Zach and Arika’s winter wedding was a day filled with sweet love and joy, beauty, laughter and tears, and making the most of the cold and rainy weather.

Allow me to share the story of their day captured through pictures…

The ceremony and reception took place at Zach and Arika’s church, United Bethel Mennonite Church. The setting complimented the colors incorporated in the wedding details nicely. You never know what to expect with the weather, so you make your plans and then roll with what comes your way! Our original plan was to spend most of our time on a farm in a setting with pines and snow, but when it was time to leave for the first look it was raining. So we were off to The Barn on Chapel Road for protection from the rain and a great setting to still obtain a few outdoor pictures, but under cover!

I love the smiles during their first look!

The rain stopped for a few minutes, so we decided to hop over to the farm with the pine trees, only to catch a few pictures before it started raining again! It was really starting to rain, but Zach asked if we could quickly get a few bridal party pictures before we left. Absolutely!! I don’t think you can even tell it was raining! Now that’s a great bridal party!! Time for the ceremony and reception… Zach’s little brother hid in the back seat of their car and then popped up to surprise them! SO CUTE!

Special thanks to Deborah of DG Photography for 2nd shooting for me.

Thank you to The Barn on Chapel Road and the Yutzy’s farm for allowing us to capture some of Zach and Arika’s portraits at your locations.

Flowers by Everyday Beauty Co.

Class of 2018

It was great to spend a bit of time with Thaddeus and Cherie for their engagement session! Their choice of location was right up my alley…Downtown Columbus! The session included a few street shots in German Village, beautiful fall foliage in Schiller Park, and then a stroll on the Scioto Mile with the cityscape in the background. Oh, and I can’t forget when we took a few minutes to warm up inside Pistacia Vera! Their macaron’s are scrumptious and nearly too pretty to eat!

How did Thad and Cherie meet? The funny thing is they’ve known each other their whole lives! They attended the same church and were in youth group together, but it wasn’t until a few years ago when Cherie went to a mission training school in Asia for four months that Thad took a new interest in Cherie because of a shared interest in missions. When he asked her out she had no idea it was coming or that he had any interest in her, nonetheless she said “yes” and is so glad she did!

Cherie, tell me a little about Thaddeus and what you love about him.

“Thaddeus is smart, dedicated, and hard working. He is finishing his college degree while working part time and also helping his dad on the farm. I love that he has a strong desire to follow Christ,  and that is evident in the way he loves me so well and takes care of me. He is so selfless and puts my needs and preferences before his own. I’m so thankful for him!”
Thaddeus, how would you describe Cherie?

“Cherie is the sweetest person I know.  She has an incredibly soft and compassionate heart, and she sees the hurt in other peoples’ lives and wants to help.  In this case, the opposite attracts since I am more a logical, emotionless person while she can feel things so deeply. I also love how adventurous she is and how she loves doing out of the ordinary things and blazing a new trail.  She has a solid worldview based on Jesus, and she is not afraid to stick out her neck for what she believes.”

Class of 2018

Creekside Gahanna, Ohio

Natalie is a senior at Shekinah Christian School!  Her friends would describe her as ambitious, loyal, beautifully unique, and a little crazy when you get to know her. 😉

When Natalie was asked what is something you’ve never done, but hope to someday, she answered, “Travel around the world; be a wedding planner or own a bed and breakfast or both.” I’d say that’s right in line with her ambitious personality! After graduation she has her sights set on Business Management with a specialty in event planning and marketing, however establishing her own business is also a goal! Wow…you go girl!! Many blessings to you as you pursue your dreams and follow God’s path for you!

The countdown is on for Zach and Arika…next week is their BIG day! We may even get a little snow on the ground for their wedding, which would be wonderful! For now, enjoy looking through this sweet couples’ engagement pics.

We began their session at Prairie Oaks Metro Park in the exact spot Zach proposed to Arika. In fact, they also went to Prairie Oaks on their first date a little over three years ago, so it only seemed fitting to incorporate this location into their engagement session. Everything went as planned during the session until we couldn’t go any further on the path due to the creek being flooded from a storm the night before. But you know, God had a better plan and we ended up using a “forest-looking” area in a friend’s backyard! We plan to use this same forest wonderland for their wedding pictures next Saturday, so that’s why I mentioned that snow on the ground would be absolutely beautiful!! (Say a prayer for a little snow, will you?! 😉 But not crazy cold! I don’t think God minds if we ask!) Zach, tell me a little about Arika and what you love about her!

“Arika is a very sweet caring lady! She has a quiet personality but is always up for an adventure and likes going to new places! She loves cooking and baking and is really good at it! I love that she takes an interest in my hobbies and some of our most fun times have been while hunting! She cares very much about me and supports me in what I do and is always interested in how my day went! I feel very blessed with the Godly lady who God gave to me!” Arika, what do you love about Zach?

“I always think of Zach as being very wise (he thinks through things before he rushes to do them). He likes to plan things out. He is a very talented carpenter. He is very sweet and cares very much about me. He tends to think positive and not always negative. He is friendly to everyone he is around. He loves me for who I am, and I cant imagine life without him.”