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Reception | Sheena + Jeremy | Twinsburg, Ohio

Posted on August 30, 2010

• Sheena and Jeremy did their engagement session with me back in January and hired me to shoot their reception back home after getting married in beautiful Negril, Jamaica in June.

• I love the receptions that are hosted back home, in our head we always meant to do one but life got busy and we never got around to it. It’s such a great way to celebrate your wedding with people that weren’t able to make it to your destination wedding in a relaxed atmosphere.

•  This commute (both to & from) will probably be my most memorable for a LONG time.  On the way to Blue Canyon, I saw the strangest things on the road.  There was an oversized semi toting a plaster whale tail that was easily the size of a house (still trying to figure that one out).  There was a car that was duct taped together.  The Goodyear Blimp was out, which caused many people to stop and look (mind you, I was on I-77, not where you really should be STOPPING to watch a blimp).  Crazytown.  I get to the hotel to meet up with Sheena + Jeremy and there’s nothing but twins.  It was twinsfest in Twinsburg!  LOL!  On the way home, I had a raccoon run out in front of me and I swerved to miss him (no one was next to me) and ran over his friend behind him.  I LOVE all animals so this gutted me and I was crying.  Hubs was on my bluetooth laughing at me as I was really upset.  Never, EVER look in your rearview mirror after running over an animal.  Ugh, it was awful.  Then I got pulled over – the first time I have EVER been pulled over.  The cop saw me swerve and thought I was drunk – then right where I ran the raccoon over it went from 45 to 25 but in my tears I didn’t see the sign (why in the world is a highway 25?) so he clocked me doing 42 in a 25.  Lovely.  Luckily he let me off with a verbal warning once I explained what was going on to him.  It’ll be a LONG time before I forget that drive!!!

• I had never been to Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern but had heard great things about it, they didn’t disappoint, such yummy food and a great location!

• Sheena and Jeremy have befriended Sarah from Main Street Cupcakes after going there so much for cupcake fixes. I completely understand this as I am the same way with my local cupcake place! So it only made sense that their favors were individual cupcakes in a darling box from Main Street Cupcakes! They were just as good as they looked. Sarah, you need a “south” location!!!

• One of the fun things I love about being a photographer is meeting so many great people. When I’m seated with guests, it’s fun to get to know people at the table and this table was not short of wonderful and nice people! We had a lot of laughs through the night and it was nice to not feel like an outsider!

Before the reception started I got some quick casual portraits of the newlyweds in a pretty shaded spot in the parking lot of the Hilton.  Yes, this was part of the parking lot!

I loved their foot attire!!!

As a tip to their beach wedding, the tables were decorated in a beach motif.  I LOVED these centerpieces!

Sheena is an AMAZING scrapbooker.  I may be able to take pictures but I cannot scrapbook to save my life.  Hers are amazing!!!  She brought all of the scrapbooks and pictures from their wedding trip so everyone could enjoy the day they had.

Their favors from Main Street Cupcakes.  SO good!

I had to play with the rings in the centerpiece!

The delicious dinner!

Closeup of the cute cute cute shoes Sheena was rockin!

A shot with their favors before I left!

Tags: blue canyon tavern, main street cupcakes, orange, pink, reception, twinsburg, yellow

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Commitment | Jessie + Shelva | Milan, Ohio

Posted on August 23, 2010

• As I said in their engagement session post, Jessie & Shelva met each other at a Super Bowl party when they were both wearing Hawaiian shirts in the dead of winter for no reason.  I love that!

• Their venue, the Culinary Vegetable Institute, is SUCH a hidden gem!!  I highly recommend that couples check it out because it’s beyond amazing.  The ceremony garden is gorgeous, the vistas are breathtaking and the food is mouthwatering.  If you are looking for a great place to get married and have everything in one location I HIGHLY recommend looking here, even if it is a bit further than you would want to go.  It could easily turn into a mini destination for you and with Cedar Point and the Lake Erie Islands so close by your friends and family can turn it into a mini vacation!

