After MANY requests for this and a few years under my belt I feel that I am finally ready to have a post dedicated to those vendors whom I LOVE to work with. Believe it or not, this post has been in my draft folder for over a year! I will revisit this from time to time as I return and work places or find new vendors to add to this list. If someone isn’t on my list, it isn’t necessarily because I don’t recommend them, I just only feel comfortable vouching for vendors that I have worked with (depending on the type of vendor, I prefer multiple times!) and can vouch for.
Bakery
Cupid Cupcakery - Oh my gosh. SO SO SO good. I can’t even describe how delicious they are. I first had these delicious cupcakes for Kristin and Jacob’s wedding and have had them a few times since. Trust me, they are amazing! April is also pretty awesome and I’m not recommending her just because she’s a past client!
West Side Bakery – If we would have got married locally, I guarantee that they would have been making our cake. Instead they made my sister-in-law’s baby shower cake and have been behind some of my favorite cakes at weddings.
Wild Flour Bakery – When I tasted Heidi’s cake, the first thing that came to mind was unmelted ice cream. Since then, every single bite of a piece of their cake that I manage to sneak a nibble of has equalled or surpassed that first delectable bite. Yum!
Band
The Sellouts – So here’s a thing you don’t know about weddings. Bands are notorious for eating ALL of the food in the vendor room and not leaving any for the photographers. This was the first band I ever worked with that actually REFUSED their meals and gave them to me and my assistant before they’d take theirs. They won my heart RIGHT there. THEN! They were amazing. If I ever have an event that requires music I guarantee you I’m hiring them in a second. Tracy and Dan loved them and I promise you will too – especially if you are a child of the 80′s!
Shout – When you can make my husband, whom is the biggest music snob ever, stop, stare and whip out his iPhone to record the music you KNOW it’s a good band. He STILL, two years later, raves about this band!! I must confess, they were quite fantastic and the floor was PACKED all night long. Erin and Tony sure chose well when they picked this band!
Special Request – Another fantastic band that won my heart when they made sure I had food before they did. However when I heard them play, they were my new favorite friends. They also were willing assistants when I was shooting Lawren and Mike’s wedding rings! Win!
Catering
Spice of Life Catering – not only is their food and presentation amazing, but they are such a pleasure to work with! Trust me, their food though is AMAZING. To see a sample of just how amazing take a glimpse at Alyssa and Jon’s wedding.
DJ
Jeff with Rock the House – Jeff seriously made me smile so, so much. You will be hard pressed to find someone that is much more easy going, fun and just a blast to work with. The floor for Marshall & Colleen was jam packed all night long and much of that was thanks to Jeff and his amazing skills.
John from The DJ Crew – John and I have worked quite a few events together and he’s been a lifesaver a few times. He’s the consumate professional and has always been one to bring the party up a notch. He’s a joy to be around and that joy floats to the floor whenever he’s working.
Florist
Blooms by Plantscaping – Heidi was the first wedding I worked with Arne and his talented staff and I’ve worked with him many times over the years. I still dream about Jillian’s amazing peony bouquet.
Prestige Floral – Tina is so fun to work with, I do a happy dance when I know she’s going to be working with me. Her flowers always take my breath away and she is such an artist. I still swoon a bit when I look at the roses at each place setting at Tracy’s wedding and Sarah‘s flowers are still some of my favorite works of floral art EVER.
Makeup Artist
J Kelly Face Art – Jason is the BEST makeup artist around. He’s the bees knees and when I find out a client has hired him for makeup the day of the wedding, I jump for joy as I know my brides will look fabulous! Meghan, Kristin, Rachel, Kelli and Colleen are just a few of the brides he’s worked with of mine.
Kajal by Kimberly – Kimberly is so awesome and is amazing at what she does. She and Jason worked together at MAC so it only makes sense that they are my two top picks for makeup artistry! I still hear raves about Alyssa’s amazing makeup.
Stationery
Print Julep – Katie is a past client but she’s also just freaking amazing at her job. I fell in love with her when I saw her amazing work at Carla and Craig’s wedding and Katie’s own wedding was even more jaw dropping. Check out her cake toppers!
