Valley City, Ohio

The goal was to have Amy and JJ’s wedding images be playful and sweet, which absolutely fits what we do but also stands out a bit. Sometimes the overwhelming joy that wedding days have can be lost in creating romantic art for our clients, so it was refreshing to reconnect to the youthfulness and fun that Amy and JJ portrayed. Between the bear hugs and kiss attacks, it was easy to see just how much these two truly did love playing together and being together!  

They weren’t the only ones, though, who clearly portrayed the joy of the occasion.  Amy and JJ’s bridal party was an absolute hoot the entire day!  They brought both entertainment and a good deal of sass.  We reenacted the bridesmaids shot as well as included a fair amount of rather swag looking golf club leaning, sunglass wearing dapper guys.

Amy and JJ’s ceremony was marked with the good things–love and God.  Amy and JJ had been long distance during their relationship, and now they were being united and equipped to live in the same zip code.  The joy and anticipation of Amy walking down the aisle brought tears from so many people (including myself!).  It’s one thing for me to tear up during a ceremony and document what’s happening, it’s another thing when I’m going through the photos the next day and tearing up again!  Needless to say, I was moved by this couple.  

Amy and JJ made a commitment to follow God in their lives together, as well as His will for marriage.  They read vows that they wrote themselves (JJ had his memorized–we were impressed) and resulted in more tears from parents and loved ones.  They vowed to never stop playing together, which we thought was impossibly fun!

 

 

Another rather notable point of Amy and JJ’s wedding day were the families.  Amy’s parents are divorced, and as such had two sets of loving parents with her on her wedding day.  To be honest, sometimes this dynamic can make things complicated, but that wasn’t the case at all for Amy’s family.  There were frequent group hugs and an immense outpouring of joy from both sets of parents–all four gave her away at the altar.  Amy’s family also gave her a sixpence to finish the something old, something new rhyme.  Their family is English, so they made it a priority to gift Amy with a sixpence (and a small elephant to borrow, but that’s another story!).

JJ’s family is, largely speaking, an unabashed group.  During her speech, JJ’s sister Michelle playfully inquired if Amy was sure she wanted to join the Friszman family–“Are you really ready for this?”  There was also a mention of JJ’s mom possibly moving down to Florida so she could live next to her son and new daughter-in-law.  At this mention, Cheryl Friszman turned and waved kindly to the attendees.  JJ’s family is full of fantastic facial expressions, laughs, and sweet dance moves (shoutout to Allen Friszman!).  They had their fair share of sentimental moments, too.  The brotherly love was strong between big brother Aron and JJ, with stories from their youth and memories of exchanging letters when Aron went off to college.  The families at this wedding were amazing.  

 

 

 

 

After the ceremony, family photos, bridal party photos, and a few golf cart races, it was time to celebrate at the reception.  This reception was marked by a few things: fantastically animated dancing, friendships stemmed from Greek life, heartfelt speeches remarking the positives and negatives of family, and the best bacon cheddar mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. Sunglasses also had a place of honor.

 

 

Before the last song, we knew we were going to get some sparkler shots.  Amy fell in love with an idea she saw, so Matt and I recreated it for them by involving four people, two professional light sources, and one person running Naruto-style around the couple in order to disperse the light from the sparklers evenly.  I’ll let you guess which role was mine. 😉

Amy and JJ marked the beginning of a new journey on Saturday, and more changes are to come as they’re moving from Ohio to Florida.  We’re looking forward to where the Lord leads them!  Best of luck!

Wedding Photography: Matt Erickson Photography | Venue: Coppertop at Cherokee Hills | Bridal Boutique: David’s Bridal | Groom’s Attire: Oleg Cassini | Hair Artist: Esbi Salon | Florist: Love & Grace Floral & Events | Cake Artist: Meghan Stewart | Entertainment: Selective Sound Entertainment | Film Processing: Photovision Prints