Erin + Mark | Evergreen, Colorado

For so long we've had this dream of traveling to make photographs. To document the stories we love in insanely beautiful places. Stories in the mountains, stories on the coast, stories of love, stories of life. This year has been such a fulfilling year in that respect. We've documented some really enchanting places and stories and we're so in love with all of them! Erin + Mark are exactly the kind of people we hoped to meet when that dream came into our hearts. I met these two a year ago in Colorado and we hiked and talked about life and made such a great connection that I basically begged them to bring us back for their wedding this year. Strings were pulled and the four of us were able to make it happen. We were so excited! This was the wedding we looked forward to all year long...because well...MOUNTAINS! The fact that Erin and Mark are literally THE sweetest, most generous, funny and down-to-earth people made it so much more worth it for us to hop a flight to Denver for their wedding! 

We arrived the day before the wedding and Denver greeted us with THE WEIRDEST weather forecast. By the morning of the wedding it was a complete white out-blizzard in Evergreen after raining the entire day before. We were super freaked out, our idea of that temperate 60 degrees and sunny that Colorado usually provides was no where in sight. Instead we had this awesome blanket of fog, giant snow flakes floating in the wind and a perfectly overcast sky. Sure, our fingers were cold and our feet got wet but any bride that throws on her hiking boots for portraits is a ten in my book. Complete with Colorado craft beer, a lake house lodge ceremony with a visit from an otter, and the happiest people on the planet here's Erin + Mark, a wedding we have been SO EXCITED to share with ya'll for so long. 
 

Collected 2015

Way back in July we hosted the second annual Collected. This event, spun out of a handful of ideas and dreams of collaborating, has taken on a life of it's own both years. This year we had the most amazing team of vendors in the industry to put their minds to work creating vignettes of style and creativity. The photographers, all twelve of us, looked with discerning eyes for ways to improve, to see differently, to refuel our passion for this creative passion. The product was a weekend full of crazy downpours, delicious food, bottles of whiskey passed around the fire, eating s'mores out of each others hands (that was awkward and I'm still not sure why it happened), new bonds, laughter and a lot of really great photography. 
Here's my take on this years look!

The love and appreciation I have for Tap Root Catering, Fair Rarity Flowers, Baci Designer (stationary) & Borrow Rentals for being huge contributors to this event TWO YEARS in a row is just too much to put into words on this blog! Your work is constantly stunning, inspiring, creative and literally THE BEST in the industry! 

Vendors who make this event possible: 
Taproot Catering
Sweet Water Caravan
Borrow Vintage & Eclectic Rentals
Fair Rarity Flowers
Baci Designer
Oak & Honey Events
Andi Wheatley Makeup Artistry

Sponsors:
Special thanks to all of our amazing national & local event sponsors
The FIND Lab
ProDPI
H.H.Boogie
(provided a hand-crafted album box for a giveaway, see the video here.)
Madera Books
Deli Ohio
17hats
Artifact Uprising
Chad Austin Design

Hugs and high-fives to the gorgeous folks in front of the camera:
Devin Casper-Hill  & Keith Hill
Audreanna Tabellion & Josh Heckathorn
Tj Alleshouse
Jeanna Washko & Family
Maria Mejia

Andi + Ben | Backyard Ceremony + Hines Hill Reception

Andi & Ben.
Two people who saw the opportunity to have a wedding day full of intention and with so much personal meaning. The ceremony took place under the giant tree lovingly named "The Mighty Oak" by Ben's family. The ninety-some acre family property, that was owned by Ben's grandpa and has been passed down, is meadow after meadow who's edges are traced with thick tree-lines and trails. The estate; an eclectic and warm home where Ben grew up surrounded by gardens, kitties and chickens.
Ben and Andi saw each other early in the day, Andi in her bridal robe and Ben in his work clothes. The guys helped set up the ceremony just an hour before donning their suits for the festivities while Andi and her girls enjoyed a sun-soaked lunch on the breezy patio. Each moment an opportunity for us to sink into the background and document quietly. The morning folded into late afternoon and the perfectly orchestrated ceremony under the rustling leaves made way to the celebration at Hines Hill Conservancy. 
 