Venue
Lantern Court at Holden Arboretum – home to my FAVORITE favorite favorite aisle of all of the aisles I have photographed. You can take alternate routes to the altar they have here but WHY?!?
Stan Hywet – I know, it’s really popular but it is with good reason. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ceremony location in the Akron/Canton area. The birch alee and the flower gardens are two of my most favorite locations to shoot at and with good reason. Oh and my Dad did a lot of the lighting and electrical goodies here back in the 80′s so it’s an extra reason why I love it here.
Videography
Focus on You – It’s hard not to love Bob & Krista because they are just fantastic people. They are so easy to be around and just good people. Beyond that though, they are fab because they work WITH photographers and not against us. Trust me, you want your photographer & videographer to have that kind of friendship the day of. If it becomes a battle of wills over who gets “the shot” everyone loses. They are awesome to be in the trenches with and get what’s going on.
RAD – I know right? I’m not supposed to be recommending my competition but seriously, after the intro video for Colleen and Marshall (can’t wait to see more from that day!) I was stunned and amazed by their work. The camera guys were easy peasy to work with and we all got along great 
Wedding Planning
Heidzillas – Heidi may be the only bride that has ever intimidated the crap out of me. Seriously. SHE CAME WITH A BINDER AND SPREADSHEETS! Scary stuff I’m telling you, especially my first year out. However, her wedding was flawless and much of that was due to her amazing organizational skills and planning. Since then I’ve watched her go from a weekend warrior at day-of coordinating to running a full time business with her own crew of ‘zillas (whom are all fab ladies). She’s awesome and when I work a wedding with Heidzillas, I know the day is going to be amazing like it was for Svetlana and Sandor, Codi and Joe, Jillian and Kevin, Jennifer and Todd, Erin and Tony, Erica and Aaron and Colleen and Marshall (I’m sure I’m forgetting someone…).
Kerry and George were so ridiculously fun to work with. I had soooo much fun at their engagement session and their wedding day was just as wonderful. It’s always always an extra special treat when I get to work with past couples and Carla and Craig are always a joy to see again. Plus I love that Kerry lives in her Grandma’s house (as I do in mine). It’s rare to find that anymore so when they told me and made it a point that they wanted to get pictures there because of the history I loved them even more. Thanks again for being such a great couple!!! Can you get married again this year? LOL
In December of 2009 my fiance and I got engaged and made plans to marry in August of 2011. But even a long engagement didn’t make choosing vendors easy. With so many varying options and prices, even coasting multiple wedding blogs and web sites didn’t make it any easier to separate the good from the bad. We decided solely on word of mouth and recommendations from friends who raved about Corey. Through our own experience we found how easy-going, versitile and helpful Corey was throughout the whole process. She didn’t make you feel dumb as you stood awkwardly in the woods during your first engagement shoot, and she patiently took the large group photos and offered advice as your head spins with everyone wanting pictures at the reception. Corey even ended up staying late to ensure we got all the photos we wanted and the pictures turned out beautifully! Thank you, Corey!
I am SO glad Kerry chose to include this image because it made me laugh so so hard when editing, I LOVED it but didn’t want to blog it in case they didn’t find it as humorous as I did!
Sorry for the blogging delay, it’s been a whirlwind of a week!
My final post from Colorado is all about the pretty, pretty goodness that was found there. This was my third trip to Colorado and while I have seen a bit of things there generally my trips have been coming or going for one reason and leaving again so it was nice to meander around a bit more than the past. Plus I knew that my husband would LOVE it and he did! In between Tyler’s Party and Jill’s portrait session we were able to see a lot more of Colorado than I ever have in the past and I look forward to visiting again someday when it isn’t winter (all of my trips have been in the winter, which is hilarious since I’m allergic to the cold and do NOT ski).
The first place we went on our first day of exploring was to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It was a chilly day but wasn’t too bad until we were on our way back to the car and the wind started whipping. Then it got very cold, very fast. I believe the windchill was somewhere around 10 degrees? Brr!
