In early August I headed up to a private residence in Chagrin Falls for James and Erin’s wedding day celebration.  I simply adore outdoor weddings and up until the day of the weather was iffy with a strong chance of rain (as seemed to be the case all summer!) but thankfully the weather held out and the day was simply amazing!  While I am certain they had a rain plan, I think I can almost bet on the fact that the rain location was not nearly as picturesque so I’m SO thankful that the rain avoided us that day!  I adored all of the personal touches that went into this wedding and how much it was centered around family.

As a child I was obsessed (erhm,I  may still really love it!) with Anne of Green Gables and Annie and was so desperately sorry that I wasn’t born with red hair.  I remember crying to my parents once that I just wanted RED HAIR and why couldn’t they change it for me!?  I remember my parents buying me an Annie doll in hopes it would make up for the disappointment for being born without red hair but sadly, it did not.  The reason for this tale?  Erin was, as Anne would say, “the bride of my dreams” and what I always imagined what a picture perfect bride would be.  Gorgeous red locks, creamy rose complexion, a beautiful dress that a girl could only dream about and of course, her very own Gilbert Blythe (another random but I’ve met the man who plays him and he’s every bit as kind and sweet as you thought he would be).

One thing that I will always remember about this wedding is how two very different cultures – Erin’s family was from the South and oozed Southern-ness with their lovely dialect and amazing kindness while James’s family is Scottish and some of his relatives from Scotland made the trip over and they were all witty and quite endearing – were able to come together and meld quite easily and have fun together.  Often at weddings each side’s family sticks to their own families as usually it’s people they rarely see and loved ones they want to catch up with – which is all completely understandable as time is short on wedding days.  However at this wedding everyone was friends and mingled together all night.  It was a delight to see!  Random HUGE thank you here to the Bride’s cousin (I think?) whom was the picture of a southern gentleman and carried my bag back to my car for me when we arrived back to the parking area via golf cart.

Wedding Vendors:

Band:  Revolution Pie
Bridal Gown:  Sincerity Bridal via Blush Bridal Boutique, Haymarket, VA
Cake:  Raised & Glazed
Catering:  The Tavern of Solon
DJ: Billy J DJ
Florist:  Lowe’s Greenhouse
Rental:  A&B Tent Rental
String Quartet:  The Panache Group

Isn’t Erin a gorgeous bride???

I love when notes are exchanged before the wedding – the emotions are fun to capture!

I absolutely adored the spot where the ceremony was held!

Such an adorable giving away of the bride!

See what I mean?  Such a picture perfect location!

I love that they wrote their own vows, it always makes a ceremony that much sweeter.

The light was so amazing!!!

Such a pretty first kiss!!

Not only was in in LOVE with Erin’s dress (THE LACE!) but her bridesmaid dresses were equally as beautiful.  These coral lace dresses were jaw dropping!!

I loved the guys suits!  Grey has been the color of the year for the men!

I was testing the light and I ended up LOVING this picture and kept it.

Aren’t these two just adorable?!

So, so, so stinkin’ cute!

I love the classic portraits as well.

Can you tell they were super happy to be married?  This is the photo of bliss!

This cracked me up so much!

James and Erin had these adorable ribbon wands for their guests to dance with during the reception.  I loved the personalized ribbon!!!  The seating tags for everyone were handwritten and had the guests names with a nickname listed.  I loved that Erin decided to forgo that and underlined Fisher!  SO adorable!

I loved the decor in the tent.  These centerpieces really fit well with the theme and the outdoors!

This may be one of my favorite details from the day.  Instead of a traditional guestbook, the bride and groom had this massive dictionary set out and a sign asking their guests to find a spot to leave a note.  They will have this on their coffee table and it will take them years to find all of the entries I’d imagine!  SUCH a great and unique idea!  The guests had so much fun with this, thinking up which word or illustration they wanted and writing accordingly.

Every time I see this picture, I giggle.  Erin’s Dad was such a hoot all night!

Almost completely random but not – in the back right corner was where they had an ICEE STATION and they had apple cider icees.  I may have had a couple of these and it was the best thing EVER.

Immediately after their entrance, James and Erin immediately went into their first dance.

Erin had sent me her Pinterest boards and there was a LOT of pictures of couples being super cute on the dance floor so I knew that these sweet moments were what she was hoping for from her wedding.  However, I was somewhat scared when I saw the pinned images because you never know what couples are going to be naturally sweet and cuddly together and what couples are going to dance awkwardly together (no shame, my  husband and I look TERRIBLE when photographed dancing together).  Thankfully, these two have the adorable dancing thing down pat.  Whew.

So sweet, right?

Dear Erin, I hope that I met your expectations!

After the first dance the fathers each welcomed the guests via a toast.  Erin’s father went first and he was hilarious!

James is one of three children and when his Dad made a reference to his two kids (meaning the bride and groom) James’s brother (the best man) got a bit offended.  It was HILARIOUS!

The Best Man took the next toast and made a reference to being the forgotten child and everyone kept laughing.  These were some of the best toasts I’ve ever heard.  Perfect balance of fun and sweet.

During the AMAZING BBQ dinner I was able to capture a picture of their invitation.  Isn’t it gorgeous?

I love the uniqueness of their rings.  They were both custom designed and I love how they pair well together but aren’t matchy-matchy.  Yellow gold isn’t seen too often so it’s almost a treat when I do see it.  The peridot just adds that special touch!

James, you are too fun to photograph!

This would be another Father/Daughter dance that made me a bit misty.  So precious.

James and his Mom were all smiles!

I loved this tent!  It had a clear ceiling where the dance floor was and the rest was white.  It really made for some fun photos as the sun was setting like this one.

The wedding was held at James’s Uncle’s house and they had a path around the nearby pond lit up with twinkle lights for people to walk at night.  I stole James and Erin for a couple quick pictures and it also gave them a breather during the reception.  This is one of my favorites from the day.

After some dancing it was time to toss the bouquet!

The garter came off and was also tossed!

James’s family ended the evening with a traditional Scottish wedding dance and I loved it so so much.

SUCH a perfect setting for a wedding reception, don’t you agree??

Thank you both for hiring me!!!  <3