Recent Shoots

Marisa and Greg. Married.

GORG!

This is Marisa’s best guy friend.  They’ve been doing this pose even before Marisa was ever engaged.  Love it.The first look with her father.

Going to the chapel…

Hands down (and hands together) this is the prettiest church in Columbus.  Liberty Presbyterian in Powell.  It’s barn sanctuary is just stunning!

Immediately following the ceremony, Marisa and Greg were hidden from guests in this little corner right off of the sanctuary where they shared their first moments as husband and wife.

Surprise, Greg!  Marisa has a special getaway ride just for you!My wedding fave…

We headed to Olde Worthington for bridal party photos.  We found this really cool ivy wall and just then… DOWNPOUR.  Noooooo!  Man-of-honor, Troy to the rescue!

Marisa, thank you SO very much for keeping your cool during the storm.  I know you did tons of photo scouting and had some really cool locations in mind that we weren’t able to go to once it started raining.  The rain can definitely put a damper on the day, but you never stopped smiling and you didn’t let it affect you at all.  Mmmmwwahh for that beautiful attitude!

So we headed back to the hotel and found some shelter.  

The Bentley… really cool!  The rings on the Bentley.. even cooler.  But the raindrops on the Bentley with the rings… so storytelling!  Great shot, Ana!

Greg, the entire day, everyone was telling you that Marisa was a perfect catch.  As said by your best man soon after he met Marisa, “Greg, don’t mess this one up.”  I can tell by the way that she holds you that she feels YOU were the perfect catch.  Bravo, Marisa, bravo.

The doors opened to the ballroom.  I gasped.  Beautiful uplighting, clean colors, lines, flowers, chairs.  Just breathtaking!

Any wedding with its own hashtag is sure to be fun.  Especially checking out all the photos post wedding via the hashtag.  #yitsisweddingisdabomb

(Ana, you are rockin’ my socks with these fabulous detail shots!  Get it, girl!)

The father/daughter and mother/son dance…  SO VERY EMOTIONAL.  Just look…

Not a dry eye in the house.

We see LOTS of things on the dance floor.  But we’ve never seen this… (the girl in the background, hilarious! This was serious stuff!)

And then Superman came flying in…

Barn sanctuary.. check.  Bentley.. check.   SUPER HERO…CHECK!

The party was REALLY, REALLY FUN!

And the 12 piece syndicate wedding REALLY set the tone.  This dude sang “Ice, Ice, Baby” slow motion style.  It was hilarious.And just to top off the evening…

Behind the scenes with Crystal Jo Foto.  Yeah, because we ARE FUNNNNNNN!

To view the AWESOME video slideshow, click HERE.

To view ALL 600+ wedding photos when they are ready, click HERE.

Their creative team:

Photographer  Crystal Jo Foto

Reception and Ceremony Site  The Liberty Presbyterian and The NorthPointe Hotel and Conference Center

Video
Columbus wedding videos

Caterer
The Northpointe

Cake
Sarah from The End Dessert Company

Flowers
Flowers on Orchard Lane

DJ/Band
Jack Garrett and The Syndicate

Ceremony Music
My childhood friend Amie Fankhauser and Liberty Presbyterian pianist Steve Banks

Hair and Make up
Hair Ashlynn from Lennonheads in Worthington did the bride’s hair and The Spa at River Ridge provided services to the bridal party and family
Makeup from Cheek by Lindsay

Wedding Planner
Just me! Northpointe event coordinator: Bryan Wright and Vanessa Warnock
Liberty Presbyterian wedding coordinator: Brittany O’Neil

Invitations
Invitation by David’s Bridal

Jewelry
Denig Jewelry in Worthington and Andrews Jewelers for the groom’s ring

Rehearsal dinner
Brio at Polaris

Wedding gown designer
Ramona Kaveza from La Jeune Mariee

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Their songs….

processional Canon in D – Pachelbel
Bridal Chorus – Wagner
recessional – Wedding March, Mendelssohn
grand entrance – Let’s get married by Jagged Edge
first dance – At last by Etta James
cake cutting – Music by the band
father/daughter – I loved her first by Heartland
mother/son – You look wonderful tonight by Eric Clapton
last dance – We can’t remember!

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Fun Questions to answer…

What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Bride-  seeing Greg for the first time when I was walking down the aisle and when we were pronounced husband and wife!
Groom- Getting a first look at Marisa walking down the aisle after her successfully hiding every detail for over a year!

