Recent Shoots

Erica and Tyler. Married.

How totally awesome are these shoes?!?
“The last time I turned down a whiskey, I didn’t understand the question.”Tyler’s gift to his bride.  A scrapbook of a ton of momentos he has been collecting ever since their first date.  Erica had no idea he was doing this.Erica and Tyler went to a Cirque show the evening Tyler proposed.  These confetti butterflies fell from the ceiling the night of the show.  Tyler secretly put them in his pocket and saved them for this beautiful book he made for Erica to open on their wedding day.
Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get married!  It’s time.
Erica and Tyler stood together on the alter among the most perfect backdrop to a beautiful love story that was just unfolding.  She turned to him and smiled a huge smile that you could tell he was etching in his memory.  He grinned back, and his huge dimple exposed his happiness.  That very dimple, Erica says, gets him out of trouble.  I can see why!Erica and Tyler were married on a perfect hot summer day at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in downtown Columbus.  Erica is a music teacher.  It was only fitting to sound kazoos as the couple departed the church.  The sound was hilarious!
Can you tell these two have the funnest of hearts?!Erica and Tyler are two very special people with huge hearts that beat only for one another.  Their love is SO VERY genuine.  It just makes my heart explode.I won’t tell you what is really happening in this photo.  We will keep that one a wedding day secret.  🙂This was totally unplanned.  Erica reached for Tyler’s hand for help down this steep hill.  Tyler instantaneoulsy grabbed his wife and spun her around.  Crazy in love, they are!A very heartfelt speech from Erica’s sister.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.The first dance.Looked very much like the last…And in between all of that dancing there was a lot of fun, food, drinks and Jenga playing!
Wedding fave!It’s not a fun wedding without some crazy props and a camera!
Erica and Tyler, thank you for the honor of capturing your beautiful wedding day. Thank you for being so kind, geniune and full of love.  Your hearts are so incredibly big and everyone you meet is truly blessed.  Your friends, family, and loved ones made us feel like we belonged there.  Not as a vendor. Not as a photographer.  As a friend.  Thank you!

Behind the scenes with Crystal Jo Foto…  How did Erica find Crystal Jo Foto?  This lovely lady right here… Margaux.  Erica’s childhood friend.  You may remember Margaux and Adam’s heart balloon release and stool kiss?  Yeah, they are freakin’ fantabulous people with a fantabulous family. They even help me test my lighting!  This is Margaux’s brother and girlfriend.  And of course, Adam, the photo bomber. Thank you, Tasha, for running the photo booth.  And for wearing cute dresses.  🙂Ana, don’t kill me for posting this photo.  It was seriously TOO FUNNY not to.  You drunken light girl, you!   Hahahhaah!  LOVE YOU!I love my brides!They rock my socks off!

Would you like to see ALL of the wedding photos when they are ready for viewing? Click HERE to add your email address.

Wanna see even more now? Click HERE to see the beautiful wedding unfold with a slideshow.
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their creative team…
Reception and Ceremony Site – Ceremony was at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Reception at Four Seasons Columbus
Caterer – Four Seasons
Cake – The Cake Studio
Flowers – DeSantis Florists
DJ – Joshua Bricker (Sound Dynamix)
Ceremony Music – Cantor was Cecile Smith, organist Kelly Doman
Hair and Make up – Charles Penzone Grand Salon Dublin, Nolan hair, Judith make-up
Invitations/Paper – Paper Rock Scissor in Minneapolis
Jewelry – Hannah Rae Designs (also Minnesota)
Rehearsal dinner – Lindey’s Steakhouse downtown
Wedding gown designer/Bridesmaids – Mori Lee (I think) was my dress. Andrea’s was David’s Bridal
Groom/Groomsmen Attire – Men’s Warehouse
Honeymoon Travel Agents- Creative Vacations of Dublin. Lisa Baldridge was our travel agent, and amazingly close family friend.

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their songs….
processional – Ave Maria by Gounod
bridal march – Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff, 18th variation
recessional – okay this one I don’t remember 😛
grand entrance – Festive Overture, Dmitri Shostakovich
first dance – “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds
father/daughter – “Love of my Life” a Cole Porter song performed by Yo-Yo Ma (my dad and I have a very special memory that includes Yo-Yo Ma!)
mother/son – “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
songs with Delaney (I think this was something from a previous bride ;-))
bouquet/garter – Bouquet was American Woman by Lenny Kravitz…Garter was the mission impossible theme and “Another one bites the dust” by Queen
last dance – “Wonderful tonight” by Eric Clapton
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their memories..
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Bride: I’m not really sure why, but it didn’t really all hit me that we were actually married until our first dance. I have loved “The Luckiest” and been a big time Ben Folds fan for a long time, and every single word in the song makes me think of Tyler and our relationship (and now marriage). I don’t know if I forgot it was our song or what but it kind of caught me by surprise when it started playing!
Groom: The most memorable moment of our wedding day for me was when I first saw my wife to be walk down the isle. She was very adamant that we not see each other before the wedding (superstitious I guess). She had the dress hanging in our closet for weeks before the wedding but I had promised not to peek. It was worth it because when she walked through the doors of the church she took my breath away. She was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

What was your favorite detail?
Bride: Either our grandmothers’ bracelets attached to my bouquet or the Jenga block ‘guest book’. We had so much fun reading them!
Groom: My favorite detail was probably when we walked out of the church to a symphony of kazoos!

