•  I first met Kim in 2001… I can’t recall which show we met at first but for the next couple years we would travel all over the country seeing Joe McIntyre and staying in hotel rooms together.  Kim now joins all my other “Joe” friends and/or their kids on the blog – Gianina (who was my kick butt assistant for this wedding), Lisa and Kimberly.   When it came time to choose a wedding photographer Kim told me she couldn’t find anyone in Connecticut that she liked as much as me.  Awwww.  So she flew me out!

•  I never had the pleasure of meeting Scott but as soon as I met him I knew why they were meant to be.  They are so similar in personality and complement each other perfectly.  It was lovely to see my friend SO happy and with someone so perfect for her.

•  One thing I love so much about them is that they took a trip to Colorado and loved it so much they picked up and moved from Connecticut.  No jobs lined up, no plans – just loved it and moved.  People that do that inspire me.  So amazing!  So this wedding was a bit of a destination wedding not only for me but for them as well.

•  I was so, so excited when I drove up and saw the church that the ceremony was in.  I love historic churches and it isn’t often that I get to shoot in one here in Ohio (I think I’ve only shot in one) – however in New England they are EVERYWHERE.  So I did a bit of a happy dance when I saw her adorable church that was built in 1858.

•  One of the neatest things during the ceremony was the handbell ensemble.  The church was Kim’s from childhood and she used to be in the handbell ensemble so it was important for her to participate.  Not only were they magical sounding but really fun to watch them play!  Definitely something that was neat to see!

•  This year has produced some crazy weather.  The day before their wedding it wad 60º and pouring all day – to the point there was flood warnings.  All week it was predicted to do the same on their wedding day but magically the rain held off and it was dry and a crazy 80º and about a million percent humidity.  I have to say it was more sticky than most of the weddings I shot this summer with crazy mosquitos to boo thanks to the flooding from Irene.  I guess Ohio isn’t the only state with wild weather!

Wedding Vendors

Cake:  Cakes by Donna
Ceremony: First Congregational Church of Bloomfield
DJ:  DJH Productions
Florist:  Daley’s Florist
Reception & Catering: Hilton Garden Inn, Windsor, CT

I loved Kim’s shoes!

The church that made us do a happy dance!

I love this image of Kim and her Dad walking down the aisle.

Ring exchange

Yes, I have a bit of a love affair with their church.

They are so darn cute together!

I love her laugh when she’s with Scott.

One of the neat things was they had a Rolls Royce as their car from the ceremony to the reception!  Fun!

The first dance was sweet and romantic.

The wedding rings on one of the amazing orchids in Kim’s bouquet.

Their cake cutting was fun… this picture made me laugh!

While he’s only drinking water he does look like it is a bit stronger doesn’t it?

Since our roots go back to the New Kids On the Block I thought it was only appropriate that I request a New Kids song!  This is her reaction.  Ha!

Put your hands in the air wave them in the air!  If you’re ready to rock with the New Kids On the Block can someone say oh yeah!

Not only was there lots of laughs and fun on the dance floor but lots of cuddles and love during the slow songs as well.

Thank you Scott and Kim for having me out to your home state, not only was it amazing to see you two say I do but it was so great to see a dear friend marry someone so lovely!

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | Scott and Kimberly | Windsor, CT."

•  I hate to start off such a happy event this way, but life happens.  Sadly two days before this wedding my beloved sister in law lost her battle with cancer.  There was never a thought of not going to this wedding – it’s part of the job that we can’t call out of work but I was so elated to find out that services were able to be planned around my commitments.  Beyond that I have to give out huge props to K.C. and Kyle for being so understanding and kind to me.  It really meant a lot to me.  This also goes out to everyone that was so patient and understanding over the past couple weeks that I wasn’t able to be as lightning quick with replies as I normally am.  Thankfully I am usually pretty on top of my game so nothing slipped behind but since I wasn’t at my computer email responses were not prompt.  I am back at work now and getting back into the swing of things.  Again, thank you for your patience!

•  Now onto better things!!  This wedding wasn’t a far-off destination but it still was a destination wedding here in Ohio.  Almost everyone attending this wedding either stayed on site or nearby in a local hotel and were shuttled into Landoll’s Mohican Castle.  I love when clients think of their guests driving after drinking!   This venue was definitely remote and it was such a crazy drive in, I cannot even fathom what would happen when trying to drive out of here under the influence.  Just when you are convinced though that you are lost in the woods the Castle appears!  Whew!  It was such a gorgeous venue and I’m so elated that I was able to add it to my list of venues shot.

