This past Saturday was such a perfect day to have an outdoor wedding.  While it was a tinge warm for May, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and no rain fell despite the continued forecast for it.  There was a slight breeze which brought in the heady fragrance of the lilacs that were in bloom all around us in the Butterfly Garden at Holden Arboretum.  The late afternoon sun enveloped Brandy and Colin as they said their “I do’s” and the magic hour light came out to play for their portrait session time.  I couldn’t have asked for more of a picture perfect day, especially given that you never know what you’re going to get with weather in the spring in Ohio.

I started out the day with Brandy and her friends at the Spring Hill Suites in Solon and it’s my new favorite place for clients to get ready.  Oh my gosh!  So much gorgeous light and the decor is light and airy.  LOVE!  Brandy’s dress was absolutely beautiful and I loved all of the personalized touches which included a handmade garter that Colin’s grandmother made for Brandy.  We then proceeded to Holden Arboretum where their ceremony took place on the deck in the Butterfly Garden and the “aisle” may be another one of my favorites in Northeast Ohio(coming in third to the aisle at Holden’s Lantern Court and the birch alee at Stan Hywet).  After their ceremony, which included a ceremonial watering of the cactus instead of a unity candle (love!) we proceeded to take pictures in the nearby gardens while their guests picked up refreshments in the visitors center and awaited our return.  After the reception was underway we had the lucky treat of a fireworks show that was celebrating the opening of the new rhododendron garden at Holden.

Thank you so much to Brandy and Colin for having me along for your magical wedding day!

Wedding Vendors

Cake:  West Point Market Bakery
Catering:  Chefs for Hire
Ceremony: Butterfly Garden at Holden Arboretum
DJ:  Cipriano Productions
Florist:  The Window Box
Reception:  Visitors Center at Holden Arboretum

 

I love, love, love this aisle!  The lighting was magical!

Two shots of Brandy’s walk up the aisle because I love it so much.

Their ceremony was full of personality and was very tailored to them.  I loved that!

Brandy and Colin spent many hours folding cranes for their wedding and I’m glad we were able to get some portraits with them behind them.  I LOVE that they chose colored paper instead of white.

We did a quick trip around the pond at the Butterfly Garden for a few portraits and I just adored this tree.

They are so adorable together, I can’t stand it! 🙂

We were walking to our next spot and I loved the way the light was falling around Brandy.

The bridal party was a fun group of people that all held important places in their hearts.

Did I mention how amazing the light was?  I also love how Brandy didn’t have the girls wearing matching gowns – she also didn’t have a set color palate either.  I love when my clients go by their own rules and not ones made up in magazines and blogs.

The guys were a bit more formal on the other side on their picnic tables but I love this picture just as much.

We ditched the bridal party so we could run over to a nearby pond that Brandy had scoped out on a previous visit and had known immediately she wanted her portraits taken beneath the weeping willow on the water.

I love both the black and white and color versions of this setting so you get both.  Such a magical place!

We had juuuust enough time for a few more quick portraits in the amazing “magic hour” light before heading back to the reception and I loved how they couldn’t stop laughing with each other.

After the toasts I got their rings (which are so unique and awesome) and made sure to use the squirrels that were surrounding their cake for some ring pictures.  They live in Kent so they incorporated the city’s mascot into their wedding day.

Despite the naughty grin, Colin ended up playing nice during the cake cutting.

Their first dance was sweet and lovely.

You never know what groups are going to get their dancing on and which ones will be more apt to sit and talk and I really had pegged this group as the sit-and-talk kind of group.  They proved me wrong!  These guys went all out on the dance floor and had a blast.

Right before we were going to do the bouquet and garter toss fireworks started for the grand opening of the new rhododendron garden and everyone went outside to watch.  Not only was it a great display (I love fireworks!) but it was a fun photo opp as I rarely get to play with fireworks and wedding clients!

The bouquet toss went off after the fireworks were over.

Colin accidentally removed the wrong garter but I think the pretty garter made for a better picture so it worked out in the end (and they tossed the “right” one so they could keep this one that Colin’s grandmother made).