Angela and Chad at Dayton Art Institute

Mother nature did not cooperate last Saturday, but that didn't stop Angela and Chad from their dream wedding. They had booked the Dayton Art Institute for their ceremony and reception, which worked out perfectly because it did give us some opportunities to photograph outside without getting wet or blown away.

Angela and Chad used a color palette and theme straight from nature making the museum look absolutely breathtaking. The Birch branches arching over the cake and tree-like centerpieces almost made it feel like you were in an enchanted forest. I love when couples aren't afraid to use color and the moss green wedding cake certainly got a lot of attention.

Angela and Chad had a small wedding party consisting of their kids and nieces and nephews. They also had friends and family travel from all over the globe to celebrate with them making for a very memorable evening. Angela and Chad are enjoying a two part honeymoon with the first stop in Napa Valley followed by a trip to Italy (have to say I wish we were going along too).

Feel free to leave messages for the newlyweds below in 'Comments.' You can also see more images and tag yourself in images on the Studio's Facebook page. We'll have their slide show posted shortly. Congrats!

Angela and Chad had some of Dayton's finest vendors. Check them out below!
Dayton Art Institute, Elegant Fare Catering, Lillian's Bridal, Furst Florist, Dorothy Lane Market: Cake, Edwards Entertainment, Primetime Rental, Entertainment Unlimited

PPA District Judging Results!

The Professional Photographers of America, with nearly 22,000 members in the US and Canada, each year holds it's annual District Judging. We are apart of the Northeast District, which is shown in green on the map above. Two weeks ago, our District Judging was held and we thought we would share the results...

We entered the maximum number of entries, which is four. All four happened to be wedding albums from 2010 and one from 2009. In order to 'merit' a print/album has to score above an 80 on a scale of 0-100. We are very happy to say that all four of our entries merited with scores of 89, 90, 90 & 92.

Of all the entrants to our District competition, only 16 other photographers merited all four entries. Going 'four for four' is extremely coveted because it makes you eligible for two other very coveted and prestigious awards.

First, at the District level, you are eligible to win the Canon Par Excellence Award. With only five Districts, only five photographers in the entire country can win this award each year. Secondly, at the International Print Competition held later this June, you are then eligible to win some level of the Photographer of the Year Award.

We are very honored to say that we did win the Canon Par Excellence Award. We also now have the title of being the only photographers to have won it for the second time in it's five year history. We'll be sure to let you know the results of the International Judging later this summer.

A special 'Thank You' to our clients, who help make these awards possible. we are honored that you chose us to share such a momentous occasion and that you trust us with your memories! Below is a sample spread from each album. You can also click on the links below to see their wedding blog posts.

Julie and Christian

Abby & Brian

Logan and Jonathan

Amy & Gary

A Bicycle Built for Two: Valerie and Noah!

So Valerie and Noah might have the best 'how did the meet story' that we've heard yet! They are both in med school and were taking a gross anatomy class. Valerie needed a lab partner and Noah volunteered. While dissecting a cadaver, he asked her out. Love works in mysterious ways! Valerie and Noah have a wedding planned at Drees Pavilion, which overlooks the Cincinnati skyline. In keeping with the Cincinnati cityscape, we photographed their engagement session on and around the 'purple people bridge.' They even rented a tandem bike and brought their puppy along making for a perfect Cincinnati afternoon. Congrats!

Matthew and Lauren at Country Club of the North

Matthew and Lauren got the '...out like a lion...' part of the spring weather last Saturday with wind, rain and chilly temps. However, we love a good challenge and the weather wasn't going to dampen any one's spirits!

Fortunately Matthew and Lauren had booked Country Club of the North, which has a lot of great window light and plenty of covered outdoor places to photograph. Venues like the Schuster Center, Dayton Art Institute and CCN provide great weather backup plans because they have some many beautiful spots with great light to photograph. The rain stopped just in time to go to the church and use the beautiful red doors out front. The weather even cooperated through their grand exit from the church.

Lauren's color palette of bright cheery florals mixed with plum made for a festive spring look and certainly brightened all the photos. A girl after my own heart, Lauren went with blue shoes as her 'something blue.' Matthew also lent his graphic design skills and made the invitations, programs, and table markers.

Despite the spring showers, it was a beautiful wedding filled with love and laughter. All of Matthew and Lauren's wonderful friends and family kept hearts warm, spirits up and the dance floor full! Feel free to leave messages for the newlyweds below or tag photographs on the Studio's Facebook page. Congrats and enjoy sunny Aruba!

Some of the great vendors who helped make Matthew and Lauren's day a success!

Country Club of the North

Primetime Party Rental

Furst Florist

The Cakery

Bridal and Formal

Absolute DJ's

R&S Video Productions

Our Week...

Soooo this is what our week looks like..."Hello, jet lag!" We will be out of the office with the exception of a few hours on Wednesday as we give a program to the Professional Photographers of Washington (PPW) and the Professional Photographers of New England (PPANE). The PPANE convention will also be hosting our District's Print Judging. We have entered the maximum possible entries of four wedding albums. Wish us luck! Needless to say, we will be checking emails and voice mails as best as we can, but will return the bulk of them next week. The good news is that this will be the last of our travel (with the exception of a destination wedding the last weekend in April). Thank you for your understanding!

Heidi & Matthew at the Dayton Raquet Club

Heidi & Matthew are a super sweet couple and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing their wedding day with them last weekend. Heidi and Matthew got married at Grace United Methodist Church off Salem Avenue, which we haven't photographed at in years. I had forgotten how pretty the church photographs and could have 'played' there all day.

Heidi and Matthew had a lot of fun details to their event that gave it sort of an 'old world' feeling to the wedding. Their church looked like a castle, they drove away in a vintage Packard, chose a classic color palette and of course looked very elegant in couture gown and uniform. Everything pulled together for a beautiful day.

Guests were able to enjoy the panoramic views of the city from the top floor of the Dayton Racquet Club. The dance floor was packed all night with friends and family celebrating the night away. Heidi and Matthew are continuing the wedding celebration by honeymooning for three weeks in Italy...so jealous!

Feel free to leave well wishes for the newlyweds and you can tag images on the studio's Facebook page too. You can also check out their engagement pictures if you missed those last fall. Congrats to such a wonderful couple!

Heidi and Matthew had some awsome vendors...check them out at the links below.

The Flowerman, Primetime Rental, Lillian's Bridal, Party Pleasers DJ & Lighting, Preen Apothecary, Affinity Day Spa, The Cakery, Blue Dog Productions Video and Dayton Raquet Club

Heather & Brent's Engagement Session

Jennifer and Heather went to high school together, but had lost touch with each other over the years. Through Facebook the two reconnected. Jennifer was happy to hear about what a wonderful soul mate Heather had found in Brent, and needless to say, was happy to do their engagement session once Brent finally popped the question.

The two are planning a fun wedding their way. Originally thinking that they wanted a destination wedding, their plans changed and they have essentially brought the tropical destination to Ohio. They are having a very small intimate ceremony on a Thursday at their home. They are then honeymooning in Jamaica and following that up with a tropical themed reception here in Dayton.

We love it when couples break the wedding mold and plan an event that reflects their personalities, lifestyle and needs. We wish them the best of luck and know that they will have many happy years ahead of them! Congrats!