•  In my 4 years of shooting, I have never had two brides have the same dress.  In a crazy turn of events, K.C. had the same dress that Christi had two weeks before!  It was SUCH a gorgeous dress that I was more than happy to have it revisit!  I found it ironic and funny that it was both destination weddings as well.

•  Sadly the week before the wedding, Kyle’s best man and brother had an accident that left him on crutches.  He was so worried all day about ruining their images and “look” of a wedding.  It was so sweet!!!  I’ve never seen a best man worry that much but he was all over it.  He even procured black Crown Royal bags to cover up the unsightly towels at the top of his crutches.  He even managed to get his shoe on for the wedding and pictures so that his foot wouldn’t be noticeable in images.  Now THAT is a best man!!  I’m still floored!   What’s even sweeter was that the bride and groom were not worried about it at all, it was all him.

•  Nothing makes my job better than clients who trust me.  When I suggested a few crazy-ish ideas, they didn’t even hesitate and went along with everything.  Love.  When you trust your photographer even if it may be a bit outside of the box, good things will happen, I promise.

•  I have had a few times where carriages were lined up but due to weather they never have been able to become a reality.  I FINALLY got a carriage at their wedding!!!!!!

Wedding Vendors

Bridal Gown:  Christina Wu via Cincinnati Bridal and Formal
Ceremony Music: Tom Harbrecht
DJ: Hitman Entertainment
Florist: Alta Florist & Greenhouse
Wedding Venue (Ceremony, Catering, Reception): Landoll’s Mohican Castle

Such a gorgeous dress!

KC told me she loved sparkle and I am totally fine with that!  I can’t rave about this gorgeous necklace enough, isn’t it stunning?!

This bouquet was so beyond fantastic.  LOVE!

I absolutely adored this outdoor ceremony site!  SO beautiful!

I popped into the reception hall and took some images of some pieces that were complete.  I adored these tables so much!

I love that in lieu of cake they opted to have brownies and buckeyes instead!  There was a small grooms cake though as well but this was just wonderful!

On my way back to the bridal suite I ran into the groom and groomsman.

Kyle’s Mom ran into him as she was trying to find the bride and they had a emotional moment.  So sweet!

I love love loved this horse and carriage!

KC’s father elegantly helped her out of the carriage when they arrived at the ceremony location.

I love when a flower girl makes sure to drop LOTS of petals!

Kyle’s expression when he first saw KC is priceless!

It was such a beautiful day!

I love when there is laughter during a ceremony.

While I loved their first kiss, the one in the carriage is just a bit more romantic!

Kyle is SUCH a gentleman!

These guys were such a great bunch!

The colors!!!!!  GAH!

Aren’t they gorgeous?

They are so easy to photograph!

One location on their must-shoot list was here at this gate because on their first trip here they stayed in the room here.  Aww!

I had to have one with the castle!

I adored KC’s entire ensemble – especially her shoes!  Look how fantastic these are!!!!!!!

I spied this gorgeous overgrown field and kept it in my mind as we were shooting.  I asked KC & Kyle if they minded going in and they were totally game for anything.  I then asked KC if she’d sit and she plopped right down without fussing a slight bit.  I adore this image so much but it got better from here.

This is why sometimes you just got to trust your photographer and go with it.  :)

I love this photo so much, seriously.

However I also am in love with the zoomed out shot too!

It’s my blog and I’ll post as many images that are this awesome in the same area as I want to!

KC and Kyle.  You guys are awesome!

The best Best Man ever!

The toast was funny, sweet and a tearjerker!

I love KC’s ring so, so much.  Kyle’s last name is a flower and that’s what the ring is designed to look like.  If memory serves, it is also a ring from a family member.  LOVE!

I love the way the lanterns pop the background a bit during their first dance!

They are just so lovely together!

Instead of the traditional stand-and-sway father/daughter dance, KC and her Dad kicked up their heels to a faster paced song, so so fun!

Kyle and his Mom chose to go the traditional route but it was just as sweet.

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | K.C. and Kyle | Landoll’s Mohican Castle."

