Chris + Lauren: Barn at Rush Creek Wedding | Athens, Ohio

I often tell people that the few minutes between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the family pictures are my favorite of the whole wedding day. They’re not always the prettiest pictures, with everyone huddled around each other in the basement of a church, but for what these moments lack in gorgeous scenery, they make up in raw emotion. The bridal party swarms the bride and the groom, an overlap of voices shouting and laughing, and more than a few very happy tears. This past Saturday as I hugged Chris and offered him congratulations, I mentioned how beautiful Lauren was in her dress. He turned over his shoulder to look at his bride and simply said, “She is. She’s gorgeous. The most beautiful woman in the world.”

It was such a simple and sweet moment, but it was the perfect summary of Lauren and Chris’s wedding day. Amidst a flurry of activity, Chris and Lauren were continuously grounding themselves in their love for each other. Their day had a little bit of everything: laughter, thunderstorms, fainting, power outages, dancing, and a whole lot of singing, but through it all, Lauren and Chris had the perfect wedding day because they had each other.

We started out the day with the girls getting ready at the reception location, the Barn at Rush Creek. A gorgeous venues with cabins nearby for the bridal party and family members to stay and get ready in. The guys got ready at St. Paul’s in Athens, where the ceremony would be held.

After the ceremony the bridal party and the newlyweds headed to the gorgeous College Green on Ohio University’s campus where we had a little fun but mostly tried to outrun the impending storm clouds.

Then it was back on the bus for an hour ride back to the Barn at Rush Creek. The barn was absolutely gorgeous with all of Lauren and Chris’s decorations and was the perfect backdrop to celebrate Lauren and Chris.

As the night went on the storm clouds parted and left a gorgeous sunset behind.

Thanks so much to Lauren and Chris for having us be a part of their big day. Blake and I truly felt like family and we could not be more excited for the Albers-Denhart merger!

Keep smiling!
Kaylina

A very special thanks to the following vendors who helped make Lauren and Chris’s day perfect!

Caterer: Roberts Catering
DJ: DJ A-roc
Bride’s dress: The Bridal Boutique, Columbia, MD
Bridesmaid dresses: Joan’s Bridal, Reynoldsburg, OH
Cake: Country Lane Cakes
Bridal Party Flowers: The Orchard Floral Design
Reception Florals: Keller Farms