• To top off the amazingness of the venue, they also had celebrity chef Lee Anne Wong from Top Chef as their Chef!

• Needless to say, the food was delicious.

• So was the desert.  They  had cupcakes with a berry compote sauce (HEAVEN!), a bacon chocolate cake and ICE CREAM LOLLIPOPS!  They were seriously amazing and I hope this becomes a trend because they were beyond delicious and too fun!

• I knew I adored Jessie and Shelva from when I first met them at their engagement session but when I heard Kate Winslet’s Aria from Heavenly Creatures being played for the processional I knew that we were kindred spirits.  I ADORE Kate Winslet and I did a mental happy dance (for shooting and happy dances do not mix).  YAY!

• Special thank you to Michelle for coming out to second shoot for me.

Vendors

Chef:  Lee Anne Wong
Florist:  Tina B Florals
Venue/Catering: Culinary Vegetable Institute

Just a hint of the awesome gardens at CVI!

Jessie got ready in the suite in the lodge.

They opted to do a first look which was perfect and everyone teared up – including me!

We did a super quick session before the ceremony in the fields of sunflowers on the property.

Favorite!

The ceremony location could not have been any more perfect!

Shelva’s parents escorted her down the aisle first.

Jessie soon followed with her parents, I loved them having both parents escort them!

See what I mean?  GORGEOUS venue!

They incorporated a Quaker tradition where family members and friends stood during the ceremony to give their well wishes and blessings to the new couple.  I adored this and I was tearing up too.  SO emotional but full of love!

There wasn’t a dry eye in the garden!

This may be my favorite ceremony shot ever… LOVE.

They had lavender tossed at them as they made their way back down the aisle, another favorite of mine!

I thought this little darling was going to end up in the fountain at some point but she managed to just splash herself enough to cool off!

There was a corn field and as an avid lover of Children of the Corn (it was my favorite movie when I was 5, not kidding!) I BEGGED them to go play with me in the field.

A quick dip shot and we were off to the reception!

One of their requirements was that there were images of the chefs cooking and that we eat!  YAY!  I love when I’m encouraged to eat!!  Michelle got this great image of their menu (which included MAD LIBS!!! AWESOME!) while they were cooking in the background.

Just a sampling of the amazing food that was offered.

Lee Anne putting out some of the entrees that were offered while the venue owner Farmer Lee Jones gets a picture of the food.  Such a great group of people!

A heartfelt father and daughter dance.

A mother and daughters dance!

Ending with a ring shot… another favorite of the day!

Tags: celebrity chef, commitment, culinary vegetable institute, CVI, lee anne wong, milan, ohio, tina b florals

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Corey Talks: Pictures With Dogs

Posted on August 22, 2010

Have a doggie daughter or son and want to include them in your wedding day pictures but not sure how?  Here are some easy tips to help your dog be a part of your day when you can’t make them a part of your bridal party!

•  Pick a location to take pictures with your dog that is dog friendly but not overly distracting.  Dog parks are a great place to play with your dog however too much of a distraction for sitting for pictures.  On the other hand, churches very rarely are dog friendly.  If the location also will work for pictures afterwards with the humans in your wedding it’s even better!

•  Everyone has a friend or family member that is itching to help with the wedding.  Have them be the dog person!  If they are pet friendly, have them bring your dog to meet you at the specified place and time and take them back home afterwards.  If you do a first look it makes it even easier for them as they still have time to get ready for the wedding!

•  Make sure your dog is bathed and ready for their close up!   Pack a few baby wipes for muddy paws in case of them finding a mud puddle.

•  A pretty collar and leash that matches the bridal party is always fun!

•  Have bottled water and a traveling water bowl on hand.  It gets hot in the summer and if they had to wait in the car they are even going to be more thirsty!

•  Treats are an easy way to get dogs to look up at the camera and well deserved after being good for the camera.

•  Make sure that your photographer is dog friendly!!!  I personally ADORE dogs but not everyone does.  Make sure that your photographer isn’t afraid of dogs before planning to bring your friend in for some pictures during the day.

Do you have any tips to add?

