St. Charles Preparatory School Wedding in Bexley, OH

Katy + Luke

It’s hard to even describe the amount of love that surrounded Katy and Luke’s wedding day. In all my years of photographing weddings I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed a bride and groom be so totally and completely in love and hold such a deep respect for one another.

Just listening to them talk about one another gives you a glimpse into the incredible relationship they have.

“I knew Luke was going to be my partner in life for a very long time. Out of everything I love about Luke, I definitely love how caring he is! He is so in tune with my emotions, and he never fails to cheer me up!” — Katy
“Her unrestrained joy at the world makes it impossible to be in a bad mood when she's around. For her, even mundane tasks like going to the grocery store are an adventure too, and I feel so lucky to share in that joy with her.” — Luke

Katy and Luke met at Carnegie Mellon University and knew pretty quickly that they were going to be together forever. They had plans years in the making for when they should get engaged and married and were making major life decisions together from the start.

They went through 20 med school applications to make sure they could stay together during their studies and have always prioritized each other above everything else. They now live in St. Louis where Luke is in medical school and Katy is studying to get her Ph.D.

There were so many emotional moments throughout the day, but nothing compared to Katy and Lukes first look. From the moment Katy turned the corner to see Luke waiting for her in the church she let out a sob and the tears never stopped flowing from there. They exchanged the sweetest personalized hand written vows that had me crying right along with them.

They got married in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral which is simply breathtaking. The traditions surrounding a Greek wedding ceremony are so special to witness and seeing the mothers of the bride and groom tear up as they watched the crowning of their children was one of my favorite parts. Katy’s brother served as the Koumbaros, or wedding sponsor, and her sister joined them during the ceremonial walk.

After their first kiss as husband and wife Katy and Luke had a bubble exit into the courtyard with their guest and then we headed over to the Columbus Union Station Arch for wedding party photos. It was such a gorgeous day (albeit a little warm) and we had a very relaxed and fun time taking photos before leaving for the reception.

The reception was held at St. Charles Preparatory School in Bexley where the Greek traditions continued with fun dancing and celebrations. Luke’s family is from Pittsburgh and they created a cookie table that will not soon be forgotten. It was jam-packed with cookies made by loved ones as well as a delicious wedding cake, baklava, and cupcakes. The only thing perhaps better than the cookie table was Luke’s home-brewed beer! He had several flavors including a pink hibiscus beer that everyone was raving about.

I’m so thankful we were able to sneak outside for a few evening portraits in the courtyard. It was a quiet time for Katy and Luke to enjoy each other and take in the moment. These ended up being my favorite photos from the day because they feel so romantic and intimate.

Thank you so much Katy and Luke for allowing me to capture your day— it was such an honor!

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shout out to all the wonderful vendors who made this day such a dream! First off, Berlyn of Berlyn: Art, Events, Design worked her magic and made sure the day ran perfectly smooth! She was there to take care of the bride and groom, their families, wedding party and vendors; I’m talking snack packs, waters, and timeline details, which kept everyone energized and on schedule. I honestly can’t speak highly enough of Berlyn and only wish she could be a part of ALL my weddings!

Nichole of Pasternack + Co. is just about the best second shooter a girl could ask for and she made the day that much more fun! Michael of Flack Productions was with me all day capturing video and truly was a joy to work with. As always, a wedding day takes an entire team of people to be a success and Katy and Luke selected a wonderful group of vendors! Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the full list! :)