Category Archives: Wedding

Courtney & I went to the same high school (Vandalia Butler). I saw her briefly last year while doing a mini kid’s portrait session for a mutual friend, and I believe she was just getting to know this guy… Chris. She’d been set up by her best friend and soon found herself planning an Ohio wedding from Oklahoma to her handsome soldier. When we met to go over her wedding timeline & have a little chat, we were wearing the same headband. I knew with such exquisite mutual taste in accessories, her wedding was going to be awesome & we would get along wonderfully. 😀

Chris & Courtney were married this past December at St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia, Ohio.

I tell all my couples this, and it’s so true. I LOVE the moment when the married couple exits the ceremony with relief & effortless enthusiasm… it’s one of my favorite parts of the day to photograph.

For the next set, they braved the very cold weather to go downtown to Riverscape for a very quick portrait session. I was so impressed with Courtney’s fearlessness!

I love when the wedding party is willing to be a little adventurous, it makes the photographs more like how you normally are as opposed to “looking like you are going to be fired at” (Jose Villa).

They look gorgeous even though it was so cold!

Courtney & Chris held their wedding reception at Top of the Market Banquet Center that is located in downtown Dayton as well. You can check more on their site, but it is a “recently renovated facility offers exposed brick walls, cathedral ceilings, climate controlled rooms, A/V equipment, full service bars, complimentary well lit parking, and is completely handicap accessible. Our on-site full service catering team can provide any level of food service you desire: from a deli-style boxed lunch to the most formal hor’dourves and entrées imaginable.” Read more here.

During the toasts, Courtney’s late mother, Cynthia, was honored & remembered fondly. Much of the wedding was planned through her hard work & excitement for Chris & Courtney.

When Chris & Courtney went to cut their cake, they surprised us with shoving cake at the MOH & Best Man instead of each other… so awesome!

Courtney’s two sisters joined her for the Father Daughter Dance, I saved this sacred moment for the last image.

Chris & Courtney, thank you for inviting me to be part of such an incredible, intimate day. I hope that through the images I’ve given you, you are able to remember it
just as you saw it for the first time when you lived it. ♥

 

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Kate & Preston had a beautiful woodland ceremony at the Toledo Botanical Garden last September. Rain flirted with us the entire day, but it held off during all the right moments. Preston was already planning to join the Navy this winter, so their wedding day was also like a wonderful farewell party full of rich emotion & beauty.

wildflowers-mason jar

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Kate used to drive by this river on her way to work & I can just imagine her dreaming about her wedding on those commutes. She wanted to take portraits here, and I love how the misty weather created an illusion of a morning session.

Wishing you two all the best as a new military family. Stay strong Kate, he’s going to be so happy to see you when he gets out of basic training! ♥

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Last Fall I had the pleasure of working with Wanda Kuck, a wedding designer & coordinator & founder of Sugar Maple Weddings & Events! She is someone I’ve known for many years, and I’ve always been so impressed with her creativity & ability to transform an ordinary room to a spectacular party scene. She specializes in vintage, elegant, & rustic designs. I am so excited that she is my first handpicked vendor!

From Wanda:

I’ve had almost twenty years experience planning & coordinating weddings & events. I am passionate about each event that I do. I feel very fortunate to work in an industry where I can use my talent for design, food, & entertaining. I love to make each event unique & a real reflection of my client’s personal style. My services are designed to offer you the maximum assistance with the minimum amount of stress.

Sugar Maple Weddings & Events styled these gorgeous autumn wedding tables for us, each one is such a treat! The first is shabby chic & glamorous. Pretty pink petals mix with fiery orange roses. An array of colorful fall leaves serve as a backdrop. She incorporated glass, silver, & rose petals to make the scene look sophisticated but organic. I love chandeliers hanging from trees! I will never forget seeing this one hanging for the first time at my friend’s wedding several years ago that Wanda had designed… it’s the perfect ingredient for a garden wedding.

The next table is more of a rustic farmhouse interpretation. Notice the twine, chalkboard, basket weave, & wood. Her daughter, Myranda, baked us cupcakes & topped them with these cute “Just Married” tokens. Clever, right?!

Candy Apples… I cut them into slices & they are very much my weakness!

Wanda pulled together found objects, like her daughter Lori’s hand painted table & her family’s silverware, to craft this eclectic wedding table.