This wedding was featured on Junebug Weddings
Ceremony Venue – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Reception Venue – Hines Hill Conference Center
Catering – Old Carolina BBQ
Cake – Dancing Desserts
Ceremony Music – Adam Day
Reception Music – Bottom Line Band
Invitations – Mason Milani
Wedding Dress – Nicole Miller
Groom’s Apparel – Bonobos

Danielle + Eric | A Forth of July Wedding

Danielle + Eric planned a meaningful and patriotic wedding that just so happened to take place on July 4th this year. Eric is in the military and they're calling Savannah, GA home while he is stationed there... but Danielle calls Ohio home. We really got to know Danielle at her sister's wedding we also shot a few years ago. Her family is one of the most welcoming and loving families we've had the pleasure of knowing through our business. So this whole day felt like we were watching friends tie the knot on a beautifully sunny day in the country! Thought we'd post this just in time for Labor Day this year! GO USA!  

Mara + Brad | Cleveland, Ohio Wedding

Mara + Brad
Cleveland, Ohio

Mara + Brad had a lovely wedding planned with all their lovely families and friends from far and wide. The eclectic decor and handmade, really personal details only added to their obvious loving spirits towards one another and everyone around them! It's good luck to have rain on your wedding day and it poured buckets all day for these two... but just as we were going out for portraits, the clouds broke and the beaming sun shined down. 
 

Gorgeous floral by - Molly Taylor Designs
Catering by - Dino's Catering / Pine Ridge Country Club
Cake by - A Cupcake Day
Mara's Dress - Signature, by Justin Alexander
Church - Saint Colman, Cleveland Ohio
Reception - Pine Ridge Country Club
Photo Location - Miller Nature Preserve, Avon Ohio

Carmen + Tommy | Columbus, Ohio

We all but begged these two to let us shoot their wedding. They were in the wedding party for Tommy's brother's wedding which we shot a few years ago and we really took note and enjoyed the way their love radiated. Fast forward a couple years and we got our wish and joined the family for another round of wedding fun. This wedding was seriously full of surprises and so much excitement. These two are so full of love for each other that we rarely took our eyes or cameras off of them! They had a beautiful June evening at The Jessing Center in Columbus, Ohio surrounded by so many of their loved ones, some from as far as Sweden. It was such an honor to document it all for these two!

Kaylen + Jon | Dock 580 Wedding

Kaylen + Jon had a lovely wedding day in Columbus at Dock 580... full of family moments and fun friends.
See the full story here. 

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

This is a story of sweet southern beauty. 
A collaboration of creatives came together for this and it was lovely and darling.
The morning was warm and balmy, the salt in the air was sweet
and the earthly charms came alive for us to take in.

Location: Shipyard | Sonesta Resort | Hilton Head Island, SC
Kristie made as good a bride as she does a wedding coordinator which is her passion and her business | Weddings by Kristie
Florals | Urban Poppy
Gown by Sarah Seven provided by Ivory & Beau

Tim & Holleh | Redondo Beach, CA

Every so often we get a unique opportunity to travel for work. It's been becoming more of a frequent thing and we love that. It's been a goal of ours to have our work serve as a way for us to see the world. We love to travel to begin with but when we can travel AND document a story for an awesome couple like Holleh & Tim, well that's exactly what we want to be doing with our business and with our life.
This is a unique story for me to share because the groom is family. It's a long and involved, coming of age story that Tim and I share as cousins. We shared laughter, shared friends and shared tears over fond memories.  But over the years, as adults do, we got busy with our own lives. Miles between us and a collection of life events shared over facebook but I've always looked up to Tim as a beacon of positivity...and comic relief even in hard times. To say that I was ecstatic when they agreed to let us shoot their wedding in California would be an understatement. I was honestly jumping. We had the pleasure of meeting Holleh when we got to California and she's literally the sweetest, most sincere and loving person ever. She was complimenting US the whole time we were doing her portraits. Ha! And I saw so much joy and so much love between these two. As always, it's an honor to document such a joyful day for two people but especially more so when they're your family. 

Kaitlin + John | Brookside Farms, Ohio

I knew when we met Kaitlin & John that their wedding would be one that fits right in with our vibe of living and documenting the most authentic stories. They're a laid back, loving couple that planned a day as equally laid back and loving. The timeline was slow and casual and left time for them to spend the day with all their favorite people. Their joy shines in every single photograph and it was real. They made memories and we were honored to be the ones to witness and savor it for them!