Tags: animal, Corey Talks, dog, pictures with dogs

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Engagement | Jessie + Shelva | Huron, Ohio

Posted on August 18, 2010

•  I literally could not have enjoyed myself anymore at this engagement session, such a great session with two great ladies.  Kindred spirits make me happy.

• So often I hear from couples that have been together for a long time that engagement sessions are hard, but from my standpoint it makes them easy because you naturally fall into the “comfort zones” with each other and are used to being together. While I love shooting both new and old love, there’s a special spot in my heart for the couples that have been together the longest!

• Sawmill Creek Resort may be one of my favorite locations ever to shoot at. So many great spots and nooks to play with!!! What made it even better was a couple that was willing to go along with everything I asked!

• We did their engagement session two days before the wedding – and it was the first time I met both of them. More often than not nowadays, I book clients via phone and internet since most of my couples are from out of town or out of state.

• The crazy hot humid 90+ temps finally broke and this day was a perfect summer day, we couldn’t have arranged better weather for the engagement shoot.

• A piece of my soul is still at the beach. I may have found my favorite spot in Ohio.

This was the first of many spots that I think at first they were wondering if they chose the right photographer but they went along with it and trusted me and the results made them realize I was only a smidge crazy, not totally!

One of my favorite engagement session pictures ever, no explanation needed right?

This is another pose they had to trust me on… and while it’s a smidge on the cheese scale I still am glad that they let me run with it because just look at how crazy awesome Jessie’s eyes are?!

I love to hear stories about how people met and their story is one that I just adore.  They were both at a Super Bowl party and started talking to each other because they were both wearing Hawaiian shirts… and it wasn’t a Hawaiian theme.  It was just random that in the midst of a cold winter evening, they both decided they needed some tropic flair and the rest they say is history!  They both wore the shirts for a bit of the session and I ADORED this idea!

Along our walk to the beach we spotted this perfect area for some practice dipping for the big day!

They also practiced a bit of a dance as well.  I can’t imagine a more gorgeous spot for a dance!

I love this beach SO MUCH.  I am eternally grateful for them for bringing me here.  So pretty!

This willow tree is simply gorgeous and this picture makes me so many levels of happy.

Tags: corey ann photography, Engagement, huron, ohio, sawmill creek resort

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Wedding | Christen + Benjamin | Cleveland, Ohio

Posted on August 17, 2010

•  Chris and Ben are animal lovers (we went to the zoo for their engagement session) and what’s even better fellow squirrel lovers so I knew that this day was going to be a great day with kindred spirits.

•  The day of their wedding it was the hottest day (this far) of the summer with a heat index over 100º and their church wasn’t air conditioned.  Needless to say it was HOT!  They thought of their guests beforehand though and thoughtfully coordinated a punch and snack reception in the air conditioned area of the church immediately following the ceremony.

•  Chris hand drew the details on the menu, invitations and other stationery items!  Talk about talented!!

•  The favor at the wedding was homemade strawberry jam that the bride and mother of groom made with hand picked local strawberries and they made it themselves!!

•  The sunset that night was spectacular, I’m so glad that I was at a place where we could get some shots outside before the sunset was gone.  I call fiery sunsets like that “Titanic” sunsets after the awesome sunset in the movie!

Vendors

Cake Artist: Wild Flour Bakery
Catering:  Sammy’s
Ceremony:  Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
DJ:  Marty Bates with DJ Packy Malley
Florist:  Prestige Floral
Reception:  Metropolitan Ballroom
Wedding Planner:  Alison of Kirkbrides

Christen has some amazing eyes!

Trinity is GORGEOUS.  One of my favorite ceremony locations I’ve ever been to.

Breathtaking location!!!

After the ceremony we had a super quick outdoor photo session – as in maybe 10 minutes at most.  There was a pretty nasty storm blowing in so we made the most of the time we had before the rain fell.

The guys had some spiffy argyle socks on – which seems to be a theme this year!

We took some pictures outside on the roof of the Metropolitan Ballroom after the storm passed.

GORGEOUS sunset!!!!

