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A Surprise Proposal

Posted on April 8, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

Most proposals are surprises, for sure.  But imagine a surprise proposal at a beautiful ranch, in a private pasture, with horses, and with hidden photographers!  That’s just what Daniel and Hannah had.

Daniel’s parents are our friends at Imagine It Photography.  Here’s the story:

Daniel had every detail planned out for the moment he would ask Hannah to be his bride.  Flying into Columbus for Ohio University’s homecoming, he had scheduled one of Hannah’s favorite activities, horseback riding, at Smoke Rise Ranch, nestled in the rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio. 

John and I made our way through the beautiful back roads, full of excitement and joy to capture this special moment in all of our lives! Daniel is our oldest son, a lieutenant in the Air Force and Hannah is finishing her PhD in Physical Therapy at OU . So, sharing and capturing a moment like this is pretty rare for parents and was certain to be one of our favorite shoots. Determined, John and I hiked through pastures, climbed under bared wire fences and sunk into mud, to find the perfect hiding spot to capture this moment.  And the moment was beautiful and fun!  We feel so pleased to have been there and to have shared the joy they were feeling! Smoke Rise Ranch was so accommodating and helpful and we would recommend it for a great weekend activity or event! 

With no detail forgotten, Daniel had lunch plans for her parents and us at a local BBQ restaurant.. 
just another surprise and little celebration for Hannah!
Horseback Riding-Smoke Rise Ranch in Glouster, Ohio
Bakery-White Flower Cake Shoppe, Beachwood, Ohio

To see more photos of this beautiful moment go to Imagine It Photography’s blog.

A Wedding on Good Friday?

Posted on April 3, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

A Hand reached from the other side,

into the void that is our life.
No more will you be a boat
tossed about by angry waves
determined to crush
this already splintering piece of bark.
Waves once cowered at this Voice
And they shall once more,
for the voice is no longer just a voice,
but a presence, true presence,
that has come into life, our life,
and known it all, the intimacy of suffering,
the ache of loss, the anxiety of death.
the lash of betrayal.

Your feet are now coupled,
wedded to an ever present groom.

painful joy
happy sadness
sweet tears
healing blood
searing pleasure
Good Friday.

-kurt

Brad and Alexa 2015

Posted on March 25, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

I know it’s getting a tiny bit warmer, but oh for warm, August days like the one that we’ll have the privilege of filming Brad and Alexa’s wedding on!

Top 5 Retro Wedding Songs

Posted on March 20, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

Need a wedding processional song and want to buck the ‘typical’ trend?

Go retro!

Here are some popular wedding processional songs from the past:

1960’s
“Here, There, and Everywhere” by the Beatles

1970’s
“Annie’s Song” by John Denver

1980’s
“Here and Now” by Luther Vandross

1990’s
“Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Find money in your backyard!

Posted on March 16, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

Money!  
What a stress
it can be right?  
Especially when it
comes to a wedding!  
Kurt and I get
married young, right out of college, so being dirt poor, our parents took pity
and amazingly paid for our entire wedding!     
With 5 lovely girls of our own now, people already comment to us about
saving now to pay for their FIVE weddings! 
YIKES!  
I have already started to
feel that stress..until my husband tells me to get a grip and well…we simply
can’t pay for FIVE entire weddings!  
So,
what do we do?  Or, more pressing, what do YOU do?
What do you do to stay
within a budget and still have the wedding of your dreams?  
Well, a dear friend shared with me one of her
favorite blogs and the cover story hit this perfectly.  Check out Style Me Pretty for how this sweet
couple does a amazingly beautiful backyard wedding.  
Far from being a dull BBQ, this backyard wedding was…gorgeous.
    

Wedding Planning and Stress

Posted on March 11, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

Wedding planning…can you just feel yourself relaxing?  
Ha!
I just read a chapter in Shauna Niequeist’s book Bittersweet about the importance of stepping away.  
Just being.  
Unplugging.   
Stopping the external noise to just ….be.  
Be with those you love.  
Truly be present with those you cherish.  
I so struggle with being present.  My internal radar seems to always be going off.  Need to throw in another load of laundry.  What needs to be prepped for dinner?  What time is it?  Shoot!  Naptime is almost over!  But in all of that, the book reminded me of the importance of getting away. 
Kurt and I need those moments in our life and marriage.  We have learned that if we work to help each other get those breaks, we are both better for each other. 
I suspect you might need one of the moments in the midst of wedding planning.  
Take it.  Don’t give up the beautiful person your fiancee proposed to for the sake of one more wedding detail.  Get some peace, breathe, listen to great music, read, pray, whatever.  You’ll be better for it and your spouse-to-be will thank you.

Sunshine!

Posted on March 11, 2015
by Kurt Maechner

Sunshine!  We remember the blazing sun on this beautiful wedding we filmed last August.  Just think!  That sun is slowly making its way back to the Cleveland landscape!