•  I apologize for the silence on the blog over the past few weeks.  Sadly my sister in law lost her battle with cancer so my time spent at the computer was at a minimum.  I appreciate everyone’s kind words, thoughts and understanding during this time, it has meant so much to me.  Things are finally back to “normal” now so I’m playing catch up!

•  As I mentioned in their Rehearsal post, this wedding has been a long time coming.  I’ve been looking forward to capturing this day for quite some time!  The day was PERFECT and I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it.

•  I’ve been going to the Outer Banks since 1986 and I have never seen the 4×4 area’s beach as much of a mess as it was when we were there.  High tides + a drought made for some really awful beaches to drive on.  We made it though but we’re still waiting for something to fall off of our car from the ordeal!!

•  Since I got married in the Outer Banks I don’t typically get to work with my wedding vendors so it was a real treat to be able to work with my florist and salon again!  I am envious of those that work where they got married that get to do this on a frequent basis.  In case anyone’s reading… I love the Outer Banks and will travel to shoot!  Just thought I’d put that out there!

•  The weather was a tinge on the cool side and breezy so the outdoor dinner was moved inside and in the end I’m kind of glad it was so that they had two different looks for their wedding (rehearsal and wedding day).  It worked out!

Wedding Vendors

Catering:  Chef Franko with At Your Service
Event Home: The Hemingway at Twiddy
Florist:  Renee Landry Style
Officiant:  Rev. Shirley Anne with Carolina Wedding Co.
Rentals:  Ocean Atlantic
Salon:  Eden Day Spa

I loved all of Christi’s curls!

This pretty much summarizes why my wedding florist is flat out awesome.  Isn’t this the most splendid ring bearer “pillow” you have ever feasted your eyes on?  Renee Landry, you are seriously fantastic!!

The only thing that tops the starfish is his hair!  LOVE!

Christi’s laugh is infectious!

Eric patiently waiting to get things going! He never was a bit nervous!

I love, love, loved the colors for this wedding.  They really popped against the beach!

These guys were so darn cute.  I love Lana’s flower girl bucket, such a great idea!

Christ’s Mom escorted her down the aisle.  *happy sigh*

Instead of the traditional “rows” Christi and Eric decided to have everyone form a circle instead which I thought was a great idea!

The ring exchange is always so beautiful!

*smooch*

From the moment I captured this image I fell in love with it.

They took a small private stroll after the ceremony to have a moment to themselves.  The deep ruts in the sand though made it a bit tricky!

The night everyone arrived Bruce (bent forward) made the mistake of drinking in the hot tub.  When he got out he was disoriented and fell down cutting his scalp.  Everyone was really worried about him but he luckily was OK save for some lost pride and a cut on his head.  Since he was OK, everyone felt free to rib on him for the rest of the week for his misstep.

I also have to toss in here that I adore when family is the bridal party and Eric’s Dad and Uncle were his fellow groomsman.  LOVE.

Eric’s Dad gave a really lovely toast prior to the meal.

En route to the beach after dinner for some more portraits we had a herd of horses run by us!  It was fantastic and just so wonderful to watch.  I could watch these guys play all day!

I have a similar wedding image from my own wedding and I’m so happy that I was able to recreate it for Christi and Eric.

I really like tidal pools!

While I was capturing this image…

… my husband was capturing this image incorporating the surfers into the image.  I love each of these images equally and couldn’t decide which to blog so you got both!

I love that there are two birds in the upper left mimicking the lovebirds.

This image makes me laugh every time I see it.  I went a bit into the water (despite it being QUITE chilly!) to get an image of them with the water in front of them.  As my luck runs, a rogue wave came in that was much larger than the ones prior to it and water went from my ankles to my thighs and Christ and Eric got nailed.  I felt terrible but they were good sports… and this image makes me giggle!

I just loved Christ’s bouquet by Renee Landry!  SO pretty!

The Hemingway had a ton of books bound in leather and I just HAD to play with the rings with them!

I  just adore Christi’s ring and have since I first laid eyes on it, the yellow diamond is so stunning!

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | Christi and Eric | Carova, NC."

•  A couple weeks ago I started off my wedding season back where I got married myself in 2007 – in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

•  This wedding has been in the works for quite a few years.  They bounced around a few different ideas for locations but ultimately ended up choosing the Outer Banks based on my raves and they fell in love with the area as well.

•  I took pictures of their darling daughter Lana a couple years ago, it’s crazy how fast she’s grown!