What was your favorite detail?
Bride-Old, New, borrowed, blue:
Lace from my mother’s wedding dress that wrapped my bouquet, my dress, Greg’s Nani’s pearls that I wore as a bracelet, a hanky that was my great grandmothers and a blue ribbon to tie the bracelet.
Groom- The 1961 Bentley getaway car!

Any advice for future bride/grooms?
Bride- Take time to research vendors. I absolutely loved everyone that we chose to work with. Everyone was so talented and professional! I was able to enjoy our special day because I trusted them completely! Also, take a deep breath and just enjoy this time…it goes by so fast!
Groom- Leave room in your budget! There are a lot of little things that add up at the end. Also, give yourself at least one day before leaving for your honeymoon.

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
The only thing we would change would be to have the party last longer.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Maui and Kauai…gorgeous!

How was your experience with Crystal Jo Foto?

In one word, Amazing! It is hard to put into words how comfortable we felt to have Crystal Jo and Anna there to photograph our wedding day. The day went by so fast that it was hard to cherish each moment. We feel very lucky that we had Crystal Jo and Ana there to capture the day. We heard about Crystal Jo foto through several of Greg’s high school friends and after looking at her work we knew we wanted to work with her also. Crystal Jo and her assistant, Ana, are incredibly talented and have so much energy. Our wedding band even referred to them as the “Photo ninjas” because they do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot! We can’t thank them enough and look forward to reliving our wedding day through their photographs!

Andrea and Adam. Married.

They saw each other for the first time. It was on top of the Wyndham hotel in Cleveland. Soon after they kissed and hugged, Adam reminded Andrea of the fun scavenger hunt/race they participated in last year.  It was occuring right then.  Tons of fun people dressed in all different crazy stuff searching high and low for whatever was on their scavenger hunt list.  You can see Adam here on the left looking down at all of the craziness happening in the streets.  So we went down to join it.  Taco Bell Sauce and all!

And we headed to Playhouse Square.

Where they had the ENTIRE huge, beautiful theater for an hour of photography.  IT WAS SOOOOOO AWESOME!

Andrea and Adam have seen TONS of shows in this very theater and even have a membership.  Their wedding was very theater themed with table numbers of playbills and even their wedding cake was designed using the ceiling of the theater.  

After the theater, we took a stroll around downtown Cleveland.  I do have to say, it is much cooler than I thought.  Some really rad places to eat and hang out.

And cuddle.
Adam is dynOmite. Duh.  (These are his brothers.  FUNNIEST guys EVER!)

Andrea, you are fierce, girl.  FIERCE!

I spy Jo Foto.

Andrea found these at Pier One.  They were everywhere.  I’m sure she now has them everywhere at her house!Funniest ceremony ever.  Wanna know why?  Adam got the case of the giggles and he could not control them.  He laughed through 75% of the ceremony.   I thought it was SO THEM and it really lightened the mood of the entire ceremony.

No detail unnoticed.  Just WOW!

My “I want it all” wedding collection comes with a same-day slideshow with photos of the Bride and Groom and even the ceremony.  It was so amazing watching the entire family gather around and watch the slideshow.  Very rewarding for us!

Andrea and Adam, I’ve been looking forward to this day since we sat at the picnic table at the park last summer. I knew it was going to be not only easy for me because I already feel like family, but magical for you because you are both so much in love with each other. Andrea, I love the way Adam looks at you. His shy smile. The way he waits for you to speak and watches your every move. I love the way you both are with each other. It just fits so perfectly. I’m so honored to know you, your entire family. I really just enjoy all of you so much. So, thank you! I look forward to many more years of happiness!
Behind the scenes with Crystal Jo Foto.  And the Momma of the Bride.

Crosswalker by day…

Jo Foto Brides.  All 3 of them sandwiched between us.  Thank you lovely ladies!  Love you all SO MUCH!

If you would like to view the video slideshow, click HERE. DO IT!

If you would like to register your email address and view all 600+ wedding photos, including the foto booth images, click HERE. YES!

Their creative team…

Photography – Crystal Jo Foto
Reception and Ceremony Site – The Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square
Caterer – The Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square
Cake – Wild Flour Bakery
Flowers – Socially Artistic Events by Catan Fashions – Bill Kugler
DJ/Band – Dave from A Bride’s DJ
Ceremony Music – Music Talent of Cleveland
Hair and Make up – Beautiq
Wedding Planner – Bride ☺
Invitations – Made by bride and groom ☺
Jewelry – Nordstrom
Tents – None
Rehearsal dinner – Barbecue at the parents of the groom’s house
Wedding gown designer – Allure

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Their songs….