Any advice for future bride/grooms?
Bride: Marry an engineer–he’ll do all the organizing of the planning materials for you 😉 In all seriousness, my best advice is to find time to be alone, truly alone with each other at some point the day you get married. You spend so much time with other people, you might lose perspective on what the day is really about.
Groom: Try to take a minute some time in the midst of all the excitement and fun to stop and really absorb the moment. It is amazing how fast it all goes, if you don’t step back from it all and really focus on the present then it can all seem like a blur the next day.

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Bride: Actually, there were a few minor things I wish would have been different (nothing with Crystal Jo) but really, it just doesn’t matter. I married the kindest, smartest and most caring man I have ever met. ….Well, I guess it would have been nice to have been a little cooler than 100 degrees 🙂
Groom: If I could do it all over again I think the only thing I would change is to take everything a little slower. Like I said the next day it seemed like a blur. I treasure the few moments that I was able to step back and really take in all the grandeur of the event.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Bride: THE BEST HONEYMOON EVER! We traveled to Italy and Switzerland. Specifically Rome, Florence, Zermatt (the Matterhorn), Murren, Lucerne and Zurich. We are certainly not the kind of people who would have enjoyed sitting by a pool or beach all day so this was perfect for us. We climbed to the top of the Duomo! I rode a zipline on top of a glacier!! We hiked in the Swiss Alps! Seriously. Amazing.
Groom: We could not have had a better honeymoon. We traveled to Rome for three nights where we got to see the Collesium, The Roman Forum, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter Basilica, The Trevi Fountain and so many other great sites. From there we took the train up to Florence where we stayed for two nights. There we got to see the Michelangelo’s Statue of David at the Accadamia and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus as well as Doni Tondo (Michelangelo’s only wood panel painting) at the Uffizi Gallery. We climbed to the top of the Duomo where we could see the entire city. Not to mention we ate plenty of gelato. From there we spent some relaxing time in Zermat, Switzerland to see the Matterhorn Then we went off to the small village of Murren looking out onto the Monch, Eiger, and Jungfrau. We even took the Jungfraubahn railway up to “The Top of Europe” 11,388 ft above see level!. Then we traveled further north to Lucern to see one of the world’s largest collection of Picasso’s in the Rosengart Collection. We finished the trip by spending a relaxing day in Zurich walking the city streets and doing a little window shopping. It was so memorable. We started by seeing some of man’s greatest works of art ever created, then ended by enjoying the Swiss mountains which were God’s breath taking works of art.

How was you experience with Crystal Jo?
Bride: We LOVE Crystal Jo. I just can’t say enough how much comfort I had in trusting her to capture our happiest day. I never thought she was intrusive, but I always knew she was getting good pictures. One of my favorite moments was just glancing over and seeing her singing along to the music and jamming out. I don’t even think she saw me, which made it that much funnier! When we have kids, even though we live in Minnesota, we’re coming back and having her take their pictures too…she just has such a skill of capturing all the happy feelings and love in the room! (Erica – I do bust a move when I like the jams! That’s sooo funny you saw me dancing. Ha! And…I can’t wait to meet your children. Wink, wink.)
Groom: Crystal was incredible. We had some much fun. She has such a great eye for what will make that most memorable moment immortalized into a photograph. From our engagement pictures to capturing our wedding on film, it was such a pleasurable experience. My favorite was the photo booth. Everyone loved putting on goofy hats and props to take pictures together. I can’t even say how many of our guests have asked when they could expect to see the pictures from the photo booth. Sometimes I think some of them may be just as excited to see them as I am!

Kim and Ryan. Married.

Ryan’s “It’s gonna be fantastic” shirt was the truth.  It was FANTASTIC.
The bride’s daughter, Delaney, received her very own locket necklace.
Carrying family members with her as she walks down the aisle…
Ryan and Kim opted for a First Look where they saw each other before the ceremony.  It was ever-so intimate and emotional.
Kim sat in the air-conditioned car alone, and waited quietly for their first look. She smiled softly as I excitingly told her she’d be walking up to the man of her dreams in just a few short minutes.

Ryan stood in the green lush woods and quietly waited for her to walk toward him. The sounds of the blowing leaves couldn’t cover up the sounds of his speedy beating heart. He knew that she would be right behind him. He knew that he would get to see the beautiful face of his soon-to-be wife. He knew this would be one of those moments where his speedy heart would skip ten hundred beats. And when she got to him, it did just that. It was almost as if the leaves stopped blowing. The world stopped rotating. Everything was just as it should be. They were together.

Kim’s brother, who also played the ceremony music, walked her down the aisle.  Wedding fave!It’s officially official!Kim and Ryan were married on a very HOT July day.  It could have quite possibly been the hottest day of the year.  Really… the hottest day of the past fifty years.  They used towels to dry their sweat in between photos and the bridal party had little fans and coolers of water to keep cool.  Troopers, I tell you.  These folks are troopers!