•  I’ve known Christi and Eric for a lot of years and every time I am around them I just have a great time, they are such great people.  It was such a joy to be able to spend the week with them and seeing them finally tie the knot!

Vendors

Catering:  Currituck BBQ
Event Home: The Hemingway at Twiddy
Officiant:  Rev. Shirley Anne with Carolina Wedding Co.

The front of The Hemgingway home.

Luckily Monday’s weather was nice enough to have dinner outside by the pool.  I love the tables!  So pretty!

I love the royal and caribbean blue theme!  The centerpieces are also gorgeous!

Everyone took some informal pictures of everyone together – here is Christi (in blue) with her sister, mom and sister in law.

Poor Lana’s blue eyes were not loving the bright sunlight!

A trip isn’t complete to North Carolina without some delicious pulled pork BBQ!!

Eric’s Mom gave a lovely blessing before dinner.

Christi and Eric!  I LOOOVE Christi’s dress!!!

Lana and her cousin hugging before the rehearsal started.

Christi’s Mom hugging her after the faux giveaway for the rehearsal.

Never can be too much practicing of the first kiss!  ;)

After this image this little guy wanted to use my camera to take a picture… yeah I had to say no!  Ha!  He’s a cutie though!

On the way back to our rental house in Corolla we passed this lovely wild horse munching on some grass.

When I was younger these horses were roaming freely in the northern area of the Outer Banks but they were moved up to the 4×4 area to protect them.  I took a picture of one when I was 14 and it was purchased for a postcard so it was my first ‘pro’ gig so to speak so I was really excited to capture another image of these wonderful guys.

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Rehearsal | Christi + Eric | Carova, NC."

•  I met Kelly in 2007-ish via a Flickr group Starting a Wedding Photography Business (or SWPB for short).

•  She second shot for me at John & Stacey’s wedding in 2008, flying up from Texas to shoot for me!  It was such a fun time and I wish she was closer to shoot with more often.

•  Kelly & Sean decided to elope in Las Vegas during WPPI – a week before they left for the trip.  They pulled it off without a hitch!! It’s crazy how quickly they were able to pull it all together!

•  They eloped in front of the Bellagio Fountains immediately after the show.  It’s not quite legal but no one tossed us out!

•  I photographed the getting ready segment of the day and some of the SWPB group met up with us at the Bellagio to take pictures of the wedding.  All in all there were 12 photographers shooting!!!!  Some of my partners in crime were: Christine Tremoulet, Daniel Dunlap, Dustin Izatt, Jessica Horton, Leo Druker, Luis Godinez,  Luis Toledo, Mike L. & Tommy Huynh (who almost fell into the water!).

•  The officiant USED A KINDLE!!  Be still my geeky heart!

Kelly’s dress and shoes were so darned cute!

Kelly sending out a message on Flickr letting everyone know where to go for the wedding.

Kelly was even able to coordinate a hairstylist and makeup artist in a week!

Due to crazy traffic we were running late so the fountain show had started so we had to RUN to get to the ceremony location.  Luckily we made it before the song was over!

Even though it may have been the shortest ceremony I’ve ever seen it may have been my favorite ever.

I love this shot of Kelly putting Sean’s ring on.  You can also see the Kindle in action!

The light was amazing!

Such a spectacular first kiss.

Gotta love a dip & kiss with a Marine!

I absolutely love this shot

You have to have a shot of the photographer bride with a camera!

One of my favorite moments of the day was this random stranger coming up to Sean and thanking him for his service for our country.  So heartwarming!

Sean & Kelly walking away!

Everyone that was there for the wedding!  The officiant doubled as a photographer for this image.

Photos from the other photographers:

Daniel Dunlap – some fantastic shots of Vegas & I loooove the last image of Kelly & Sean.

J. J. Horton Photography – I love her shots of Kelly running onto the scene.

Leo Druker – I am in love with these images, especially the ones that really show how HUGE the crowd was that gathered to watch the wedding.  I’m in some of these shots!

Luis Godinez – Some stellar shots, especially of the Kindle in use!

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | Kelly + Sean | Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, NV."

What’s not to love about Van & Jonathon who brought me to Cozumel with them and in the middle of winter to boot?  Beyond that though, I know that I would have loved them even if I was shooting in a foot of snow.  They were just really kind, caring and sweet people.  My husband and I immediately felt like family and I teared up right along with the family during their vows.  I loved every moment of their wedding day and adored how much of THEM they put into the day – from the ceremony to their first dance everything reflected their love for one another.  Note: more pictures from their rehearsal will be posted soon!