processional – For mothers/bridesmaids: Air by Handel
For the bride: String trio version of Ben Folds – The Luckiest
recessional – La Rejouissance by Handel
grand entrance – Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now
first dance – Pharrell – Happy
cake cutting – Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
father/daughter – Continued Pharrell – Happy
mother/son – Continued Pharrell – Happy
last dance – After a “ONE MORE SONG” request chant from the crowd…we all settled on Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer…and had. a. blast. belting it out together to end the night. ☺

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Fun Questions to answer…

What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Andrea: I think if you ask anyone that attended our wedding, they would all agree it was Adam’s giggle fit during our vows. It is something he will never live down and something we will never forget. It fit our personalities so perfectly to have moments bursting into laughter. Our light hearted attitudes that we face every day with came out in that moment and it was perfect.
Adam: I was going to say when we did photos in the State Theater, but it is 100% my giggle fit during the wedding ceremony.

What was your favorite detail?
Andrea: Oh man this one is tough for me. Adam and I made just about everything for our wedding. The invitations, the candles for favors, the table numbers, the escort cards and display set up, I designed the cake and the centerpieces…I mean everything. I think I’d have to say the table numbers being the playbills from all the shows we have seen at Playhouse Square. It was the reason we got married where we did and I think it really sent the message about how special the location was to us and gave each table a personal touch. We also had photos of ourselves at each show to go with the playbills. I was also really super happy with how our invitations came out. They were a lot of work, but were something to be proud of…a close second. (Shout out and thank you to Margaux for the text design!)
Adam: I loved Hogan’s bowtie and best dog tag. It was great having him participate in the ceremony and the Wyndham staff was so incredibly supportive in allowing us to include him.

Any advice for future bride/grooms?
Andrea: Don’t forget about the day after when putting plans together. We were VERY glad we hosted a breakfast at the hotel the next morning. The wedding day is such a whirlwind that it was difficult to spend time with everyone and we had many guests that traveled quite a far distance to celebrate with us. In our overnight/welcome bags to the hotel guests, we included an invitation to breakfast and we got to spend time with them in a much more social setting than a giant dance party tends to allow. We were also EXTREMELY glad to have this day to pack for the honeymoon (which we didn’t leave for until Monday) so we didn’t have to add that to our plates the week leading up to the wedding…there’s already enough to do that week!
Adam: Breathe.

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Andrea: Unless I could somehow get a Zach Morris time out in there somewhere….I’m pretty sure everything was perfect. Hermione’s time turner would’ve been good too so I could just go back and do it all over again.
Adam: Not a thing.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios Jamaica. We want to go back tomorrow. ☺

How was your experience with Crystal Jo Foto?
Andrea: We already knew Crystal Jo was fantastic from the two family/friend weddings she had done previously, so our experience was phenomenal as expected. My favorite moment has to be when she asked one of Adam’s brothers to “crouch down” and we all groaned…she then remembered the story we told her about how he has a history of ripping his pants at weddings and he was forever dubbed “Pants Ripper.” Also it was hilarious when she realized they were all brothers. Oh and taking photos outside at night with the peanut gallery and Marg’s keeping us safe from busses (kind of…) and so many more! Thanks for all the laughs and fun and amazing photos Crystal Jo, we love you!!
Adam: We had so much fun with Crystal Jo. My favorite memory is when she gave my brother Eric the nickname “pants ripper” and proceeded to only refer to him by that name for the next couple hours of photographs.

Julie and Dan.  Married.

I love this so.  They were practicing their first dance and this is their reflection in a empty display case.I mean… LOOK AT HER DRESS!  

Julie and Dan are both Jewish.  I LOVE jewish weddings.  SO, SO, SO much FUN!

My favorite shot of the day, right here…

Brother and Sister forever.

Julie, your smile is so contagious.  You are seriously the cutest!Julie and Dan played golf on their first date. She’s played since she was little and she thought Dan was new to golf. Dan wasn’t playing so hot, so Julie used her teaching skills to help Dan with his swing. By the end of the date, he had a killer swing and Julie was totally smitten. Little did she know, Dan’s played golf for years and was pulling her chain just so he could watch her teach him how to swing.This was the seating inside the temple.  Love it!And the hallway with the leading lines.  Love it.

Shots with Grandpa!

The veiling ceremony is held at the beginning of the wedding celebration. The groom, the rabbi, the fathers and the whole entourage proceed to the bride for the veiling ceremony. The groom places the veil over the bride’s face and recites the blessing given toRebecca by her mother and brother before she left for her marriage to Isaac: Achotenu: at hayi le alfei revavah—”Our sister, be thou the mother of thou-sands of ten thousands”. The rabbi, then the parents, extend their words of hope and prayer.Her parents walked down the aisle half way.  And then she walked alone and met them for the rest of the walk.

