As her sister, Ellie, mentioned in her speech at The View Mt. Adams, Kate came home after her first date with Kevin and announced, “That was the last first date I’ll ever go on.” These two met on the dance floor at the wedding of their mutual friends, and even though Kevin was living in New York at the time and Kate was in Cincinnati, they decided to give it a go. The first two years of their relationship were spent dating long distance, but they both knew from the beginning that hard season of too short visits and tearful goodbyes would be worth it.

Kevin introduced Kate to his parents, and ten minutes after meeting her his dad said, “What the hell are you waiting for? Marry this girl!” Family is crazy important to these two, and that was a major factor in their decision to postpone their wedding almost a year to avoid the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. They couldn’t imagine celebrating without all of their family and friends present. Chris and I have said multiple times since their wedding that we want to remember the way these families treated their children’s spouses when our own little girls get married. We have already begun praying for our babies’ spouses, and we can only hope that they will be as easy to love as Kate and Kevin are.

These two had a record-setting bridal party for us – over 30 people including the flower girl and ring bearers! It’s easy to assume no one really has that many close friends, as family playfully ribbed them at their Cincinnati Art Museum rehearsal dinner. “Who has this many “very close friends”???” But spend any amount of time with this group, and you’ll immediately find that Kate and Kevin truly love and are loved by everyone who knows them. Kate and Kevin are both natural encouragers. Kate got emotional telling all of her bridesmaids how uniquely special they are to her, and Kevin spent his time looking out for everyone and making sure they were having fun. They even spent their whole wedding day thanking and checking in on US!

Kate and Kevin, you two have such a beautiful foundation for your marriage. It’s clear how much you respect and cherish each other immediately, and it’s no surprise that your kindness draws everyone you meet to each of you. We are so thankful to know you both and your sweet families! It was such a blessing to get to be a small part of your wedding day – thank you for trusting us with such precious memories!

Vendors:
Venue – The View at Mt. Adams
Planner – Elegant Events by Elisa
Florals – Courtenay Lambert Florals
Stationery – Poeme
Watercolor – Who Drew New York
Styling Mat – Elysian Market
Band – Soul Pocket
Shoes – Bella Belle Shoes
Cake – The BonBonerie

Did you love this wedding at The View Mt. Adams? Check out a wedding at another iconic Cincinnati spot – Music Hall!

Need a photographer for your own big day? We would love to help – let’s chat!

Lanaya and David couldn’t have had a more perfect day for their Covington wedding! We have loved these two right from the start when David and Chris bonded over their mutual affection for Skyline Chili (check out their fun Skyline engagement session!), but the more we have gotten to know them, the more we have loved them. They are two of the kindest, funniest people, and it was clear from the very beginning of their wedding day how important it was to David that the day turned out perfectly for his bride.

As his brother said in his toast, Lanaya has held David’s attention for forever. David shared that when he thinks of the future, all he sees is her. And it’s obvious why. Not only is Lanaya a stunning beauty, but she is a driven, selfless, sweet person. These two compliment and challenge each other, and most importantly, they have so much fun together. David is a huge LeBron James fan, and for their introductions, one of the groomsmen took over for the DJ and introduced the whole bridal party like they were being announced at a basketball game. Their friends brought such a fun energy to their day and kept everyone laughing from beginning to end.

Even a last minute venue change, COVID restrictions, and a postponed honeymoon couldn’t put a damper on their excitement to get married. Lanaya said it perfectly in her vows when she said, “Although I’m so excited that this day is finally here, it’s what’s to come after today that I am looking most forward to.” Wishing a lifetime of happiness and forever adventures for you both – you deserve it! We love you both!

Did you love this Covington wedding? Check out Katie and Branden’s surprise wedding at Hotel Covington!

Need a wedding photographer? Let’s chat!

Welcome to our first ever surprise wedding! Katie and Branden knew they wanted to do something different when they tied the knot. So they told all of their friends and family they were planning to elope, invited everyone to their engagement party at Hotel Covington to celebrate, and played a game where they asked guests to guess where they would be eloping. Then – SURPRISE! – they announced to everyone that they were actually getting married THAT NIGHT at Hotel Covington! Not even their parents knew they would be getting married that night, and it was so much fun to see everyone’s reactions. Once they made the announcement, Katie and Branden ran off, got wedding fabulous in ten minutes flat, and came back out to have the most beautiful ceremony with their closest family and friends.

As if their wedding wasn’t already special enough, they had their small group leader from church marry them, which added such a sweet personal element since he knew them both so well. AND… they wrote their own vows. One of my favorite things you could ever do for your wedding is to write your own vows (and if not, definitely at least write each other a hand written letter to look back on!). They spoke to their start on Bumble – thank goodness Branden had his dog in his profile picture. 😉 They reminisced on their first date at 6am at a Starbucks… and their third date where Branden suggested they go to church together. They laughed about Katie’s affinity for personality tests and her belief that Branden might be “too perfect to be real”. And they laughed about how instantly he agreed to Katie’s crazy idea to pull off a surprise wedding!

Katie’s dad gave the blessing, and when speaking about his brand new son-in-law, he boasted of Branden’s loyalty and called him “the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry”. Katie and Branden, you two are a perfect match. It’s impossible not to smile around you two people who clearly make each other happier than they could ever be on their own. Thank you for letting us play a small part in your big surprise and for letting us in on the secret a little early!

The sign in front of their ceremony space – “Amy and Mike” are actually Katie and Branden. 😉










Spoiler alert – no one guessed Hotel Covington!

Did you love this surprise wedding? Check out Katie and Riley’s COVID wedding with a surprise parade their friends and family put together!

Are you getting married? We would love to get to know you! Reach out to see if we are available on your date.