2009 Weddings.... Thank you.

This year has been more amazing than I could imagine. I moved back to the Cincinnati area in July of '08, and after not living here for a number of years I was nervous about "starting from scratch" with a new area & my photography business. Tulsa had been good to me and I was hesitant to leave that great referral base. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

I should have known. The Tri-State area houses amazing people.

I am SO grateful for each and every one of my clients from this year. YOU are the reason this year has been so great, and the reason I am so excited about years to come. The "word of mouth" business that I have received from each of you literally makes me choke up, and I'm just so honored that not only would you trust me in capturing one of the most important days of your life, but that you would tell your friends to do the same.

From the bottom of my heart... Thank you. (...I'm totally crying. Good Lord, I'm a sap.)

A VERY special thank you to my wedding clients whom I've spent the most time with over emails, coffee, engagement sessions & wedding days. Here's to you.

....................................

The very first couple I met with when I moved back to Cincy was Britni & Petey. Oddly enough, they also ended up being my first wedding of 2009. They had a beautiful January wedding in Dayton which I had so much fun shooting. Since then, I have also photographed their maternity photos (YAH!) and soon will be photographing their brand new baby girl, Daisy! ...and a big congrats that it's ALMOST your one year anniversary! Horray!Carolyn & Aaron are such a REAL couple. From our first meeting I felt completely relaxed with them because they are such down to earth people. Their Dayton wedding was in May, and was the perfect wedding to start my busy wedding season with.... A great bridal party (complete with Aaron's hilarious brothers) and an awesome couple. You guys just plain rock.

Oh, Kaliegh & Jason! I still believe Kaleigh picked their wedding location just for ME :) This was SUCH a gorgeous wedding. Holy cow. Kaleigh was ridiculously beautiful & matched her vintage location (Veraestau) perfectly. I have really (really!) enjoyed getting to know both Kaleigh & Jason better, and am SUPER stoked that they're expecting! Expect more appearances on the blog from this little family in the Spring... and one of their bridesmaids wedding, next year!

Funky & super fun. That sums up Dawn & Josh.

Dawn also works in the wedding industry & went above & beyond with her wedding. It was AWESOME. Super creative details, bright bold colors, a beautiful couple, and the whole thing went down in an old church converted to an art gallery. Check & Mark. Fabulous. Amy & Tom... Okay, Amy & HOBBS (as his groomsmen chuckled when I called him anything but) had a perfectly romantic wedding in Dayton. Amy looked like a princess and Tom was glad to be her prince. They're an adorable couple and had the perfect day.
Tracey & Jason are such gentle spirits... They ooze genuine care & concern for others, and are head over heals in love. No really... It was intense! Each couple has a particular thing that I always remember about their day... For them, it was the look in their eyes as they read their vows to each other. I've never seen anything like it. Just beautiful.
Mailynn & Jeff are awesome. They're so awesome that they've subjected themselves to my crazy methods 3 times now (engagement session, wedding day, and trash the dress session...the photo on the left is from that session!) and have sent 2 or 3 couples to me who's weddings I'll be shooting next year. I've started to loose count. They're awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I love you guys :)

