Ok so this is my fault, but I haven’t bragged on my past couples enough. Especially because some of their weddings were published last year and I put showing that off on the back burner. But today is the day I’m starting to unveil all of the 2018 publications that I haven’t yet featured. Today is Emily and Rob! Last year they were featured online at Brides & Weddings! The link can be seen here:
I’ve waited to blog this wedding for a very, very long time so I’m super excited for today when I get to share with you, drumroll, please… Carol and John’s wedding! Hanging out with these two gives me the same feeling as when my coffee kicks in. Pure, unadulterated joy.
We started our day with a first look on the patio of the Vue in the Brewery District of downtown Columbus. John was so excited to see Carole. As he was waiting for her, he was staring at one of the potted plants in front of him nervous and anxious to give his bride a hug! When he finally got to see her, he explained to her how he’ll never forget that plant and how much it means to him now. Lol!
We hopped on a bus and went to Schiller Park for some enchanting and magical photos. I’ve honestly never laughed so much on a shoot before. You’ll see why. I adore people who don’t take themselves too seriously- especially on their wedding day!
From there we utilized some rustic Columbus spots for more photos before we headed back. The green bridesmaid dresses were so striking. I truly wish more weddings utilized this color!
Their ceremony inside the Vue was filled with laughter and tears of joy. The setting was striking with its natural light and soaring ceilings. Immediately after the ceremony, Carole and John spent a few minutes together on the back patio with just each other. I was so glad to see them taking the time to do that because the party that followed was a throw-down whirlwind!!! Awesome speeches, a Dairy Queen ice cream cart, and some incredible dance moves were just a little of what made this party so memorable. I couldn’t be more happy for two people and thank the universe all the time for letting us cross paths!
I am over the moon to announce that John and Jennifer’s July wedding at Lightning Tree Barn is published this month on Oh, The Heart Wedding Blog which features weddings from Central Ohio vendors. I can’t even tell you how beautiful and expertly planned this wedding was. These two are now forever in my heart and I just love watching their lives evolve through social media (they live across the country). Thank you again Jenn and John for trusting me with your wedding images. That day was spectacular and I’m so excited for you all to see this today! XO Jess
Honored and excited that Jenn and John’s country barn wedding was featured last week on Let’s Bee Together wedding blog! Bee sure to check out this dreamy Lighting Tree Barn wedding here:
http://letsbeetogether.com/lightning-tree-barn-wedding-circleville-ohio-jennifer-john/
Emily and Rob’s late July wedding had it all! Perfect weather, smiling faces, stunning surroundings and so much love throughout the day. From the church to the reception venue, there were stunning surprises around every corner.
Emily’s dress was just perfect for her. The A-line dress had delicate lace sleeve accents which were striking with her dark hair. The dress dropped softly into lots of alternating layers that floated away from her as she walked. Each bridesmaid wore a different cut of a soft pink or dusty rose colored flowy gown. Madison House designs provided the florals that tied the whole look together. Rob wore a blue suit, which you don’t see often but I wish more men would opt for it. It is so sophisticated and dapper.
Emily and Rob were married at the Church of the Messiah in Westerville. This church is incredibly cool inside. It has soaring modern stained glass windows. They line the center aisle with lit taper candles which makes everything inside feel warm and romantic.
From the church, we went to the spot that Rob asked Emily to marry him- the center of the OSU oval. Right nearby the Thompson Library made a stunning classical backdrop for some more photos. Afterward, we headed over to Via Vecchia for more romantic alley photos, one of the biggest perks of having your wedding there!
Inside, the scene was set for an elegant wedding that featured gold and candlelit table settings accented with greenery. The party got off to an amazing start with some wonderful and funny speeches. After, Emily and Rob performed a fairytale-worthy choreographed first dance together for all of their guests. When the open dancing started you better believe that dance floor was full of some of the best moves I’ve seen in awhile! Thank you so much Emily and Rob and I hope you love these as much as I loved taking them! XO Jess
I lovingly call this wedding my fairytale dream wedding. And for Caroline and Matthew, this was just one of their two wedding celebrations! Caroline is from England, so a couple of weeks after this, they ventured over the pond to celebrate with some more of their friends and family who couldn’t join them stateside.
Caroline had a lot of friends and family who made the trip over, including a very pregnant maid of honor (I think she was 37 weeks!). I loved seeing their hats and fascinators, a tradition I wish you saw more of in the U.S.
Their ceremony took place at Worthington Presbyterian. In the summer, Worthington offers free community concerts on the lawn out in front of this church which my family and I attend, but I had never been inside. It has tall ceilings and an airy and happy vibe, as light spills in from the side windows. When their service was over, the two exited the church to a flurry of bubbles and smiles.
From the church, we went over to their venue, Jorgenson Farms. I had never had the pleasure of shooting there before, and boy it didn’t disappoint. It was like walking into a storybook! The grounds had soft rolling hills with hay bails stacked on one end, a large rustic barn that led to a venue space, and a quaint owners home complete with a back garden. The evening July sun mixed with the bright blue wedding colors were breathtakingly striking to photograph.
