I was looking forward to this wedding day at Gervasi Vineyard for a number of reasons. First, it was the wedding of Andrea and Matt. Matt is a wedding videographer in Cleveland (owner of Elite Entertainment)  and his sister, Renee, is my photography assistant. Also, part of the day takes place at Gervasi Vineyard which is one of the more popular wedding and reception venues in the Akron Canton.
Preparing for the wedding day at Gervasi
Andrea started her day in a villa at Gervasi. I love the villas on wedding days because they consistently have great light and the warm tones of the rooms are beautiful. It was odd having Renee in a wedding. Normally she would be working with me documenting the wedding day. But she did a great job have taking care of her soon-to-be sister in law and she looked just beautiful.
Matt decided that he would forego documenting his preparations so we could give more time to Andrea. We met near the church to do some creative wedding portraits. One of my favorites (below) was taken between two semi trailers, illustrating that wedding photography does not have to be overly complicated.
After the wedding ceremony, we did some creative wedding portraits around downtown Canton. Since they had their wedding reception at nearby Kent State University Conference Center in North Canton, this was a good choice. Plus, I love downtown Canton Arts District for it’s many wedding day photo opportunities.
Wedding Reception at Kent State University Conference Center
Since Matt is in the wedding industry, I knew that his wedding reception was going to be well thought out, and it was. Red uprights lit the room and gave an elegant look to the space. I will say that, although I don’t partake that often, I had some of their wedding cake and it was the best that I’ve ever had. Matt and Andrea allowed me one more opportunity for some creative wedding photos. I wanted images that communicated the end of the day, but that weren’t super cheesy or cliché. I’ve posted it below.
I want to thank Matt and Andrea for allowing me to document their wedding day. They could have chosen any wedding photographer in Cleveland or Akron and they chose me and I am honored by that. The staff at Gervasi Vineyard did a fantastic job early in the day of taking care of the bride. And, the staff at the Kent State University Conference Center were terrific in making the wedding reception a great success. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day.