The next table would be perfect for escort cards, dessert buffet, or gift table. The lanterns can hang from the tree with the table number & can be taken to their seats for light as the evening sunset approaches. The black & white is very classic, it would be complement a little garden of white pumpkins!

Love the drapes over a barn opening, it makes the rustic barn feel elegant!

Another chandelier in a tree… a stunning way to light your reception or dessert buffet! I want some for my backyard, just to look at in the evenings 🙂

I hope you are inspired by her displays! If you are looking for a Dayton wedding coordinator or designer, please get in touch with Wanda by sending her a note at wandakuck@yahoo.com for more information! Check out Sugar Maple Weddings & Events on Facebook by clicking here. ♥

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  • Kate/MagnoliaRouge - March 3, 2011 - 12:45 pm

    OMG this is so stunning!! Love the colours in it. Great job!

  • Angela Bisceglia - March 3, 2011 - 7:14 pm

    Wanda,
    WOW! What talent you have! You are so gifted and creative. I love the pictures. I really had no idea you did wedding coordinating. Mark films weddings. I will share this with him so he can forward your link to his clients. WOW!

It’s kind of a funny story. I ordered some bottles through Etsy that I thought would be big enough to make favors for my son’s nautical birthday party. I opened the package & found itty bitty bottles. I was a little disappointed, but they are so cute that I decided to make them into necklaces {see the Navy Session from the last post}. I think it’s a really sweet way to keep a marriage vow, favorite poem, or someone’s tiny photograph close to your heart!

I have two more that I am giving away, here are two ways to win:

1. Leave a comment below, with the phrase you’d want written on the paper inside the bottle. Also share how you view this blog {mobile device, desktop, laptop, etc…}

2. Invite your friends to join my Facebook page by “sharing” @Andrea Dozier | Boutique Photography on your Facebook page with your friends.
The link is located on the bottom left hand side of the page. Just leave a comment on my Facebook page letting me know that you have shared the page with your friends.

You can enter both ways for two chances to win. I will pick two winners Friday morning!

Thank you for bearing with me while I took a little absence from posting. My seven month old baby {Damian} spent a few days in the hospital last week but he is doing wonderful & has made an almost full recovery. We are so happy & thankful to be home again with a healthy happy baby boy! ♥

PS- Keep your eye out for an abundance of Fall Wedding Inspiration in the next post… courtesy of Sugar Maple Weddings & Events!

****** Contest Now Closed ******

Thank you to all who participated, I was so touched reading your quotes! There was no way I could only pick two, so there are FOUR winners:


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  • icitea - March 1, 2011 - 5:18 am

    i view this blog via laptop.

    Hm… I’d probably write one of my favorite quotes, something to the extent of ‘happiness is fleeting, take hold of it before it flies away.’

  • Georgia Monroe - March 1, 2011 - 5:47 am

    I would either write my anniversary date or my marriage vows I think. I view your blog via my laptop.

  • Georgia Monroe - March 1, 2011 - 5:49 am

    I would write either my anniversary date or vows. I view your blog via my laptop.

  • Sarah Bailey - March 1, 2011 - 7:43 am

    “My love goes with you wherever you go”… something my mom said to me. For me, this sums of the eternal quality of love.

    I view your blog via desktop and laptop (today it’s a desk top).

  • Amanda DeLaet Hayes - March 1, 2011 - 7:46 am

    I would write down my husbands name, our anniversay date, my childrens names with birthdates underneath, and then conclude with “whom I hold close to my heart”.
    I am viewing this on my cell phone.

  • Jennifer Denny - March 1, 2011 - 7:53 am

    those are so cute! I veiw the blog on my laptop.
    I think I would write “Til the end, and then forever”

  • Cindy Hall - March 1, 2011 - 8:12 am

    Always close in my heart.
    Nana 2011

    Viewed on regular desktop computer.

  • postcards and pretties - March 1, 2011 - 8:45 am

    First off I’m glad to hear that Damian is home safe & sound.

    and I would probably write my favorite John Keats poem but it might be too long
    “I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion – I have shudder’d at it. I shudder no more.
    I could be martyr’d for my religion, Love is my religion And I could die for that. I could die for you. ”

    but since today is my parent’s 36th wedding anniversary I would put their names and wedding date inside and offer it to them.

  • postcards and pretties - March 1, 2011 - 8:47 am

    I shared on FB too

  • Tara Bannorra - March 1, 2011 - 12:03 pm

    i shared you on facebook. and as for something to write on the paper…hmmm…”the most wasted of all days is one without laughter” or just the word “Magnificent”
    love you sis

  • Kelly Wagner - March 1, 2011 - 12:40 pm

    Laptop
    I would give it to Jer for our Anniversary
    I would have our anniversary and our favorite quote on it.

    Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours.
    April 19, 2005

  • raspberry essence - March 1, 2011 - 1:04 pm

    i use my laptop!
    i would write “this like is sparkling don´t you let it go”

  • Darlene O'Brien - March 1, 2011 - 6:23 pm

    I would write this quote cause it’s one of favorites and has a special meaning and lesson that took me a long time to realize and a very special man my fiancee’ who helped be understand what this quote really meant .
    To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved <3
    And put our names and date of our engagement in it ..
    I view your website via desktop or thrugh my phone ..

  • Kate Fry - March 1, 2011 - 6:40 pm

    Lyrics to part of our wedding song…it really means a lot now that he is gone away for months.

    “That your always in my heart
    Your always on my mind
    And when it becomes too much
    You’re never far behind

    And there’s no one that comes close to you
    Could ever take your place
    Cause only you can love me this way”

  • Kate Fry - March 1, 2011 - 6:41 pm

    oh and I viewed this blog on my laptop lol!

  • Brynn Nibert - March 1, 2011 - 6:54 pm

    I view your blog on my laptop. If I won the necklace, I would have “I love you more” written on the note because my mom used to always say that to me when she was alive. A picture of her would be a nice addition too.

  • Tiesha Gordon - March 1, 2011 - 7:37 pm

    I view the blog on my Palm Pre.

    I would put each of the dates of the 3 happiest days of my life: the birth of each of my children.

  • Kass Michaud - March 1, 2011 - 8:26 pm

    Hi, I would write “R.I.P. Mom 2/10/58-9/28/05” in memory of my mom who passed away from breast cancer (When I was 16.). I view your blog via my desktop. 🙂

  • Kass Michaud - March 1, 2011 - 8:39 pm

    and I would probably also put “miss you. You are my sunshine” because that was the the song she always used to sing to me.

  • Jennifer Wanamaker - March 1, 2011 - 10:33 pm

    I’m viewing via PC! You’re pictures are amazing, by the way! My quote would be, “My Grandma is like the Sun. Not here, yet everywhere.” I’d give it to my daughter, Avarie. It’s something I like to remind myself everyday when I think of my mom.

  • Kristi - March 2, 2011 - 9:29 am

    I would write our favorite verse =o)

  • [Blocked by CFC] Courtney Marshall - March 3, 2011 - 8:46 am

    I would put a picture of my mom in it so I could have her with me at all times. And its on my mobile phone.

  • [Blocked by CFC] Courtney Beyerle Marshall - March 3, 2011 - 8:50 am

    I would put a picture of my mother so I could always have her with me. And I’m viewing this on my phone.

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up this week, I decided to try to put “my” spin of a colorboard up for all of you brides looking for some Valentine 2012 wedding inspiration. I really enjoy looking through the ones on sites like Postcards & Pretties & 100 Layer Cake, so I thought I’d give it a try with my images.
These are photographs I’ve taken from weddings or styled shoots. Hope you enjoy!

The first one was from a styled shoot with Glamour Make-up Art by Ruby Randall. She did all of the styling & make-up! If you are looking for a MUA for your wedding day, check out her work on Facebook. She is an amazing artist & even specializes in vintage!

Our Military Wedding Contest voting is still open until February 13 at midnight! I will tally the “Likes” & reveal the winner on Valentine’s Day! Many thanks to all of you who have supported some really amazing couples & showed so much enthusiasm! I can not even begin to thank you for the way you have rallied behind each of them!

I usually look forward to Valentine’s Day as an excuse to make pretty cupcakes {like the ones above} & plan a date with my husband. This year, in addition to yummy sweets, I can not get over my excitement to see the website launch for BHLDN, the new bridal collection from Anthropologie. I think it’s going to revolutionize the wedding industry with their eclectic fashion & streamlined ordering process.

What do you look forward to the most about Valentine’s Day? If you are already married {especially with kids}, I’d love to hear what you do to make it fun! We could always use some ideas, right?!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! ♥

P.S. This blog was nominated by a very talented reader for The Lovelies 2011 Awards in the category Photography Blog. I am so honored to see this baby of mine up there next to some of the most talented photographers that I admire so much! You can check out the contest & vote for your favorite {me I hope!} here:

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