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River Estate Wedding

So I would consider Crystal and Greg’s wedding my wild card wedding of 2016. I think Crystal contacted me maybe only a month out from their big day. She was somewhat stressed out because the photographer she had been talking to didn’t work out, and wanted someone dependable that could take the reigns. I’m not going to lie- when someone shows up at your doorstep, literally, and starts telling you about the wedding she was describing, it’s hard to imagine it’s real. In fact, on my way there, I still wasn’t even sure if I was on my way to a real wedding. Low and behold, it was real, and everything she had envisioned turned out so perfectly. Why was it so hard to believe? Mostly because it was so fabulously unique and inventive. It’s hard to surprise a wedding photographer with something “new”, but they did it!

Crystal told me on the day we met that they were going to get married in the middle of the river on pontoon boats. I thought that meant the traditional kind with walls and seats. When I got there, I saw that it meant two of them without walls and seats were tethered to one traditional pontoon. To get the best angle, I was going to need to position myself of the ones without support, which I’m not going to lie, had me shaking at certain points. I could literally see myself along with my cameras falling into the river and making a huge mess of the wedding. This never happened, but boy did I feel the heat the whole time we were out there. That’s kind-of saying something, too, because I grew up boating and on the water. After the ceremony on the water, I had really never been happier to be on dry land. Their reception was held in a party house that they had finished construction on their estate literally two weeks before the wedding. The whole property was stunning and I still can’t believe what a wonderful experience I was asked to document. I’m also super happy my cameras made it water-free as well! Enjoy! XO Jess

Heritage Golf Club Wedding

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I am so excited to be writing about this wedding today. I am only to my September weddings as far as blogging weddings and shoots from last year, so there is lots of sunshine in today’s post. There is actually a lot of sunshine out the window right now, too, coincidentally, which makes it all the better.

On the day of their wedding, I was headed down the church stairs to the basement bathroom where Lydia and her bridal party were getting dressed. On my way, I was stopped by a man who had a very friendly smile and a HUGE book in his hands. He asked me for a moment to show me what he wanted from that day’s photography. I had no idea who he was, or what exactly he was talking about, so I just went along with it. It turns out this gentleman was Brian’s father, and that was HIS wedding album from when he was married. He explained to me that three generations of his family had been married in this church, and he wanted to re-create one of the shots from their wedding album with Lydia and Brian. The whole idea was so heartfelt and wonderful, and of course we were up for the challenge. It was so cool to be standing in a place that meant so much to their family, and to be tasked with such a cool request. Re-create it, we did! It’s the photo below of the two of them at the front of the church, back-lit with my flash.

After the ceremony, we headed over to Heritage Golf Club were we took some more photos and continued on to the festivities. Is it just me, or does Lydia look like a Disney Princess? I just thought she radiated the whole day- it made for a super easy portrait session with the two of them. Anyways, thank you to Lydia and Brian for allowing me to spend this day with you and your amazing family! I hope you love these photos. XO Jess

Worthington Hills Country Club wedding

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Kara and Steve are both professors at Ohio State so for their engagement shoot, we toured around the OSU campus. Highlights of their engagement can be seen on my Instagram @JMillerPhotos. At their early August wedding, the stage was set at the beautiful Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for an intimate ceremony. The worship space of this church is stunning. Tall windows allow natural light to pour in, creating a stunning back-lit focal-point. It almost looked like the front of the church was giving the bridal party a big hug.

The dream team of Shannon from Goode Hair and Joy from State of Face led the glam squad. Large curls effortlessly flowed into a soft and romantic up-do. Her makeup bordered somewhere between natural blush and sophisticated glamour, an impressive duality to achieve! Kara was jaw-dropping in her wedding gown and cathedral length veil. I’m not gonna lie, I have no idea what kind of flowers they were carrying, but they were so exotic and elegant at the same time. The bright orange florals looked so dynamic against the bridesmaids navy knee-length dresses.

