Oglebay Mansion Lawn Wedding | Marissa & Scott

Happy Thursday, everyone! Marissa and Scott are off on their honeymoon and I’ll be holding on to their gallery until their return…BUT…for now, it’s time to see some more highlights and read all about this big day of theirs. ARE YOU READY?! I’m ready! Please give this happy couple all your Hannah Barlow Photography love. Their wedding on Oglebay’s Mansion lawn followed by a huge (and breathtakingly beautiful) wedding reception is live right now! ENJOY!

I knew this wedding was going to be beautiful. Right after their engagement session (You can see it HERE), I knew they’d put their trust into me and I KNEW they’d show up on their wedding day ready to take some breathtaking photos. What I didn’t expect, was them to go FULL BLOWN MODEL mode on me! More on that later though. But first, if you’re new here…Meet Marge! She’s our newest crazy idea and we’ve really enjoyed dressing her up for some bridal gown photos!

Marissa’s details matched the whole “feel” of this wedding. Classy, beautiful…breathtaking!

Hair and makeup was ON POINT! HUGE shoutouts to Antonette Medved Makeup Co. and Deanna Machi of Bloom Beauty Parlor! I always get nervous when brides wear their hair down during the hot, summer months but Deanna had a plan and it was executed perfectly and Marissa’s hair looked fab ALL day! Makeup too! 10/10 recommend them!

It was definitely an unspoken (and unknown at the time) “competition” for who was going to look more model-ish. I can’t even with these two…the pictures! They were blowing our MINDS!

Everyone was looking VERY dapper this day! Marissa and Scott are such calm, kind, sweet and quiet spoken humans – at least around me! I was not expecting full blown model poses and it was a VIBE! I could (and hope to) photograph them over and over again!

Now that the men were done and before we went out for bridal/bridesmaid photos, we had some sweet moments with Marissa, her sister, and her mom and dad!

I don’t always post little kiddos and little ladies like this, but I got special permission to post these because…I mean…how could I not at least ask?! The absolute beauty that is all of these ladies! It was hot too and not a bead of sweat or heat stress in sight! Again, summer palettes this year are TOP NOTCH! I love love love all the light and more “spring” colors that are coming out this summer. If you know me, I love color..and I love the green foliage we get in the summer. Combine the two?! I’m in photographer DREAM LAND!

OOooooo Marissa. You are GORGEOUS! One of my favorite moments of the day was a simple one. It’s this photo (below) in the center. You see, there’s not a whole lot of “perfect” spots around Oglebay’s lodge for this kind of photo but I had VISIONS and I wanted all the beauty surrounding Marissa with all the green foliage. So, I made special arrangements with the men to make sure we didn’t run in to one another and/or they saw us while taking the trolley to the ceremony. Marissa was nervous about it (rightfully so) but I promised her it would be worth it. Wouldn’t you know it, a group of people she knew drove by so she waved to them in the most calm, royal, Queen-like way and I just loved it so much! It’s definitely the little things for me!

GIRL! I expected a lot from this wedding. I did NOT expect this and it had my photographer heart bursting! The subtle slit in the dress was amazing. You didn’t even know it was there unless Marissa specifically stuck her foot out and sometimes when she was walking. TALK ABOUT CLASS!

We got a good bit of candid moments for this wedding too. Lacey caught these ones below and it was a complete coincidence we were done early to catch the men and some of the families getting on the trolley. Lacey was simply going to my car BUT this is also why we always take our cameras with us! You just never know!

This is a funny moment below. We were beginning to push the timeline a bit. I think this was about 25 minutes to ceremony start time. The ladies were packing up and they had asked me what time to be downstairs. I knew Ashley (Plans For Perfection…Heyyyyy, girl!) had scheduled the trolley to pick them up at 3:50 SO…I told them 3:45. We still had to do gift opening….and then Marissa whipped out her computer to send an email. I can’t…HA! This makes me giggle so much! I 100% had to have had my “nervous t rex” hands up at this time…you know…when I know we don’t REALLY have time…but we’re going to make time…but we need to HURRY! I can’t have anyone late for their ceremony! Nope!

I told you! Lots of candids and stories and memories for this wedding! It all worked out though. I photographed Marissa opening her gift from Scott!

