Jessica + Sam | The Mercantile Library Downtown Cincinnati Wedding

Wedding

Cincinnati, Ohio Wedding Photography

After 7 years of being a couple and already feeling part of each other’s family Jessica and Sam became husband and wife on the perfect summer day here in Cincinnati! Their day went off without a hitch, even if their planning process was cut short by several month for personal reasons. In all of our years of being wedding photographers, we have NEVER had a day go as scheduled as Jessica and Sam’s day! It was a dream come true.

Finding the perfect wedding venue can be a challenge. You have to consider what style and/or feel the day is to portray. But sometimes your history as couple makes this decision overly easy for you… that that is exactly what happened for Jessica and Sam.

The Mercantile Library is a hidden gem in downtown Cincinnati, just a block away from Fountain Square. When you walk through the wooden doors, it’s as if you stepped back in time. Exposed stacks of books with vintage books and future galore.

Early in their relationship, Sam commented to Jessica about how awesome it would have been to witness the Cincinnati Library in hit’s glory days where you had to climb a ladder to reach the stacks. Those of us from the area know the famous photo! Well, these two bookworms did a bit of research and discovered the Mercantile Library. They spend a wonderful date discovering the space.

When it came selecting the spot for their nuptials, their book loving souls decided this would the perfect space for an intimate affair with just their closest family and friends. This was the perfect backdrop for them to start the next phase of their life together.

Robe photos are a very popular photo for a bride and her tribe… but Jessica wanted a different robe photo. A photo with her mother and her soon to be mother in law!

A woman typically will know her ring size, but sometimes a guy “guesses” at his… and well, things don’t go as planned (such as his wedding bad being too small). A small hiccup in their day was just that, Sam’s ring did not fit. However, for ceremonial purposes, the couple was able to use his grandfather’s ring for the day. Guess the something borrowed was on groom’s side this time around!

Of course, they opted for a First Look and it was just as sweet as can be!!!! This is always one of our absolute fave parts of a wedding day. The emotions are just authentically raw… plus all the nerves leave the couple so they can truly enjoy the rest of their day together. Jessica really needed this on her special day.

Jessica and Sam’s wedding ceremony was filled with tears of joy throughout. The start of the ceremony, the couple was surprised by their mothers. Each mother wrote a letter to the couple and they were shared to them by the officiant. Jessica was emotional with tears streaming down and Sam, as a typical max, allowed the words being read hit home but held it together.

If that wasn’t enough to shake up emotions, the couple choose to write their own vowels. Sam’s words to Jessica were extremely sentimental and caused her to shed even more tears. Causing her to have to take a few moments before she could share her promises to her love. And, at the end of her vowels, Jessica made the most important promise, to make all of the phone calls so Sam does not have to talk on the phone. If that is not true love, we don’t know what is.

When you ask your siblings to be flower throwers… and they ROCK the job!

Jessica and Sam have both lost their fathers. However, Jessica’s step father was more than happy to step in during the day for her special moments… and shed quite a few tears of joy. Being a blended family, watching Chris enjoy this day through the eyes of a loving and dotting father hit very close to home.

While we enjoy our time doing portraits after a First Look, there is just something about a couples “Just Married Photos.” They have a whole other vibe to them. We love the super sexy and intimateness Jessica and Sam brought for this time together after they were officially hubby and wife!

Sam’s aunt and uncle opened up their property to the couple for a celebration. His aunt and uncle were just as proud of the couple just as if they were parents. Keeping their ceremony intimate, the couple wanted to party with a few more people. The evening was filled with laughter, drinks, dancing, and finishing it off with a big bon fire. What a wonderful way to top off your wedding day.

Jessica and Sam brought the library feel to their backyard reception with having a variety of book centerpieces and a table with an old card catalog cabinet. The best part of their décor, reading the names of the books on their “personal library” checkout cards. Once again, the level of detail was perfect.

Another way the couple brought the heat to their day was to have a big bonfire for their guest to enjoy as they partied the night away! Of course, Sam was perfectly okay with passionately swinging his wife around and dipping her for one last kiss for the camera!

Jessica and Sam, thank you for allow us to be a part of your wedding day. Your wedding day was beautiful, emotional, and just about everything someone can image for a perfect day. We appreciate how wonderful of people you two truly are and the day was perfect.