On my first trip to Colorado before Jill took me to the airport we drove through the park and I vividly remember this rock. I took a few quick shots from the car but wasn’t able to get out and wander due to time restraints. I’m glad that I was able to get a few shots of this awesome formation this time around (and the light was MUCH better this time!).
I drove by here back in 2003 also but this time we got to do the tour! I love all old homes but beyond that I also love a good ghost story and Miramont Castle delivers on both. I actually did not know it was haunted until I happened to be watching one of the “Most Haunted” shows around Halloween one year and swore that I’d been there because the place looked familiar and sure enough, it was here. However the tour does not speak of any of the ghost stories so you will need to look up that information yourself prior to going.
The home was built by a priest for him and his mother in 1895 but they didn’t live here very long before moving back home to France in 1900. After moving he left the home to a group of nuns to use as a Sanatorium. In the 50′s it was used as apartments for soldiers returning from the war and it was eventually abandoned. However the historical society purchased it and started making renovations and turned it into a museum. I definitely recommend the tour if you like older homes. Another neat tidbit about this house is that while it is 4 stories tall the top level is ground level at the back of the home! That’s how you exit the tour is through the gift shop on the 4th floor and walk around the house. Crazy!
Our next stop was somewhere new to me, Seven Falls. I had never been but someone had recommended the place to us. Looking back I don’t know that I’d go again in the winter as much of the park is closed and it isn’t cheap to get in. The falls were frozen which is pretty neat but overall I think it was kind of a ehhh experience. In the summer they light the falls in different colors which I think would be neat to see.
The location where we did Jill’s portraits (behind the stage) can be seen here but the views are what are spectacular here. Can you see Denver way off in the distance on the left? I can only imagine how cool it would be to see a concert here.
En route to Idaho Springs we were on I70 (which runs through Ohio so it was quite bizarre to be on the same road many miles away!) we came through a bridge and saw this view. Chris started yelling at me to take a picture but I was already on it. What you can’t see is to my left there is an area called Buffalo Ridge and there was a ton of buffalo lazing about (on our way home elk had joined in the fun too). I’m still a bit transfixed on this view though.
Where the end of Jill’s portrait shoot was taken was here on Echo Lake on Echo Mountain. Less than a week later this location would receive 55 INCHES of snow in a snowstorm. When we were driving out, Chris and I noticed lots of signs for chains on tires and pull of stations and the like. NOW we get it. At the time we were there there was maybe 5 inches of snow on the ground at most. Crazy to see what a difference a week makes!
On our trip back to Idaho Springs (we had to go wander that adorable town a bit more) I took pictures of the gorgeous views while Chris managed to not have our rental Volvo fly off the road. While there wasn’t a lot of snow on the road, there was enough in patches to make our rental slip and slide. Glad he was driving!
We were almost back to our hotel and I start madly snapping pictures out the side window. Chris thought I was utterly mad because he said there was NO way any would turn out as fast as he was going and he also didn’t see anything to understand what I was so furiously trying to capture. I was very excited to see at least one of the images turned out! The clouds all had these amazing fuchsia pink tips and I was so intent on capturing them but wasn’t sure either if they’d turn out either but I am SO happy that at least one did!
I was heartbroken to find out that the Molly Brown House Museum was closed on Mondays. However I made do by taking a few quick pictures of the house itself before wandering off to other locations in Denver. Someday I will return as you may know I’m a Titanic buff and I have always admired Margaret Brown. FYI: Margaret Brown was NEVER called Molly while she was living, her name was changed to Molly by Hollywood to make her name rhyme in a musical about the Titanic. Since then she’s been referred to as Molly Brown on screen instead of Margaret.
This portrait session has been quite a few years in the making! For almost the past 5 years Jill has been talking about me doing a portrait shoot for her family but timing hasn’t quite worked out until now. We decided on Sunday since that was the best day and luckily for us the weather matched up. They decided that they wanted to start the session at the Red Rock Amphitheatre and then head up to Echo Lake on Mount Evans.