THEN, it was off to the ceremony at Oglebay’s mansion lawn. This is my ninth wedding season. That’s right! I’ve been doing this almost a decade…and guess what! I’ve never photographed a wedding ceremony on the mansion lawn. CRAZY, right?! I love firsts!

…and it was at this point, I looked down at my watch and realized in all the craziness of photo taking earlier, my husband had texted me. He doesn’t text me at weddings really ever…so when I saw his name pop up…I checked it. He’s the ultimate weather man and guru and was warning me. I whipped out my phone so fast to look at the radar. I HAD CHECKED THE WEATHER OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I had! I didn’t believe there was any way…Welp…’tis the season for pop up storms and it was coming RIGHT at us and everyone was already seated. THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO!

So, I, of course…didn’t say anything to anyone EXCEPT…the vendors. I’ve joked with people that between DJ Brian Oliver and planner Ashley Kirchner and myself…the whole building could be on fire and we’d never tell you. We’d be all like “this is fineeeeee….totally normal”! HA! Then, we’ll laugh about it later and I’ll blog about it. So, here we are….coming full circle just like those stories I tell in my workshops! I did run over to Brian and show him. He covered his gear (while Lacey was covering mine). I truly didn’t think he was stressed enough about it…but again…what could we do?! I had my umbrellas ready to go to grab a couple and run if I had to…and then I went and found Ashley. Her and I laughed and laughed and nervous laughed. It was kind of like that manic laugh you do when you just want to laugh…or cry…and you don’t know which. So, if you heard us talking…a lot…we were planning our hasty departure with the couple if it came to that…and we were watching the radar and asking the Wedding Gods to JUST HOLD ON! AND…plot twist…it all worked out. Not ONE drop of rain during the ceremony. BUT…check out those clouds! It did make for some beautiful photos AND it was wasnt hot and sunny (which was also a concern). WIN!

This was my very first Jewish ceremony. It wasn’t a full blown Jewish ceremony they tell me but I recognized many of the key points…including…a canopy called a chuppah. Someone help me out if I get this wrong. I love all things tradition and learning new things so I did a lot of research after this ceremony and will be happy to correct anything I get wrong! They also did the breaking of the glass (which you’ll see below) and then you heard everyone exclaim “Mazel Tov”!

They immediately kissed after that and let me tell you…I was NOT prepared for it to be that fast after the breaking of the glass! Thankfully, this couple gave me a long kiss and Lacey and I both were able to catch it! Pheww…I can still say after all these years…I haven’t missed a first kiss yet!! I’ve had a good bit of near misses…and this was one of them but now I know!

Mr. & Mrs. Burech, everyone!

That’s right! Not a drop of rain during the ceremony somehow…but we knew it was coming. So, these two hadn’t been married five minutes and I had them start posing because I had a real confident feeling these were the only “outside” without cover photos we were going to get. Turns out..that’s exactly how it went but it didn’t take away from the photos. You just wait and see!

Lacey and I had thrown extra bottles of water in our car but Ashely was ready to go jumping in to make sure the couple stayed hydrated! TEAMWORK makes the wedding dreams work!

How can you not just love these two!? Also, Marissa has some of the BEST “funny faces” she makes. I don’t know if it’s on purpose but she gets the award so far this year for most funny faces made on a wedding day. You’ll see more of that later. Every year I always have one bride that gives me the BEST outtakes and faces, so far…Marissa is in the running for first place! I believe it was Kimmy last year and Julie in 2019? I gotta look back and see about 2021 and 2020…those years were all a blur sometimes looking back on pandemic-monia and how crazy weddings could be!

It was starting to sprinkle so I decided to photograph family and full bridal party under some cover of the trees! It all worked out and people (mostly) stayed dry!

We raced to the porch of the mansion where we were covered and safe from the rain and got right down to it! If anyone says you can’t make one small location look “different” and get variety, they are CRAZY!

Lacey tag teamed my angles like never before! AHHHHHH!! It’s impossible for me to pick favorites so I’m just going to blast you with allllllllllll kinds of goodies!

