Love stories like the one Shaina and Stephen have are my favorite. Shaina is from New York. Stephen is from Ohio. While they were both vacationing with their families in North Carolina, they met. They immediately started dating long-distance. Things were going so well that several months later, Shaina packed up her things and moved to Ohio so she and Stephen could date without the distance. Things went even better once they were together and the two got engaged a few months later. Fast forward to April 14, 2019 and the two of them tied the knot in Ohio!

Shaina and Stephen are both strong in their faith. They’ve both been praying for their future husband and wife for many, many years. They’ve been praying about their relationship since the beginning and they are going to put God first in their marriage. That’s the first thing that I love about their story. And I also love their story because of their bravery. In a world where a lot of people have opinions on what bravery looks like, I think that a young girl from New York picking up and moving 9 hours away because she fell in love is brave. You don’t see that kind of bravery that often. To see someone take that leap of faith, to take that risk, I just love seeing that for the sake of love. I keep thinking how brave it was for Shaina to leave everything she knew, move to a new place away from her family, all for love.

Needless to say, I was super excited to go down to Ohio to film this awesome wedding. I expected rain most of the day but we lucked out with the rain coming in and out. Much of the day it actually turned out beautiful. Shaina and Stephen both got ready on Stephen’s family farm. It was a beautiful house and an idyllic location.

A short drive down the road, and we found ourselves driving into an almost hidden but beautiful wedding venue. The property was gorgeous with the rolling hills, ponds, and even some swans! Thankfully it only downpours during the ceremony but the sun came out for pictures and video afterwards.

This was also a special wedding for me because I got to bring my entire family! Mark helped out as my second shooter and both of my kids got to attend and see Mom work a real live wedding! I’m so grateful to have been able to work with both of these awesome families and I’m so excited to see where Shaina and Stephen’s story takes them next!