My favorite part of their ceremony was when Kara went up to the podium and did a reading herself. In all the hundreds of weddings I’ve done, I’ve never seen either the bride or groom do a reading before. It was such a cool moment- to hear her have a voice at the ceremony, and to have Steve stand next to her while she read. It felt like an oratory gift to the guests and made the whole ceremony more intimate and more memorable.

Their reception had a travel and photography theme. Vintage cameras and flowers made from Maps accented the tables and cake. Steve used to play the sousaphone in the OSU marching band. It’s apparently a long-standing tradition that when an OSU sousaphone player gets married, they serenade their new wife at the reception. This naturally led to the singing of Carmen Ohio, where everyone at the wedding linked arms on around the dance floor and raised their voices in tribute to THE Ohio State University. I can’t express how thankful I am to have been a small part in Kara and Steve’s wedding. I hope you love these photos as much as I do! XO Jess

Best of Weddings 2016

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Happy New Year! I know 2016 was a dumpster fire for a lot of people, but for our little family it was filled with many blessings, silver linings and answered prayers. Much like 2015, it feels like we stuffed 5 years into one. Our son had open heart surgery, my husband Scott took a better position at a different company, I photographed 29 weddings, we were able to see our Atlanta family FIVE times, we were blessed with the love and support of our community, and I now have about ten new forehead wrinkles. On new years a couple of days ago I was shooting a wedding. At the stroke of midnight, I had tears come to my eyes and roll down my face. A flood of emotion came to me while my brain raced through in hyper-speed all of the extremely difficult and extremely happy times we’ve had over the past 12 months. And at the end of that moment I was having with myself, I pushed the button on my camera and took a photo of my two brides sharing their first kiss of the new year. And I felt such a sense of peace and gratitude wash over me. This is the best, I thought. It doesn’t get better than this! And to be honest, I’ve had that feeling at almost every wedding I’ve ever shot.

That’s why I’m more than excited to share this blog today- Best of Weddings 2016. Last year I divided this post into two blog posts: Best of Weddings and Best of Wedding Details. I’m making it all one post this year for a couple of reasons. One, I really don’t believe the “stuff” or details is what makes the weddings. It’s super eye-candy, yes, but I don’t feel like the photos I take of inanimate objects are really what makes me a great photographer. It’s capturing the human interaction. So you will see some “pretty stuff” mixed in in this post, but mostly I wanted it to be about the awesome couples I had this year. Two, last year when I made my Best of Wedding Details blog, I had a whole section of cakes. When I was putting them all together, I realized that I had had at least two slices of each of those cakes *hangs head in shame*. I could have saved myself at least 10 pounds by not eating any of the wedding cakes. But seriously, doesn’t that idea just sound dumb? Now that I’m fat and happy this year, I want to blissfully ignore how much cake I ate, and so I’m not going to give myself that visual reminder.

So without further ado, enjoy this compilation of 2016 weddings. I’m in such awe of how lucky I am to have spent these days with you. I can’t wait for 2017 weddings to begin! Until then, keep a look out as I still have a lot of last years weddings to blog. XO Jess

Short North Engagement

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There’s no other way to say it- Kelly and Jason are Cute with a capital C. Kelly said she would like their engagement shoot to be in the Short North because that is where her and Jason met and spend a lot of time together. Little did we know that her vibrant green dress was going to match perfectly with the lush Short North nooks and crannies we photographed in. This part of the city is so alive…artisinal (I can’t believe I used that word in a sentence) shops, boutique hotels, small and large parks, bright murals, and mouthwatering food are all what make the Short North a destination in Columbus. This day was so hot, a far cry from today’s below freezing temps. Why do I always talk about the weather? Because I live in Columbus. It’s also the way my brain works- I remember weather from events years ago like it was yesterday.

Ok so something that struck me when I was putting together Kelly and Jason’s blog, is one of the reasons I love engagement photos so much- look at their eyes. Look at the way they look at each other. They are smiling, yes, but their eyes do just as much of the talking. Engagement shoots are so great for pulling out that connection. It’s also one of the reasons I try to photograph couples looking at each-other instead of the camera….and if I do have them look at the camera, I have them look at each-other first so I can get some residual feels come through the lens.

