Love is Love and that's the way it ought to be...

When I think of a well balanced, loving, relationship, couples like Mike and Adam come to mind. From the first time I met them in person, I could tell that Mike and Adam complimented each other in the best ways. I also could tell that their wedding was going to be SO much fun. We had our initial consultation back in July of 2020, which meant we would be working closely together over the course of the next couple of months to get everything in place for their October 10th wedding. 

We quickly got to planning their engagement session, which much to my liking, they chose to have it in Kent, OH. Kent holds a special place in my heart as I spent a lot of time there in my teens and early twenties, which is something I shared with Mike and Adam. Mike and Adam had their first date at Belleria, so we had to stop there for a quick photo in front of their sign (and of course a quick photo in front of the black squirrel with a mask on across from it).

As we moved forward in our planning process, we met to begin planning their photography schedule for their wedding day. I could tell that family and friends were super important to both Mike and Adam. We had a hard time narrowing down the key photos they wanted, so we had to make sure we had plenty of time to fit them all in!

On October 10th, my second shooter and I arrived at the venue a little early to scope out locations and see what was going to work best for portraits. When we entered the venue, Mike and Adam were hard at work decorating and making things perfect for their guests. As we waited for them to finish up the wedding prep, my second shooter and I familiarized ourselves even more with the venue and where Mike and Adam would be getting ready. Rainbow colors were scattered across the whole venue in true Pride and Love is Love spirit. It made for the best energy looking at all the bright colors, which only translated to more fun. 

It was apparent from the get go that Mike, Adam and their wedding party were ready for some fun. I could tell the nerves were getting to the both of them, but after a couple sips of peanut butter whiskey, the nerves turned to excitement. Mike and Adam got ready in separate areas of the venue, so my second shooter and I split up to cover them both getting ready. I think my favorite part about Mike and Adam’s wedding was their mixed wedding parties, rainbow color theme, and their matching rainbow converse. It’s always so refreshing to see couples take creative approaches to a traditional wedding.

We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous fall day in Kent, OH. As we moved onto the pre-formal portraits, we moved out to the lower patio of the Overlook Grille which has the most beautiful view of Twin Lakes. Combine the view of the lake with the gorgeous fall colors, and you couldn’t ask for a better background for photos! We started with Adam and his side of the wedding party, followed by his family. After we wrapped up with Adam’s photos, we tucked him away and told him to not look out the window as Mike would be heading out for photos next. We then grabbed Mike and his side of the wedding party and family and brought them down for their pre-formal portraits. 

After pre-formal portraits were finished, we moved on to prepping for the ceremony. The ceremony took place outside on the grounds of the Overlook. There they have an amazing pergola right by the water, which again made for some amazing ceremony photos. Each side of the wedding party lined up on opposite sides of the venue as they made their way down the long walk way to the pergola. Adam waited and watched as his soon to be husband took a stroll down the staircase to meet him at what would be the last time they would ever be apart from each other. The ceremony was full of laughs, tears, smiles and emotions. Their officiant was a friend of theirs which made their ceremony all the more memorable and unique. After saying I Do, Mike, Adam and the rest of their wedding party threw on their matching sunglasses and exited the ceremony in style. 

We took some family photos on the staircase that led down to the pergola, and after that it was time to get the party started! The drinks started flowing as we started bridal party photos. Their wedding party was so much fun to work with. Being a witness to all of their friendship was such an honor. You could tell that every single member of the wedding party was beyond happy for Mike and Adam’s unity. 

We wrapped up the bridal party photos which led into my favorite part of most weddings, the couples portraits. Couple portraits are always great because the stress of the day is usually out of the way, and it’s the first time that couples are able to decompress and enjoy each other's company and reflect on the events of the day so far.

After their portraits, my second shooter and I headed into the Overlook to begin prepping for the grand entrance and the reception. We got set up and waited for everyone to line up and enter the reception. Each entrance was met with cheers and applause, but none bigger than the cheers as Mike and Adam entered and made their way to the head table. The toasts were given by the best man on each side of the wedding party. I even caught myself tearing up as the toasts were given because both best men reflected on their friendships with both Mike and Adam and how important this day was to them. We then broke for dinner, which was delicious!

After dinner, their DJ (who was also their officiant), was ready to get the party started. Adam and Mike and their first dance followed by Mike dancing with his mom and Adam dancing with his sister. I could tell that Mike and his mom had a special bond from their dance, but Adam and his sister’s dance again brought a tear to my eye. Adam’s mother had passed away, so it was a special moment for the both of them to be able to share a dance together at such a beautiful wedding celebration. Once the cake cutting took place, the dance floor opened up and it was time to get everyone else on the dance floor! I have to give Mike and Adam credit, I photographed quite a few weddings throughout the pandemic and they did one of the best jobs of making sure everyone was safe by wearing masks and social distancing. Safety was a top concern, and I have the utmost respect for them taking that seriously.

As the evening went on, I grabbed Mike and Adam to take them outside with me one last time for their exit photos. Unknown to me, this was exactly the moment their wedding party was waiting for. They all hid themselves away and when Mike and Adam returned, their DJ grabbed them and sat them down in front of the DJ booth. He started up the next song and their whole wedding party came out with fun hats on and danced for them as Mike and Adam cheered them on. Mike and Adam couldn’t let them have all the fun though, they got up to join in and the wedding part formed a circle around them as they all danced together. It was such a fun surprise and made for some great candid photos!

As the night went on, I watched Mike, Adam and their guests have the time of their lives on the dance floor. I took a minute here and there just to watch how much fun they were having and to take in the whole day. I walked over to their desert bar and had to grab one of the stickers they had sitting out. Something not very many people know about me is that I absolutely love stickers and collect them on a cork board in my office. When I got home that night, I proudly placed their “Love is Love” sticker on top of some other stickers I have on the cork board and it sits uncovered to this day because Love is Love, and that’s the way it ought to be.