elegant wedding photography for Akron, Cleveland, and all of Northeast Ohio
A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing another Sunday wedding at the O’Neil House on Exchange Street. Beautiful! And I’m finding that I love Sunday weddings! This was a second wedding for both Kim and Robert, so their children were able to be a part of their special day, and wow, these kids were adorable! Too many cute pictures to choose from. Here are some of my favorites.
A beautiful September wedding! Janet and Rodney tied the knot in the gardens of the gorgeous Stan Hywet Hall. The forecast called for rain all day, but sure enough, the skies cleared, and the sun peeked out during their ceremony and afterward for pictures. A reception at the Doubletree in Fairlawn followed the lovely wedding. Congratulations Rodney and Janet!
My girlfriend’s getting married! And I get to photograph her special day! I grew up with Becky – we met in our church’s Sunday school class when we were 4 and 5 years old. She’s older (sorry, Becky!). We’ve been through so much together – Barbies, gymnastics, braces, perms (oh boy!). Makes me smile just thinking about it all. Now she’s grown up and getting married! I couldn’t be happier. Love you!
Girl goes to Spain. Girl meets Boy. Girl and Boy fall in love. Girl and Boy move back to the states and get married. I get to photograph their English/Spanish wedding! Okay, so I’m sure their story is a little more involved than that. I was just pumped to be able to spend the day with one of my favorite families for the second time. Meet Jen and Javi. The first time I met them was when I photographed Jen’s brother, Eric’s wedding back in May. I had already booked Jen’s wedding – she was still living in Spain at the time and booked me solely on her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s recommendation. I had a blast working with this family at Eric and Jane’s wedding, and I was super excited about working with them again. These siblings know how to work the camera…and the dance floor! Jen, you looked so beautiful. And kudos to you for planning your wedding from a different country! Enhorabuena!
Does the guy in these photos look familiar? Meet my cousin Eric and his bride-to-be, Jess. These two live in North Carolina and were in town for only a couple days. When we met in Hudson on Sunday morning for engagement photos, it was pouring rain, and I knew we couldn’t exactly reschedule (Christmastime engagement pictures?). So after waiting in the car for the rain to stop, we decided to play the game involving running from awning to awning while I snapped photos. By the second outfit-change, the rain had mostly gone away, and when my brothers met us for lunch after we were finished taking pictures, the skies had cleared and the sun was shining – can anyone say Northeast Ohio?! Eric was the cousin who always showed up on Christmas morning with new Cleveland Browns gear from Santa – a hoodie, sweatpants, a Starter Jacket… Even though Jess has been around for several years now, it was still strange seeing him all lovey-dovey for these pictures. I guess I still imagine him talking about Bernie Kosar and tossing a football. Memories…
Anyway, Eric and Jess were extremely easy to photograph. I had a great time, especially during their “color fight.” Scroll down to see what I’m talking about.
Alright, you two. I’m looking forward to your beach wedding next spring. I hope I’m invited 🙂
Here are a couple of my light-haired, blue-eyed baby, Eleanor. A guy at Lowe’s just said to us, “I bet her eyes glow in the dark.” I thought that was pretty cool. Seriously, I imagined I’d have a brown-haired, brown-eyed kid. I don’t know where she came from, but Miss Eleanor’s a keeper.
More pictures of my sister’s beautiful family…
For those of you who know me well, you know that I am much more comfortable with wedding photography than family photos. Crazy, huh? Yes, when photographing a wedding there are some moments of pressure – the first kiss, etc. – but I really enjoy taking pictures of an event as it happens. That’s why one of my least favorite parts of the wedding day is all the posed family photos. Of course I still take these (it’s what Grandma wants to frame), but I definitely prefer the candid, non-traditional photos to these. Anyway, I’m trying to get better at photographing kids. Don’t get me wrong. I love children! I think I just put a lot of pressure on myself when taking family or children photos. I want these pictures to be – like my preferred wedding photos – candid, non-traditional, fun. But toddlers can be difficult! Getting composition, lighting, and my other camera settings right is sometimes all I can focus on – I struggle with entertaining my subjects at the same time. While I’m holding my camera, I have a hard time thinking of clever things to say to get young children to smile – that’s why so many of the photos I have of toddlers are candid, and their smiles and facial expressions are natural. But getting “candid” photos of a whole family tends to be a bit harder for me. Anyway, I typically only take family photos for my own family, close friends, or past clients who know how I work. I’m hoping the more I take, the more comfortable I will become. Meanwhile, my poor brother-in-law Brent will just have to continue to bare with Rachel and I when he comes home from a long day of work to us picking through his closet and me telling him during our photo sessions, “Brent, pretend like I’m not here. Look candid. No, look candid a different way.” Hey, at least I think we got their outfits right. The pink, yellow, and orange has a nice summery feel, doesn’t it?!
What’s not to love about Allie and Mike? I’ve gotten to know these two fairly well this past year through engagement sessions (two – the rain forced us to quit early the first time), countless emails, and of course running into each other at the Akron Marathon (no pun intended). By the time of their wedding the Sunday before Memorial Day, I felt like part of the family. I actually even became misty eyed a couple times during the day – that never happens! Everything about their day was perfect – their first look at the corner of a building, Allie’s gorgeous dress, the beautiful flowers (Parisa at Pink Petals Florist always does an amazing job!)… all the details of the day – Allie and Mike, you two know how to do a wedding right. Congratulations! 
In an effort to scale back on weddings this year, I still managed to book two weddings over Memorial Day weekend. I am so happy I did. I simply adore both couples! On Saturday I had the privilege of photographing Jane and Eric’s beautiful wedding at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Portage Country Club. Jane and I go way back – several years ago – when we were both life guards/swim instructors. I – probably too old to still be twirling a whistle – was beginning to look at photography as more than just a hobby. Dear, sweet Jane, who was just in high school at the time, said to me, “When my boyfriend and I get married after college, I’d like you to photograph my wedding.” How precious, right? Of course I dismissed it, and we all went on with our lives. Fast forward about five years to last March when I received an email from Jane with the subject “I’m finally getting married!” When I met with Jane and her mother for a consultation, I reassured her that, although I would be thrilled to photograph her wedding, I was not holding her to it, and if she went a different route with the photography, I completely understood. Well, this girl is loyal, and getting to work with Jane and Eric and their families last Saturday was such an honor. Watching the slide show production at their reception definitely helped me feel “in,” and now I understand why Jane – and everyone else! – knew she and Eric would last.
About these photos. Jane was very clear about not wanting her photos to look posed. All candid. All natural. All fun. Non-traditional. So that’s what we went for. Of course I love candid pictures, but often when it comes to photographing a bride and groom with or without their bridal party, people become stiff and really want direction. Not this group. They were phenomenal – laughing and really seeming at ease in front of the camera, which made photographing them a breeze. I’m looking forward to seeing them again this August when I will be photographing the groom’s sister, Jen’s wedding. Much love to you all!
P.S. Isn’t Jane gorgeous? Oh, she was just glowing!
Meet Emily and Chris. This couple convinced their friends and family to run a 5k the morning of their wedding. Now that’s my kind of entourage. Emily and Chris flew in from Portland to get married at St. Sebastian’s and celebrate afterward at Firestone Country Club. Although I’ve lived in Akron my whole life and probably played soccer right by the church a thousand times, I had never been inside. And my experience with FCC: falling asleep on the grass while watching the golfers at the Bridegestone Invitational with Brad. Of course both venues were beautiful! Emily was the ideal bride – very organized, on top of things and completely down to earth! Chris was hysterical. Here are some of my favorites from the day. Congratulations you two. You’re both lovely!
Megan Moore Photography 