Remember those funny faces? Marissa couldn’t hold that model pose and “smile with the eyes” (Tyra Banks from American’s Next Top Model would be so proud) too long. We’d catch some outtakes here and there and somehow…she still managed to look gorgeous and her skin still looked flawless. HOW?! Ok…just one! They look so dang perfect in the other photos…here’s a candid!

Ok…Ok…I couldn’t help it! Now, back to the absolute magazine worthy dump of wedding photos!

We were ahead of schedule and I couldn’t believe it! I handed off my umbrella and had to get just a few photos so we could remember the rain…because…really…how would you know otherwise?!

Off to the reception we go!

…and when I walked in…HOLY CRAP! My mouth dropped! Lacey and I had stopped in the morning to get our “insurance shots” just in case we didn’t make it back before guests came into the reception. It was all set up and beautiful then…I couldn’t have ever imagined what it would have looked like later. Feast your eyes on the beauty that was Glessner auditorium last weekend. Also..side note…if you’re on the fence about uplighting…don’t be. Just get it. I promise you won’t regret it! These photos would not have looked the same without it.

If Lacey is your second shooter, you can guarantee she’ll try her darnedest to get you a cake photo like this! I did photoshop DJ Brian Oliver out…sorry not sorry! HA!

Mr. & Mrs. Burech, everyone!

After dinner, they had speeches and then decided to do an impromptu table race. I was SHOCKED…not only because I didn’t think they’d want to do it but because Marissa’s dress wasn’t bustled yet. Alas, she recruited Ashley to carry her train and run with us! HA! I kid you not…if Ashley and I are working together you can guarantee there will be some fun surprises and all the energy. Add in DJ Brian Oliver and you’re SET!

Table racing…3…2…1…GO! With the couple’s permission, I’m happy to share this your table shot with you. I just need a screen shot with the table because there’s a lot! Email me at hannah@hannahbarlowphoto.com.

Cake cutting…and it was SO good! Oglebay had some extra so they placed a piece on our table in the back and I am NOT about to pass up some cake from Masterpieces. Brad and Rodney are THE BEST! I don’t usually eat cake but I’ll eat theirs ALWAYS!

First dance magic!

Then, Marissa danced with her dad and Scott danced with his mom. He also picked her up and carried her to the dance floor and I told Lacey if my son doesn’t do that one day…I’m going to be upset! (Kidding…well, kind of…HA!). It was SUCH a sweet moment that really stuck with me.

DJ Brian Oliver opened up the dance floor and got the party started!

Then, they elected to do another Jewish tradition where the couple is held in the air on chairs by some strong men to the sounds of “Hava Nagila” while the guests make a circle around the couple and create ALL the energy! It was quite the moment…and I enjoyed being a party of all this! I do believe this is called the Horah dance but again, please correct me so I can fix this! I’m getting most of my facts from the world wide web and loving learning about these traditions.

AHHHHH!! What a great wedding to look back on. My couples for 2023 have been WAY too easy on me but I’m not complaining. Marissa and Scott did have an amazing planner and they did stack their vendor team to make for a “anything can happen and it’ll be alright” kind of day…but still. I couldn’t have asked for two better people to photograph and celebrate! I think the photos speak for themselves but it was SUCH a great day…rain scare and all!

Well, that’s a wrap on another Hannah Barlow Photography wedding and blog for the year! We’re at the halfway point for the 2023 year BUT not even halfway through all the weddings I’ll be photographing this year. The fall AND winter is jam packed so stay tuned! CONGRATS TO THE BURECHS!

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Vendors

Venue – Oglebay

Ceremony Venue – Oglebay Mansion Lawn

Reception Venue – Oglebay’s Glessner Auditorium

Wedding Planner Coordinator – Plans for Perfection (Ashley Kirchner) and Lauren Mitchell (Oglebay)

Bride’s Gown – Bridal Beginning

Bridesmaids’ Dresses – Azazie

Men’s Attire – Men’s Wearhouse

Hair – Bridal Bloom

Makeup – Antonette Medved Makeup Co.

Florist/Cake/Decoration – Masterpieces of old Town (They basically DO IT ALL!!0

DJ – DJ Brian Oliver

Catering – Oglebay

Transportation – Oglebay Trolley

Stationary – The Knot

Officiant – Erika Burech

Favors – Sarris

Photobooth – Oh Snap!