Genevieve Nisly Photography Blog - Cleveland Ohio Wedding Photographers » Akron Weddings

Matt and Claire’s wedding at the Akron Hilton West

James — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:10:38 +0000

As the winter season approaches, I’m reminded of just how different late fall and winter weddings look and feel from summer weddings. Winter sunlight takes on a whole different character as the sun scrapes across the horizon and cuts through the humidity free atmosphere. Last Saturday was a perfect example for Matt and Claire’s wedding. a beautifully clear day with just enough chill in the air to remind you what time of year it is. We got to make the most of the short amount of daylight we have this time of year then we headed to one of my favorite photo locations ever; the Akron Civic Theater. We got to squeeze in between performances of The Nutcracker and had free reign of the place for almost an hour. The historic and magnificently maintained theater provided a dramatic backdrop for photos. We then headed over to the Akron Hilton West’s Grand Ballroom for a fantastic reception with both a DJ and a live funk band.

Here are James’ favorite photos from the day:

And Genevieve’s favorite images:

Congrats, Matt and Claire!

Andrew and Caroline’s wedding at Hale Farm and Village

James — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:56:36 +0000

Caroline and Andrew’s wedding took place at one of my all time favorite ceremony spots; a quaint little white chapel nestled within the outdoor, living museum of Hale Farm and Village. Because the village and all of the remaining structures throughout the village have been so maintained and protected by the Western Reserve Historical Society, you really have to look hard for anything that would tip you off to the fact that it’s not currently mid 1800’s. Throw in some amazing fall colors, and you have something really special. We might have had to dodge a few rain drops, but all in all, the day went superbly well. The reception followed at the almost as beautiful (almost, that is) Portage Country Club in nearby Akron.

Here are some of Genevieve’s favorites.

And some of James’ favorite images.

Caroline’s reaction when she saw Andrew walking towards him for the first time that day. I have a feeling it all became very real at that moment.

I just loved this tranquil scene of the guest signing book in the foyer of the chapel.

Congratulations, Caroline and Andrew, we had a blast!

Jeff and Natalie’s wedding at St Bernards and Firestone Country Club

Genevieve — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:34:33 +0000

We’ve always had cheerful and fun exchanges with Jeff and Natalie including their engagement session so I knew their wedding would be no different. Natalie spreads smiles and laughter wherever she goes so it was nice to capture her expressive nature. You would think after being together since High School their outward signs of affection would have cooled by now but this is clearly not the case: if anything Natalie and Jeff are more in love than ever.

James’ favorites:

We started off at the Sheraton in Cuyahoga Falls for some getting ready and a first glance.

Natalie had a first “first glance” before Jeff got to see her by peaking down at him waiting in the hotel lobby

Photo time!

I loved Natalie’s reaction when we pointed at the staircase and mentioned doing photos there. They were all for it

The wedding ceremony took place at the stunning Saint Bernard church in Akron

The reception took us to Firestone Country Club where the staff is really well organized

My favorites:

With the architecture and gorgeous light glowing through the window we felt transported to Italy

This was a ring shot set up by James that I tweaked to my liking

This was quite the dancing crowd

Thanks for having us Jeff and Natalie! Your cheerful disposition is one for the books and we were thrilled to capture it.

Matt and Alexa’s wedding at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead

James — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:47:00 +0000

This stuff just never gets boring. One week we’re shooting on the roof of a hotel in downtown Cleveland, and the next we are on a historic farmstead nestled snuggly in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. From the old fashion lemonade stand, to the lawn games, bluegrass band, and hay bails as seats, Matt and Alexa put together an amazing wedding that I’m sure their guests will be talking about for a long time to come.

We have definitely enjoyed shooting at Conrad Botzum Farmstead in the past and this time was no different. We explored a few new nooks and corners and happened to find a sweet looking old love seat stuffed away in the smaller barn. Once we saw it, we knew we had no choice but to drag it out and use it. I found out later from Matt that the owner’s wife saw the couch and was mortified by seeing her “junk” sitting out in the lawn for everyone to see. As it turned out, everyone loved it and we even saw a number of guests use the seat for their own photos!

Alright, enough talk, on to the images. Genevieve’s favorites:

Matt and Alexa’s first look.

And mine:

Congratulations, Matt and Alexa, we had a blast!

James and Genevieve

Michael and Erika’s wedding at the Barrington Golf Club

James — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:16:23 +0000

Well, it’s another late Tuesday afternoon blog post, but no one was checking for a blog post yesterday because you were all busy spending time with friends and family honoring our veterans, right? Right??? Well, we took some time off yesterday as well, but now that we are back at it, we have a really nice wedding from Saturday to serve up on the blog. The ceremony took place at the beautifully historic First Congregational Church in Hudson, Ohio, with a hybrid indoor/outdoor reception at the Barrington Golf Club in Aurora. It turned out to be an absolutely perfect evening to spend outside and it was clear that the guests really enjoyed having the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without feeling like they were missing out on the reception at all.

Here are some of Genevieve’s favorites from the day:

The cupcakes from Main Street Cupcakes that made up the cake were amazingly good.

And now my favorites:

There were some beautiful floral decorations by the very talented Heatherlily.