Kelly and Jason’s wedding will be at one of my favorite venues, Via Vecchia, next June. To say I’m excited would be a serious understatement. It will be here before we know it, but until then- I hope you love looking at these sweet photos! XO Jess

Lightning Tree Barn

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Lightning Tree Barn is one of those places where it’s literally impossible to take a bad photograph. Add to it perfect weather, a stunning couple like Jennifer and John, an awesome bridal party and loving families- you’ve got one hell of a wedding!

This operational farm is located in Circleville Ohio, and as of now I believe it hosts weddings on a word-of-mouth basis. I don’t even think they have a website and I’ve heard it’s pretty hard to find their phone number. And yet, they’re selling out their barn venue for weddings all year long.

Something that still amazes me to this day is that Jennifer styled this entire event long distance from Texas! And she did it expertly. I told her she should go into the wedding planning business, but she modestly dismissed what I was saying. So I’ll post it to my blog so it’ll forever be archived in digital ink- Jenn, really, you have a gift. Mason jars were all filled with a custom made koozie for guests to take home. Soft baby’s breath created a light and airy floral centerpiece to each table. The barn itself was adorned with hundreds if not thousands of lights. City barbeque filled the air with savory sweet aromas. There was even a lemonade stand- how cool is that?

Can we talk about these bridesmaids dresses for a second? I mentioned in my last blog post how cool my bridesmaids’ dresses were this year, and here’s further proof. They looked so vibrant and dynamic in front of the massive American Flag that Jenn and John had hung up on the side of the barn for their July wedding. But let’s be honest- nothing could overshadow how perfect Jenn looked. I think one of my favorite moments of the day was when her and John did a “play-it-by-ear” first-look. John didn’t know if he wanted to see Jenn before the wedding, so at their first look he wore a blindfold. If he wanted to see her, he’d take it off. If he didn’t want to, then he’d keep it on. He ended up keeping it on to make the moment he saw her walk down the isle that much more impactful. And it so was- he cried heartfelt tears of joy.

Jenn and John, thank you so much for having me with you on your wedding day. It was such an honor to get to know you all. All my love, Jess

Kelton House Wedding

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Sarah and Joe are both very soft spoken people. I would consider them like an onion- the more you get to know them, the more layers you uncover, all very exotic and sweet (I think you have to know how much I love onions to know this is the ultimate compliment from me) . Joe met Sarah while he was working in a tattoo shop. From hearing the story from both of their perspectives, it seemed very much like love at first sight. Sarah basically kept getting more tattoos to keep hanging out with Joe. From there their love blossomed.

Last year I had the honor of shooting their engagement shoot. Again, because of le bebe, I didn’t blog as much as I had wanted last year. Alas, you’ll have to trust me that those images were faboosh. You can see some of them in my instagram archives. My profile name is JMillerPhotos. Please look me up and add me!

Joe oozes creativity. First of all, he’s an incredible tattoo artist. He even tattooed their wedding date on Sarah’s forearm. Second, his passion for Sarah is so beautifully evident when you’re around them both. He MADE her bridal bouquet. He literally watched a youtube video on how to make a bouquet and then whipped up this spectacular creation like it was nothing- oh, and he fashioned a wooden holder for it, so that it could sit upright because it was so heavy from its awesomeness. Joe also studied Sarah’s Persian heritage and designed their wedding sofreh, which was no small task.

Sarah wore the world’s most beautiful gown and veil. She had her veil flown in from London from designer Agnes Hart. It was nothing short of spectacular, and to quote Sarah , “this veil is everything.” She incorporated her love of animals, especially rabbits, into their wedding details. The reception had a vegan buffet that was so incredibly delicious. There were also vegan desserts provided by Pattycake Bakery, one of my all-time favorite dessert shops in Columbus.