“Due to the nature of our wedding, we didn’t really shop around for a photographer.  It was very hard to find a local photographer that did destination weddings.  After some deep searching (I located Corey Ann on the Wedding Photojournalist Association), I browsed Corey Ann’s website and contacted her by email for pricing.  Immediately, we got a response!   From that moment on, we were excited to work with Corey Ann.  We met a photographer who checked her email as often as we did!  Throughout our experience with her, Corey Ann was friendly, creative, and flexible – important characteristics in a destination wedding photographer.

Besides being a photographer for us, she was a little bit wedding coordinator too! Having gone to a lot of weddings, Corey Ann was able to help us set up the ceremony site at our rehearsal, from arranging the seats, setting up the “aisle,” to hiding the bubbling whirlpool tub behind  the “alter”.  Her input was invaluable to the success of our ceremony.

As we showed all of our friends and family our photos, we received tons of compliments on her photos, like how the images perfectly captured the emotion, and how the contrast of the background made us “pop.”   She captured all the camaraderie among our family and friends and the love between us, while highlighting the fun we all had.  Plus, we had so many pictures to choose from.   As we scroll through the images, it’s like watching a video of our wedding day.  We couldn’t be more pleased with our photos!

There are so many wonderful ways to describe our experience with Corey Ann, but I think her work says all we need to say about her ability.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from our wedding in Cozumel, Mexico.”

This was the only kiss our guests would see pre-wedding!

Our families surprised us with matching t-shirts “celebrando” (celebrating) our wedding!

Us and our 6 best friends! We couldn’t have asked for a better bridal party.

This picture showcases some of the beauty of the resort, while letting us rest our feet for a minute!

For our moms, our wedding day was a day they’ve been waiting for.   After 7.5 years of dating, here they are helping each other as friends.

After the ceremony

One of the few times we kissed, Corey Ann got in on camera!

Lots of laughter and tears during our six bridal party speeches

The picture that represents our wedding, friends, my family, his family, all celebrating our love and marriage!

CA note: this is by far one of my favorite reception photos, every time I see this I grin.

A bunch of dancing fools. I felt bad for Corey Ann… she was surrounded by all of these young kids dancing our butts off. At least it was a nice night!

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Brides Talk | Van & Jonathon."

•  This is the final wedding of 2010 and what a way to end the year!  I cannot imagine a better place to be the week before Christmas than on the oceanfront in Cozumel, Mexico.

•  The week before the wedding Cozumel experienced record setting low temperatures and lots of rain.  Luckily for us by the day of the wedding the weather had cleared up and it was absolutely perfect weather!

•  I cannot express just how fantastic this group of people was.  Everyone was SO friendly and warm and crazy awesome.  Every time we saw anyone from the wedding group (around 50 people came from all over the country!) they were super sweet to us.

•  Van and Jonathon have been dating since MIDDLE SCHOOL!  I LOVE that!!!  It’s so fun when couples have been together that long because the families are already blended in a way and there’s none of that odd “we don’t know these people” feelings going around.  All of their friends are mutual friends – very few are HIS or HERS which was also great!

•  Van was seriously a cool cat.  Despite some drama the day of the wedding, she kept her cool and let EVERYTHING roll off her back.  She let other people handle anything that went amuck and just enjoyed the day.

•  Jonathon was also a great guy.  He was able to handle everything with ease and kept his smiles the entire day.  I cannot rave enough about how lovely this couple was.

Vendors

Ceremony, Reception, Cake & Catering: Park Royal Cozumel Mexico
Wedding Coordinator: Excursions Events Etc.

I got to start the day off with the rings, not a bad way to start!

Her shoes were pretty fun and also neat to play with!

I loved the bridesmaid dresses!

Van getting her makeup done.

I love this getting ready image SO much.  It kind of encapsulates how crazy this part of the day can be for brides.

The guys all had a toast before the ceremony started.

Jonathon making his walk to the altar.

Van’s father died a while ago so her older brother took over his role and it was only appropriate that he walk her down the aisle.  It was quite an emotional moment and everyone was in tears.

Such a beautiful moment

Hubs was able to get this great scene setting shot.  I’m in it but I’m not too upset about it since it’s such a neat shot.

