Hello! Happy Friday! GET READY to FEAST YOUR EYES…BUCKLE UP…do all the things because Kassie and Cullen’s stunning wedding from last weekend at Bella Amore (Enchanted Acres Venues in Dennison, Ohio) is live on the blog right now! It’s got alllllllll the things I like to rave about and most importantly…the photos of these beautiful people are just STUNNING! So, give them all your Hannah Barlow Photography love and ENJOY!
I’ve been to Bella Amore many times but this was Lacey’s first time! We arrived and got to enjoy the views of this beautiful venue from the outside!
Then, it was time to get down to business! The ladies were finishing up getting ready in the bridal suite. Lacey and I snatched up all the details and went to Bella’s second floor getting ready suite to enjoy ALL the fall vibes with this bridal AND groom detail layout. Kassie has always been so laid back and continued to be this day. Lacey asked her how and what she wanted (she gave me three ring boxes) for her “invitation suite” and Kassie replied, “what’s an invitation suite?” which I LOVE about her. So many brides are particular (as they SHOULD be on their wedding day)…but Kassie was absolutely of the “you do you, I trust you” mindset…SO, that meant all kinds of different variations of details!
Then, after details…a flurry of activity ensued!
Lacey pointed it out first…but there was something so sweet and amazing about having just a few people be a part of the getting ready portion of the day. We’re used to being stuffed into one hotel room with 10+ people attempting to get ready. It was SO calming and so on par with Kassie and her family to just BE…in these moments. It was the calm before the storm (there was never a storm this day….but you get the idea). I enjoyed these moments much more than I usually do!
I MEANNNNNNNN…Lacey killin’ it with the angles!
This is one of the ONLY requests Kassie had and the finished product turned out better than I could have ever imagined. There’s just something about this door!
It was important to Kassie she include everyone and not leave anyone out! That included Cullen’s family so we timed it so they could arrive and be a part of the pre-ceremony moments ! You can tell when you’re a part of close-knit families…and they oooooh-ed and ahhhhhh-ed all over Kassie – Grandma included!
Cullen and Nathaniel (Kassie’s close cousin….basically a brother figure) were on stand by for their moments coming up too!
Then, we took this beautiful bride out with her ladies to embrace the fall, the beautiful (perfect) weather and admire….the BOW….which was one of my favorite parts of her attire!
Can we just take a moment to appreciate every single detail of these photos below? ESPECIALLY the color! In ten years of doing this, I don’t think I’ve ever photographed a color like this and I am loving ALL over it!
Then, Kassie and I planned a first look with Nathaniel. Nathaniel and Kassie are very close. She wanted to give him gifts. After brainstorming, we came up with having him do his own first look between bridesmaid and groomsmen photos complete with a gift exchange and her pinning on his flower!
Then, I ran and got Cullen for his groom photos!
The men…also nailed it!
Prior to the ceremony, Kassie and Cullen wanted a private moment together (without seeing one another) to say “hello” and read their vows. I’m showing you a tiny snippet of those moments but out of respect and privacy for what was a very sweet and intimate moment(s)…I’ll just show you a sneak peek. We even stepped out at one point to truly let them have their time together.
Right before the ceremony we raced back around Bella to get some more reception shots with the candles lit. We had done this when we first arrived before the ladies got dressed too so this is combination of those photos…shoutout to Lacey who is ALWAYS my literal right hand woman and gives me those second angles!
Time for the ceremony! Most of these were taken before guests arrived. If you want a true outdoor ceremony experience, Bella’s location is the place to be!
And if you are dreaming of a fall wedding ceremony, this is probably what you’d imagine! I’m getting ahead of myself and I’ll show you the photos here after this collage, BUT…back story. At Kassie’s sister’s wedding (Hey, Kourtney and Brandon!) back in 2021, a funny pre-ceremony moment had happened that resulted in Lacey running (more like scrambling) to find a solution to a pre-ceremony problem. We joked leading up to this wedding, “we promise not to stress Lacey out”.
Welllllllll, as people were lining up, I noticed, on the ground, a box of petals. I had nothing about petals on the list. I looked at Lacey…she looked at me…and I said, “Go find Kassie and see what these are for…”. And when I tell you this was RIGHT before the ceremony…guests were sitting…bridal party was lined up and ready to go. Poor Lacey…running pre-ceremony at a Frohnapfel wedding again. I COULD do the running but then she’d be in charge of key shots if people start walking…so I still think she prefers to run. She came back with SUCH a Kassie answer…”whatever you think”…so, I said…”we’re going to have people throw then when they dip and kiss after the ceremony” (which had been and WAS planned).
Bless the people handing out programs, they didn’t even miss a beat and took full responsibility for making this happen. You’ll see here in a bit!
