Allie + Jacob could be considered “the couple that everyone hates.” They were one of the first weddings we booked for 2011, and their date is September 3. Also known as the date that everyone and their sister wants to get married on. We’ve had numerous inquiries for their weekend, and with every couple we have to turn away we realize more and more how lucky they are that they booked early.

The funny thing is, I’m pretty sure these guys have never met anyone that could actually hate them. They are so fun and friendly! We spent an evening at the Inniswood Metro Garden in Columbus, and really hit it off. After a few awkward minutes of “what do we do… how do we stand…” we got rolling and the rest was easy. A perfect example of why we include an engagement session with every wedding! It’s so nice to get that over with before the big day!

We’re so excited to shoot their wedding next fall!

Remember Sophie and Spencer’s engagement session last fall on the OSU campus? It’s been a long time coming, but their wedding was at the beautiful Liberty Presbyterian Barn Church in Powell Ohio, just outside of Columbus.

Sophie had the day all planned out, and the schedule was pretty tight. They hadn’t planned on seeing each other before the ceremony, and when I saw the schedule, I had to ask. My question was simple, “Why?” This is a direct quote from Sophie’s email after I explained the advantages to her.

“Wow! We hadn’t really thought of the “First Look” from that point of view. I guess it had been more of a superstition, or a thought that no one else does, that was holding us against it. But a little bit of “us” time ahead of time sounds really nice and we definitely want to go for it! It sounds like a lot of stress will be lifted and we will not be rushed— perfect!”

After that I spent some time outlining what I thought the schedule might look like with the First Look instead of waiting. Sophie’s response was just as exciting.

“The schedule looks PERFECT!! I absolutely cannot believe how much more time that we have, and that we are able to get photos in downtown Delaware too! We love that idea and are so happy that you gave us this entire new perspective on the wedding day photo timeline— we already can’t imagine it any other way!”

They day went perfectly, we had the absolutely most beautiful fall day (not too hot, not too cold), and the First Look allowed us to spend some time after the ceremony doing some bridal party photos in historic downtown Delaware Ohio.

Here’s Sophie, some bridesmaids, and some family and friends checking out the same day slideshow. Definite hit.

Dress: David’s Bridal

Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse

Flowers: The Flowerman Columbus

Coordinator: Brittany O’Neil

Ceremony: Liberty Presbyterian Church

Reception: All Occasions Catering

Cake: Alice’s Piece of Cake

When we first met with Sheila and Andy, they made it very clear that their families were very important to them, and that they would be a very integral part of the wedding. When we were explaining why we include and engagement shoot with every wedding, we mentioned that we could turn the session into a combo engagement/family shoot. They loved the idea, and we were super excited to shoot it!

As you can see, they have some beautiful kids, and we were so impressed with how positive everyone’s attitudes were! Their family single handedly reminded Mindy and I why we do what we do, and reinvigorated our love for family photography.

We’ll be featuring Sheila and Andy’s wedding in a few weeks!

One thing Mindy and I have been talking about lately is including a little bit more in our blog posts about who we are and how we create the images you see. We’re a team, we actually shoot differently, but complimentary to each other. We have different personalities, and it allows us to approach each client a little bit differently and adapt to the situation. Mindy took the kids while I spent some time with Sheila and Andy, and it allowed us to get some really unique images in a really short amount of time. This whole shoot was finished in less than an hour and a half!

Mindy working the wide angle:

This next shot is pretty funny. As a photographer, I often find myself sitting, standing, or laying in areas I never really thought I would before.

And this is the resulting photo: