I can’t say enough about Christie and Ingmar. They are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in your life. Christie is also blissfully unaware of how drop dead gorgeous she is, which makes it even more fun to get her in front of the camera. If I hadn’t slacked so badly last year because of having the baby, I would have posted their super quaint engagement shoot we did in German Village. If you pick up the current issue of The Knot Ohio, there’s a photo from that shoot along with their proposal story in it.
One of the fun things about shooting both the engagement and the wedding is getting to know the couple better one-on-one, and then getting to know them AND their family on the big day. This family is literally overflowing with love for each other. Christie’s sister seemed like the glue that helped everything run smoothly, and her fervent love was so palpable at every step. People flew in from as far as Dubai to be at this celebration. It was truly the party of the year.
Let me just say this- Christie wore a Matthew Christopher dress and Kate Spade shoes that were just show-stopping. I think I even swore a little when I saw her shoes because I love them so much.
The ceremony was held at St. John the Baptist. I hadn’t been there in a couple years and I just love every time I get to shoot there. The bright colors and intimate environment make for a spectacular setting for a wedding, large or small.
The reception was held at Via Vecchia, one of my favorite Columbus Wedding venues. MStyle styled the evening to perfection, Country Blessing Florals accented the day with beautiful flowers, Catering by Scott created a culinary tour de force, and Ryan Smith kept everyone out of their seats and on the dance floor.
In the later part of 2015 I narrowed down my life focus and decided to go full-time with my wedding photography business, even though it’s been my second full-time job for a few years now. As many of you know, we welcomed an awesome little addition to our family late last year and so I have spent my days caring for our baby boy and building my business. I can’t even tell you what an honor and privilege it has been to be his prominent caretaker. For anyone who has spent time at home with just a child and a dog, you know pretty well that you have a LOT of time to think. This has been both trying at times and extremely rewarding, especially for my business. I’m finally getting the time to invest in the details of my brand. I have been overhauling my products, my catalogs and adding a little spit polish to my brand. I have business ‘bucket-list’ goals that had been gathering dust for about five years. I’m so proud to say that in 2016, I’ve accomplished nearly all of them. This extra time to think and gather my thoughts has helped me to become laser focused on how I want to interact with the world on a professional level. I suppose this means being a little more vulnerable in public as well, which is why I’ve sprinkled some personal blogs in with the professional ones. I think what makes small businesses so interesting is that they are run by real people, with real, imperfect lives. So, my long-drawn out point is, I’m so proud of where I’m headed, I feel blessed that I have the time and energy to create something really special every single day, and I’m so excited to say that 2016 has by far been my best year yet.
With my brand overhaul has come a new catalog design. This might not sound like much, but it was one of those bucket list projects that had been pushed to the back-burner for a long time. With it comes the dreaded “about-me” section. This has always been a weak spot for me. So much so, that my placeholder text on my website quickly became the permanent text. I think it’s really hard to narrow down the most important things about yourself and the methodology behind your business, all without sounding cliche or like I’m some born-again and photography is my salvation. I searched everywhere for some creative ways do describe who I was. I looked for inspiration in even the strangest of places…until one day I was reading the description of my coffee label. “Complex and Aromatic”, it read. Am I complex and aromatic?
My story is a little different. I didn’t just discover photography one day and have it ‘become’ my passion. It was always something that was in my life, along with many kinds of music, art and culture. My whole immediate family (mother, brother, father) has always had these artistic leanings. My father, however, especially gravitated towards photography. Growing up discussing cameras, composition and lighting helped me and my Dad create a special bond. It just seemed like photography was in our blood. And then recently, something extraordinary happened.
My Dad used to shoot his vacation photos on slide film. This year he took it upon himself to scan the 20,000 of them he had in storage boxes, converting them in to digital files. Yes, you read that right….20,000. This is basically my entire childhood, my older brother’s entire childhood, and the early years of my Mom and Dad’s marriage. These were photos I had never seen before. While he was scanning in all of these hidden gems, he came upon a box of slides him and my mother had saved from my Mom’s Dad’s house (my Grandfather). When my Mom was little, her family lived in both New Zealand and Japan for the first five years of her life. When my Dad began to scan in my Grandfather’s slides, a whole new world was opened. Photos from my mom’s childhood were all of a sudden in full vivid color. As it turns out, my Grandfather was a photographer too! Scenes of rural Japanese markets, shipyards and temples were suddenly resurrected from the past. It was like a doorway had been opened and a unique story was being told about those five years that happened so long ago.
Talking with my dad about my Grandfather on my mom’s side being a photographer, he also disclosed that his father and Grandfather (my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather) were also photographers. In fact, he told me my great grandfather had one of the first commercially available cameras from around 1900, including a Kodak Brownie and a couple of folding German cameras.
Photography has always had a kind of mysterious intrigue for me, but I think the story of my Grandfather’s photos sums up why I love the craft….it’s magical. The photographic medium transcends space and time and unites us with the simple beautiful moments that make us human. Photographs act like bookmarks in the story of our lives. As the years pass, these small flashes in time can be revisited over and over again and serve as reminders of a life well-lived. For me, there’s a lot of joy that comes with being able to provide my clients with beautiful imagery that will exceed their lifetime and act as a future doorway back to today.
In searching for content for my “about me” section, I found out so much more about my family. Interestingly enough, what makes me “me” may have just as much to do with the people and experiences that came before my time.
Amber and Thomas had a romantic Columbus wedding at Scioto Reserve Country Club this past summer. (Yeah, I’m that good at blogging on-time, seeing as it’s late November) The country club itself has lovely getting ready spaces for the bride & groom, and beautiful grounds for dreamy romantic photos. We never went off-property the whole day. The ceremony and reception were adorned with red roses, baby’s breath, candles and colorful floral wedding programs. Amber’s form fitting Wtoo Pippin dress was show-stopping with its intricate geometric details and a back that softly flowed behind her when she walked. The day was sunny, bright and windy. The couple was laid back, quick-witted and genuine. The venue was filled with natural light and tons of family love. The cake was stacked with awesome layers of icing. (lol) I think my favorite part of the day was when Amber and Thomas played the “shoe” game at their reception. The Bride and groom each get one of their own shoes and one of their partners’ shoes. They are then asked a series of questions that give the whole party humerus insight on their relationship. Each of them raises the shoe who they thinks matches the answer to the question (like, “who made the first move”). It was really fun watching Thomas try to resist looking at how Amber was answering. Anyways, I’ll stop my jabberin’ so you can get to the photos. I hope you love these! XO Jess
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written an update on our son’s Congenital Heart Disease. As we get further from Caddie’s first open heart surgery, we also unfortunately inch towards his next one. I wish I could find some comfort in the fact he has one under his belt, but the truth is, it’s never going to get easier. I will say, however, that I have come a long way since we found out about Caddie’s CHD, both as a mother and as a person who has always has an innate fear of death and dying.
In April Caddie underwent a heart Catheterization. They started everything by getting detailed imagery of his pulmonary branches to determine the extent of the narrowing and how they were going to proceed in the Cath lab. Something that surprised me is that it seems like the doctors make game-time decisions on how they will operate. I suppose to a certain extent that happens in a lot of professions, but it goes to show how lucky we are to have Doctors and Nurses locally who are able to adapt and be ready for anything at a moment’s notice.
I think the procedure lasted around four hours start to finish. When the doctor was done he came and talked to us in a private room, showed us the detailed imagery and walked us through what he and his team had done. One of the first things he said to us was, “There was impressive narrowing to the left pulmonary branch.” I think it’s pretty funny that Doctors call something impressive when they really mean terrible. Scott and I joked about that for days….we called everything impressive. That’s an impressive dump you took in your diaper Caddie, etc.
The doctor explained to us that his left pulmonary branch, which should have been about 7mm in diameter, was less than 1mm. He said it was about as small of an opening you can get and still HAVE a pulmonary branch be there. He said they had trouble getting the Catheter lead in him, let alone the stents. By the grace of God, they were able to get everything through that they needed and they opened up his pulmonary branch with a stent to 3mm, effectively tripling its size. Opening this up should help the blood flow more to his left lung and hopefully help it grow and develop. It will also help balance pressure exerted on the heart and the right pulmonary branch.
We will go back in September for another heart echo and for a consult with the doctor about what our next steps should be. I’m assuming the next logical step would be to see if they can open the stent they put in to 5mm, but that’s yet to be determined.
Some of you who know me might be surprised to have seen me write “by the grace of God” above. I have never been religious and in all honesty I’m not sure I even believe in God. However, Scott and I have been so awe-struck at some of the circumstances in our life that could not be explained any other way than miraculous. It’s Caddie’s pediatrician who taught me the phrase “by the grace of God” and I think it’s a beautiful way to give appreciation to unexplainable things in your life that you are grateful for. By the grace of God they were able to get Caddie’s stents in and he came out of the operation with no complications. By the grace of God we have the most loving and caring support system anyone could ask for. By the grace of God he is the happiest little 9.5 month old anyone could ask for.
Each and every day I think about his condition and find myself worrying about the future. I always try to stop myself and most days I’m really good about mentally focusing on other things like his killer smile, his warm snuggles, and his crazy almost-toddler acrobatics. Sometimes the fear of something terrible happening is more overwhelming than my strength to ignore it. Those times are thankfully coming less and less. In no uncertain terms, a sense of humor has gotten us through our worst days. As I was scanning in Caddie’s heart imagery, I found the sheet they made us fill out in the hospital. He was only four months old, so we didn’t really take it seriously, and we also didn’t think anyone would really read it. When they wheeled him in after the operation, the nurse looks at us and says, “White wine spritzer???” with her eyebrows up.
Our little man turns ONE in October, and what a milestone it will be! Every year with him will truly be a celebration of life and the deepest love I’ve ever known.
OK so this wedding was nothing short of spectacular. Jen was simply glamorous on her wedding day, and Drew beamed from ear-to-ear all day.
Before I dive into their details, I want to talk a little bit about their venue. I love history, so if you’re anything like me, you’ll appreciate a venue with an interesting past. The Downtown Columbus Westin used to be called the Great Southern Hotel and was opened in 1897. It was touted as being “fireproof”, as a lot of hotels in Columbus at the time fell victim to great fires. The hotel has been host to President William McKinley, President William Howard Taft, President Teddy Roosevelt, President Woodrow Wilson, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The Grand Ballroom, where Drew and Jen’s reception was, was originally the hotel’s dining room, spanning vertically the third and fourth floors of the hotel. The original stained glass in the ballroom depicts different kinds of food, a subtle nod to what the room was originally used for. The original hotel didn’t have air conditioning, obviously, and not every room had its own toilet. When you walk into the rooms today, you can tell there is a rich history, however thankfully modern amenities have been added.
The reason I share the brief history is to give you a feel for how grand of a place the Westin is. The building’s Victorian elegance was only the background, however, for such a beautiful couple. Jen wore a dress from Elegant Bride that was accented with a cathedral length veil and stunning florals by Bloomtastic. Her Badgley Mischka shoes were adorned with gorgeous blinged-out crystal embellishments. Drew was on-point in his Men’s Warehouse Tux and his Brutus the Buckeye cuff-links.
As Jen walked down the aisle towards Drew, I swear I thought his heart skipped a beat. They were both so happy and in love, surrounded by their best friends and family. After some fantastic speeches, an elegant dinner and some cake cutting (Short North Piece of Cake), this group literally might have won my dance party of the year award. It’s hard to tell because there is still a lot more of the year to go, but boy did this group know how to shake it! I think Tommy Nutter behind the helm had a little something to do with it! I am so excited to share their photographic story today on the blog…I hope you love it! XO Jess
How cute are Clare and Chad? Seriously, though. These two Chicago lovebirds traveled back to Ohio for their April wedding which took place at one of my favorite Columbus venues, Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center. Their ceremony and reception took place in the Edgewater room, where the hotel recently added rustic bistro lights to the ceiling to create an even more enchanting experience. This room overlooks a pond (Edgewater isn’t just a creative name) that they have on the property which is also stunning as the sun sets around the venue.
Before the wedding, these two had their first look outside on the side lawn and it was so sweet. They couldn’t stop giggling with each other. Clare’s David’s bridal dress was nothing short of perfection and Chad’s Vera Wang suit was on point. My second shooter Carmen came up to me and said “He looks like super man!”
Chad and Clare’s reception decor literally took my breath away when I walked into the room. Pink flowers poured over every table and were accented with vintage skeleton keys. The most beautiful Whole Foods cake sat at the end of the table and created a very mouth-watering focal point. Illuminated “C” marquee lights adorned the mantle along with their favorite literary reads. Later in the night after they cut their cake, they toasted with vintage Bride and Groom toasting glasses. There were custom cocktails, which of course led to custom dance moves later in the night. I think my favorite moment of the evening was when I caught just the two of them off in a corner during their reception talking, sharing a moment, and stealing a kiss. More couples should do this because the night goes so quickly (and it’s the cutest photo opp ever). I hope you love these as much as I loved taking them! XO Jess
I just love this wedding…and this venue…and omg this couple. I’ve been really excited to share these images. The whole day was filled with spring color, non-stop laughter and beyond-crazy weather.
From start to finish, Adrienne and Adam have been nothing but sweet, generous and pretty much the coolest insta-friends you could meet. Last summer my husband Scott and I traveled to Chicago for their engagement session. Since then, I’ve really been looking forward to their wedding.
Adrienne was a complete knockout in her form-fitting gown. Her Kate Spade shoes were ‘be still my beating heart’ gorgeous with their glittery gold heel accents. Orchids & Ivy provided the stunning wedding party bouquets in shades of pink and ivory. The bridesmaids wore long flowy navy gowns which made the flowers even more vibrant. The men all wore black tuxedos which was very classic and dapper.
Via Vecchia served as the backdrop for the day. The decor and styling by Michelle and Molly, a.k.a. MStyle, was on-point. Wine bottle centerpieces, colorful flowers and an illuminated LOVE sign made the space feel warm and romantic.
The party came alive thanks to the live band, MoJo Flo. Anyone who’s been to a wedding they’ve played will know this, but truly- I dare you not to dance if you ever get lucky enough to see them live. They are just electric and will bring the whole place down. Their full band and light setup will make you feel like you walked into a concert venue.
So what could make this wedding even more awesome? How about stacks of cupcakes? Yea that pretty much makes everything better. Catering by Scott made me feel like I walked into my fairytale dessert dreamland with his cupcake and dessert display-tower-mountain. Next to this display were also late-night hot dogs and sliders for the guests to nom nom. Such an unforgettable evening!
The day of Julie and Patrick’s wedding had every season’s weather all wrapped up into one day. They were such good sports through some really strange temperature swings, and we were able to get inside before it started to snow sideways. Ah, spring in Ohio!
I’ve gotten to know these two well over the past year. They are two of the most genuine, caring and loving people you can meet. Julie has a smile that can light up a room. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress and the wind added just the right touch of whimsy to some of her bridal veil photos. Her bridesmaids wore long bright red dresses which added the perfect pop of color for the day. Pink, Red and Cream roses tied it all together.
Julie and Patrick were married at the beautiful St. Peter Catholic Church in Columbus. The sanctuary almost had an outdoorsy feel with its vaulted ceiling, natural light that poured through vibrant stained glass and palm fronds that adorned the altar. Their reception took place at Wedgewood Country Club where the trees were flowering in all their white spring glory.
So, as you can imagine I attend a lot of weddings and hear a lot of wedding speeches. Some of these are obviously better than others, but the speeches at this wedding were such a good window into who these two are. Julie and Patrick share a mutual devotion to their family and religion. They go out of their way as a regular practice to show other people how important they are. I think when people are naturally that selfless, it’s so much fun to sit and watch people put them in the spotlight.
I am so excited to share these photos from my first wedding of this season! I hope you love them. XO Jess
THESE TWO! I don’t even think I’ve ever laughed so much on a shoot before. Earlier this month we ventured around downtown Columbus for Colleen and Andy’s engagement shoot. Their doggie Nala was also in on the party, getting her closeup and some pics with her mom and dad snuggling all over her.
One of the things I love most about engagement shoots is getting to see how couples interact with each other. These two are not only down to earth, but also have the worlds best sense of humor. Having been with Scott for almost ten years now, I can say an awesome sense of humor will get you through just about anything your relationship might encounter. Take for example, one person being a Michigan fan and the other an Ohio State fan. In Andy’s defense, he’s from Michigan so I guess his dedication is understandable and definitely admirable considering the past few years they’ve had ;).
Having fun is at the core of life, right? There’s no shortage here. Spending the afternoon with these two made me giddy for their wedding later this year. Gahh! I’ll have to wait four more months to see them again, but at least I have these pictures to get me by.
We are so lucky in Columbus to have such a huge Major League Soccer presence. Our fans are some of the best in the country, and every year soccer is becoming less of a foreign sport, and more of an American one. When Tori and Jason told me about their mutual love for soccer, each other, and the Columbus Crew, I was so excited! On a VERY windy and sunny day, we ventured to the epicenter of all things Crew and photographed an amazing e-session in the MAPFRE stadium. A huge thank you to the Crew events manager for being so fun and awesome. As you can tell through these photographs, these two have killer personalities and they just exude life. Tori is definitely an extrovert and Jason seems to have more of a quiet demeanor, but he just radiates love when he looks at her. It’s SOOO cute, electric and fun to be around.
They are such big fans that they even have engraved seats in the stadium really close to the field. Both of them coach their own soccer teams so needless to say, it’s understandable why they love the Crew so much.
They are getting married next month and literally planned their wedding around a Crew game. In the morning they will be getting hitched, then they’ll be off to a tailgate and a Crew game. I mean seriously…how badass IS that?! Keep an eye out for the blog I’ll be posting on their wedding, but until then, enjoy these totes adorbs pics of these two love birds!