I loooooved Autumn & Jeff's wedding day. Almost as much as I love them as a couple :) It was absolutely gorgeous, totally relaxed, and again at a beautiful location. Jeff is a sweet, gentle man and Autumn is a sweet, feisty (she's a police officer!), STUNNING woman. They're a PERFECT match for each other & I'm so so glad they found each other. (Speaking of, remember THIS post? Kinni is responsible for hooking them up! Way to go, Kinni!!)
Cara & Casey's wedding was a weekend adventure for me in the great state of Wisconsin. (I've since told Hayden that we should move someday to Lake Geneva, the area that they got married in, because I loved it so much!) Cara was a bridesmaid in a 2008 wedding & I was super pumped when she contacted me about shooting hers. I can't tell you how much I loved shooting this wedding. I stayed at a beautiful resort with them, was seated with their families during the reception, & laughed SO much with the whole bridal party. They treated me like family, and I am forever grateful to them for such a wonderful time. I love you guys! Luke is the brother of my best friend, and Michelle was a bridesmaid in a wedding I photographed last year. Making the trip to Boston for their wedding was a no brainer. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Michelle is THE sweetest woman I've ever met. There are a LOT of contenders out there, but she takes the cake. After meeting her parents, I understand why. I love both of these families so very much & was so honored to share in this wedding weekend with them.Jeremey is an old friend of mine from back in "the day".... I hadn't seen him for about 7 years until the day before his wedding. I was nervous to meet his bride to be, Michelle, because she pretty much needed to be perfect to be good enough for my extraordinary friend. Luckily, she was. Michelle & Jeremey tied the knot in Michigan on August 1st.... and are living happily ever after :)Kathleen & Luke might be one of the worlds most attractive couples. Seriously. Brad & Angelina who? Shooting these two during their engagement sessions & wedding day was a breeze and (drum roll) I know their MATERNITY photos will be too! SOOO excited about your new news & can not wait to see how adorable Kathleen is pregnant!
SO. MUCH. FUN. That pretty much sums up Stacey & Sam. They love to laugh, really enjoy life, and most importantly are totally in love. My favorite memory from their wedding day was the look on Sam's face when Stacey walked down the aisle. Wow. I can't wait to see what the future holds for these two!
I love love love Natalie & Adam. I teared up more times at this wedding than I can count. It was a day overflowing with emotions and was absolutely perfect. The perfect couple, perfect families, perfect weather. Perfect. ....and they're beautiful to boot :)I remember writing on Kristen & Sam's blog that Kristen is like a breath of fresh air. Really, they both are. I had so so much fun with them during both their engagement session & wedding day & really hope we have the chance to shoot again someday. They have infectious laughs & know how to kick back & enjoy life.

Christy & Jason had a GORGEOUS October wedding. It was simple, classy, and stunning. Christy spent so much time on the details & it showed.... Such an elegant day with a vintage twist, and I loved everything about it and them.

Jessica is my sister-from-another-mother's sister in law. Confused? Basically, Jessica is my new family. :) I was beyond honored when she, a fellow photographer, asked me to photograph her wedding day. Jessica & Daniel are cute beyond words and had a beautiful fall wedding in northern Indiana. Again, another wedding with a fantastic bridal party & families. I love my job.

Deeann & Loyd were the winners of this years Wedding Giveaway that I did and I'm the one who got lucky! I met such amazing people, photographed beautiful details, and had an absolute blast. They opted to do a Day-After session since the sun was down by the time they saw each other during the ceremony, and I'm SO glad they did. These shots were from that day....
Finally, Yeyin & Steven. I just posted about them last night, but I shall say again how blessed I am to have met them. Yeyin is so so so sweet and compassionate and she & Steven make the perfect couple (I forgot to mention their wedding date marked 10 years of them being together! That's so awesome!) Thank you for making my last wedding of '09 so memorable!

Yeyin & Steven - Wedding Day! - Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Yeyin & Steven's wedding wrapped up my 2009 season with a bang. I've been looking forward to their wedding day for quite some time now, and it did not disappoint!

They live in Chicago, so Yeyin & I first "met" via email. After the first 2 or 3 emails, I knew I we'd be fast friends. She has the sweetest personality and is so much fun. Why, Oh WHY must you live in the windy city, Yeyin?! :) Although Yeyin & I had the opportunity to meet up twice in person before the wedding, I didn't get to meet Steven until I walked into his hotel room that morning. What a nice guy. Really. I was so happy to see that my new friend Yeyin had such a fantastic new husband-to-be.

The couple along with their bridal party, got ready at the Hilton in Downtown Cincinnati.....

Yeyin & her sister, April, are such beauties.... and I wanted to steal April's awesome dress.

Yeyin & Steven decided to see each other before the ceremony, so we were able to shoot around a little downtown & at Ault Park before the ceremony.

