Dragonfly Photography
Dear Jen + Kyle: I want to be you when I grow up.
Have you ever met people who you felt were just so genuinely kind you were almost stunned? The kind of people that you love being near because everything about them seems to be about the people around them? People that have decided that they should spend their lives building into the lives of young people because it’s who they are?
If you’ve followed along here at all, it’s no surprise that I like my couples pretty regularly. You may even roll your eyes when I start in with phrases like…. “THIS couple…” but there is a strong reason for that. I really try hard to only work with couples that I think are going to be a great fit. And it usually works out that way. I need couples that are going to think my crazy I’m-super-involved-with-your-wedding-and-life-in-general-cause we’re besties now attitude is… endearing… as opposed to stalker-ish. 😉
That being said, throughout my year, there tend to be a few standout couples for me. Jen and Kyle are one of them. They were so much fun to be around that when their wedding was over, I genuinely missed hanging out with them so often…
Both Jen and Kyle work in our local Cleveland school systems (because they’re AMAZING), and they both have ridiculously broad interests. Kyle is an exceptional cook. They both love to travel. Jen thinks it’s fun to risk her life (or at least past life) by rock climbing, Alpine climbing, and generally being an adventurer. But most importantly, they value excellent coffee, which puts them in the proper category of people who value good things in my mind…
The two of them decided on a spring wedding local to Cleveland. Jen had such a specific vision for what she wanted their wedding day to look like, and I think she brought it to life perfectly. They chose the Clifton Barn in Avon, Ohio as their wedding venue, which is a beautiful little venue that’s kind of tucked in the middle of nowhere. It has the look of an old winery on a French countryside. This happens to be perfectly fabulous for a number of reasons, but especially because Jen is French.
The day was filled with emotion, family everywhere, people who genuinely cared about the two of them in a beautiful way. It was amazing to see them walk through their day and interact both with each other and the people that they love around them. When you can see a couple that visibly lights up when they step into the room with the person that they’re going to marry, you know that they’re on the right track…
Their first look was a tearjerker, and Jen looked like she stepped straight out of a fairytale. Kyle’s reaction is probably one of my favorite first look reactions of all time. And they even included their dog Lola, who stole the show of course. How could she not being that cute, those ears tho?
Jen also deserves a paragraph here where I talk about the fact that she hand-painted place settings for myself, Kamron and Gabi. Hand-painted. Want to know what mine was? A vegan donut of course. Lol I mean, to be fair, I guess it was hard to tell in the painting whether it was in fact, vegan. But if she knows me well enough to know that I’m going to need a hand-painted picture of a donut… clearly she painted it vegan. I like her so much.
My absolute favorite thing about their wedding day? The two of them being genuine for every single moment. It’s funny but you don’t realize how hard it actually is to stay you in the midst of a day filled with so much pressure. These two handled the pressure like pros, and in the midst of details and timelines and whether there was going to be the first-ever hurricane in Ohio… 😉 the two of them were Magic. Eyes only for each other, smiles that would light up for days, and genuine love that makes this hopeless romantic all teary just thinking about it.
Jen and Kyle, it was our absolute pleasure to be with you on the most important day of your life. Next time you’re feeling coffee and vegan donuts, just shout. 😉 Every one else, enjoy.
Vendor Love
Makeup | Make Up By Merideth
Venue | The Clifton Barn