They wrote their own vows and I LOVED it!!

I love this!  Van had on dark lipstick and after the kiss it “stuck” so she wiped it off, so darn cute.

Group hug!

Yay couple picture times!!!

They were not used to having the attention on them but they still did great!

We didn’t have much time before the sun completely set so we did a quick shot on the beach before making our way back toward the main part of the resort where their dinner was held.

The girls looked so pretty and I loved how the colors of the flowers popped off the blue dresses.

The guys looked pretty great as well and I loved the sweater vests.

They are just so cute and fun!

The view from the 9th floor balcony… not bad!

Instead of hitting silverware against the glasses for the bride and groom to kiss they had maracas for the guests to shake, very festive and fun!

After dinner everyone went to the reception area near the infinity pool by the ocean and Van and Jonathon cut the cake… and made a smidge of a mess!  Yay!

I loved that almost all of the toasts were read off of an ipod/iphone.

They had a choreographed first dance to Lucky by Jason Mraz, it was quite lovely!

A lot of Van’s relatives made it down and she made sure to share a special moment with all of them at the reception.

There were LOTS of laughs!

A wide view of what the reception area looked like.  I loved the zero entry pool… I dunked my feet in a couple times to cool off!

I think everyone had a great time!!!

Van’s brother gives Jonathon a huge hug at the end of the night.

I can’t thank you both enough for having me come to your wedding.  I had a wonderful time and enjoyed  being able to get to know you both during our stay!

Stay tuned for pictures from the resort and some from the rehearsal (yeah yeah, I’m going backwards a bit!).

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | Van + Jonathon | Cozumel, Mexico."

•  I know that in the days before the wedding, Carrie was worried about not having a ton of details like most of her fellow bees do.  As a photographer, I love details but sometimes the reason for the joyous occasion gets lost in all the stuff.  One of the things I loved most about this day was the fact that there didn’t need to be any details to remind you why you were there.  The love for Carrie & Ken was overwhelmingly felt all day and that was the only detail that was important, that these two people whom are absolutely perfect for one another were saying I Do.

•  Photographer confession:  this wedding took place in Pittsburgh, PA… and I left well over an hour ahead of schedule to make sure I was there on time (which meant that I leave about 4 hours ahead of the start time).  Then traffic happened.  Turns out there was some lane closures and whatzits just outside of the city which resulted in us taking almost an hour and a half to go 1.5 miles!!!  While I always plan for the worst, I figured an hour + buffer was more than enough… I was wrong.  :(  I still get sick to my stomach when I think of that.  I was so frazzled that I was literally “this close” to hoofing it on the highway and having hubs pick me up when he got through traffic to get there!  Luckily for me Carrie planned more than enough time and we had wiggle room to make things work and when I arrived (45 minutes late) we still had time to get shots of her getting into her dress and no pictures suffered from the traffic.  WHEW!   Next trip to Pittsburgh will have an overnight stay in place after that stressful drive!!!

•  This was a destination wedding for most of the people in attendance.  I love when people don’t conform to the ‘traditional’ destinations and go where their hearts lead them.  In their case, it was to Pittsburgh where they both attended Pitt.  Family came from all over the country to see these two lovebirds get married!

•  I’m still drooling over the food that was served.  They had stations and each station had a theme.  My personal favorite was the Pittsburgh station which had sauerkraut, sausage and more goodies.  YUM.

•  I’ve never seen so many people dance their hearts out at the reception.  The dance floor was packed all night and everyone cut a rug – there was NO timid dancing to be had here!

•  Ken is by far and away one of the most expressive people I’ve ever taken pictures of… every time that I thought one image was the best captured I’d find another that was even better!

Wedding Vendors

Catering: Big Burrito
Ceremony: Heinz Chapel
DJ: DJ Andy Hutelmyer
Florist: Parkway Florist
Reception: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Transportation: Your Designated Driver

Carrie you are simply stunning!

Carrie got dressed in the bedroom with just her sister, me and her Mother so this was the first glimpse the bridesmaids got of her all dolled up, their expressions were priceless!

Once we got to the Heinz Chapel the girls finished primping in the bridal room in the basement.  This is one of my favorite getting ready images of the year!

