Occasions Party Center

I was concerned about the weather forecast for Saturday since Carrie and Jason were planning an outdoor wedding but it turned out we needed sun glasses! They had a beautiful ceremony at Occasions Party Center by the fountain. All the parents were busy setting things up and making sure everything was perfect. Everything did turn out perfect, the weather was great, the ceremony was meaningful and the food was fantastic as always! We took a few moments in between the ceremony and reception and walked around the beautifully landscaped grounds and created some beautiful images.

Lake Forest Country Club

Wow!! It's great to be back -especially with a couple like Karmen and Thad. I had photographed Karmen's friend Megan last year and she did Karmen's hair for the wedding. They were married March 1st on the island of St. Lucia. This past Saturday they had a brunch to celebrate with their close family and friends at Lake Forest Country Club. The dark wood room was decorated beautifully with flowers and had a pianist playing music the entire time. Karmen came down the grand staircase and made an amazing entrance in her gown! The food was fantastic and the weather turned out great for early April. I loved working with you two and can't wait to show the album!!

What a vacation!

11 days away from home is too long! I had a great time at WPPI in Vegas and got to meet and study with some of the top photographers from around the world. I learned so much I can't wait for my first wedding this year to put into practice all this new knowledge! Fortunately I get to work with an awesome couple next weekend, Thad and Karmen.

My trip wasn't all work and no play -- my wife, Holly, flew out to meet with me on Friday and we went to Zion Canyon to take care of some unfinished business. We were there last year and attempted to climb to the top of Angels Landing, however, we chickened out about 1/2 mile from the top. It is such a steep and narrow climb that the national park service put metal poles with chains in between for people to hold onto. At one point you walk a cross a path that is 3 feet wide and over 1000 feet down on either side. That's where we stopped last time. This year we made it to the top safely and back down in about 4 1/2 hours. The next day we went to Arches National Park in Utah. There are so many amazing hikes there you could spend a week and not do them all! As we were hiking we came across a magazine fashion shoot on the edge of a canyon. The wind was blowing pretty good which made for a dramatic image. The model was from Germany, the photographer was from New York and rest of the crew was from England. It was exciting for me to just happen across the scene with the camera in my hand.

We decided to be adventurous and signed up for "canyoneering." We hiked across a mile of petrified sand dunes and then rappelled down a 90' cliff into a grotto! It was terrifying at first -- especially when we had to 'lean back' into the rappel, but then it got easier. After another mile or so we did a jaw-dropping 120' rappel into an alluring green canyon below via an enormous natural stone bridge! It was such an amazing adventure and we are so glad we took the opportunity to give it a try!

Happy Valentines Day!!

It's Valentines Day again already. It seems like this year is flying by so fast! I want to dedicate this post to my beautiful wife Holly who has given me so much. She has given me 3 wonderful children and almost 20 years of marriage. This July we will celebrate our 20 year anniversary! Wow, it goes by so fast you need to savor every minute of every day with the ones you love. Our plan is to go to Mexico and lay on the beach and do some exploring in the Mayan ruins. It would be nice for us to go alone but my son will be a senior next year and it will probably be his last vacation with "mom and dad" so we are going to go as a family. It will be a blast I'm sure!!

Roses Run

Jessica and Aaron were my last wedding of the year and what a way to finish off a fantastic year! They were married in Saint Stevens Church surrounded by their closest family and friends. There was a banner in the sanctuary that was at Jessica's parents wedding that spoke about growing together in love which is what marriage is all about. They were a fun couple and had a lively reception at Roses Run Country Club with the always great D.J. Geoff Cox from Hats Off Entertainment. Good luck with your move to North Carolina and I hope to see you soon!

Greystone Hall

I've had the last 4 weekends off and took the time to spend with my family and friends. I couldn't wait to get back to doing what I love though and had the privilege to work with Melissa and Tony this weekend at Greystone Hall in downtown Akron. There were flowers everywhere and the hall was decorated beautifully. The band Special Blend provided the entertainment for the evening. They were fantastic and it seemed like there wasn't anything they couldn't play.

Pavilion Hall in Cuyahoga Falls

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I went to visit my parents in Indiana over the Holiday so I am a little later than usual with this post! Katie and Kurt were married the Saturday before Thanksgiving in the First United Methodist Church in Cuyahoga Falls. It was a cool rainy day so we didn't have many outdoor opportunities for photographs at all. We made the best of it though in the bridal lounge which is a huge room with beautiful stained glass windows. The reception was in the Pavilion Hall on Front Street. We were able to go outside there after dark under the overhang and create some more images in the rain without getting wet.