In the words of Janice from Friends, "OH. MY. GAWWWWD." This wedding. This bride and groom. This bridal party. This venue. But that's not all. we also geeked out over ALL the details and the moments and the wedding guests and the DJ! We're apologizing up front for being over-sharers and wordy and for gushing like wedding nerds, but we're not really sorry because we just loved it all so much we can't not share. So here we go--we're gonna call it "Nicole & Nick's Day of FUN!"
Okay. soooo. Now that you've been properly warned, let's start our day with Nicole & Nick at Avon Gardens as they prepared for their day. First of all, WHY YES, THAT IS A LANTERN TREE you see there which goes to show how amazing Avon Gardens is from the start. ;)
Nick and his groomsmen had the very important job of hanging out in the groom's suite while the ladies got ready. Naturally, Nick & Nicole's dog, Lenny, hung out with the men and prepared for his star moment during the ceremony later.
Nicole & Nick had set aside time for their first look, and we are SO glad they did, because this gave us plenty of time to shoot with them around Avon Gardens before the ceremony, and gave THEM time to enjoy more of their day together.
Side note: When Nicole asked Nick what he thought about her dress, his response was, "I’ve been watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' with you for four years. I had an idea of what to expect!" 🤣😍
Have we mentioned how much we love these two???
Hold on to your hats, cause you're about to see what happens when Nick & Nicole get together with their best people. There are portrait studio poses, serious sass, snap walking, and all kinds of shenanigans that left us in stitches.
Nicole also had a a special first look moment with her grandparents that had us looking for the Kleenex.
And before we knew it, it was ceremony time at the Lantern Tree. YOU GUYSSSS. We're just gonna list a few of the things we love: That swirl of flowers on the aisle, the string quartet that played some seriously awesome music, Nicole's father's horn as a way to honor him at her wedding, Nicole's mom walking her down the aisle, Nick's mom as their officiant, Lenny the dog sauntering down the aisle like a pro, paper rock scissors to decide who'd say their vows first, and SO many references to these two being the same "weird." This ceremony was ahhh-mazing.
And FYI--These two are FOR SURE the best kind of "weird" and every single detail was thoughtful, perfect, and totally them. Sign us up for all the weirdos at all the weird weddings, because it doesn't get any better.
The Cocktail Hour on the Avon Gardens grounds felt like a garden party. In case you can't tell, we kinda like this place, and this wedding, and this couple, and their people. A LOT.
Scroll back up there one picture, will you? Please meet Jared Wade, our new wedding crush. We're gonna gush over this Master of Ceremonies for a quick second. We were instant fans of this guy as soon as he started talking to guests before the ceremony, because his energy and thoughtfulness just oozes. And when he brought Nicole & Nick some hors d'oeuvres as they waited to get Nicole's dress bustled, we were officially in love. Seriously, above and beyond, that Jared. We can't say enough good things about him.
As you can surely guess, the fun just kept on going! Reception time!!
Quick wedding photography tip: When the bride & groom eat first, they tend to have a few extra minutes while their guests finish their meal. This is the PERFECT time to sneak in some bonus photos! We ducked out of the reception and let these two enjoy a few quiet moments together before getting the party started!!
And this party was So. Good, We're just gonna let you enjoy these photos . . .
^^^Not gonna lie, a few of those stickers/favors came home with us. 😍
The new Mr. And Mrs. Stone wanted photos with several groups of friends before the night was over--friends from Camp Michigania, Reddit friends, Columbus peeps, work friends (we won't even tell you the things we learned from those guys--suffice it to say they work at the Department of Health and they know all the things). Each set of humans was so unique and fun and seriously had us waiting to see what would happen next when we got our cameras on each group. And if we didn't mention it, DEANN AND I EXPECT AN INVITE TO ALL OF YOUR NEXT EVENTS, you guys!! Just sayin.
So there is this end of wedding tradition that Nicole & Nick have with their friends that involves perhaps the 7 best minutes in music and entertainment known to man. The final song of the night is "Bohemian Rhapsody" and this group is ALL. IN.
Go ahead and try to look at this series of photos without hearing "I see a little silhouetto of a man" in your head. You can't, can you?
And with a perfect sparkler exit, the night was over, though we seriously wished the party could have kept going!
Congrats, Nicole & Nick!! We can't say enough about how much we loved spending the day with you guys, and how every single detail and moment of your wedding was spectacular. Thanks for trusting us with your day, and we'll be expecting those invites to hang out with you and your people!!! 🤣
--Shannon & Deann
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