Michael sang a surprise serenade for Erika with the backing from Rick and The Cutting Edge. What bride wouldn’t absolutely melt from that?

Shortly after the serenade, Erika’s family performed a little number in Michael and Erika’s honor fronted by Erika’s dad. Rock that stratocaster, Mr. Bouton!

Congratulations, guys, we had a great time at your wedding!

Kristina and Caleb’s wedding at Hale Farm and Village

James — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:14:47 +0000

We first met the Brazle family a little over four years ago when we photographed Kristina’s sister, Rebecca’s wedding. We had a blast at Rebecca’s wedding and we were immediately made to feel quite welcome and wanted, so you can imagine our excitement when we were contacted last year about Kristina’s wedding at Hale Farm in the valley. We gratefully accepted the assignment and were quite honored to be able to document another wedding for the Brazle family. As the day progressed, and we got to interact with Caleb and his side of the family, we came to find out that the Meeks expressed many of the same qualities that we appreciated about the Brazles. The combination made for an amazing environment to be around the entire day.

The original plan was to have an outdoor ceremony on grounds at Hale Farm and Village, but as the rain teased right up to the start time, the ceremony was brought indoors. Thankfully, by the time the ceremony had finished, the sky had opened and we were able to use the farm grounds to capture some great images of the family and bridal party.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the day:

Love the heal click.

Just a few finishing notes for the best man toast.

Kristina’s dad, Mark, keeping an eye on the weather radar via an iPhone as they discuss making the call on the ceremony location.

I got to join Genevieve for just a few minutes of the bridal portraits and captured a few images that I really liked. For scheduling reasons, I don’t always get in on that part of the day since I am often off shooting the guys while Genevieve is working with the girls, but it worked out nicely this time that I got to be around for both.

I love this moment between Kristina and Caleb during prayer at the beginning of the ceremony.

As a sign of love and selfless service to each other, Kristina and Caleb washed each other’s feat during the ceremony. Quite possibly one of the most romantic things I have seen anyone do during a wedding ceremony.

Kristina’s siblings dropped a little surprise M.C. Hammer action on Kristina and Caleb during the reception.

And now Genevieve’s favorites:

“Stop. Hammer time.”

Congrats, guys!

James and Genevieve

Tim and Laura’s wedding at the Chapel in Akron, Ohio

James — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:08:26 +0000

I’ve been looking forward to Tim and Laura’s wedding ever since our frigid but fun engagement session a few months ago (seen here). Neither Genevieve nor I had ever met Tim or Laura before meeting with them about their wedding, and the more we talked, the more we found out that we knew a LOT of the same people throughout the Akron area, and that there would be a lot of familiar faces at the wedding. I got to reconnect with several people that I hadn’t seen for more than ten years which was a lot of fun. Both Tim and Laura were absolute naturals at making us feel welcome and wanted amongst their friends and families, which we really appreciate. When you feel like you have the trust of the people you are documenting, finding and capturing images that speak of character and emotions becomes much easier.

Genevieve’s favorites:

James’ Favorites:

The first kiss. No, THE first kiss. Ever. They waited to kiss until they said I do. How cool is that?

Genevieve found a shopping cart near the building next door so we decided to have some fun with it. With Tim and Laura’s experience with theater and acting, it only took the slightest bit of suggestion, and they took off with the idea. Thanks, guys! We had a blast.

Doc and Kelley’s wedding in Aurora, Ohio

James — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:03:54 +0000

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of photographing Doc and Kelley’s wedding on a beautful, crisp spring day. Kelley’s carefree personality kept the mood light and fun and combined with Doc’s cool and collected countinance made for a fun, relaxing day of shooting.

Sarah, the Maid of Honor, helping Kelley dive into her wedding dress.

The highly estute blog readers might recognize this church from a wedding Genevieve shot back in December. Anyone care to figure out which one it was?

Gotcha.

It was so much fun to watch dad beam with uncontrollable happiness for the entire Father-daughter dance.

Kelley and Doc, thank you so much for having me at your wedding and congrats! James

Brock and Jennifer’s wedding at the Hilton in Akron

James — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:10:10 +0000

I seriously doubt that when Brock and Jennifer imagined their wedding two days after Christmas they didn’t imagine it with 60 degree weather. While Jennifer planned for a typical chilly and snowy December wedding with a lovely white cape, we decided to skip it halfway through the photo session in downtown Canton.

I also know that we haven’t seen a groom that is as conscientious and punctual as Brock. It’s such a pleasant experience to have a groom so involved in is own wedding. After almost 12 years of being together it’s obvious Brock really and truely cares for Jennifer.

Genevieve’s favorites:

James’ favorites:

Ian and Libby wed at Walden Inn

Genevieve — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:58:13 +0000

This wedding was one of the very few weddings I shot solo and met the couple on their wedding day. Thankfully Ian and Libby were very comfortable having me around. They are such a sweet and tender couple. Being able to do all the formals before the ceremony and using Walden Inn which was so nicely decorated helped make this a smooth day.

I loved this quiet moment just moments before Ian and Libby met

First meeting

A proud Mom

Candle lit ceremonies can be so romantic

I loved how through different parts of the day, the couple totally focused on each other despite the hustle and bustle going on around them.

Have a wonderful Christmas as newlyweds Ian and Libby!