Fave Ceremony Venue - 2011 Weddings

Fave Ceremony Venue

Well kids we are down to our final look at 2011. I could just be honest and say, "all of them" haha. Seriously, we were blessed to be a part of some beautiful ceremonies at gorgeous sites. My personal top two are very different from the size of the venue to the weather.

Kristina has such a vibrant personality; it was only fitting that the Dennis wedding colors were royal red, white, and blue. She and Dustin's ceremony at the home of "Aunt Gaylea" and "Uncle Jim" Guilford was absolutely gorgeous featuring hundreds of red roses and bouquets created by the bride's cousin. Rosaries were hung in a nearby tree in remembrance and to honor faith. Members of the Guilford family even provided vocal music for the ceremony. I believe it was Gaylea who mentioned how special it was to see Kristina pass through such a revered right of passage beside the pond she played in as an adolescent and had formed so many other happy memories already. Planning for this wonderful event was provided by

Baci Designer Stationery + Events.

Switching gears from an outdoor fall wedding, we have the Hancock wedding held at St.Mark's Lutheran Church of rural Defiance, Ohio. As previously mentioned, Nicole wanted a small, intimate affair that was as tastefully simple as possible. She more than succeeded! :) This venue was a natural fit for the couple as it is where our groom, Rod, serves as a deacon. The stain glass windows of this small country church and its cream walls definitely created the perfect mood for their ceremony.

Please click the photo below to view a slideshow of these two venues. Congrats again to our couples! and more importantly, THANK YOU!

Fave Reception Venue - 2011 Weddings

Fave Reception Venue

Our couples in 2011 had swanky taste and knew how to make the most of their reception venues, that's for sure!!! We would like to highlight two in particular that are memorable!

1) the Strine wedding chose Founder's Hall (Archbold, Ohio) partly because of its on-site location with Sauder Village and the Village Inn (fabulous place with a huge pool room and loads of gorgeous woodwork!). What stands out most to me was the FABULOUS customer service of the staff. We like to check out locations for the ceremony and the reception if at all possible prior to the wedding day so we can get our gear list set accordingly for any lighting situations and learn the do's and don'ts of shooting locations and so on.

Shanon, Cory and I were able to meet at the inn, then travel across the parking lot to visit the hall and even step inside the actual banquet hall under staff escort who was very informative.

On the wedding day, Elizabeth and I were more than welcomed by staffers on hand for food preparation, daily operations, and event coordination. Every employee we encountered was more than helpful, genuinely took the time to answer questions and offer suggestions, and helped us get situated before the festivities. As if this were not enough, the hall is very spacious with beautiful wooden architecture (staying true to the rustic feel of the Sauder campus) and features a GORGEOUS, massive iron chandelier!!!!! :D So spacious, in fact, it was also the wedding venue -- a definite perk for guests. No finding the way to the hall in a different town, guests remained seated and the Sauders staff commenced serving the hors d'oeuvres !

2) The Hancocks preferred to keep their day as no-fuss and low-key as possible. Their choice location -- Kissner's restaurant in downtown Defiance, Ohio offered a relaxed atmosphere for classic dining. I LOVE Kissner's antique feel (not vintage, not retro... it's antique.... ) with its tin ceilings, beautiful dark wood and Victorian, tall and slender windows. Nicole and Rod's reception was held in the second floor banquet room available for rental. The base level of Kissner's (site of daily business) is frequented by locals looking for that hometown feel and is a lunchtime hotspot attracting area businessmen and women (right before the golf course on somedays! lol).

Kissner's

524 Clinton St.

Defiance, Ohio 43512

See this link for reviews on this area business as posted on Urbanspoon:

or:

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/240/1134971/restaurant/Ohio/Kissners-Defiance

Please click on the image below to view a quick video of these two locations :D

Fave Hams-- 2011 Weddings

Fave Hams!!!!

As photographers, we absolutely LOVE people who cut loose and get silly in front of the lens! They are the groomsmen who corner the bride to serenade her with a rendition of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", spunky kids, and even spunkier grandparents who know how to kick up their heels. Thank you to these people who helped lighten the mood on the dance floor and quell those wedding day jitters with jokes and little grins that scream, "betcha can't guess what I'm going to do next... "

Herman Wedding

Meet Andrew Herman, Bestman and brother of the groom who not only can pop bubbles but also play practical jokes in the middle of the ceremony. When asked for the ring this jokester whipped out a HANDFUL for poor Eric to have to sort through to find the actual wedding band for Christina! Just wondering, is a future in priesthood still likely? lol. Can't wait.

Stubblefield wedding

This couple was the first on the dance floor!!!! So adorable and they were whipping around like teeny-boppers! Such a treat to watch (and I am so jealous... all my husband does is sway ala junior high dance style)! Did we mention the dj played a remix that was at least 5 minutes long!? And they made it NONSTOP the WHOLE TIME!!! If that does not motivate you to keep with the "be more active and get fit" New Year's resolution, we don't know what will! :D

Dennis Wedding

Drayden, the bride and

groom's son/ringbearer can sport a mohawk and definitely is NOT camera shy! (but then, with fun parents like his... we're not really surprised ;)

Jacobs Wedding

At first Alexis was a shy little flower girl but after a few formals- WOW!!! DIVA! ahahahaha. And we were not complaining. I caught her peeking at me in the beginning while smelling her hydrangea bouquet and got a flashback of watching Bambi, "you can call me flower if you WANT to..."

and finally, the most limber groomsman we have seen!!!!! (I can't even do this... he did like 3 of these and cartwheels!!!) Also from the Jacobs wedding:

Fave Getaway- 2011 Weddings

Fave Getaway Mobile

Sometimes it's an antique car, often a limo, upon occasion a Hummer, but our favorite mode of transportation after the wedding ceremony is a hands-down winner...

The Dennis Wedding!