Edward + Kate :: Wedding Photography, Columbus, Ohio

I've quoted Kate Simon.

I met her a couple of years ago at a wedding I was photographing. I was in fly-on-the-wall photo mode, crouched in the corner of the room getting photos of a bouquet, when I heard a bridesmaid say,

"Lipstick. Lipstick is important.

It is a woman's way of sealing her outfit with kiss."

(You may not remember this, Kate, but it's true :-)

And I've admired her ever since. I've seen her in bridal parties, doing makeup for her friends' weddings and on and off of dance floors at receptions over the past couple of years. So, I was simply giddy to be asked to photograph she and Edward's wedding.

It was a day of sincere joy, and I think it only appropriate to include a Kate quote from her own wedding day:

While I was photographing her at the very beginning of the day, I asked her to relax her face out of her omnipresent smile, and she replied reluctantly, showing some sincere effort: "Okay, I'll try. It's just, I'm so happy." The smile crept to her face again and she continued,

"I knew I was going to marry Eddie since the day time I saw him. I can't stop smiling." 

Cue the music. I looked up from my camera wondering if she was serious, or almost being sarcastic. But no. It was an excellently delivered line from a real-life story tale. 

Kate and Edward, may the story tale continue into many many sequels :-)

Enjoy,

Rachel (+ Tim)

::An Update::

My husband, Tim, teaches and plays music. So, while I'm at home slicing carrots sticks on colored plates for toddler lunches and exploring municipal parks, Tim works as a music teacher by day and plays piano at Columbus's favorite restaurants by night. (Here, especially. Go hear him. He's the best...I think so, anyway.) This summer break is the first of our four adventurous ones since he's been teaching that we've shifted our focus from other summer jobs to the photo business, and we're trying our hand at collaborating in more ways than just changing diapers :-) So far, we're having a blast. We'll see where this winding road, full of adventure, veggie straws, and lots of battery chargers (figurative and literal) leads us.

Christie and Ben - Engagement Photo, Columbus, Ohio

The forecast for this session almost made us cancel it.

"Thirty-mile-an-hour winds aren't ideal," I said.

I'm so glad we didn't. 70 degrees. Sunny and serene. It turned out to be the first warm and wonderful spring day of the year and oh what a gift it was.

Ohio, you mysterious fool, we all love you.

This session was simply satisfying. I know Christie and Ben through a handful of different threads and relationships in our community here in Columbus, but this little window of time was a long-anticipated hour carved out to spend time with just these two.

We talked about wedding plans, favorite dates, cactuses, and dream jobs. I had a premonition I would feel this way, but I left feeling inspired to infuse my life with more intentionality, patience and simple joy, knowing that's what I'd found planted in these two.

Ben and Christie, you're both wonderful and I can't wait to witness your wedding in the winter!

McKenna + Nathaniel :: Wedding Photography, Columbus, Ohio

I told him to tell her a secret. It must have been a good one.

I don't know if you're the kind of person to scroll all the way through blog posts, so I've made sure to cater to you all who, like me, have a very short attention span. 

The first three photos.

All it takes to get a glimpse of the sacred day that was McKenna and Nathaniel's wedding day is to behold the ineffable contentment and joy on their faces in these photos. Even just in the tiny sliver of it that you see in the first one there.

But the photos, as they never truly do, don't totally do it justice. The day was wonderful in that it was one completely centered on the sacramental. It was centered on what was happening on the altar, not on the dance floor (though they made it hard to tell while they were sweating to the big-band!!)

Three uniquely special tidbits from this day:

1. The flower girls told me early on in the day that they "looove taking pictures!", so I had delightful shadows the whole day, making for excellent photos of these very cute, soon-to-be photogs.
2. The bride asked me if she'd be in the way if she said a prayer in front of the statue of St. Joseph, which happened to be right behind where I was taking a photo of her groom. I told her, no, definitely not.
3. For reasons related entirely to lighting, I hardly ever get excited about posting photos in the church, during the ceremony, and certainly not as the ones that tell the beauty of the day, but alas, I couldn't help myself.

Onward, McKenna and Nathaniel! Onward to a life held in sacred holiness, imitating the day you began it together.

Enjoy,

Rachel