Corey and Michelle are married on New Year's Eve 2023!

There are only a few friends who would convince me to come out of retirement to photograph a wedding, but the Edmond’s made a compelling case :-). We had a fantastic time with Corey and Michelle, and the day couldn’t have been more perfect. We had snow! We had an absolutely fantastic New Year’s Eve party, and we had Corey and Michelle getting married, we had legendary venues with Saint Pius church, and Notre Dame as a beautiful background for a beautiful wedding. Congratulations Corey and Michelle! I won’t forget this one.

Planners - Merry Me Events
Videographers - Covanental Films
Cake and Desserts - Happy Tiers Bakeshop
Dress - Anagrassia
Stylists - Something Blue Stylists
Rentals - AAYS Event Rentals
Band - Final Say Band

Rowan senior photos - Toledo senior photography

It was an honor to take Rowan’s senior photos. He loves art and we wanted to reflect that in his photos. His mom specifically asked that we avoid the more standard looks, and I’m proud of what were able to create.

Maleah and Chris are married!

The final wedding of the year, and nearly the final wedding of my career. I so appreciate Maleah and Chris for having me at their celebration! In many ways it felt like I was back to where I started. Sylvan Cellars has been the scene for many weddings that I had the privilege of taking photos for, and Chris and Maleah felt like old friends. Here’s a quick preview!

Matthew and Kelly are married!

Back in Goshen and it feels so good :-). We had a wonderful day with Matt and Kelly. The Spohn Ballroom is such a classic venue, and the decorating touches accented it perfectly. Matt and Kelly compliment each other so well, and I loved the heartfelt vows. Here’s a quick preview!

Molly and Ethan are married!

Nothing like going back to my old homeland for Ethan and Molly's wedding, and what a beautiful wedding it was. St Pius X for the ceremony and Palais Royale for the reception in downtown South Bend, IN. It was especially neat for me, because I also had the honor of photographing Molly's senior photos and acting headshots a few years ago. The whole ceremony and reception was full of musical theater talent. You guys should have heard all the amazing guests and all their contributions to the night. Hope you enjoy this quick preview!

Abbey Turner fights Hodgkin's lymphoma on her terms.

Here's the full collaboration with fellow photographer, Abbey Turner. She is currently fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and this photo series was an attempt to visualize some of the realities of life for her through this time. Abbey was kind enough to write a bit to describe some of her thought process that the photos represent.

On a personal level, being trusted to tell stories that are important is really a lot of what photography is about for me. The storytelling aspect is one that I know I can grow a lot in, but I hope to keep getting those opportunities. There's the old trope about a camera being able to steal your soul, but I think the chances are overstated. Making a photo with soul is one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do.

1/4 “The first thing they did when I went in for chemo was weigh me to dose the exact amount of chemo drugs needed to kill all the new cells in my body without stopping my heart. For me it’s about loss of identity and the body, and about the dance I feel like I’m doing crossing over between life and death. Since my chemo was every two weeks, I would have one week barely able to see or move, and one week trying to be normal and deal with mundanity of catching up to life. With the brain fog and memory loss I experienced under chemo, I often felt like just a body being experimented on with needles and drugs. It felt like a lot of time my brain was missing or my cognitive function and mental health was a slave to what my body had to go through.”

2/4 “There is a progression of cancer taking over your life. It’s all-consuming in the same way that it physically is, starting with just a mutated cell and eventually taking over every organ and killing your body if allowed to run its course. One little seed of doubt or negative experience can feel massive and completely disruptive when you’re trying so hard just to make it through the day.”

3/4 “There is a light I’m trying to not only see but create where everything feels overwhelmingly dark. For me this journey has been lonely and I have felt often that if I didn’t create or work towards creating my own light, laughter, happiness, etc it was easy to succumb to the darkness.”

4/4 “Maybe our lives weren’t meant to become monuments. Maybe we are here only to make this experience slightly better for those around us. Maybe we are here to understand pure suffering and pure joy, and to find peace in just that. Pain will always endure. But so will laughter. So will the spark of human touch, and the cycle of nature. If I am just passing through, I will find the most beautiful ugly way to do so.”

Wellfield Botanic Garden wedding - Kate and Spencer are married!

What a great way to end my regular wedding season! Photographing for the Cover family feels like a reunion, since I’ve seen so many of them in other photographs. I loved being there for Kate and Spencer’s wedding as well.

I loved how Kate and Spencer looked at each other, and how much fun their wedding party had. They took the party title seriously. This makes for some fun photos. It was great getting to hang out and document the entire thing.

A preview won’t do this day justice, but it will get it started. Here we go….

Camp Friedenswald wedding - Matt and Jennifer are married!

So this was a bit of a different approach than the normal. Instead of a day, Matt and Jennifer had a whole weekend of campground activities planned for their guests and in the middle of it, they had a wedding. I loved the relaxed approach, and how natural it felt. What a lovely way to start a life together.

Congratulations Matt and Jennnifer! Thank you for bringing us along.

Toledo wedding - Jarrod and Caitlin are married!

This was our first wedding in Toledo area since moving here and what a fantastic wedding it was. Jarrod and Caitlin were wonderful to work with, and it was an honor to be there. The ceremony was held at St. Rose Parish in Perrysburg, OH, and we went almost next door to the Corranor Hunt and Polo Club for the reception. Enjoy a quick look at their day!

Tippacanoe Place wedding - Jeff and Delayna are married!

In the middle of one of the rainiest seasons I’ve experienced in recent memory, Jeff and Delayna had a beautiful day. They took advantage with a ceremony under the Tipppacanoe Place trees, and reception directly beside it where they could watch the sun set and dance the night away. Our photos ended with a sparkler sendoff (for the camera), and everyone went straight back to late-night snacks and more dancing. A complete win all around. Check out the little trip downtown we managed between the ceremony and the reception as well!

Vendors!

Venue: Tippacanoe Place

Rentals: AAYS Rental

Cake: C’Est La Vie

Flowers: Snapdragon Designs

Hair and Makeup: Beauty and Bliss

Dress: Sarah Seven