Another wedding fave.  Why do I get two?  Because I said so!  (Didn’t you hate it when you mom would say that to you?!)

This is Delaney and her little boyfriend.  Hopefully they’ll be looking at this photo on their wedding day.  (Wink, wink)

Y’all are fun.

Bodega.  It’s where they had their first date.  I saw this Bodega charm at Comfest and just HAD to get it for this awesome couple.  Love you guys!Every detail was impeccably addressed.
My favorite detail of the day?  This AHHH-MAZING s’mores buffet.  Seriously.  That’s cool.The bride put together a special slideshow for all of their loved ones to see…Delaney had her own special dances with Daddy and Mommy.They ate and laughed and danced the night away.And everyone loved the fun foto booth.So…who takes these awesome photos?  WE DO…
Kim and Ryan are an extra special couple to me, because they chose Jo Foto as their wedding photographer.  Why you ask?  Well, because I photographed their little one.  When she was in her mommy’s tummy and all the way through her first year of life.  Kim said she just had to have Crystal Jo Foto on her wedding day.  She even asked me which dates I was available before she booked anything else.  Yes, that’s a Jo Foto fan, if I’ve ever seen one!

Kim and Ryan… we cannot thank you guys enough for inviting us to be the ones there with you on your day.  Much love!

Would you like to see ALL of the wedding photos when they are ready for viewing? Click HERE to add your email address.

Wanna see even more now? Click HERE to see the beautiful wedding unfold with a slideshow.

their creative team…

Reception and Ceremony Site – The Olde Gahanna Sanctuary
Video – Picture the Love
Photography & PhotoBooth – Crystal Jo Foto
Caterer & S’mores Bar – Boardwalk Catering
Cake – Bakery Gingham
Flowers – DIY by the Bride
Boutonnieres – FlowerBlue
DJ – Chris Snodgrass of Capitol City Sound
Ceremony Music – Ben Dodson, brother of the bride
Programs – DIY by the bride
Officiant – Michelle Terry
Hair – Jennifer King of Salon Lofts, Short North
Make up – BeautimarkedByKelli
Wedding Coordinator – Jennifer Kontomerkos of The Finer Things Event Planning
Invitations/Paper – DIY by the Bride, Target
Jewelry – Bride’s Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. and AMIdesigns (Belfast, Ireland) Groom’s Ring: Macy’s
Rehearsal dinner – The Old Bag of Nails Pub
Wedding gown designer/Bridesmaids – Bridal Gown: Oleg Cassini, David’s Bridal; Bridesmaid Dresses: Target.com
Groom/Groomsmen Attire – Men’s Warehouse

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their songs….

processional – Marry Me, Train, acoustic guitar version
bridal march – Marry Me (cont.), Train, string version
recessional – All You Need Is Love, The Beatles
grand entrance – Drive By, Train
first dance – I Won’t Give Up, Jason Mraz
daddy’s dance with Delaney – My Girl, The Temptation
mommy’s dance with Delaney – You Are My Sunshine, Elizabeth Mitchell
cake cutting – 1,2,3,4, Plain White T’s
slideshow song – A Thousand Years, Christina Perri
bouquet toss – Single Ladies, Beyonce
garter toss – I’m Sexy and I Know It, LMFAO
anniversary dance – When I’m 64, The Beatles
couples dance – Luck, Jason Mraz & Colbie Callait

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their memories…

The Bride’s Answers:

What was the most memorable moment of your day?

Walking down the aisle. Once I heard my brother start playing the processional music on my dad’s guitar, the waterworks started flowing. And then when my brother walked me down the aisle, that was very emotional as well. I doubt I will ever forget that feeling – and then the huge contrast of sadness to excitement when I reached the end of the aisle. I also really loved our vows – it made the ceremony so much more personal. Also, Delaney yelling out “MOMMY!” for the first few minutes of the ceremony…she just wanted to make sure she let everyone know she was a huge part of our union, too! Really, the whole ceremony was my favorite part and definitely the most memorable moment of the day!

What was your favorite detail?
I really, really loved how awesome our cake display turned out – the coordinator and bakery worked together to make it look exactly the way we hoped for. And it tasted AMAZING, too!

Any advice for future bride/grooms?
Really take your time with everything throughout the day and enjoy yourselves – you can’t get this time back! J

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Yes, I would have had everything start an hour earlier because the day just flew by and it was over in an instant!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico – it was such an awesome time!

How was your experience with Crystal Jo? Favorite moment with Jo Foto?
Fantastic, as always! Having our own little photobooth photo session with Crystal right after the wedding ended!

The Groom’s Answers:

What was the most memorable moment of your day?

Seeing Kim for the first time in her wedding dress.

What was your favorite detail?
My favorite detail of our wedding was when we were giving our vows and Delaney was yelling mommy.

Any advice for future bride/grooms?
The day will go by quick so make the best out of it!

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Bring more fans, haha

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Puerto Rico

How was your experience with Crystal Jo?
The experience with Crystal has always been awesome. I really liked the photo booth. I believe everyone enjoyed it.