LeAnn & Jered Wedding | Rustic – Barn Wedding | The Links at Firestone Farms | Columbiana, OH | Youngstown, OH Wedding Photographers

Oh my goodness, is this real life? When we run into couples like LeAnn & Jered & get to know them & their love for one another all in the name of our job, it’s pretty freakin’ awesome. These two are unbelievably adorable together, but their amazingness goes way beyond that. They’re two of the kindest and most generous people we’ve met! They’re down to earth, chill, fun people and we LOVE that. There’s nothing better than photographing a bride who doesn’t realize just how dropdead gorgeous she really is! And the look on Jered’s face when he saw LeAnn during their first look? It’ll melt your heart! The love these two share is happy, full of life, sweet, thoughtful, and inspiring. We’re so glad we’ve gotten to be friends with you, LeAnn & Jered! We hope a boat day can happen soon! 🙂

How perfect is the tea that was sitting on the shelf at the salon right by where LeAnn was having her hair done?! I promise I didn’t even stage it. After the salon action was over, she and her bridesmaids got ready at the Dutch Village Inn in Columbiana for the wedding ceremony that would take place at the barn at The Links.Her bouquet was lovely. Clendenning Florist was the wedding day florist.Jered sent a wedding day gift for his bride.She loved the ring!Josh was with Jered & the guys as they got ready at The Holiday Inn in North Lima.LeAnn had sent him a gift, too.In a word, stunning. LeAnn’s mama is so pretty, too.Then it was time for the first look at Firestone Park. I always get giddy right before the couple does their first look. I can feel the excitement and the anticipation. Being there to capture the emotions that ensue as the bride & groom share a private moment when they see one another for the first time on their wedding day is fun & so special.Jered was blown away.Another thing I love about first looks? They’re completely unscripted. We step back with our zoom lenses and just let the magic happen. We don’t interrupt. We allow the couple to truly enjoy their first moments of seeing one another on their wedding day & often those are the very best photographs of the day. . . they’re not posed, they’re genuine, they’re authentic, and they’re full of raw emotion. LOVE!He walked all the way around her to check out every bit of her wedding day beauty. 🙂 It was sweet.
Then we had time to hang out in the park and take some photos of these two good lookin’ people.They’re the cutest. And LeAnn’s hair. . . perfect!
After the first look photos at the park, we headed to The Links for bridal party photos & family photos before the ceremony.I was loving the mint green! This bridal party was fun.
Three of the most adorable ring bearers I’ve seen:The little rustic details tied everything together very nicely.Their ceremony was a great mixture of sentimental, emotional, and personal.
A lot of brides & grooms will express hesitation about doing a first look because they believe it might “take away” from the emotions and excitement of seeing the bride for the first time on the wedding day when she walks down the aisle. It couldn’t be farther from the truth! I’d say grooms that have participated in a first look have even more heightened emotions during the ceremony. . . at least that has been our experience with photographing weddings. In this case, it was no different. Jered was so happy to be marrying LeAnn that it showed through the tears running down his cheeks.And she couldn’t keep a smile from her face. We snuck away for a few minutes during cocktail hour for some portraits in the beautiful wheat field.These two told us many times that they completely trusted us and our creative process and they even scheduled time during their reception at the optimal time for sunset portraits. We were SOOOOO happy that they did this & the portraits turned out amazing! Can’t wait until you see. . .That lace is everything.They incorporated photos from their engagement session in a lot of the decor.LeAnn’s grandmother made the cake.
Their grand introduction:Their first dance as husband and wife:Now that Josh & I have our daughter, father-daughter dances choke me up even more than they used to!Oh, the sunset portraits. Soooooo pretty & so full of love. I’ll let them speak for themselves. (I hope I can hold back from commenting. . . )

One of the best parts of our job is seeing how happy the photos make people. 🙂LeAnn & Jered, thank you both so much for sharing your wedding day with us! We had so much fun getting to know you both & we wish you the very best throughout your marriage. We know you’ll do great things because you make an awesome team!
Interested in talking to us about your engagement & wedding photos? Call or email us: 330.651.4849 or info@menningphotographic.com
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