I had no idea what to expect with either location but boy did Red Rock kick my butt. Not only is there 100+ steps to get to the top but there is a sharp hill/incline to climb before that. I have asthma thanks to growing up with parents who smoked and also am allergic to cold temperatures which one of the side effects is my lungs shutting down when it is cold. It was about 40 degrees that day but it was really windy at the park making the wind chill somewhere around 20 degrees or so. Those things combined with altitude and heavy camera gear made for an adventure! I don’t recommend it! But I managed to do the session despite the wheezing and hives and the view from the top was definitely pretty awesome. All of the pictures at Red Rock were done where the stage is so that in itself is kind of cool.
Echo Lake was a definite favorite though, surprisingly it was warmer to me up there despite it being about 10 degrees cooler (no wind!) and the sun was just awesome. I guess Echo Lake is a bit above 12K so that part was neat too, the views are just amazing. The kids weren’t digging the cold though so the session there lasted for maybe 10 minutes if that.
LOVE
Sorry for the blog silence – I was in Colorado for the past week on a super secret mission! I flew out to photograph my friend Jill’s son (and his BFF’s) surprise 16th birthday party. I rarely hear of surprise parties actually going off without a hitch and luckily this one did! While we were in town we also did a bit of toursity things (my husband had never been to Colorado before) and a family shoot for Jill the day following the party.
Enjoy the first set from Colorado – the pictures from the party!
I loved the cake SO much! The notes actually played Happy Birthday if you followed the notes around the cake.
This summer was one of the most humid that I recall in a long time – the humid days seemed to have started in May and not end until almost October. However despite many days of being hot – I will always remember Freda and Jason’s day because it was definitely the hottest day I’ve ever photographed a wedding. The heat index was well over 100º and it was such a scorcher. All day I kept looking at the pool in their yard wanting to dive in – by the end of the day a few of the kiddos did!
However, despite it being a hot day, it was still such a great day. Everyone was so lovely to work with and kind. The ceremony was perfection and so sweet. It was such an easy going and wonderful day – literally the only thing “wrong” that day was the heat! Everything else was perfection! I also loved how much her entire family was a part of their day – it was awesome to see how everyone was pitching in to make the day perfect.
Every Bride dreams of her day being special and amazing. I wanted a photographer that would capture our true selves not that posed stuff. I watched my Best Friend get married and all the ways her photographer made her pose and I knew that is not what I wanted! I felt the most important thing in the wedding was my photographer! I searched and searched for the “perfect” photographer and I found Corey Ann’s website. I ran to my co-worker and told her I found my photographer, she has the most amazing pictures on her site and you have to see them! We both agreed she was amazing. I was so worried she would already be booked, but it was my lucky day; she wasn’t! I called her immediately to save her for the date! I couldn’t afford to lose her for my wedding day.
When I called her she was so friendly and nice. She was making one of her favorite meals a grilled cheese sandwich. I had to laugh!! I couldn’t wait for her to do our engagement pictures. She is the one that suggested the Alliance Castle and I am so glad she did! Our pictures were amazing and we had so much fun with her! We laughed and laughed and at the end it turned out she knew my fiancé. What a small world. I had so much fun with our engagement pictures that I couldn’t wait for the wedding. She had our pictures to us the very next day! I couldn’t believe how fast we had our pictures.
As for the “BIG DAY” I was so worried. I didn’t know when to start getting ready. Our wedding day had to be the hottest day of the year (Heat index of over 100 in September).
However, Corey Ann went above and beyond the duties one would assume as a photographer. She told me when the time was right to get dressed. She made sure everyone knew what to do, how to do it and when to do it. She even helped tie my corset. Friends and family said she was everywhere getting pictures of everyone and everything, making my wedding day pictures so unique and “us”. When we drove down to take pictures by the water she had ice cold water, a cold towel and a good smelling combination of water and cucumber melon in a bottle that she sprayed on me to cool me off. It was so refreshing. I felt like a princess! She thought of everything and I never expected that from a photographer!
She had our wedding pictures to us in just a few days! She is amazing and I absolutely love her!!
For “Brides Talk”, picking my favorite pictures was the hardest part because they are all my favorite. Here are a few that I loved!!
Thank you so much Freda for your kind words!!!