do it your way.” There is way too much pressure in how we live now + all the wedding images our eyes consume to be perfect. Guess what? You’re going to see each other, it’s gonna be perfect.

So once that’s done! You get to spend the day with your partner! Such a relief, wow! What I do next is assess the day. Is it hot? How are you feeling? ready to knock out some portraits of one side of the bridal party? Need a drink? SO MANY OPTIONS BECAUSE, you guessed it (!), SO MUCH LIGHT LEFT IN THE DAY!

When it comes to couples portraits, here’s a controversial take: there’s enough time in the day that everything you choose to do is actually your choice. I’ve seen photographers insist on golden light photos…but guess what? I’ll never make you do anything. Don’t want to rush out after dinner? Cool, we’ve gotten enough during the day! (but here’s some goodness that you just have to see!)

what do you think? Is it relieving to get to make your own choices in this digital world of doing all the things we live in!? If you’re here for winter wedding advice, I’ll get ya on that soon, too!

enjoying your day AND the best portraits

Comin’ atcha today with another how to! If we’ve talked, you’ll immediately know how passionate I feel about being present enough to never, I mean NEVER, feel or even think for one second MAN I WISH I WAS DOING SOMETHING FUN INSTEAD OF PHOTOS! It’s like my second most promise to you, after the obvious first promise that you’ll fully love your entire photo gallery completely!

a generic timeline to maximize your presence on your wedding day

• first look (ALONE) with your partner. Do you have to do a first look? absolutely not, but if you do, you have more time together (for pictures!) that is natural and happens organically. Why alone? Isn’t it cute to have your friends and family in the background? well, I mean, sure in THIS moment, maybe…but think forever? When you look back on your wedding day, what’s it about? Throwing a great party for your loved ones, sure…but celebrating your love with YOUR LOVE, that’s it!

• take a moment alone together after your ceremony. Call it a breather, call it a break..but you can take 7 minutes while the guests get moving from ceremony to cocktail space…and I don’t even need to be there the whole time. Give me 3 minutes of that exhale when you realize you’ve done it! you’re married! then actually get to enjoy those quiet moments with each other!

• During cocktail hour, I’ll offer you a chance to step out and “take a break” from the crowd - because mingling is HARD WORK. (I always tell couples how this is the hardest part of the day, the introverted-extrovert in me is overwhelmed with wanting to photograph people but also v. much wanting to retreat to my long lens and just get candids :) )….and I bet you’ll totally enjoy just a quick second to recap with your partner with some magical shots!

• THEN finally! you’re usually the first people fed during the reception. If you’re willing to step out for - you guessed it - another chance to be alone + take it all in, I’ll come along and capture some naturally happy-to-be-together moments of you + your partner!

what do you think? have you thought about how you want to spend your time on your wedding day? If nothing else, I hope this has helped you realize that not one single “how to do your wedding day” guide will ever fit perfectly for you. You should consider your personality, your love, and your season of getting married and do it exactly how it feels right!!

2022 in (wedding) florals

I’ll have to recap my dahlia flowers in another post closer to when I know if I have tubers to share. And, if that’s all nonsense to you, then just stay for the wedding images and forget it :)

The thing I love about weddings, besides everything, is seeing a color theme and design come together with the florals. A recap of all my favorites from this year below, enjoy!

truth be told I’m taking a detour and reliving those images for a second! What a fun statehouse shoot!

cannot possibly talk flowers without putting into here these amazing floral dresses that Sarah encouraged her guests to wear!

and again, full stop for Old Slate / Auburn and Ivory and their absolute genius!

phew! you made it!! wanna talk flowers!? I’m always down for that :)

a summer wedding at North 4th Corridor Revery

One of my favorite spots in the city to shoot: Revery! I love it in all the weather…and honestly that’s the most important thing to me on a wedding day. When my couple can relax and not be stressed out about what it’s going to be doing from the sky, as in: when they’re not checking their weather app 200 times between each minute…that’s a luxury that’s WELL WORTH it when it comes to picking a venue!!

Hannah + Dan are the sweetest couple - and they spent one of the longest days of 2022 celebrating each other + their love - enjoy seeing what I saw on their wedding day!

now is a good time to pause and say what a fun this year was for couples who wanted almost totally ONLY candid photos throughout their wedding day. I don’t know if it’s my vibe, what I share, or just the shift in how people want to enjoy their wedding day: but this year I had so many couples who just wanted to make sure I was there to capture EVERYTHING in an authentic, photojournalistic way….and it RULED! Five years ago I would’ve doubted my ability to deliver a complete gallery without taking time to make art portraits together…but now. phew. Man YES! If this resonates to you, let’s talk - never have I been more sure of my ability to capture your wedding day the way YOU want to experience it. Your wedding day - YOUR rules! I am shooting only what you want - it’s been so freeing to leave my ego at home when I show up for a shoot. Wow, could keep going on this for DAYS!