I think what I loved most about Joe and Sarah was just how deeply in love they are. It’s such a beautiful thing to sit back and watch, and watching people in love is pretty much my job. Even after the last guests had left and the catering had cleared the tables, Sarah and Joe were still dancing in each-others’ arms- blissful in the moment they were sharing. Savoring every second of the special day they poured their heart and soul into. I feel so lucky to have been a part of it, and I hope you love these photos as much as I do! XO Jess

OSU Surprise Proposal

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This was my first surprise proposal I’ve ever been a part of. Josh had planned it over a month in advance with me. He was so excited and nervous that everything would happen to plan. He rented out the entire OSU stadium just for this perfect moment. It was just a normal Saturday to Lauren, though. Her and Josh were walking around OSU campus taking photos with their cell phones. They walked to the entrance of the Stadium where they “begged” the front door guard to let them in. The guard let them in, and the next thing you know they are shooting selfies on the field. At this moment Lauren still just thinks it was good luck they made it inside. Before you know it, Josh was down on one knee. Lauren turned around and what followed was the most beautiful, heartfelt and fun surprise I’ve ever been a part of. I was off to the side, under one of the tunnel overhangs shooting with a long-throw lens on so that I could be as discreet as possible. Lauren of course said yes and I was right there to get all the tears of joy followed by a small engagement shoot in the stadium. I think Lauren was in shock for a good half hour of the shoot. Which was great, because I loved snapping photos of her staring at her ring and then kissing Josh. Needless to say, he did a good job. Congrats you two! May you have many more expected and unexpected magical moments just as good as this one!

Columbus Crew Wedding

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What do you get when you have three loves of your life? You incorporate them all into your wedding! For Tori, they are Starbucks, the Columbus Crew, and of course Jason. You might remember these two from their Crew-themed engagement shoot earlier this year that can be seen here. I can’t even tell you how lucky I feel to have been with them on their wedding day. I just love how they made their wedding a cool, unique glimpse into their lives.

Their ceremony was held at Graystone Wine Cellar in the brewery district downtown. This is a very intimate venue that goes two stories underground and has arched stone rooms, just perfect for a smaller ceremony and reception. The wedding took place around lunch time. From there they went to their very own wedding Crew tailgate in the late afternoon. Tons of friends, people they’d coached soccer for and relatives gathered under the crew tent and feasted on delicious tailgate food. Even their cake was bright yellow and black!

For the game, Tori and Jason rented a suite in the MAPFRE Stadium, good thing, too! A torrential downpour swept through right as the game was about to start. In true Ohio fashion, the weather cleared up in no time and the game started about an hour late.

Tori and Jason were so generous- they let me and my husband use their stadium seats for the game which were AM-MAZING! Our sitter for the night fell through, so we brought Caddie also. They gifted my husband and I with our very own Crew scarfs, which we proudly display in Caddie’s bedroom. He was only 7 months old at the time these were taken, but that was just old enough for him to be excited about all of the people, lights and sounds. He did cry his brains out the first time the Crew scored a goal and the crowd went nuts lol. I just want to say to Tori and Jason a heartfelt thank you. From the day I met you, you felt like insta-friends. You have been so warm, loving, and generous since day one.

Columbus Whetstone Engagement

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Jenne and Paul are so totally cute with each other! They are Columbus transplants by way of Nashville. Their wedding was in Nashville in the fall (last month to be exact), so they only had me shoot the session here in town. We met up at the Whetstone Park of Roses in Clintonville for their engagement session earlier this past summer. The roses were in full bloom, and you couldn’t really have asked for a more perfect day. Having been born and raised in Columbus, and I don’t want to sound like Lebron James is with Cleveland, but Columbus is such a vibrant beautiful city with SO MUCH going on. The park of roses is just one of those magical places that when you visit, you look around, and say to yourself- I can’t really believe this is just open to the public. The grounds are meticulously manicured (I have a new appreciation for this being a new home owner). Being a photographer I often visit beautiful spots in the city, so it’s no wonder my love affair with C-bus gets more serious each year.

And I just have to mention this- I’m really glad Westworld wasn’t out yet at the time of this shoot, because I would have been fan geeking about the fact that Jenne looks like the stunning Thandie Newton who plays Maeve in the show. Nerd alert!

Anyways, congratulations go out to Jenne and Paul on their recent wedding! And I hope the rest of you love these photos! XO Jess

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