Yeyin, I hope you realize how gorgeous you are.While I was getting funky with the above shot, my sweet friend Annie who assisted as my second shooter for the day took it wide to capture the shot below. I love the 2 perspectives! The ceremony was held at Yeyin's family church, The Korean-Madisonville United Methodist Church.

I just love these first 2 shots... Steven bowing to Yeyin's father, and an emotional Yeyin as Steven hugs his father...
LOVED this church. Just beautiful.
Shots like this one tug on my heart... I wonder what she's thinking as she watches this pretty bride's wedding day...

Annie went to the balcony to shoot as they walked down the aisle... The reception was held at none other than the fabulous Covington Madison. I SO loved the Christmas details!The snowflake place cards were adorable, and made for the perfect sparkly background for a ring shot...Yeyin, Steven & their families then dressed into traditional Korean wear for their Paebaek ceremony. This includes sharing tea with their families, and the parents get to throw dates and nuts into the bride's skirt... The number of which they catch in the skirt represent how many children they'll have! :) It was fun to watch their pile grow HUGE (I didn't count, but there were ALOT!)

As you can see, everyone had a blast watching the ceremony! (That big pile to the right of Steven is what they caught!) They changed back into their original attire & danced the night away.... I snuck through the dancing crowds to grab this sweet little moment...

....So there you have it, folks! The end of 2009 has come! It's been a really REALLY great year... I'll save all of my sappiness for another post, which will be dedicated to each of my couples from this year, so check back later for that.

Give the Gift of Photography! - Gift Certificate sale!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season as it creeps up on us.... Only 2 more weeks!

Now through Christmas I am offering a PHOTOGRAPHY GIFT CERTIFICATE SALE!

Gift certificates are valid on any photoshoot, prints or album purchase (*offer not valid on photoshoots that are already scheduled*).

Certificates in all dollar amounts are now 20% off! Grab one for yourself, your parents who have been bugging you for family photos, your best friend that's pregnant, your cousin who just got engaged.... Photos are the gift that keep 'on giving :)

Offer valid through December 25th. Please email amanda@donahophotography.com for more information.

*Certificates valid for one year from purchase date*

Deeann & Loyd - Wedding Day! Franklin, TN

Deeann & Loyd were the winners of my wedding giveaway this year, and I am SO happy that I chose them. I went to the Nashville area this last weekend for their wedding & was wowed by the beautiful details that Deeann spent so much time on to make this wedding exactly what she wanted. She is an artist, so I knew it would be amazing, but WOW.... it was totally my style and just gorgeous.

The ceremony & reception were held at their church, Journey, which is in The Factory at Franklin (which is amazing). As I mentioned, Deeann is an artist & created this awesome old door/window combo which hangs along the back of the church (you'll see it lots further down)... Anyways, I took the liberty to writing their initials in the dirt :)

She & her bridesmaids carried lanterns instead of flowers... Everything had a unique touch. This necklace was made by her maid of honor, Tally, and features a flower piece from Deeann's grandmother.I love the "first look" with the bride's mom when she first sees her daughter as a bride....
One of the flowergirls was coloring this picture of a princess, which I found all to appropriate for this wedding day.Speaking of flower girls, I found another one later on like this.... (Sidenote: She found this & started playing all on her own... She's 2, adorable, and has amazing musicians for parents, so no doubt this picture is just speaking to her future :)
Deeann, you were a breathtaking bride. The epitome of natural beauty.

Loyd & his groomsmen were such a blast... This photo was (almost) completely unprompted. They're hilarious.

Vintage. Handmade. Unique. That was the theme surrounding this wedding.... and the details were perfect.
Guests could "sign/type in" at the typewriter above, and then leave notes to the couple below:

All of the old doors, windows, lanterns, tree branches, and candles gave such a romantic feel.

I followed them as they walked out of the sanctuary to catch this next shot (when "no one" was looking :)
These next two are some of my all-time favorites... Deeann & Loyd.... I am SO glad you applied for the wedding photography giveaway and know I made the right decision in choosing you. I wish you both all of the best as you move on to exciting changes in the "dirty south" :) Keep in touch! - If you're ever on tour in Cincinnati, holla!