One of the most fun weddings I have ever photographed is featured today on OffbeatBride.com! So excited to share Stephanie & Gregg's wedding with the world!
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Wedding
Paula and Jason opted to schedule a day after wedding shoot, which is one of the new hottest trends in the wedding biz. What is a day after shoot, you ask? It is a photo session a few days after the wedding or after the honeymoon. Or even you can do it 1 year from your nuptials. The bride and groom dress in their wedding swag and have a relaxing and stress free photo session with no time restraints. Think about it: Wouldn't you have more fun and relaxing taking your wedding photos if you didn't have to worry about rushing off to your cocktail hour? You can also get different backdrops and angles than what you had at your reception site, such as a natural setting if your reception was indoors or a funky urban street if your venue was formal or traditional. Plus, you get to wear your dress again -- score!
What is really awesome about these types of sessions is that you don’t have to worry about getting your wedding clothes dirty or wrinkled if your photographer wants you to take pictures outside or in a crazy location. And since these pictures are taken within days or weeks of the actual wedding, the bride and groom are still in the honeymoon stage and the emotions come through making for amazing photos.
Another major advantage to this kind of after wedding photo session is that the pictures can be taken anywhere in ANY setting. When you are not pressured on time, your wedding photographer will be able to use his/her creativity. This is an opportunity to get some very different kind of pictures than you were able to get on your wedding day.
Benefits of an After the Wedding Day Photo Shoot:
Wardrobe Changes: It allows for additional pictures in your wedding attire, as well as in your reception dress and/or honeymoon clothes.
Go Places: This second shoot, whether after the honeymoon or the day after the wedding, allows for pictures to be taken in a wide variety of venues – indoors and out – in an art museum or in a forest. Go to the first place you met, kissed, started dating, etc. Make some exciting memories!
Less Stress: BREATH....You get all these extra shots and you don’t have to put any extra stress on your wedding day schedule. You can even be a little more relaxed on your wedding day, knowing that there will be another day for taking more pictures.
More Props: You can choose to use all types of props that you could not use on your wedding day. These after wedding photos can be playful and teasing or they can be serious and sultry. Of course they can also be both. That is the real glory of the after wedding day photos – they can be anything at all that you want them to be. They are not held back by the formality of the wedding day.
Location: Dayton Art Institute
Hair & Makeup: Pinned Up
TRADITIONAL GREEK WEDDING GOES GLAM: Paula and Jason planned a stunning wedding extravaganza with all the glitz and glamour. And we've all seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but if you haven't experienced the true joy of attending one, you are missing out! A Greek wedding is an event to truly remember. It starts with a traditional Greek wedding ceremony which is very serious and sacred. The ceremony is filled with symbolism and ancient traditions. And then followed by an amazing reception that goes well into the night with some of the wildest dancing you will ever see and where no guest is sitting down!!! This was exactly the experience Paula and Jason created for their huge guest list of friends and family.
During the ceremony and following Greek traditions, the bride and groom wear crowns. The bride and groom are literally seen as king and queen for the day! And this queen was totally on trend and incorporated multiple wedding dresses into her BIG day. And she didn’t just “SAY YES TO THE DRESS” but THREE! Yes, that’s no typo…. She wore 3 wedding dresses!!! TRIPLE the wedding dresses equal 3 times the WOW factor. And she totally did just that! Paula had a "that's the one" wedding dress moment...with more than one dress. So when this happens I suppose you buy them all. I mean who doesn’t what the chance to wear multiple gorgeous, sparkly dresses in the same evening? I say yes, please! She accessorized all 3 dresses with jewelry given to her from her father that were family heirlooms re-set specially for the day. The feature piece was her diamond necklace made from her departed mothers wedding ring <3
Beyond the attire, Paula and Jason wanted a romantic evening that melded modern elegant design with Old World traditions. The church’s grand vaulted ceilings and dramatic baroque columns provided the perfect backdrop for the elegant traditional Greek ceremony. After the ceremony the bride and groom were welcomed by a huge crowd and celebrated the night away with feasting, drinking and loads of dancing to the live band! The couple decided to transform the churches gymnasium/event space into a romantic getaway. This space was dark wood paneled and looks very dated but with the help of some talented vendors- the space was completely changed. White draping on the walls and ceilings with added blue up-lighting, centerpiece pin spots and chandeliers brought new life to the room. Flower arrangements included 1,200 roses. 3 foot tall glass centerpieces contained one white orchid inside each; accompanied by candles that decorated the tables gave the scenery a classy and refined look. The reception space was transformed into a sea of blue and gold.
Every detail, from the lush linens, sleek ice sculptures, candles to the overflowing floral arrangements, was pure perfection. The guests enjoyed an abundance of food, drinks and walked away with bags of goodies from the candy bar and a gift of a glass coaster set, and heart bottle cork. This BIG beautiful Greek wedding was truly unforgettably gorgeous!
VENDORS
Ceremony/Reception: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
Event Coordinator: Kathy Piech-Lukas-Your Dream Day Café | Flowers: Floral V Designs
Cake: Ashley's Pastry Shop | Catering: Vertigo
Limousine: Emerald Limousine Service | Band: George Karris | DJ: All The Right Tunes
Ice Sculptures: Ramone Ice Sculptures | Décor Rentals: Prime Time, Ambience Events, Party Pleasers
Paper Goods: Paper Pod Designs | Dress Shops: Altar Bound Bridal & Kleinfeld Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Pinned Up
Pretty in Pink. Katie and Zach who was an amazing couple had an equally amazing wedding day with a SUPER amazing gown. The bride wore a beautiful pink blush wedding dress, an incredibly romantic alternative to the typical all white or ivory wedding gown. GORGEOUS! Let's just say "50 shades of pink", Pink was the main color but not overwhelming- from her dreamy and ethereal dress, to her soft pink shoes, bright pink flowers and touches of pink in all the little details.
And you will not catch this bride running in heels. The bride is crazy about her Toms (really, who isn’t), so the bride and all of her bridesmaids supported the Toms movement “One for One” and wore a pair of Toms for the event. So needless to say it was a “Tom-tastic” event….looking great, being comfortable and helping others in need all at the same time. One bridesmaid got a little more fancy and opted for the Toms wedge. Toms wedding collection can be seen here, “Change a Life, with your next big step.”
And even though killer bees attacked us as we started her bridal photos and we had to move indoors, we really got some amazing shots inside the church in front of the stained glass windows. These might just have turned out to be some of my favorite images. So thank you bees!!!!
The bride and her bridesmaid entourage went totally DYI and made their own bouquets from a local flower shop, The Flower Man. Jealous-These ladies are SUPER crafty! WOW!
Moreover, the super cute Grooms cake which featured canoes was a scene straight from their first date and was a surprise from their parents. ADORABLE!
The night ended with a killer DJ and some serious tasty food from the 4 star local restaurant of El Meson, who offers exciting and yummy Hispanic cuisine.
VENDORS
Reception: Cox Arboretum Metro Park | Church Ceremony: St. Luke Catholic Church
Cake: The Cakery | Flowers: The Flowerman
Catering: El Meson | DJ: Hey! Mr. DJ
Hair& Makeup: Square One Salon | Shoes: Toms
Ring: Elizabeth Diamond Company | Dress Shop: Splendid Bridal