The Heinz Chapel is breathtaking!  While beautiful, the beauty definitely comes with a price as they are one of the strictest places for photography during the ceremony (cannot stand in the aisle during the processional for images – you must be 5 pews from the back in a pew to take all images of the processional, pictures from outside the doors to the vestibule during the ceremony straight up the aisle or from the balcony etc.).  Even though the rules can be confining, it’s pretty impossible not to take a beautiful shot here!  Ahhhhh pretty!

See what I mean?  So beautiful!

Chris was up in the balcony and was able to get some wonderful moments like this.

After the ceremony, we walked over to the fountain on campus for some pictures.  The guys were so much fun!

The girls were troopers walking across campus in their dainty heels.  I absolutely LOVED the way their bouquets all popped off their dresses.  Such a fantastic color combo!

I was testing my light and snapped a shot and burst out laughing when Ken did this.  HILARIOUS!

This is my favorite posed pic of the day, awww!

RAWR!  I guess this is a Pitt thing?  Either way, it’s awesome!

Ahhh Carrie!  You are SO beautiful!!

After we finished up on campus we had enough time to go hit a spot that Carrie wanted some pictures before the wedding that we didn’t have time for.  It all worked out for the best though because not only was the game over so there wasn’t the crazy crowds from earlier but we were able to do a full bridal party shot with the skyline!

Even better?  A couple portrait!  YAY!

We headed off to the reception and on the way in the guys stopped to raise their arms as the roller coaster on top of the entrance went down the hill, LOVE!

While Carrie and Ken were catching up with guests, I buzzed around the reception hall and got pictures of all the fantastic details!  Carrie and Ken had just that perfect amount of personal touches to add the kiss of personality to the reception which included personalized drinks that I hear were amazing!

I mentioned the food before so I had to include some pics of the fantastic food as well as the hit of the night, the daffodil specialty cocktail which was named after their darling doggie!  LOVE!

Right after their entrance, Carrie and Ken went into their first dance which I loved!  It’s always fun when couples change things up from the ‘normal’ timeline!

Immediately after, they cut the cake and Ken proved yet again that he is the most expressive groom ever!

While everyone was eating I managed to grab the rings for a moment to get some images of them.  I absolutely adore Carrie’s engagement ring!!!

*love*

Carrie’s Dad gave a heartfelt speech that had everyone going from tears to laughter in minutes.

The rest of the night was spent celebrating and dancing with friends.  I don’t think I have ever had a bride and groom have THIS MUCH FUN on the dance floor!!!!!  LOVE!

On the way out I captured a picture of the museum at night, such a fun fun fun venue!

Thank you Carrie and Ken for being your awesome selves and hiring me, it was such a lovely day!!!

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Wedding | Carrie + Ken | Pittsburgh, PA."

• Last March I got to second shoot for the always amazing Anne Ruthmann for H + J (two SERIOUSLY awesome people) at the gorgeous Paradisus Palma Real. I am SO super excited to finally be able to blog this wedding!

• This resort is made for relaxation but more importantly for weddings. I blogged some pictures of the resort images when I returned if you want to drool a bit! Their ceremony was between two palm trees just a bit in from the ocean and the reception took place on the sand as well. It was perfect.

• H + J are seriously an amazing couple. Back home they are super busy with their business so they were really enjoying being able to be away and enjoy time with family and friends – whom came from literally all over the world. They were crazy accommodating and made me feel like a guest and not a vendor.

• Wedding days are notorious for having at least one oops (or more) but their day was literally perfect. Perfect weather, perfect day and perfect celebration.

• They danced up and down the aisle, had a killer DJ (who was also a groomsman!) and ended the night with fireworks – that’s how awesome they are!

• Thanks SO much to Anne for having me along and to H + J for just being plain awesome!!!

The gorgeous setting for the ceremony.  Be still my beach loving heart!

I got to play with H while Anne stayed with the girls.  In the welcome basket H + J included a CD of tunes to get people in the wedding mood and there was actually a song on there that was wrote for the wedding!  It was constantly on rotation in our room because it was really just plain awesome and I was stoked to see H was jammin to it when I arrived!

Before Punta Cana, I didn’t know what Johnny Walker Blue Label was.  Sad but true.  This is how H greeted his groomsman when they came to the room the day of the wedding.  Now that’s a way to start a wedding!

I’m also going to always be grateful to H + J as we toasted our last night there with Blue.  I told you they were pretty much all out awesome!

You know I am about details…

This is my favorite processional EVER!!!  The bridal party, H AND his Mom did a kick line up to the aisle, then danced down the aisle to “I Gotta Feelin” by the Black Eyed Peas.

