Alexandria + Paul Part One| Downtown Toledo | Ohio Wedding Photographer | Viridian Ivy | Northwest Ohio Wedding and Portrait Photographer

07.21.2021

What was the most memorable moment of your day ?

There are so so many to choose from, especially when you’ve been waiting to marry the love of your life for nine years and then the pandemic hits and all of your plans change!!! But, I think the most memorable moment was saying our vows. I couldn’t stop smiling! Standing across from Paul on the alter and saying those words that you’ve wanted to since you were a little girl, was so special to me.
I think a second moment would have to be the small reception with our parents and our wedding party. After trying to plan our wedding during the pandemic — being able to celebrate (and dance) with our friends and family was so important to us. I will never forget walking into our reception and feeling all of the love and excitement for us.

Any Advice for Future Bride and Grooms?

Planning a wedding is not an easy task, let alone being a COVID bride on top of it. I think the best advice that I can give, is work together to create the wedding day that you both want. Many people make the joke that this is the bride’s day but the groom is getting married too — it is as much his day as it is hers. I had so much fun going to different breweries with Paul and planning our budget, picking out desserts, the colors, flowers and everything else. Going out really helped us in the planning process because this allowed us to not be talking about the wedding 24/7. We knew that these outings were going to be our time to get into the nitty-gritty discussions.
Also, enjoy the planning process!! As someone who loves planning and being organized, I knew that I didn’t want to hire a coordinator. There were definitely times where things got hard but in the end, walking into the church and the reception and taking it all in — it was every bit worth it! So, enjoy the ups and the downs of planning and know it’s all worth it in the end!

Tell us about the wedding dress!

My dress is the Martina Liana (1075) from Beloved Bridal in Downtown Ann Arbor! I went to eight different dress shops and tried on way too many dresses (which many people will tell you not to do but I didn’t listen and I’m glad I didn’t)!! I had found a dress before mine and was happy with it but something wasn’t right. My mom and I went back out on the hunt and that was when I found mine. Best advice I can give – even if they offer you a discount, don’t settle on your dress. I am all for saving money — especially when it comes to paying for a wedding — but the one thing you NEED to make sure is that you absolutely love your dress because that is what you are going to be in when you marry your best friend!

Bonus Favorite Moments!

There’s really nothing like your bus driver almost running over your photographer (sorry Jess!) and hitting a fire hydrant to make your wedding day even more memorable!!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – dog sledding, snowmobiling, hot springs and 14 inches of snow make for the perfect winter wonderland get-away!

Favorite Part about working with our team?

Working with the Viridian Ivy Team was so fun and easy! Jessica is a fantastic photographer and just an overall wonderful person!! The team captured our wedding ceremony and first reception so perfectly and we cannot stop looking at our photos!