Tina of Prestige Floral always does an amazing job with the flowers!

Just a few of the amazing reception details.  I loved how Christen and Ben collected and displayed all of their families wedding pictures to welcome their guests into the reception.  The broach on the cake was a family heirloom.

Their first dance was a fun upbeat song that they had fun dancing around to rather than the traditional swaying slow dance.  LOVE!

Keeping with the tradition of upbeat and fun vs. slow – Christen and her Dad twisted it out for their dance!  Notice the GORGEOUS sunset in the windows!  Ahhh!

Christen and Ben set the tone for having fun and dancing your heart out and their guests followed their lead!  Everyone had a ball!

Tags: blue, cleveland, Kirkbrides, Metropolitan Ballroom, Packy Malley, prestige floral, raspberry, sammy's, trinity episcopal cathedral, Wedding, wild flour bakery

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Wedding | Katie + Grey | Columbus, Oh

Posted on August 10, 2010

•  I met Katie and Grey last year at Carla’s wedding and have been anxiously awaiting their wedding ever since.

•  Katie is an extraordinary stationery designer and you absolutely must check out her work at Print Julep.  All of the gorgeous details and paper items were designed by her.

•  Not only did the Bride and Groom go on an amazing honeymoon to Hawaii, they also took an amazing pre-weddingmoon to Ireland!  Now that’s a way to deal with the stress in the weeks before the wedding!!

•  I LOVE it when people are able to incorporate their pets into the day of the wedding.  Their dog was super adorable and very well behaved.

• Katie was a fan of New Kids On the Block, need I say more!?

•  I died and went to detail heaven for this wedding!

•  Special thanks to my second shooter January Newbanks for helping me out!

Vendors
Cake:  Short North Piece of Cake
Ceremony:  Trinity Episcopal Church
Coordinator:  Emilie Duncan Event Planning
Favor:  Jenis Splendid Ice Cream
Florist:  Elegant Touch and Claproods
Hair:  Rafiel’s Studio
Makeup:  Studio Fovero
Music:  Shaw Brothers and DJ Lou Schocken
Reception:  The Loft at Smith Brothers

Yay!  Happy bride!

Just a few of the gorgeous details of Katie’s ensemble.

While I was with the girls, January was getting pictures of the guys getting their final details together.

Some pics of the guys at the first look destination before we all arrived.

Showing off their argyle socks.

As well as showing off their lego cufflinks!

The location of their first look is also the spot where they got engaged

A neighbor was able to help make sure that their beloved dog made it to share part of the day as well!

I adored Katie’s bouquet, complete with a Paloma’s Nest charm!

I adore how all of the dresses coordinate but don’t at the same time.  Perfection!

We made a quick stop to the bar where Katie & Grey first met and they were even able to steal a kiss at the very table they met!

After the ceremony there was a Jenis Ice Cream cart waiting for the guests to cool down with!  I didn’t get a chance to try it but the looks of rapture upon everyone’s faces tells me that it was very good!

Just a FEW of the amazing details that Katie put together for the wedding!

Tags: blue, columbus, emilie duncan event planning, ohio, the loft at smith brothers, trinity episcopal church, weding, yellow

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Press: AOL’s Aisle Dash

Posted on August 4, 2010

One of my images is featured on AOL’s Aisle Dash today!

Tags: Press

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Miss Petra and Miss Carolina

Posted on August 2, 2010

It is amazing how fleeting childhood is, one moment a child is a baby, the next a toddler and all of the sudden they are all grown up.  It seems like only yesterday an almost-two-year-old Petra was my flower girl and now she’s just a hair shy of five, FIVE!  Her sister was just a chubby ball of adorable babyness the last time I saw her and now she’s a walking and talking toddler.  I am always amazed how fast these girls grow in New Orleans!

