Butterfly wishes. Columbus Wedding Photography

Carri and Brian. Married.

With details galore!  It was a vintage inspired garden theme.

I love “getting ready photos”. The energy in the room is so cool. Excitement, nervous, emotional, happy, bittersweet. It’s all there and it’s all so very filling.

Oh, and when Carri was getting her hair done, she told the girls to make it look “all messy”.  I love this about you Carri!  It doesn’t have to be all perfect and traditional.

The ceremony was gorgeous. The highlight, you ask? The first kiss. Brian picked Carri up and spun her around. It was adorable.

Oh, and these adorable little fairy butterflies that were magical and oh-so cute.

Right after the ceremony, the happy couple did something very unique.  A butterfly release.  A butterfly is a symbol of transformation and renewal to celebrate the changes in life. According to Native American legends, if you have a secret wish, capture a butterfly and whisper you wish to it. Since butterflies cannot speak, your secret is safe in their keeping. Release the butterfly, and it will carry your wish to the Great Spirit, who alone knows the thoughts of butterflies. If you set the butterfly free, you are helping to restore the balance of nature, and your wish will come true. May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun And find your shoulder to light on, To bring you luck, happiness and riches Today, tomorrow and beyond. ~Irish Blessing
And they provided pure happiness.
Vegan cupcakes.  Nom. Nom.
A ton of thought and detail went into the outfits for the day.  Carri’s sisters Vera Wang dress was spruced up with the fun flowers and pick-ups.  Carri’s father wore a bow tie, a key pocket pen and topped it all off with a top hat.  The groom’s brother had suspenders, a top hat and a cane.  So dapper and different.

The first dance was so romantic and beautiful. Brian lifted Carri like a delicate flower. There were turns and lifts and swinging and a dip,kneel, kiss at the end. It was just magical.


And then the mother/son dance followed where the mother of the groom tried to mimic Carri’s beautiful movements. It was hilarious.
Who says bubbles are only for the grand exit?!Time for FUN!  I love this family!  They are genuinely fun.   

I can’t say this enough… Peonies are GORGEOUS. GORG! My favorite flower. I wanted these for my wedding but my florist said they weren’t in season for my June nuptials.  Carri’s sister wasn’t taking no for an answer.  She called over a dozen florists before she found them.  AND BEAUTIFUL THEY WERE!  (Carri even gifted Ana and I a bouquet after the reception.  Thank you, Carri.  That was so sweet of you.  And they looked SO pretty in my living room.) Stunning, just stunning.I love the lines of the tree and Carri’s cute little pose. Just Married!  (The wind wouldn’t stop!) So then a family member yelled out, “put it up against the tree.”  Duh, why didn’t I think of that! Time flies when you’re having fun.Carri makes jewelry.  She made tons of pieces for her wedding including this beautiful, intricate necklace and the groom’s cuff links with tiny watch parts.  Carri, you are so very talented! I love the cute bow.   Carri’s wedding dress was made from pieces of the groom’s mother’s wedding gown and her grandmother’s gown.  
LOVE!  (Wedding fave.)  This was all Carri.  She went antique-ing for all of the vintage inspired elements that were apart of her special day. I love the vintage looking parasol. Fun foto booth! A little behind the scenes….Ana, you’re pretty.Wouldn’t I make a good looking’ bridesmaid?!  Uh huh.“Look pretty.  Like this.”Ana the #1 photo bomber!Yeah, pose like that.  Work it, gurl!  (Brian’s thinking..puh-leez don’t make me do that!)Arm workout.Dude, it was too bright to open my eyes!

What a beautiful day! Thank you, Carri and Brian, for inviting us to share the day with you. Everything was just so magical and touching. I love all of the details! I wish you both a world full of butterfly wishes and happiness. Xoxo.

If you’d like to see the beautiful wedding slideshow with even more photos, click HERE.

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their creative team…

Reception and Ceremony Site: Franklin Park Conservatory, The Bride’s Garden & The Veridan
Caterer: Creative Cuisine – the food was fantastic!
Cake: Cupcakes from Pattycake Vegan Bakery – they were a hit!! I ate 4 of them that day!!
Flowers: grown fresh from the gardens of Steve Anderson. Bouquets & centerpieces arranged by Me, my sister, family & friends.
Ceremony Music: My best friends daughter Sierra Vein payed the Violin.
Hair and Make up: My best friend Cara did my hair. I did my own makeup.
Invitations/Paper: Custom Design by Margie Monigold at Expressions in Print
Jewelry: Iridescence Jewelry www.peacelovejewelry.com All the jewelry was designed and made by me! My sister & Cara helped me with the fabric flowers.
Wedding gown designer: I designed my dress & had it custom made by Sharon Richardson.
Butterfly Release: compliments of my dear freind Heather Tokas founder of Butterflies from Heather ~ Releasing & Conserving Butterflies since 1974

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their songs….

processional An Old Romance by Stephen Heller
I walked sown the asile to Once Upon a Time by Robert Volkman

recessional The Enchanted Garden by Robert Volkman
first dance Secret Door by Evanescence
father/daughter My Girl by The Temptations
stepfather/daughter Stand by Me by Ben E. King
mother/son What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

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their memories…

What was the most memorable moment of your day?

Carri: Our first dance. We spent a lot of time up in our attic practicing every move & had so much fun learning to dance together. Brian wasn’t crazy about the idea at first but agreed to do it for me! It was one of the things I was really excited about! I couldn’t wait to surprise everyone with it the day of the wedding! & Boy was it a surprise to everyone to see Brain dance as well as he did!!
Brian: The ceremony. Seeing Carri in her dress for the first time with such a big smile was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

What was your favorite detail?

Carri: Definately my dress! I planned pretty much everything else around it. It was so special & significant in so many ways. I got to design it myself & have it handmade by a very talented & very special friend of the family! It was made from Brian’s mother & grandmother’s antique wedding gowns so it had beautiful pieces of history sewn into it. I felt so honored to get to walk down the aisle in such a meaningful dress!
Brian: The butterfly release at the end of the ceremony. I’ve never seen anything like that before & it was just a really cool experience.

Any advice for future bride/grooms?

We were together for 8 years before we got married & have had many ups & downs so we think it’s important to develop a strong love, as well as a solid friendship before tying the knot!!

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?

Yes we wish we could have taken our honeymoon AFTER our wedding instead of before it. Unfortunately Brian couldn’t get any time off work after the wedding so we decided to take an early honeymoon. It would have been really nice to unwind and decompress together in paradise after all the stress of the wedding planning was over!!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii & we absolutely loved it!!

What was your favorite moment/thing with Crystal Jo?

We really enjoyed the one on one Bride & groom session with Crystal Jo! You are always a ton of fun to work with!!