SO, back to the ceremony!
…and just like that they were pronounced Mr. & Mrs. Ebbert!
So, back to the petal story and again…HUGE shoutout to these two people for helping us out with the petals. As I said, pre-ceremony they were handing out programs (we had “met” in passing earlier in the day). I saw these petals right before the ceremony (quite literally right before processional). This final dip photo was inspired by a couple who did this and it’s one of my favorite photos to date. I can’t make you fully understand how much I appreciate this. Obviously, I do a lot of weddings…people are not usually this fast to “help” AND to help in a great way! They made sure everyone and all guests with petals understood the assignment…to throw these when the couple dips and kisses. This could go wrong in so many ways because there’s so many moving parts and it has to happen at the RIGHT time…well, people were READY! AND…everyone…every single person involved NAILED it.
Let’s see it again!!!! PERFECT timing…amazing execution. It’s all SO good!
Ok…Before we got down to family formals, Kassie requested they recreate a childhood photo and do a side by side. MY HEART! Nathaniel and Kassie then and NOW!
Then, we got right down to the other family formals. BOTH sides of this family were ready to go and we flew through them! I’ll highlight the two immediate family groups but there are so many more in the couple’s finished gallery! Amazing people to be around also!
Then, it was a race against time! We promised Erica (Bella’s coordinator) and DJ Brian Oliver we WOULD be done and ready to get down to reception events by 6:00 PM! So, full bridal party first!
THEN…it was time to embrace the beauty of this venue, this couple…AND all that is glorious with fall foliage this year!
The Wedding Gods really did bring back the beautiful light from their engagement session (which you can see HERE)!
We utilized every angle we could find!
…and that LIGHT really just wrapped them all up!
Veil photos were in order!
I have all the words…but I don’t think I really need to say too much.
More and more and MORE couple portraits! Would you believe me too if I said this was just a few?
I’m not always a fan and I hardly ever prefer black and white BUTTTTTT this blog sure does have a whole lot of black and white! They’re their own vibe too!
Right before we wrapped things up…I decided to do some sitting photos and I’m SO glad we did!
It’s my favorite part of a busy wedding day…when I can turn over the timeline to the DJ.
DJ Brian Oliver made announcements and then Kassie and Cullen got to do their first dance!
After a brief delay of game and dinner, they got to cut their cake and enjoy parent dances!
THENNNNN…DJ Brian Oliver did what he does best…let’s get this party started!
It’s no secret Brian and I do A LOT of weddings together…heck, it’s kind of become a marketing point for us…and that’s because we work so well together (which is funny because when I first met him…I wasn’t a huge fan…HA!). He’s now my #1 preferred vendor for DJ category! At this point, we just know one another. So, everyone started to make a circle on the dance floor and this is usually my cue to find an empty bottle because Brain will play “spin the bottle” wedding style!! That’s where someone spins the bottle in the circle and whoever it lands on has to dance! Well, this venue doesn’t do glass…so we were out with that idea…it didn’t stop Brian though! Nope! He said “We’ll make Nathaniel the bottle” and what did that mean? It meant a DANCE OFF!! Nathaniel LOVES to dance and Brian knows him. SO, he had Nathaniel come out to the center and bust some moves and then Nathaniel got to point and choose who had to come out and dance with him. It was absolutely a high point of the night for me and gave us SO many photo opportunities!
We took a small group out for a sparkler “exit” before we took off for the night and the joy on their faces sums up the WHOLE day!
This wedding is SUPER bittersweet to be posting! Kassie booked me over two years ago…so this wedding popping up, being finished and blogged feels surreal. I just can’t put it into words…and that’s rare for me. I definitely don’t want it to end! The feelings we left with were all the warm and fuzzies…in a grand wedding way! I’ve already been texting Kassie and plan to see them again…Kourtney, her sister, too! I’m not letting these beautiful people go…nope! This wedding was SOMETHING! So, thanks for reaching everyone and I hope you enjoyed it!
ONE MORE WEDDING TO GO NOW!!
What the heck happened to 2024 wedding season?! This may be the fastest one YET!
Disclaimer: Hannah Barlow Photography blogs only represent a small portion of photos the couple actually receives in their private gallery. The blogs are meant to highlight favorite photos and favorite moments of the wedding day and do not represent an entire gallery.
Vendors
Venue/Catering – Bella Amore in Dennison, OH (Enchanted Acres Venues)
Officiant – Patrick McGue II
Bride’s gown – Sorelle
Men’s Attire – Men’s Wearhouse
Hair – Studio Blue (Emery Nemeti)
Florist – Kassie’s Mom and Nikki’s Perfect Petal Design (Bouquets)
Cake – Sugarfuse
DJ – Brian Oliver
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