This shoot was another time that we originally planned on going to Longue Vue but again, it was raining so we went back to City Park for some pictures in the areas that weren’t muddy.  I will forever remember this session as my introduction to red ants in the south.  Unknown to me, when it rains, their anthills get washed away and the ants are harder to spot.  I know that ants sting down there, but I’ve only ever had one bite and never thought much of it.  After a few shots in the grass of Carolina, I started walking towards the sidewalk and realized that my legs were burning/itching.  I looked down and I was literally COVERED from my knees down in red ants – I had walked into a pile of them!!  Luckily Lisa and Kimberly were old hats at getting rid of them quickly (after I had a minor spaz out and kicked my shoes off in my crazy I’m-being-bit-by-ants dance) and I only ended up with a couple dozen bites.  I consider that lucky as there were a LOT more on me!  I had some Benadryl spray on me and that stuff is MAGIC because I never itched or was in pain from the remaining bites and stings after that!  I guess normally they are really painful and itchy.  I highly recommend that stuff to all Southerners to keep on hand for ants!!

Petra and Carolina are the funnest kids.  They have great imaginations and know how to have fun.  Lisa dressed them up in rain gear in case of a downpour and they had a blast splashing in the puddles around City Park.  Petra is still in love with fairies and made sure to catch some while we were near the river.  I hope that’s something she never looses, for the world is a better place with a few fairies in it!  Carolina is still a love and just wants to be like her big sister.

I’m in love with – and a bit jealous of – Petra’s freckles!

Carolina isn’t a baby anymore, but she’s still just as adorable as she was the last time I saw her!

I am quite in love with this shot of Carolina.

However, this shot was the first one to make me go “OOOO!” when editing.  Getting a profile shot of a toddler is not an easy feat.

It was after this shot I got attacked by the red beasts.  I still think this shot was worth it.

Two years before this shot I have pictures of her sister wearing the same rainboots playing in puddles

What fun!!!  Seriously I wanted to splash around myself!

Doggie!!!!  She saw a dog in the distance and was quite excited!

Petra’s profile is just as stunning as her sisters.  They are gorgeous little girls!

Petra has GORGEOUS hair, just like her Mommy!

Petra’s making a wish on a fairy, I hope it was a good one!

Tags: children, City Park, new orelans

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Wedding: Melissa + Steven 07.10.10

Posted on July 29, 2010

•  I love the fact that all of the guys – including Steve’s Dad – wore chucks!

•  All of the members of the bridal party but 1 bridesmaid and 1 groomsman were family members! LOVE this!!!

•  Melissa’s father is deceased but she honored him by carrying his picture in a locket which was in her bouquet. Ironically, the bride the following week did the same thing to honor her deceased father. I really adore this tradition as my own father is deceased. It’s such a special and intimiate way to carry your father in your heart!

•  This is one of the very few weddings this year that had low humidity and perfect temperatures!  You NEVER know what you’re going to get in Ohio and it seems that this wedding season has been mostly HOT and HUMID!  Melissa and Steven really lucked out the day of their wedding!

•  Melissa and Steven were married at the same chapel as Melissa’s parents were – I LOVE that!

•  Not a lot of text this blog b/c my allergies are kicking my bootie and my eyes are blurry and itchy making blogging really fun!  LOL!

Vendors

Bagpipes:  Peter Lowrie
Ceremony:  Brooklyn Memorial United Methodist Church
Cake/Cupcakes:  Rito’s
DJ:  Neil Harris from Neil’s on Wheels
Florist:  Ar Kay
Reception/Catering:  Massimo Da Milano

The broach is Melissa’s grandmother’s!

Tags: ar kay, bagpipes, brooklyn memorial united methodist church, chucks, cupcakes, grey, massimo da milano, purple

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Corey’s Favorite Things: Day Three: iTunes

Posted on July 23, 2010

Somedays just call for turning on my iPod, clicking to my “Happy Boppy” playlist and dancing it out around the house.  That is the one surefire method to get me out of a funk!  I mean come ON, who can still be sad after listening to “I Like To Move It” and busting a move or two???  I know I can’t!!!  So today’s favorite thing is something that almost everyone I know could use, a $50 gift card to iTunes!!

To enter, comment below and tell me what your go-to happy song is!

Congrats Heidi!!!  BOOM!

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