Diamond Lake Event Barn Wedding in the Summer

Hello! I’m BACK from vacation and ready to “wedding” again!  I’ve got a double header weekend coming up starting tomorrow BUT I still have to show you Paige and Clint’s wedding.  That’s right!  This wedding I photographed at the Diamond Lake Event Barn in Scio, Ohio prior to my departure is on the blog right now!  Give Mr. & Mrs. Rowan ALL your Hannah Barlow Photography love and ENJOY!

This was a new venue for the Hannah Barlow Photography crew!  I met Kayla while I was getting gas and off we went!  Of course, before I even pulled in, I had to take it ALL in…and get a photo of their sign with the venue in the background.  Like any artist, we love a fresh canvas!  And once we arrived, Paige flew out of the getting ready suite, gave me all the hugs and then a tour of the whole place (it’s huge, by the way).  We also got to meet up with Gunnar who was going to be the man behind the camera for video.  New venue.  New vendor friends…let’s do this!

While Kayla was helping set up details, I was jumping in and out of the bridal suite to catch all the parts of Paige getting ready.  Paige had made a “joke” that her dress may not fit (spoiler alert…it wasn’t a joke after all).  I laughed back at her while thinking “Yea…yea.  I hear that all the time” and just kept snapping away.  I mean…Paige is teeny tiny.  I knew this…everyone knows this…if you remember their incredible engagement session (HERE), she rocked the most adorable outfit that very few people could pull off…but sometimes my instincts are wrong.  They were wrong this day.  BUT…it’s a great story and I’m going to tell it here in a minute (and Paige and I were on the phone for an hour yesterday laughing about it too)!  That’s what I love about my couples…they embrace the wedding day madness…and then they let me blog about it.  People always ask how I come up with all this stuff for each wedding and each blog…and it is actually easy.  I just tell the story of the day as if we were sitting on the couch together.  Then, each year the couple can go back and relive their wedding day…all the good, great…and sometimes stressful moments! BUT first…before I get too far down this rabbit hole, let’s look at the black and white getting ready goodness!

AND the details!  Some of these are Kayla’s photos too!  Let’s not talk about these details but just take a moment to enjoy the beauty!  Paige gave me all the extras I’d need to make these lovely!

The whole morning was a flurry of details…more details…and allll the details!  I knew this going into this wedding.  Paige was always very organized and on the ball with the big and little things.  The audio guestbook is BY FAR my favorite “guestbook” ever!

Now, back to the dress story.  SO…imagine ALL of our surprises when the dress, did…in fact…ALMOST not fit.  Honestly, when it was all said and done, it fit her like a glove.  Sleeved dresses are NOT easy to get on.  It’s like putting panty hose on but with tight seams and lots of buttons.  It took Paige’s mom (Hi, Gloria!), lots of bridesmaids (going in and out in shifts), Robin (Paige’s step mom) AND me to get this thing on.  Not going to lie, there were a few moments I was thinking, “I’m going to have to sew her into this…” or “I’m going to have to go find a dress” or “Wonder if her rehearsal dress is white?”…you name it…it was going through my mind.  Looking back, it was absolute chaos and I was doing my best to wear my Hannah poker face.  Over a week later now, we’re laughing about the chaos BECAUSE…it all worked out.  Somehow…it always does, right?!  We just needed a solid HOUR (you read it right) to move and groove and adjust and readjust and pull to get everything exactly where it needed to be…and it buttoned right up.  I absolutely love that these photos have SO many memories and stories packed behind them now.  Usually, it’s just “let’s get the dress on” and the dress is on and off we go!  So, even in the chaotic moments…they are memories!  And these memories are BEAUTIFUL…just look!

…and just LOOK at that dress on her! AHHHHH!!! All the Hannah squeals and screams!  It’s flawless perfection like it was made for her!

Then, it was time to catch that timeline up and get down to formal photo Goddess goodness!

By the time I made it over to the men, it was a little less than 45 minutes until the ceremony and by the time everyone was ready and I got the flowers pinned…we were down to about 30 minutes…but I promised the men I could do it in less than 15…and we did!

SIR!  I adore these groom photos!  To my website they go!

Then, RIGHT before the ceremony (and I mean RIGHT…before the ceremony), Clint and Paige took a moment together and read their vows.

Kayla ran to the ceremony…got me set up…then I ran to the ceremony…and it was time to get these two married!  Diamond Lake Event Barn definitely has one of the most unique ceremony setups you can find!  Take a look!

After they were pronounced Mr. & Mrs. and we got all the family photos accomplished, we finished up bridal party with all the men and women together!

Then, Archie got his moment to shine and boy did he…he’s the best boy!

How I will EVER choose which ones to put on the website and hang in my studio…I will never know.  It’s got all the things I like…good color, pretty sky, amazing couple…allll the feels looking at these!

…and we just kept on going!  Somehow, we caught the timeline up to have more time for bride and groom photos than I intended…total win!  Gunnar was right beside me filming this goodness (if you didn’t see his teaser…go over on Instagram @gunnarbernhart…you won’t be disappointed).  I’ve watched it more times than I care to admit!

Then, we got everything checked off the list, took some deeps breaths, and it was time for the reception!

…and it was QUITE the reception.  DJ Nick Duve absolutely ROCKED this party.  HOLY CRAP!  10/10 recommend…all 5 stars…Kayla and I couldn’t keep up with people inside…and outside…and over here…and over there…SO much to photograph!  We even circled the building a few times to make sure we were getting anyone we could get!

…but I will never ever get tired of photographing these two…THE new ROWANS!

I always tell my couples to pick great vendors…and they don’t have to be vendors I know.  Great vendors can make for an even greater wedding day experience.  This was one of those weddings I made new friends AND people I’m proud to add to my preferred vendor list.  Gunnar and I worked flawlessly together and then we all rolled into the reception and let Nick take over and the greatness kept on coming!  The Diamond Lake Event Barn was just as beautiful as people had told me…this couple took even BETTER photos than I envisioned and I didn’t even think that was possible after their amazing engagement session (which ironically has the same color tones and vibe).  It may have been a chaotic morning but looking back…it was a memorable morning and set the stage for the day.  Everyone worked together to make this a success.  It was a great day…a great wedding gallery to complete and I’m SO excited for Paige and Clint to see it!  One more time…CONGRATS TO THE NEW MR. & MRS!

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Vendors

Bride’s Gown – Abbott’s Bridal

Bridesmaids’ Attire – Davids Bridal

Men’s Attire – Men’s Wearhouse

Rings – Ashcroft and Oak

Hair – Heather Littleton

Makeup – Maddie Stark

Florist – Michelle Rowan (Groom’s Mom) at Bud’s Flower’s and Gifts

Videographer – Gunnar Bernhart

Cake – Sweet Temptations

DJ – Nick Duve

Catering – Ohio Catering (Ray and Leigh Johnson)

Officiant- Brannon Marshall from North Canton Chapel Church

Favors – Mickey Mouse Bottle Openers from Amazon

Second Shooter – Kayla Frye (Frye Fotos)