Inside the reception, tables were adorned with candles, flowers and rustic lanterns. Cookies overflowed on plates in the corner (of course I would point that out, as I tried one of each flavor). My favorite part of the night was the speeches, especially the one that Carolin’s father gave. He was beaming about his daughter and you could just see how proud he was of her.
Gah this wedding! Eye candy overload! Everywhere you looked, it was a photographers dream! And that’s no surprise- Alex and Shannon have a raw and passionate thirst for creativity that they share. This was my second-to-last wedding from last year, so I’m excited to say with the next wedding I post I’ll have blogged all of my 2016 wedding- and it didn’t take me until 2018 to do it! *Pats self on back*.
Shannon’s Ramona Keveza wedding gown was form fitting with lace overlay details. It couldn’t have been a more perfect dress for her, the wedding or the wedding location. I’ve seen fake “styled” wedding shoots that couldn’t even touch the continuity of this actual wedding.
The ceremony and reception took place at the brand new Well’s Barn at the Franklin Park Conservatory. The barn itself is warm and grand. It was designed for events so It has everything you could ever want, including rooms for getting ready and a built-in bar. The backyard of the barn was where the ceremony took place on a perfect cool early October evening.
Alex and Shannon did a “first look” before their ceremony. This allowed us to walk the grounds of the conservatory and take some time to get some jaw-dropping photos. Franklin Park has truly taken their facility to the next level in recent years. I also have a new appreciation for the extent of their landscaping skills now that I’m a homeowner and can’t even keep the grass on my front lawn alive.
The wedding florals were provided by Jona Gantner and the were a dream next to the bridesmaids’ pastel neutral flowy dresses. The bridal party was so much fun and laid back which was fantastic, because there were 16 of them! The ceremony was intimate and conducted by two members of their bridal party. After the ceremony, guests were treated to an outdoor cocktail hour under a bistro-lit side garden.
The reception was accented with succulents as take-away gifts. The groom made a video that played during their first dance. It showed the adventures and love they share for each-other. The night continued with some amazing dancing, lots of laughs and some fantastic cake provided by Carol Krieg. I’m so excited to show off this wedding. I hope you love it and thanks again to Shannon and Alex for an unforgettable evening! XO Jess
I was so excited when I added Chelsie and Drew to my 2016 lineup a few months before their wedding. Even though it happened to rain on their wedding, it was still the perfect day to get married, and it also happened to be my 35th birthday! It’s like an out-of-body experience realizing I’m that old…I mean young? Either way, I got to eat cake which is what was really important. When I got home from the wedding that night, my brother, who had been vacationing in Africa, flew in to surprise me and was waiting with huge open arms when I got there. It was basically the perfect day.
Anyways, funny story- Chelsie is officially one of the bravest brides I’ve met! She bought her designer wedding gown online, sight unseen, never tried it on…and it fit like a glove. Not only did it fit, it was just stunning. I could not get enough of the back’s transparent details and beautiful buttons that followed from her low back up to her neck.
They were wed in a little church in Urbana, Ohio followed by a reception that was held in a friend’s barn. Chelsie told me that the barn was not in any way a venue, so they took a lot of time and elbow grease to get it into wedding shape. Out in front of the barn was the most beautiful row of pine trees. It honestly looked a little bit like a Christmas Tree Farm, and oh so perfect for photos. Dinner was homemade by the family and served buffet style. It was delicious and so heartwarming to experience how much love was poured into this beautiful event. I can’t thank Chelsie and Drew enough for the honor of being with them on their wedding day. I hope you love these photos! XO Jess
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
Fair warning- photo wise, this is going to be a serious over-post. I have so many favorites from last year that it was hard to narrow them down. I’m going to do wedding details in their own “best-of” post later this month because there were simply too many to even begin to include them in this post.
2015 was a year that we’ll never forget! Scott and I moved into our first home and we welcomed the world’s cutest little boy to our family. Most of the year I was pregnant, however I consider myself lucky because it never really slowed me down as far as mobility when photographing. I was just a little more rolly-polly towards the end. Because of our little bundle of joy, my wedding season ended a little early at the beginning of October. Our year ended with the announcement that Jessica Miller Photography won The Knot’s Best of Weddings 2016, which is the fifth year I’ve won the award in a row!
As you will see, my couples this year were really really good looking. Each was super fun to work with and I feel so lucky that the couples that hire me tend to be laid back and genuine in spirit. All of my weddings this year were in the Columbus area, which is the first time ever I believe I haven’t traveled for a wedding. From the engagement shoot through the wedding and book design process, my couples really start to feel like great friends. I think that’s probably one of the best parts of this job.
This summer came with a lot of rain and a lot of outdoor weddings were pushed inside as a result. This of course isn’t ideal on a wedding day, but the wind that comes with rain can make for some fun and unexpected moments.
Thank you to everyone for your love and support this year! It’s been our best year yet and 2016 is gearing up to be even busier and better! XO Jess
