​It is always extra special to photograph your friends during their big milestones.  I met Ashley (and therefore John, as well because they come as a set, of course) in a small group at church, and we bonded over our shared name!  Fast forward a few years later, they beasted it at grad school in Pittsburgh, moved back to Ohio in the Columbus area, and are getting married next year at The Gathering Place at Darlington Lake!!  We debated different possible locations for their engagement photos, with Ashley’s one stipulation being 100% FALL, and we settled on Zoar, OH, which was absolutely perfect.  Zoar is a historic village in Tuscarawas County.  If you’ve never been, you need to check it out, especially if you like history and learning. The historic homes and buildings have so much charm and made for the perfect fall photo backdrop.  Ashley and John, I’m so glad to know you and be your friend, and I hope that these photos make you feel so very special.

Emily and Joe are obviously couple soulmates of mine because they're getting married at the same wedding venue as Pete and I did (the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo)!!!  That makes us like automatic BFFs, right?!  I'm gonna go with a big ol' "yes" on that one.  But anywhooo, I just love these two and their sweet love.  They are literally so cute that I can't even handle it, and I Iove both of their playful and fun personalities!  We had a lovely summer evening engagement session in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park at both Kendall Hills and the Virginia Kendall Ledges Overlook, and although they claimed that they didn't know what to do in front of the camera, I beg to differ (please see my supporting evidence below).  I am beyond psyched and completely humbled to be their wedding photographer, and cannot wait for their wedding day next year.  WE GON PARTY WITH DA ANIMALS!!

Cool fact about Ben and Michelle: They are getting married in the factory where the famous cheesehead hats are made in Milwaukee, which Michelle says was a fact they learned after they booked it.  I was very tempted to photoshop some cheeseheads right on to their heads in these photos, but alas, I decided to show some personal restraint (for now.... ::evil villain laugh:: muah ha ha ha).  These two met in Cleveland, where Ben is originally from, so they wanted to have their engagement photos done in their old stomping grounds.  Cue, ME!  I am so glad they found me, they felt like friends from the beginning.  We covered quite a bit of Cleveland ground, from the Flats West Bank, to downtown, to East Fourth Street, and finishing with Voinovich Park after dark for some skyline photographs.  And as if that couldn't get any better, they just added an 11-week old pup named Lincoln to the family, and we was everything I'd hoped he would be.  What a fun evening we had you guys.  I hope you cherish these for years and years and years to come.

We tried to schedule Kalli and Danny's photography session at Horseshoe Lake in Cuyahoga Valley National Park at the very right time, with snow on the ground and a chance that some more snow would fall from the sky, and we got just that!  With help from Bethany Rose on makeup and Poppy Petals Floral Design with florals (with a major S/O to mother nature for her snowy magical-ness) we created some beautiful and timeless images.  Look at Kalli in that pink dress!  She is stunning!  And Danny cleaned up pretty well, himself!  I hope these images make you feel special, you two, and that you will treasure them for years to come.

P.S. Make sure you check out the GIF below for some snow-dancin' action.