I have always loved this church. It reminds me of when I visited Italy and all the historical stone churches with high ceilings, ornate details and gorgeous light. There was something so romantic and mysterious about them…..and it’s so cool that we have that right in our backyard in Indiana County, Pa.
How did the two of you meet?
“My job moved me to Huron, Ohio in 2013 and I didn’t know a single person in the entire state! My second day of work, they wanted me to shadow someone in the filling department for a day – he was the guy. He took time to get to know me & recommend places I should check out on the weekends since I was so new to the area.
We became instant friends – going to Cleveland Cavaliers games, going out to eat or meeting up for drinks, taking the kids to the movie theater (hellooo Marvel superhero movies!), going to watch him coach and the kids play basketball & baseball etc.
We soon realized there was something more to it and transitioned into dating and finally into a family. We bought a home in July and couldn’t be happier – it has been a natural transition”- Carissa
The hand off.
“We had plans to meet a bunch of people for work for a trivia night at a local bar. We left the house early since it was snowing & decided to stop somewhere for dinner first since we were both hungry. I wanted to stop for fast food since we had plans, but he mentioned he wanted to go to Danny Boys (a local pizza/Italian place where we had spent HOURS and HOURS and HOURS getting to know each other over the years – both as friends & dating). It’s not exactly a quick place to eat, so I told him it would be crazy to go there – we would DEFINITELY be late for trivia night! I (grudgingly) lost the discussion (come on, who can argue against Italian food for more than a few minutes) and we ended up going to Danny Boys.
I love all the character of the Graystone Presbyterian Church.
Where do you see your relationship in 20 years?
Tell us 3 random things about the two of you:
Carissa:
– I hate kiwis & maple syrup. I don’t want them anywhere near me! I cringe just thinking about cleaning up sticky pancake plates or picking kiwis out of fruit salad.
– Dance was my main sport in high school – tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz…
– When I was really little, I wanted to be a dentist just like the Elf in the classic Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer movie
I have to give credit to Greg for this above shot! He nailed it. It’s nice to have two shooters. He shot from the inside and I shot from the outside. You can see the image I got below.
One more quick photo before heading off to see Grandma in the hospital.
So here’s the story. Grab a tissue. A week or so before Carissa’s wedding, Grandma fell and got hurt. She was unable to leave the hospital which mean she was unable to attend her Granddaughters wedding. I got a call from Carissa several days before the wedding date asking if it would be OK if we made a pit stop by the hospital…..ummm YES! So much YES! Are you kidding me?! We got permission from IRMC and because Carissa and Orville had decided to do a first look prior to Grandma being hurt so we had lots of time between the ceremony and reception to make it happen. 
I think we made her day. What do you think?! You guys, I had to fight back the tears. She is the sweetest person ever and was full of compliments for the newlyweds. 
Grab the tissues.
Moments like this are exactly why I love shooting weddings. The real raw moments….not posed, not set up…moments like this are what will mean the most someday.
You guys!!!!! How sweet is this?!
I’m very close to my Grandma so these brought me to tears. Family is so important especially on your wedding day.
Wedding rings from different time frames. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Grandma didn’t get to be there for when she got ready, but she got to be there to watch them bustle her dress. There was so much love and laughter in the room. I’m honored to have been able to capture that.
