Kadey and Zach got married at The Ayers Farm in Mechanicsburg, Ohio on a chilly day in June. The cool breeze helped us take beautiful photos with wisps of hair flying and dresses flowing effortlessly. When two people with dairy farming backgrounds fall in love, what else would you expect but for them to get married down on the farm? A little mix of nostalgia with what you do and who you are is how you get your wedding portraits taken with cows.

 

A tender moment of the day happened when Kadey was getting ready and grabbed her perfume: Daisy by Marc Jacobs. This wasn’t just perfume but rather a way for the groom’s mother who had passed away to be a part of this special day. This is one of the most beautiful ways I’ve ever seen someone represented for a couple’s wedding day. It’s always so special to see how people show tribute to and share the love with those who can’t be with them.

 

I go back and forth between the bride and groom throughout the day as the photographer, so I sometimes get jobs to pass along items to each other. It was my job on this day to hand off the rings to the best man – Kadey’s brother. I completed the transfer, checked that off the list, and didn’t think anything else of it. Well, during the ceremony when the pastor asked for the rings, the best man pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it. He looks at me and in front of everyone says “Jennifer, you must have given me the wrong box, it’s empty!” My heart fell to my butt. There’s no way I would have messed that up! He then pulls the rings out of his other pocket and says just kidding. Kadey and I only slightly wanted to kill him.

 

This family has the biggest personalities where they all pick on each other in love, take it, and dish another one right back. This made for loads of fun throughout the day, especially when it came time for toasts. Kadey and her maid of honor Kenzie are more like sisters than cousins. They were both raised with a bunch of brothers, so they created a bond no one else would understand unless they had that many brothers too! During Kenzie’s speech, she made a joke about how she missed Katie when she went off to college, even though it was necessary because that’s how she met Zach, but she was still bummed because she was the only one left to do all the chores in the barn.

 

It was so clear that Kadey’s brothers had more than taken Zach in as a brother and they were just waiting on the ceremony to make it official. Zach’s sister clearly felt the same about Kadey; they were both so excited to be each other’s sisters-in-law. With that many boys, girls have got to stick together! This is one tight-knit family who works hard but can also party hard together.

 

When it was time to take their portraits, I danced and dodged around cow patties while the sun went behind the clouds. This was the prettiest soft light that allowed us to go anywhere in the field and look great. Because the cows are dairy cows, they are used to daily human interaction and are not afraid of you. In fact, they sometimes got a little too close and photobombed the whole image as they were trying to get a sniff of Kadey’s flowers. These are some of the most personal and unique wedding portraits I’ve ever gotten to take, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Kadey and Zach.

 

Hair+Make Up:Michaela Edwards

Flowers:CR Blooms

Videography: Lexie Nunes

DJ:Blue Lamb Productions