Love.

J was escorted down the aisle by her Mom and everyone was left breathless.

The ceremony was beautiful but not without a few moments of giggles when H forgot his words more than once.

It’s not a destination wedding until someone in a Speedo is watching!

During the rehearsal the day before they weren’t quite sure how to process down the aisle but knew they didn’t want to just walk.  I suggested they grab guests and dance down the aisle with them – inspired of course by one of my favorite movies Dirty Dancing!  The suggestion was a hit and the guests loved it too!

We did some casual portraits on the beach after the ceremony and the girls were having a blast.  PS – aren’t their yellow dresses PERFECT for a beach wedding??

I laughed so hard when this happened and again when I saw it when editing.  This is H + J, serious but still able to have fun!

I could have shot at this resort for hours on end!

I got to pose them for this – I bet you are all surprised this is what a came up with… it’s becoming a Corey Standard.  Too bad they were sitting on a plastic cover which shifted and right after this shot they fell off.  The good thing is they laughed so hard it created some more fun images

Their guests were BIG fans of them kissing and dinged their silverware on the glasses on the tables often.

H started to miss J’s mouth so she decided to one-up that and shove the whole plate in his face.  HILARIOUS!!

The lighting on the dance floor was superb and such fun to play with.

After all the guests left we played a bit more with H + J.  Anne set up this shot and I got the wide angle while she was focusing a bit closer in.  To see more of the fun night shots, check out Anne’s blog from the session.

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Destination Wedding | H + J | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic."

While I LOVE pictures, I was dreading the time in front of the lens with Chris. I know that I don’t photograph well. I know he tends to make faces. I was worried that it was going to be an awkward session of us being weird because we’re not good subjects. Boy, was I wrong! Brooke is awesome. No no, you don’t understand. She’s seriously superwoman because not only did she get amazing pictures of us (NOT MAKING FACES… well all the time) but she also turned something we were dreading into something that was really fun. After a while, we forgot she was the photographer and she was just another friend that happened to be laughing at us while we ran around the beach like idiots. She literally has the best personality of anyone I know, I can’t cheer about Brooke enough. I need “Pocket Brooke” as an iPhone app so I can have her cute little sayings whenever I’m trying to make people get silly at weddings. If you are EVER in the Outer Banks you need to look her up. I know I have said this about a million times through this recap but I can’t say it enough.

The proof is in the pudding right? So here’s the pictures! Keep in mind that all of these were taken in about 20 minutes or so and all where the ceremony was at. Proof that a great location + a great photographer = awesome pics in a short amount of time.

I love how there are two birds above us.  :)

It’s hard to tell unless you look  by my feet but we are sitting in a shipwreck here!  Dad had discovered it the year before and I wanted to make sure we incorporated it into the pictures.  It’s an unknown shipwreck and when it’s uncovered you can smell the turpentine still all these years later from the wood.

Another rare shot of me that I like.

Brooke had us walk down from the dune area and go towards the water.  I love this picture SO much.  Used it for our christmas cards that year!

Brooke didn’t tell, ask or even hint at me going into the water.  I went in on my own.  Chris stopped when we got towards the ocean but I kept going in!

These pictures make it worth it.

Um, completely worth the salt water and sand in the dress.  COMPLETELY.

I loved my bouquet.  Renee Landry Style rocks socks.  I wish she had a subdivision in Ohio so I could have her awesome flowers at all of my weddings.

“What is she doing!?!?  Do I go in too??”

Favorite!!!!

Yes, we did.

My favorite one of us smiling at the camera.

So this isn’t a great photo of us but a hilarious moment captured.  We tossed my bouquet up to catch it and it got some flowers knocked out of it when Chris grabbed it.  I LOVED my bouquet so that made me sad… so I chucked the fallen rose at him resulting in this image.  LOL!  I love how it’s exploding off his head.

One last pretty portrait on the beach!

And another shot as we walk up to the stairs… LOVE this one a lot.  Especially my awesome bruise.

Another shot I adore, featuring said awesome bouquet.

Such a lovely moment… he was threatening to shove me over!

How I got rid of the sand!!!  :)  LOL

"Corey Ann is a Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Northeast Ohio. Her work has been featured in books and magazines across the country. You can read the original blog post here Corey Talks: My Wedding: Bride & Groom Pictures."