Originally published 12/21/2017
Simple + perfect. That was James and Jessica's wedding. Surrounded by only their families and their closest friends, James and Jessica promised their hearts to each other while giant snow flakes floated through the air. They gathered around the fire at The Woods restaurant and toasted to love and danced into the night. We loved how romantic and effortless the whole day was, just them and their families and their love to keep them warm!
We were honored and nervous. As soon as we met Abby and Kilder, on their wedding day no less, we knew they’d made the right decision. We spent the entire day belly-laughing together. Their love is soft yet loud, colorful and layered. They tease each other and never stopped smiling. In the big crowd of people, they always found the other in touch or in glance. The magic that day was palpable. It was such an honor as usual to document this love story but it was an added layer of pride that we were chosen by such wonderful people.
Read MoreAt sunset we snuck across the street to the beach and watched as the waves crashed on the shore of Lake Erie and we stood back while Anna + Josh took in the breeze and the beauty on their special day. It was one for the books! Vendor list at the bottom because it was a good one!
Read MoreAnders and Katie are literally the cutest. All day they kept telling us how important it was for them to get time together by themselves. It was such a refreshing part of their day, we had the chance to step back and give them space but also document some of their sweet intimate moments from afar!
Read MoreThere is nothing better than a ceremony outside among the trees and the singing birds. After their sweet vows and some time loving on their people, we hit up the best of Cleveland for the sights and finished off the day at Windows on the River!
Christine + Dan have such a softness about them, a quiet and sweet love that spoke volumes without words. We loved spending the day with them, talking about our common interests and sharing laughs with their big group of fun friends! It was the best of days in Cleveland this summer!
We had the best time and were so honored to be a part of this day for Maddie + Chris!
The Destin Bay House was this sweet little space, tucked into the moss trees on the bay. The only respite from the wild winds we had that day were on the other side of the great big windows over-looking the dance floor where almost every person spent most of the night! It was certainly a night to remember! The loving glances and wild dances that Chris and Maddie shared made the chilling wind an afterthought for most everyone around them! It was such an incredible sweet and thoughtful celebration.
Our photography is perfect for families with children of all kinds and all ages. We’re about letting things happen, let the realness of your family shine. No perfect poses or matching outfits. We want the lifestyle you lead and the season you’re in to be what you remember when you look back on the photographs. We keep the sessions simple and we love when the kids run around and….well, act like kids!
With your help spreading the word, I think we can kick off Spring 2020 with a bang! We’re offering a 50% discount on one session to any returning family. And with that a 10% referral discount for a friend! We’re so excited to just get outside, hit up some parks in the area and make some memories!
Read MoreEverything about Courtney, Liz and their small wedding resonated so deeply with us, I can't believe I'm just now getting around to sharing it here. We absolutely fell in love with these two at a wedding we photographed two years prior. The entire friend group and family involved in both weddings is the most magnetic, welcoming and energetic group...we joked with them throughout that we just wanted to keep photographing weddings within the family forever.
Courtney and Liz planned for their super intimate, super emotional nuptials to be among a short list of friends and family in their favorite music venue where they often go to see their favorite artist perform. Babeville is a really unique space right in downtown Buffalo, we had a blast just wandering around exploring and documenting this whole day. Allison, the bride from the previous wedding we shot officiated the wedding and she's hysterical so that made the day even more memorable for everyone.
The love expressed in the eyes and on the faces of these two beautiful women this entire day was the biggest joy to document. We absolutely loved to witness such a love and hope that these images will inspire you to experience life with even a shred of the harmony and grace that these two do.
Along our travels we occasionally get to meet up with others like us who call a tiny traveling rig home! In this case, we met Megan and Nate Kantor of the Colorado based photography duo named Cedar and Pines. Their work is beautiful and genuine, just like them!
We love these two so much and since this sunset stroll through the saguaros in Phoenix have spent days adventuring in Utah, eating pizza and co-working over coffee. Follow their work and their journey as a they travel around in their @aluminumadventureburrito
Meeting Kendel + Paul was so refreshing. These two are so young and full of life and appreciation for each other. Just starting a life together, renovating their new home, moving in together, planning a wedding; these could be a source of stress for most couples but these two took every chance to truly celebrate in every way they could. Kendel donning her Grandmother's rose gold, silk wedding gown planned an effortlessly elegant and vintage inspired day that was just so cute, so romantic and so them! Thankful we got to be a part of it!
I hardly know where to start with Jen + Tyler's wedding. They had their dogs, their motorcycle, a Star Wars theme, a rooftop ceremony...it was basically the most badass wedding day ever. Their wedding choices aside, Jen + Tyler are the coolest kids on the block...if you're like us and you're into video games, comics and Star Wars, you'd agree!
Their day was SO emotional and so special to watch. Their friends and families poured their hearts into their parts of the day and it was so obvious (as you will see below) that these two really honed in on celebrating this day their own way and making sure it was special.
As I sit in this Starbucks trying to drown out all the noise; the metal cups bashing the ice, the chairs scooting across the floor, the baristas enthusiastically bellowing names of people and sentence-long names of drinks, the vibration of music playing...I can't even put words to this story. This environment is too mundane for the level of spirit and emotion in this love story.
This story doesn't even need words, really.
Rachel & Brian were really connected, really emotional, really in love and really expressive of their gratitude for everyone surrounding them. See for yourself. It was one for the books.
Working with Molly + Ryan was a dream. Molly is an insanely talented graphic designer/artist and Ryan works in the film industry. They definitely got what we were about. Their engagement session was killer but man, this wedding was a knockout. Together they planned a perfect blend of their personalities. They share a reverence for nature which led to a private vow reading along Rocky River and John Muir readings during the ceremony. The setting for the ceremony and reception was a beautiful, full-of-character old theater in the heart of Cleveland complete with the most whimsical, free-spirited details to match Molly's taste. She designed their stationery suite and featured her uncle's band! We couldn't have had a better time documenting this lovely story for these two!
