Two Summers ago, we photographed a wedding for one of our sweet couples, Deanna and Jo. Upon arrival, I met all of her amazing sisters, one of which happened to be recently engaged! This was Denise! Throughout the day both her and Michael mentioned they’d want to chat soon about their OWN wedding and we were obviously thrilled! These two were so stinkin’ adorable, and clearly so in love. They decided on an extra long engagement, which ended up being one of the best decisions they could’ve made since that pesky pandemic didn’t change any of their original plans.

Summer of 2019 I drove out to their alma mater, Miami University (also one of the most beautiful campuses ever), for their engagement session! We had a great time together and I got to hear so many fun stories from their time there.

Fast forward to last weekend, and it was finally their turn to tie the knot! Denise had a massive hotel room that she shared with all of her bridesmaids. There were cute decorations everywhere, yummy snacks and amazing music! If you ask me, that’s the perfect recipe for the morning of your wedding! 😉

Denise chose to go with the most GORGEOUS braid I think I’ve ever seen for her bridal look and Michael nearly turned into a puddle at their first look. They exchanged the sweetest hand written cards (that they read out loud to each other which nearly made ME cry!) and a few private moments before the chaos of the day began.

The entire morning and afternoon leading up to portrait time, there were threats of thunderstorms. When I had a few free minutes before their ceremony, I literally remember walking over to their empty (outdoor!) ceremony space, and asking God to PLEASE HOLD OUT! I didn’t even need sunshine, just no pouring rain, PLEASE! Well that’s exactly what we got! HALLELUJAH! A few little droplets during the ceremony itself – just enough to keep us all cooled off – but barely enough to notice. The ceremony was officiated by one of their dearest friends, and I always think that adds such a personal touch!

After family portraits, they were able to enjoy some of their cocktail hour, and they had a caricature artist there drawing portraits of guests! So you know Caleb and I had to sneak out for 5 minutes to snag one 😉 I always think it’s such a fun thing to have an experience for guests while they wait for the formalities to begin! Whether that be a photo booth, an artist or lawn games!

At one point, I remember telling them that I sadly didn’t think we’d get a good sunset due to the heavy clouds that were looming over us. Which absolutely broke our hearts, because golden hour is our favorite thing ever, and I knew they were looking forward to sunset portraits, too. So you can imagine the (not-so-small) scream I let out when I saw the sun breaking through! I ran to their table, interrupted their dinner (sorry guys) and we ran to the field for a solid 10 minutes of portraits! These ended up being some of our favorite portraits of the day!!

Denise and Michael clearly care so deeply for each other. It was so evident in the way they looked at each other and how any minor hiccup that day felt so insignificant compared to the fact that they were finally husband and wife!

Michael, you’re one lucky guy! Denise, you are incredibly beautiful, and one of the most relaxed brides I think we’ve ever worked with. You just kept the energy so light and fun throughout the entire day and we just appreciate you both so much! We cannot say thank you enough, for allowing us to not only capture your wedding, but to be part of your lives in such a big way! We hope you both love each and every image and hope you are soaking up every second of your honeymoon!! Hugs!! -Kayla and Caleb