Mikel & Rob's Wedding at Paul Brown Stadium

Where to begin with Mikel and Rob's wedding?  Great weather, fun people, beautiful locations, true love... what a wonderful day in every possible way!  

We had a blast photographing Mikel and Rob in downtown Cincinnati along with their lively wedding party.  I think we spent most of the day laughing our way through pictures.  Not only did we have fun, but we also got amazing photographs.  It was so hard to narrow down images for this post!  Mikel and Rob's classic color palette and elegant details mixed with some quirky personal touches (see the guys' glasses) and bubbly personalities made for many great photo ops.

Following the traditional ceremony at the Basilica (such a stunning church), guests got to enjoy the Cincinnati skyline as viewed from Paul Brown Stadium.  Guests also couldn't stay off the dance floor thanks to The Naked Karate Girls.  Combine rock, pop and rap with crazy outfits and stage props and NKG had the dance floor packed from start to finish.  Between all the love, laughter and entertainment, I'm sure this wedding will be forever remembered by all their friends and family. 

Mikel and Rob are now lounging on the beaches of Hawaii so feel free to leave them 'well wishes' below in Comments or with their images on Facebook.  Congrats to such a sweet couple and thank you for sharing your day with us!

 

Check out some of Mikel and Rob's wonderful Wedding Team:

I Do Wedding's and Events

Secret Garden Floral

Prime Time Party Rental

Blue Canister Films

Vincent Lighting

A Savannah Nite Limo

Rehearsal Dinner Inspiration

Each week on the studio's Facebook page, we post an Inspiration Board to help our brides and grooms with party planning ideas.  This week's board is from Donna and Brad's rehearsal dinner held at the father of the bride's house in upstate New York.

They had wanted to have a good old-fashioned barbecue to give their guests the chance to unwind and kickback before the wedding.  Even though it was to be a casual event, Donna and Brad still made plenty of fun and unique touches to their party tying in many of their favorite hobbies.

The couple loves to canoe and explore all the rivers near their house so the canoe made a perfect cooler for their custom brewed wedding beer.  The Goodhale Ale 'Honey-do Wheat' was a hit with all the guests.  They used chalkboards for decor as well as signage, tying in with their save-the-dates which were made from mini-chalkboards.  The linens were done with a cute quilted pattern and were made by the groom's mom...truly a labor of love!

Dinner had all the classic barbecue fixings and to make dining alfresco easier (and cuter), guests could pick up stamped little paper bags containing all their silverware.  And what cookout wouldn't be complete without a bonfire and s'mores?  Take out boxes held all the yummy ingredients to make your own tasty treat!

Donna and Brad proved that casual doesn't have to be bland or boring and that's why they're our Inspiration Board of the week!  Congrats!

Resources:
Etsy.com had the stamped paper bags for the cutlery as well as the take out boxes
Theknot.com's Wedding Shop has custom logo chocolates
The chalkboards came from local craft stores and the labels for the boxes and beer were printed from home.   

Melissa & Craig at Courthouse Square

Melissa and Craig had the perfect day in May for their wedding in downtown Dayton.  The day started out with getting ready photos at the hotel and then the two had their first glance in front of the old Dayton Daily News building where Craig used to work.  The wedding party soon joined us as we photographed in and around Courthouse Square giving us some great locations all within a block or two of each other.

Many people don't know that the historic Courthouse is available for events, but it is a unique and fun venue for special occasions.  Melissa put her design skills to use and made almost everything for the wedding herself (although she had lots of help from family and friends).  Melissa used paper for much of the wedding's personal touches.  She made all the signs, place cards, programs and even the centerpieces were made from tissue paper.  The cake pop favors they made were also a big hit...especially for the kids.

I give Melissa a lot of credit for all her DIY projects.  For those who haven't tackled those type of projects they are a lot more work and stress than you think, and Melissa did a beautiful job with them.  All their hard work made for a memorable day for everyone involved.  Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs!

PS. Don't forget that you can see more images from Melissa and Craig's wedding on the studio's Facebook page.  Be sure to hit the 'Like' button on the top of the page and then you can tag yourself in images. Enjoy!

Here are some of the great vendors who helped make their day complete:
Furst Florist
Prime Time Party Rental
Queen City DJs
Ritter's Frozen Custard
Courthouse Square

Amanda & Myles at Schindler Center

Amanda and Myles are the sweetest couple and we were thrilled to photograph their wedding.  We had worked with Amanda's family before when we photographed her sister's wedding five years ago, and nothing makes us happier than working with such a wonderful family.

The bride and groom picked a fun and unique color palette for their event.  Instead of the typical pastel colors that you see a lot this time of year, they opted for a more 'organic' look.  Taking their inspiration from nature, they used moss, birch, and even herbs mixed in with their flowers and centerpieces.  The end result was beautiful, chic and fun!  The Flower Shoppe did a fantastic job.

The reception was at Schindler Banquet Center, which we love for it's beautiful available light.  Everything is so bright and cheery and gives us photographers lots to play with.  Guests cheered Amanda and Myles through their super cute first dance before joining them on the dance floor, which stayed hop'n all night!

Their day had many personal touches that tied in with their faith and family, including having her brother help perform the ceremony.  Amanda and Myles are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to surround them as they start their new lives together.

We wish Amanda and Myles all the best!  Feel free to leave them messages below or tag and see more of their images on the studio's Facebook page.  Congrats!

  

Rachel and Peter at Columbus Museum of Art

Rachel and Peter's wedding day certainly lived up to the saying, 'April showers bring May flowers.' Mother Nature decided to give it her best shot that day, but the rain didn't slow down this fun loving couple.

Their wedding was held in downtown Columbus and guests were able to walk from the church to the reception held at the Columbus Museum of Art just next door.  Much thought and planning went into their colors, decor and feel of their event.  The delicate spring blooms of cherry blossoms, hydrangea and many many others looked beautiful with the lavender accents. 

Rachel and Peter also added many personal touches to their event including having their family perform their first dance song.  Guests thoroughly enjoyed their evening and had the dance floor jumping all night.  We had a wonderful time with Peter and Rachel's close-knit friends and family.  Congrats to the happy couple as they start their new life together!

Feel free to leave messages for Rachel and Peter below in 'Comments' and you can also see and tag more images from their wedding on the studio's Facebook page.

Rachel and Peter had some amazing vendors to help them with their dream day.  You can check them out on the links below:
Venue: Columbus Museum of Art
Dress: Vera Wang
Catering: Cameron Mitchell
Floral & Event Design: Natural Designs
Video: Picture the Love
Entertainment: The Conspiracy Band

2011 "Best of the Best" Contest!

It's that time of year again! Before we gear up for our 2012 wedding season, we wanted to thank all of our 2011 couples for sharing their weddings with us!

This is an awesome prize that will look great in one lucky couple's home. Last year's winner had over 400 votes so start spreading the word to your friends and family on Facebook!

Here's how to Vote: Just follow these TWO easy steps!

1. "Like" Mark Garber Photography on Facebook.

2. Cast your vote by COMMENTING under your image. A COMMENT can be something as simple as 'vote' or 'Got my vote.' Simply hitting the 'like' button under your image will not count as a vote.

Prime Time Party Rental Bridal House

This Saturday, March 24th from 9am to 2pm join us and many other great wedding vendors at Prime Time Party Rental's Bridal Open House! Prime Time will even be offering discounts on rental orders...leaving you more room in your budget to spend on photography ;) Anyway, don't miss out! Click on the link to RSVP.