Vendors:
Venue: Cleveland Public Theater, Gordon Theater; Floral: Jennifer Slagle; Gown: Claire la Faye, Moon & Back Bridal; Rentals: Borrow Rentals; Stationery: molly-lawrence.com
We decided to call this a 'Date Night Couple Session' because Rachel & Brian drove all the way from Charlotte, NC to New Castle, PA and then onto Cleveland, OH to meet us for drinks at Plum in Ohio City. After some delicious whiskey beverages and taste-y sharables we headed out to make some portraits without a destination or goal in mind.
As you'll see these two turned a half hour of wandering around the alleys of Ohio City into the most playful, romantic date night ever! We had nothing to do with all those smiles and laughs...these two didn't need any input from us to be this awesome together! After Ohio City we headed towards the lakeshore and ended the evening the same way they spent their first date, sitting lakeside as the sun fell behind the horizon. We cannot wait for their backyard wedding next month!
Recently our team got together in a green house with three beautiful models and Little Birdie Design Studio's owner, Tori with a bunch of her knit scarves and hats! We are so inspired by the opportunity to work with local, small brands like Little Birdie. The collaborative spirit of the whole process is so refreshing! We're really proud of the images we made for her fall line... but it really wasn't hard because these goods are incredibly fine in person and on camera!
Molly + Ryan are lovestruck and insanely good in front of the camera. They have this palpable energy between them that is drawn out and amplified by being together in nature, their favorite place. We tried something new for their session, we shot in a new location, in direct sun and had them nonstop moving around, like every 10 seconds I'd say "ok switch it up". At the end of the session, I wasn't sure I got anything I wanted but when I saw the set come together I was in love with this little love story. I can't wait to share their wedding later, it's even more beautiful if that's possible.
You may recognize these two from the recent adventure we had with them in Colorado a week before their wedding! We shared a sunset hike in the Rockies and a week later we shared a Sand Dune hike in Upper Michigan. What is this life?
Well, I had the hardest time not selecting a thousand beautiful moments to share from Ashley + Zach's Northern Michigan wedding. Not only was the destination and the wedding absolutely stunning but these two are genuinely the sweetest and happiest people I think I've ever met. Zach's love for Ashley was SO apparent in his mood that day. Between their shared glances and constant smiles, everyone who witnessed these two that day was sincerely intoxicated by the joy they share in their adoration for each other. This is one we'll remember for a long time.
Location: Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Maple City, Michigan
Venue: Snow Moon Ranch | Planning: Sincerely, Ginger | Florals: Stem & Sprigs | Cake: Sweet Tartlette | Beauty: Knoelle Artistry | Band: Other Brother Entertainment, Charleston, SC. |
Ashley + Colton made the drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet us at Great Sand Dunes National Park. We arrived the day before and slept in the van (secretly) in the backcountry parking lot overlooking the dunes. We fell asleep to the quietest, pitch black night and woke to the white, hot sun trying to melt the sand and the van.
This place is incredible, vast and other-worldly. The wind sweeps sand in every direction until it's swirled into massive mounds that harmoniously blend into the pale blue sky at every vantage point. We sat back and watched as Colton and Ashley danced in awe; The most beautiful story, their love for each other, for adventure and for the moment. In the heat of the setting sun, at 10,000 feet elevation, they let the grains of sand sting by the millions against their skin and curled into each other for shelter; a sentiment worth documenting in any place but especially a place as beautiful at this.
Dress from KII Boutique, Albuquerque, New Mexico
We've been so lucky to meet so many great creatives through Instagram in the last few years. It's such a powerful resource for connecting us with the people who see the world the way we do!
That's how we met Chelsea + Lyn, these camper-dwellers from southern Ohio who are living the rocky mountain life in a beautiful campground in Colorado right now. We obviously bonded over our love of alternative living, travel, adventure and mountains!
We were on our campervan tour, heading through Buena Vista and these two just happened to be on our route! They saved us a campsite and we met at their camper-home just before sunset.
Lyndon + Chelsea live a beautifully tiny, big life on the road. They invited us in, made us pancakes, offered us beer and then took us for a true mountain drive in their Land Rover. We headed up a private road as far as the Rover would go and hopped out to get to the top of the ridge where we could see all the peaks surrounding the valley and their little camper below us! Lyn kept saying he didn't know where the best light would be for photos but he knew this view couldn't be beat. We laughed and wandered until the last bit of amber light fell behind the peaks and then we finished the evening with dinner cooked over the campfire. We've never had a more authentic experience getting to know strangers than with these two! And what a beautiful home they have!
Follow their adventures on their Insta @mobile_millers
Last month we hosted our first "official" workshop. We shared and learned so much in our two-days in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we even put together a styled shoot and photographed the work of some of the best vendors this area has to offer! Our models for the Hine's Hill wedding shoot were not only gorgeous in front of the camera but their acting skills were award-worthy!
We loved sharing our documentary approach with like-minded photographers and we learned more from them and our experience than we ever imagined! Take a look at our day one recap! Vendor list below!
Venue: Hine's Hill Campus
Models: TJ Alleshouse + Grace Dwyer
Stationery: Baci Designer
Tablescape: Oak & Honey Events
Florals: Ashley's Floral
Ceremony Chairs & Table: Miller's Party Rental
Dress: Woosea Designs (Amazon)
Neck Tie: I print stuff
Not Pictured: Taproot Catering, Brothers Band Oh, CVNP Stanford House