M.L. “Red” Trabue Nature Reserve

Inniswood Metro Gardens, Westerville Ohio

The evening of Pete and Deborah’s session was so enjoyable!  In fact, Jerry (my hubby) came along and we did dessert afterwards…an evening with friends!  In preparation for their session Deborah’s request was “artsy, whimsical, fun, editorial photos.”  You see, Deborah is a fellow photographer (DG Photography)…a very good photographer, I might add!  She wanted to update her business pictures and also wanted to get some new pics of the two of them together.  We went to the Scioto Mile in Columbus and the sun was shining beautifully for great romantic/artistic shots…as you’ll see Pete and Deborah are naturals in front of the camera!

Now, let me tell you a little about Deborah and our “history” together…. Deborah and I started our photography businesses around the same time and God allowed our paths to cross.  It has been such a blessing to walk this journey with her!  Whether we’re discouraged, excited, overloaded, have a new business idea to discuss, or need to learn something related to photography we can share with each other and truly understand what the other is going through!  And our conversations don’t always just center around photography…lately Deborah said that “maybe” a 20 hour road trip may exhaust our topics of conversation!! 🙂  Deborah has a special zest to life and a depth of character that is challenging.  Her desire is to delight God in all she does.  The way she views life adds a unique twist to mine!  She is not only a colleague, but a true friend!

Deborah’s flawless makeup was done by Belle Cherie…Styles by Janelle.

I love engagement sessions!  At these sessions the couples are so in love and excited about their wedding plans, and it gives me a chance to relate to them before their wedding day and chat about their lives and future plans.  This particular engagement session I didn’t need to get to know the “groom-to-be” but I definitely enjoyed watching him relate with his new fiancé.  You see, I’ve known Evan for quite some time…in fact, ever since I joined the Yoder family 12 years ago and became his aunt.  Evan was a little guy then, but now a handsome man ready to get hitched to his beautiful fiancé, Amanda!

When asked what he loves about Amanda, Evan said, “Well, she is very funny and pretty blond/smart. She loves to come up with puns that are terrible.  She makes me laugh and really impresses me with her work ethic and dedication to do things correctly.”

Amanda shared this about Evan, “I love how he is such an outdoorsy person!  He always wants me to follow him around looking for arrow heads!!  Even on the worst of days he always finds a reason to make me smile!  And he randomly brings me wild flowers…you can’t beat that.” 😉

Evan fixed up this little bench as a gift to Amanda.

I have never taken pictures of a blue sunset before...beautiful!

Amanda’s hair and makeup were done by Janelle.  Janelle does such a great job of bringing out a person’s natural beauty!  The other night I had the privilege of Janelle working her magic on me…it was so much fun to have her do my hair and makeup!  She’s an artist!   If you ever need a stylist for an event contact Janelle at janelle.d.yoder@gmail.com or 740.506.1014.

One of the things I love most about my job is getting to know new people…really great people!  John and Lyndsey are some of those people.  Although we had corresponded via email, we actually met for the first time at their engagement session.  Let me tell you a little about John and Lyndsey…

John and Lyndsey met through a mutual friend and as John says, “It took a while before I realized I should ask her out, but we got there.” 🙂

They love being outdoors, so an engagement session in the country was a must!  A few of the outdoor activities they enjoy together are football or baseball games, going to Shakespeare in the Park, going on walks, gardening, or even just sitting on the front porch and watching the corn grow. 🙂

Don’t miss the sweet things John and Lyndsey shared about each other below…

John and Lyndsey are fun and easygoing.   John is the hardworking farm-boy type, and loves to learn.  Lyndsey is sweet and loves to host friends.

John, what do you love about Lyndsey?  “First and foremost, I love that she loves the Lord. There is nothing more important than that.  I also love that she is willing to get her hands dirty with me.  Even though she did not grow up on a farm, she has been unafraid of getting behind the wheel of a tractor and getting her hands in the dirt.  I love her creativity and her care that she shows for other people.  The thought and creativity that she puts into gift giving is a blessing to watch.”

Lyndsey, what do you love about John?  “He is strong and hardworking, but goes out of his way to be sweet and gentle with me.  He is very kind and thoughtful, genuine, and he has a great sense of humor.   I like that he’s tall.   He has a fantastic smile and I see it often.  He loves the Lord and he loves me!”

John and Lyndsey, I wish you the best as you prepare for your upcoming wedding.  Savor this special time of your life!  Blessings!

Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio

Mike and Sarah are looking forward to their wedding in September!  Mike is from Pennsylvania and Sarah is from Ohio, so how did they meet?  They both were led to serve at a ministry in Florida called Gator Wilderness Boys Camp where Mike worked with a group of boys and Sarah was a cook.

Mike and Sarah enjoy sports, hunting, fishing and cooking together.  Their personalities’ complement each other well…Mike is more laid back and Sarah is outgoing.  When asked what they love about the other, Sarah shared that she loves Mike’s sweet and caring heart and his Godly leadership.  Mike said he loves how Sarah is caring and that he loves when she cooks/bakes for him!

Don't miss the shadow!

One could say that Jeff and Sarah’s lives and love are FULL!  Jeff and Sarah were high school sweethearts and their relationship continued through the years and college.  Jeff is an engineer and Sarah is currently in her fourth year at the OSU College of Optometry.  Amid the busyness of planning a wedding and going to school, Sarah had finals the week of their wedding AND took an evening off to take some engagement pics!  Whew! 🙂

Jeff and Sarah chose a country/barn setting for their portraits and brought along a bunch of great props including fishing poles, picnic basket, food, etc.!  At the end of their engagement session they would have liked to take sunset pictures, but this particular evening it was very cloudy and didn’t provide a beautiful sunset…so, they hopped on a rope and swung out over a creek TOGETHER (see the last picture below!)  Yep, the week of their wedding they trusted a rope to hold them for a fun picture!  As Sarah put it, “Anyone can have a sunset picture…!” 🙂  A few days later it was a delight to join Jeff and Sarah for their wedding, but I’ll save that for later!