Steffi + Nathan’s wedding was my first of 2014! And what a day it was! It was the beginning of February. Winters in Columbus are fairly unpredictable. We typically don’t get a lot of snow here in central Ohio. But I was certainly hoping for it, and I know they were too! As much as we have been complaining about it, the fact that we’ve had a very unusually snowy winter this season, was a total blessing for Steffi + Nathan’s wedding day. We had plenty of gorgeous white snow to work with for our portraits, and coupled with our gorgeous backdrops at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral downtown and the venue at Post 4 at North 4th Corridor (formerly Dock580), we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful winter wedding day!
I remember when I first met with Steffi and Nathan, the biggest message they had for me for their wedding day was: their focus was on people and fun, and NOT details. Of course, they picked gorgeous locations, but at the end of the day they wanted pictures of them sharing moments together with their loved ones on their wedding day. This was music to my ears and gave me complete freedom to observe moments and wait for the perfect moment to capture them!
The girls got ready at the Hampton Inn in the Short North, just next door to their church. These girls had a lot of fun together hanging out and were way ahead of schedule when I arrived! Steffi’s sister Sam was on hand to make sure Steffi remembered to eat – love that shot of Sam feeding her a piece of pineapple! After Steffi was dressed, we got some great casual shots of all the girls hanging out in the room. So much fun!
Afterwards we headed over the Greek Orthodox Church next door for some separates pictures of each side of the wedding party. The wedding party was such troopers to take pictures in the ankle-deep snow! But it was beautiful, and so worth it!
After their Greek Orthodox ceremony filled with lots of cultural traditions, we did some full wedding portraits back in the church courtyard, sent everyone on their way, and it was just Steffi, Nathan and I for almost a full hour of couples portraits! We started at the church, then walked around the surrounding neighborhood, including the area around the North Market and Goodale Park! They did not mind the cold and snow one bit, there was plenty of smiles and laughter. I think they also really enjoyed the alone time also! A wedding day can be so fast-paced and crowded and overwhelming, it can be so nice to slow down and enjoy time with *just* the two of you. That’s why I love when my couples budget plenty of time for couples portraits!
Back at the reception at Post 4, Steffi and Nathan made sure the fun continued with a cookie table, and cake smashing in the face! And somehow an inflatable giraffe appeared during toasts and joined the celebration; not sure I caught the relevance of that one! Still, their wedding was just a blast. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!! Can’t wait to see you all again for Sam’s wedding this summer!
