Old Slate Farm Engagement Session in Mount Vernon, Oh
Alex + Dj
Ever since the first time I visited Katie at her gorgeous cut flower farm in Mount Vernon, Ohio I knew I had to to do a session there! Old Slate Farm is one of my all time favorite wedding florists and it has been a dream of mine to collaborate with them for a long time. They offer full service floral designs for weddings using flowers grown mostly on their property, with flowers from other local farms and sustainable sources as well. I not only love what Old Slate Farm represents with their focus on sustainability and knowledge of all things botany, but also am always floored by Katie’s garden-style, romantic designs!
So, when Alex and DJ told me they had booked Katie for their Magnolia Hill Farm wedding next year, I did a literal happy dance! I quickly explained to them that Katie allows her clients to take engagement photos out on the farm as part of their wedding package and was thrilled to hear they loved the idea!
We had the best time roaming around the fields of flowers and rolling hills as sheep grazed in the distance. Old Slate Farm is such a picturesque place, with a sense of peace and tranquility that only the country lifestyle can create. Alex and DJ kept saying how awkward they were going to be in front of the camera and I didn’t buy it for a moment! I mean, just look how incredible they are in these pictures! I adored their wardrobe selection— the flowing white dress added such a fun movement to the photos! They decided to get glammed up for their second outfit and it was perfect in juxtaposition to the farm!
Alex and DJ were up for all my suggestions and truly embraced their engagement session as a time to have fun, be together and celebrate their love! This is of course when we get the best photos! We spent the evening laughing and getting to know each other better and had the most magnificent sunset to top off the session!
They are such a fun and down-to-earth couple and I am beyond excited for their big day! I feel so honored to work with such wonderful people and know their wedding day is going to be out of this world! They are bringing in such an incredible venue line up and I can’t wait to see it all come together! As always, I adore hearing my couples’ own version of their love story and Alex and DJ’s is no exception! If you are a Buckeye fan then you definitely won’t want to miss it!
Love Story
“DJ and I met three years ago (almost to the day!) at work - I had just picked up and moved back to Columbus from West Virginia to take a job with Ohio State Athletics and DJ's desk was right behind mine. What started as harmless bickering in the office and on the sidelines of Ohio Stadium on game day, turned into a little something more. It was the 2017 #6 Ohio State vs. #2 Penn State football game, and as we all know, Ohio State was trailing pretty heavily against a very talented Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley. DJ and I were standing on the sideline near the end-zone accepting the fact that our playoff contention that year was probably over, until the 4th quarter came around and we miraculously put up 19 points. During that iconic JT Barrett to Marcus Baugh touchdown to solidify a win, I turned to look at DJ and he grabbed my face and we both screamed for joy at each other. The energy in the stadium was electric, and in that moment I knew DJ was the person I wanted to spend my life with.
Fast forward to 2020, lots of uncertainty overall, and especially in the world of sports, but DJ found a way to still make it memorable by asking me to marry him in May. It is very hard to keep secrets in quarantine together, so I applaud him for orchestrating a wonderful surprise proposal. He somehow got my best friend to drag me out of the house to have a picnic on The Oval at Ohio State. It had been a little overcast that day so we were the only people out on the Oval. As we are sitting there, I get a call from DJ asking me to turn around and join him on the "long walk" of The Oval. As I walked up to him with our little frenchie, Bao, it clicked what was happening. Instead of standing there, listening to his beautifully written speech and enjoying the moment, I started crying and essentially blacked out and didn't hear a word he said. But, I was able to put two-and-two together when he pulled out a box with the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen. No question at all I would say “Yes!”
Trying to plan a wedding in a global pandemic can have many challenges, but it has been so much fun to plan together and with the help of our families. Our families are a very important part of both of our lives and we cherish and value all they have done for us in our relationship, our engagement and planning, and all they will do for us as husband and wife. We are most excited about sharing our wedding day with our family, with my sisters as the maids of honor and DJ's brother as the best man, our family is going to be a very special part of our day. We cannot wait until we are all joined together as one large, Italian, loud - but loving - family. August 14th, 2021 cannot come soon enough!”
