Dragonfly Photography
When Amy and Chris first connected with us, I immediately knew that they were going to be the kind of people we were going to enjoy working with. Because we work with a limited number of couples per year and spend a significant amount of time with each of them, it’s really important that we work with people that we connect well with. Because of that, I think we’re fortunate enough to say that the vast majority of couples are pretty amazing. But of that cream of the crop group, I think there tends to be a few standout couples every year.
Chris and Amy are one of those.
I spoke with Chris first, which is actually fairly unusual. If there is a bride, we almost always speak with her first. It was such an amazing experience listening to Chris talk about Amy without her in the room. The way he described her caring nature, how he fell in love with her, and the things they value as a couple made it easy to see why we would want to work with them.
The two of them met in Ann Arbor, Michigan they were right in the middle of a move from another state getting ready to relocate to Ohio when we first met. They had a lot on their plate and were passionate about the kind of wedding that they wanted to have. The idea was simple, they wanted a micro wedding with the people that mattered the absolute most to them included. They had a multicultural family with people traveling internationally, the safety of their guests mattered deeply to them, they wanted to have a really good time, and they wanted pie.
Obviously, if you know anything about the things we’re passionate about you know that I was pretty excited about the pie. 😉 But even more than delicious desserts, I loved the idea that they were so focused on the people that they loved, and on crafting a day that was unique to them. They were about the idea that they did not want to simply copy what it was that they’d seen done before. They wanted to craft a day that was entirely unique to them and what they loved. We talked through all sorts of options and settled on what I think was a really beautiful wedding day that represented the two of them in an absolutely beautiful way.
One of their favorite things to do together is go backpacking and camping. These are the kind of people that backpack off in the middle of nowhere where all you can see are the stars. The endless amount of jokes that we had between us about how that sort of thing actually would be the death of me. I fully support their affinity for nature, I prefer nature as a view from my front porch with a cup of coffee in hand. They were insistent that good coffee is possible in the middle of nowhere and proved it to me when they started their wedding morning off with a hike together and a pour-over of one of my favorite fall blends of coffee. I’m pretty sure Chris chose that blend just to drive the point home. Well played.😉
From there they went their separate ways and began preparing for their day. They actually got ready in the same space, but in separate sides of the house. Amy had her mom with her, and Chris was with his mom. It was beautiful to see their family interacting with them, and also just the sheer laughter and joy that was coming from the families interacting together as they crossed back and forth between the couple.
Their first look was everything that it should have been. The look on Chris’s face when he saw Amy was exactly the kind of thing that makes for a good Hallmark movie. If anybody was curious how that man felt about his bride all they needed to do was look at his face. The small moments the two of them had together, the jokes, the free-flowing conversation, the ease with that they interacted with each other. I don’t think I’ve ever been with two people that are easier to spend time with. Amy and Chris are absolutely delightful.
From there it was time for this ceremony, the couple had chosen to include the Ketubah signing within the ceremony in order to include every one of the guests in that important moment. This was a definite benefit of having a micro wedding and ended up being a highlight of the ceremony. Ketubahs are always stunningly beautiful, but seeing so many signatures on it was really unique and very Amy and Chris. Honoring their culture and traditions but also just a little bit uniquely them at the same time.
The rest of the evening was about great food and great friends. Everybody ate and relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful conversation and a wonderful time together. The end of the evening was filled with a bonfire outside and s’mores to cap off the fall evening. And of course ridiculous amounts of pie from Rood in Lakewood, Ohio.
Amy and Chris, It is a delight to know you two. Thank you for having us on such a wonderful day.
