Courteney and Drew Cincinnati Zoo Engagement

Last year Jen Weber of Your Wedding by Jen and I created Cincinnati's first alternative wedding expo, Love+Bash.  If you read my blog regularly I am sure you know all about it. :)  Because we were so excited to be bringing something so unique to Cincinnati we decided to have a contest to go with it.  I love to shoot alternative/offbeat weddings.  I asked couples to send me their wedding ideas/love story and I would chose one to shoot for free and Jen would offer them full planning.  Tons of other amazing vendors got on board and we ended up with a wedding giveaway worth almost $10,000.  I got some really awesome entries,  it was tough choosing a winner.

Courteney and Drew's story really stood out to me.  It wasn't just the fact that they are planning a carnival themed wedding with rides, a concession stand, and all of the fun games you see at a carnival. This did sound pretty amazing to me, Umm I want to take pictures on a carousel. It was also the love story Courteney sent in with her entry.   It was so sincere and heartfelt.  She admitted she thought Drew was a tool in the beginning, I loved her honesty.  She talked about all of the sweet things he did to win her over and prove her wrong.  He encouraged and supported her before he even got a first kiss.  She talked about how positive he is  and how eventually a friendship blossomed into love.  The story was about 5 pages long, but I enjoyed reading every bit of it.  Needless to say I found my winners.

I have really enjoyed getting to know Courteney and Drew through their planning process.  They are a blast to be around.  I cannot wait to work with some of my favorite vendors on their wedding in May!   Your Wedding by Jen planning/event design,  Marti's Floral Designs on flowers/event design, and the super talented Kristen of Five Dot Design is in charge of all of the paper goods, this will be a wedding to remember for sure!

For Courteney and Drew's engagement session they wanted to do something unique so we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo.  We got VIP access to some of the animals thanks to Drew's good friend Travis,  who happens to be one of my first clients ever!  Small world!!

p.s. For those of you wondering, Love+Bash 2012 is in the works...stay tuned!

Kelly and Justin's Historic Covington Engagement

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with Kelly and Justin in historic Covington for their very special engagement session.  I had a blast getting to know them.  They are so laid back and cool.  I am so excited for their wedding next year at Moonlite Gardens! I have been dying to do a wedding there. ;)  Thanks for the amazing day Kelly and Justin!  

Katie and Chris Keeneland Engagement Session

Last week I drove to Lexington for this special engagement session at Keeneland.  These two were so awesome to be around.  Katie is full of so much energy and Chris loves to sit back and watch her go. :) They balance each other out perfectly.  Chris is a firefighter in Lexington and Katie is a designer whose company Kavatee, which she started with a a friend from Design School, is launching a really  awesome new product, the Neckalina this Friday.  See their feature on Cincy Chic. Katie is wearing a necklace from the collection in these photos. It is too cute!  I adore the vintage dress she picked up on Etsy too.

Katie and Chris, I am so excited for your wedding at the Cincinnati Art Museum later this year! Thanks for choosing me to be part of it. :)

Tiffany and Andy's Kentucky Engagement

I love to hear the stories about how my clients met. Tiffany and Andy were set up by a friend.  They both went out of their comfort zones and decided to meet on a blind date.  They have been together ever since. I love that.  They took a risk on love and it totally paid off.  Andy proposed to Tiffany a few years later in one of their favorite cities, Nashville.

I am very excited about their wedding next month.  I grew up in the same town as Tiffany and I absolutely adore her family.  I cant wait to catch up with them at the wedding!

Brandie and Nate's Cincinnati Engagement Session

I had a great time running around Eden Park and Mt. Adams with Brandie and Nate for their engagement session.  They met a few years ago when Nate was Brandie's real estate agent.  They love to travel and spend time outdoors. Nate surprised Brandie with a proposal on a trip out west.  How romantic! :)  I am excited for their French Park wedding coming up in September.  Brandie is a fellow thrift store junkie, she is adding lots of vintage touches to her wedding, I cant wait to see what she comes up with.        Nothing like ending a great photo session with a couple of cocktails and good conversation.  I have the coolest clients ever! :)

Stephanie and Michael Kentucky Engagement

Stephanie and Michael were married on Friday.  Can you believe Stephanie is just as sweet as she is pretty?  This was one of the most loving weddings I have had the pleasure of photographing.  I will have a full wedding post soon. In the meantime enjoy their engagement pictures we took earlier in the week.  Michael, who is in the military,  got into town from Germany just in time to sneak this session in before the wedding.  I am so glad I got a chance to meet him before the big day.  These two will be heading to Germany to start their new life as husband and wife very soon.  How perfect is it that there is a German flag left over from Maifest in the background. :)My favorite!

Featured on Hi-Fi Weddings and a beautiful French Wedding Blog!

Natasha and Hank's engagement session I shot at The Southgate House is featured on Hi-Fi Weddings today!   This blog is super cool!  They not only showcase some of the best wedding photography I have seen, but also offer great tools for creating a killer play list for your wedding.

While I was stumbling across the internet I found  a beautiful French blog that featured  some of these pictures of beautiful Ashley, how exciting!

Suzanne and Brian

I adore these two!  Suzanne and I have been friends for a couple of years.   I met Brian for the first time a couple of months ago at a party of a mutual friend.  When I saw them together I could tell that they were a perfect match for each other.  They are both super cool and laid back.  They both love to have a good time.  Brian plays guitar for Kristen Key and Suzanne is not only gorgeous, but also a complete sweetheart to be around.

I love these!

Natasha and Hank are Engaged!

I love, love, love this engagement session.  Natasha and Hank are a cool, creative couple.  They picked the perfect locations for their shoot.  Everything was laid back and fun.  We started the session at the Cincinnati Public Library downtown.  Natasha, who is also a photographer,  knew the verticle lines in the library would be a visual wonderland.  I definitely agree with her.  It was very hard for me to stay at a library level of quietness when I was shooting because I was so excited about the way the pictures looked. :)  Next,  we went to the historical Southgate House , a music venue/gallery/neighborhood bar, in Newport, KY where Natasha and Hank first met at a concert.  This place is simply amazing.  I have been to many shows here, it is a good time, every time. ;)  Click here to read all about the Southgate House's rich history.

It was pretty much light heaven when we were there!           We also roamed around Newport making a quick stop at Hank and Natasha's old house. Remember those silhouette cutout things we made as kids.  Mine was on the fridge for ever.  Total Inspiration!