becca and rich's large, personalized fall wedding in orwell ohio and at the metroplex in girard ohio photographed by youngstown wedding photographer mae b photo-41.jpg

October is forever my favorite time of the year. We get that magical midwest show where the leaves in the trees start to glow in all their glory and create a beautiful burnt orange, yellow and red masterpiece before falling to the ground. We definitely started to get that golden glow for Becca and Rich's October 7th wedding.

We started the day in Orwell, Ohio at Saint Mary Church. After all of the getting ready fun was finished, Becca had a surprise "first look" of sorts with her dad. A little back story - before the wedding day began, her parents decided they were going to surprise Becca with a very special memento placed in her bouquet. They planned it so her dad would hand her the bouquet right before walking over to the church to get married. I found out on the wedding day that the memento was her grandfather's hook that he had when he lost his hand. It had so much meaning to not only Becca and her immediate family, but to her other wedding guests as well. At the reception, so many people were going up to the head table to take a look at the bouquet. Every time I had it in my hand, I would get stopped by guests who just wanted to see the hook and we would end up having wonderful conversations about how special it was. It's a beautiful thing when a small detail can be incorporated into a wedding and hold such significance and meaning. Needless to say, everyone in the room was in tears when Becca saw her special bouquet for the first time!

After the I do's, we ended up behind the church for Bridal Party photos. Oddly enough, it was the most perfect setting! There were two absolutely beautiful trees that just called for me to photograph the couple next to them! For some reason, this year seemed to be the year of large bridal parties for me, but I didn't mind at all with the awesome crew I had for Becca and Rich's wedding! They were a lot of fun and went along with my crazy requests :P Not to mention the level of energy and loud cheering they brought to the party. They were definitely a good time, even when we were surrounded by total insanity in a sea of homecoming kids and their parents with cameras at the McKinley Memorial in Niles, Ohio. That didn't stop Becca and Rich, either. They were as sweet and fun as ever. I swear to you, there were so many times that day where we were surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of people, and those two seemed like they were the only two in the room. I could tell that they were completely swept up in each other and enjoying the day to the absolute fullest, which is my favorite thing to see! That's what it's all about!

Our night ended at The Metroplex in Girard, Ohio, where the dance floor was always overflowing with guests who were just having a blast and kiddos with glow sticks. Did I mention how they had TWO different areas in the room dedicated to the infamous Youngstown Cookie Table?! Seriously, cookies for days. The centerpieces were beautiful arrangements by A Floral Dynasty and the table numbers were DIY on pieces of slate, which were salvaged from Becca's family farm. Another thing I thought was just so sweet was that along with wedding favors, the couple made a donation to the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland. All the way around, it was truly a special day. Congratulations, Becca and Rich!!! <3