The ceremony was beautiful.  It’s customary to put all phones and cameras away during this celebration.  Although this was very difficult for Ana and I, it was quite wonderful and enjoying to take it all in and sit amongst the guests while Julie and Dan were married under the Chuppah.

The reception was GORGEOUS with flowers galore.  The colors…AMAZING.  The food… AMAZING and TONS of it.  It was catered by Cameron Mitchell.  Yummo.The brother of the Bride.

The sister of the Groom.  Watching her brother in amazement.  So much love with both of these families.  Touches my heart.

Because Julie is the last child to be married, everyone gathered around her parents to dance.  Yes, that does call for a celebration!

The live band was fantastic.  These people sure know how to have a good time!  You’ll have to watch the video slideshow below to really see all of this fun dancing!No Jewish wedding is complete without the Hora, or chair dance. In this tradition, the men hoist the bride and groom high above the crowd on chairs.

Mazel tov!  Carol, you should be ever so proud of yourself for planning and executing a GORGEOUS wedding for Julie and Dan.  You are a wonderful Mother and friend.  Thank you so much for sending Lucy a “welcome to the world” gift and for always sending me wonderful letters with your kind words.  I really adore you and your beautiful persona.  XO!The groom’s parents.  🙂Julie’s dance with her father was to the hit song “Happy”.  Can’t you tell…

You guys, I’m not kidding, they had a SUNDAE station.  And this was not just any ice cream either.  GRAETERS.  At a wedding.  Flipping fantastic!

Our foto booth was a HUGE hit. Duh!I know I took tons of shoe photos at this wedding, but really, HER DRESS.  It’s not often we get to see the Bride’s feet so much.  SO CUTE!

I asked Julie and Dan what photo was their favorite from their engagement session.  They said the one that was taken in the middle of the street.  So, not to disappoint, I pulled them out of the reception to capture this one.  Thanks for being troopers, friends.  Thanks for always smiling.  Thanks for being YOU.  I really can’t express in words how wonderful and contagious your HAPPY spirit is.  I wish you all the best in your HAPPY WORLD.  XOXOXO, to the moon and back.  Love, Crystal Jo.

To view the beautiful wedding slideshow, click HERE.

To view ALL 600+ of the wedding photos when they are ready for publishing, click HERE.

Their Creative Team…

Reception and Ceremony Site: Congregation Tifereth Israel
Caterer: Cameron Mitchell Catering
Cake: Simply Special Catering
Flowers: Petals and Leaves
DJ/Band: Dave Powers Band

Lighting: Ford Events
Ceremony Music: Arkadily Gips, violin, Cheri Papier, flute, Joey Skoch, keyboard and Gail Rose, vocalist
Hair and Make up: Hair: Maggie from Stile Salon, Make-up: Stacy from Pearls and Black Dresses
Wedding Planner: Bobbie Izeman
Invitations: Julie Hanan Design
Rehearsal dinner: Hilton Columbus at Easton
Wedding gown designer: Justin Alexander

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Their songs….

processional: Al Kol Eleh (Naomi Shemer), Festive March No. 1 Cantor Joseph Rosendlatt, arr. by Temple Painter), Erev Shel Shoshanim (J. Hadar, arr. by N. Brand), Dodi Li (N. Chen, arr. by S. Gewirt)

recessional: Siman Tov/Mazal Tov, Chosn Kale Mazel Tov, Tzena,Tzena, David Melech Yisrael
first dance: The Wonder of You
cake cutting: Uptown Girl (Billy Joel)
father/daughter: Happy (Pharrell Williams)
mother/son: The Circle of Life (Elton John)
last dance: Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)

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Fun Questions to answer…

What was the most memorable moment of your day?

Dan: My most memorable moment was memorable moment of the day was when Julie tapped me on the shoulder and I saw her in her gown for the first time.

Julie: My most memorable moment was when Dan broke the glass at the end of the ceremony and we went into the rabbi’s office for ten minutes to reminisce that we actually just got married. We gathered our thoughts and we tried to take it all in!!! It’s such a whirlwind! Also, the hora dance was amazing as 165 guests danced for 25 minutes! We were thrilled watching all our family and friends have a blast.

What was your favorite detail?

Dan: I really like the speeches from family members.

Julie: I loved the flowers and the band.

Any advice for future bride/grooms?

Dan: You have to hire Chrystal Jo Foto.

Julie: The best advice from my brother that I’d give other brides and grooms is take a few snapshots throughout the evening and take a few moments to lock it in and never forget because it goes so fast.

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

Dan and Julie: We wouldn’t change a thing! Our wedding was perfectly, absolutely, without a doubt EXACTLY what we wanted. It was the very best day. We wish we could go back and live it again and again.

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

How was your experience with Crystal Jo Foto? If you have a favorite memory with her, please share it.

Wow… Where do I begin about Crystal Jo and her gorgeous photography! She started with our engagement session a year ago. I was absolutely floored and in love with the pictures. I love her as a person and her work is amazing!

Julie and Dan: Our experience with Crystal Jo was nothing but wonderful. Crystal Jo is truly gifted and we cannot say enough about her professionalism and sense of great fun. Crystal Jo has a great knack for capturing all the moments you experience as well as the ones you may have missed. She captures the moments without interrupting them… she was everywhere, yet she was completely unobtrusive. We really appreciated her artistic style and found her so pleasant to work with. Her assistant was just great, too.

Dan: Crystal Jo is so creative and fun, yet very serious with her surroundings and time of day.

Julie: I liked the alone private and alone session prior to the party and right before she left she took a few photos of Dan and I sitting in the street and we couldn’t stop laughing because who sits in the middle of a very busy street in a wedding dress. What fun and courage! It is clear that she loves what she does and puts all of her heart and mind into it. The day was magical and I was so excited Crystal Jo captured our special day.

Brittany and Ryan. Married.

A gift to the Bride’s Mother.  “Mom, for drying your eyes as you’ve always dried mine.  Today a bride, tomorrow a wife, always your little girl.”

The moment her bridesmaids saw her for the first time in her wedding gown…

Brittany.  Wow.  Truly stunning, you are.An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a commitment of love that is neverending.  This is Brittany’s sister, Dawn, holding this circle holding their wedding rings.  This very circle held Dawn’s rings on her wedding day.  

Brittany and Ryan did a “first look” before the ceremony on top of the Renaissance hotel.  Many of my bride and groom’s are seeing each other before they walk down the aisle.  I love this as we are able to get a TON more photos.  It relieves so much stress AND you can capture some really cool first glances.  Like this one here where all of their loved ones are watching them.This is Britt and Ryan’s little boy.  Check him out putting on Mommy’s shoes.  When we got to the church, Brittany took off her dress and put on her robe.  So smart!  She was able to relax for a good half hour before putting back on her gown.  I’m going to recommend this to EVERYONE!Seriously!I’d say that’s one happy groom.Beautiful reception at St. Charles.Little man was driving his car around the reception.  Pretty genius bringing this for entertainment.  The guests got a kick out of it too.Oh, Ryan, epic fail!Cutest selfie EVER.Or is this on the cutest?I just love this image soooooo much.  This is the groom’s nephew.  I just love his little profile.  And he’s staring at that drink.  Some day, buddy.  🙂

A little behind the scenes with Crystal Jo Foto…

I put Ryan’s glasses on my head and they got stuck in my hair.  I wore them like this for the rest of their photos.  Made for lots of laughs.

Mr. and Mrs. Hannigan, thank you so very much for trusting me with your wedding day photography. It was a true honor. I wish you all of the happiness in this big world of ours. XOXO, Crystal Jo 

To view the full gallery of all 600+ photos, including the fun foto booth, click HERE to register your email address.

To view the beautiful slideshow from the day, click HERE.

their creative team…

Reception and Ceremony Site – St. Charles Prep and Holy Family Church
Video – Holly Hannigan (picture slideshow)
Caterer – Berwick
Cake – Scrumptious Crumbs
Flowers – Mae Gaskill
DJ/Band – DJ – SSU (Sensational Sounds Unlimited – Brad Corbett)
Ceremony Music- N/A- Organist and singer for Holy Family
Hair and Make up – Hair – Shannon Beckley
Invitations – Etsy
Rehearsal dinner – Florentine
Wedding gown designer- Allure Bridal

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their songs….

grand entrance – Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
first dance – All of Me – John Legend
cake cutting – Sugar Sugar – The Archies
father/daughter – My Girl – The Temptations
mother/son – My Wish – Rascall Flats

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What was the most memorable moment of your day?
 Myles on his car.
What was your favorite detail? 
Groom: The Best Man speech Bride: The flowers and cake
Any advice for future bride/grooms? Groom: Don’t worry; it all works out in the end. Bride: Don’t overplan…go with the flow. Go with your first instinct.
If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
 Bride and Groom: No
Where did you go on your honeymoon? Jamaica Mon