A Farm Wedding in Columbus, Ohio
An Intimate Wedding on his Grandfather’s Farm—
It was a day steeped in nostalgia and led by Zach and Olivia’s desire for a total lack of performance. It was simple and it was beautiful. It reflected all that they are as people, and included only those closest to them. It was the kind of wedding that reiterated, to us, the whole point of why weddings are so special and why we treasure the job of capturing them.
Zach and Olivia met in the dorms at Cal Poly and forged a friendship before the pandemic sent them home for a time. Upon returning to school, they realized they both wanted to be more than friends, and they quickly fell in love, building a life together in school and then after graduation. After getting engaged, they seriously considered eloping, as they felt this reflected who they are more— private people who are the most down to earth. But, they decided they could not live their wedding day without their closest family and friends, and so the brilliant idea of getting married on Zach’s grandfather’s farm was born.
This property, located in rural Ohio just outside Columbus, has come to mean so much to both Zach and Olivia over their respective life and time together. And, as we quickly learned, summer in rural Ohio is just something to behold. THE GREENS, the gentle breeze through the fields of crops, the clouds, the lightning buzz. There is a certain kind of nostalgia this part of the country evokes so beautifully, and it really did make for the most ethereal setting for Zach and Olivia’s wedding.
Their day began so peacefully, in the farmhouse on property, where Zach’s grandfather’s many handmade woodworked treasures fill the rooms, and his late wife’s artwork fills the walls. Stepping into this house, I felt instantly transported to another time in my life; it felt like being wrapped in the warm hug I didn’t know I was deeply needing and craving. I felt as though I immediately knew Zach better, and that the very down to earth nature he and Olivia possess goes beyond just them— it was in everyone around us that day. Just the way Z&O meant for it to be.
Zach and Olivia got ready as a handful of family and friends helped to set up the ceremony and reception spaces on the property. Each of them had some (more impromptu than we planned) first looks with immediate family. There was a non-performative nature to each of these moments, and so I feel they hold more weight and concrete memory as we move further from the day. Zach and Olivia saw each other for the first time before exchanging vows in the middle of a field of soybeans. There was a slowness to this time, without much on the agenda, and it was really special to witness these two be so completely locked in on each other and the promises they made to one another in this moment.
That feeling of almost sacredness continued as family and friends began to arrive, punctuating the pre-ceremony time with lingering hugs and unhurried strolls around the property. A small clearing in a wooded area, over a bridge and beyond a creek, made for a simply ethereal ceremony space. Composing images of these actual sacred moments— the ones in which Zach and Olivia became husband and wife— will be one of my favorite experiences as a wedding photographer this year. This land, this space, almost seemed to buzz with the memories it held, and new ones made on this day.
Continuing in the day’s unhurried nature, guests crossed the creek for cocktail hour, exchanging more genuine hugs and laughs, before we all sat under the picturesque tent for dinner and toasts. Though the sky threatened rain for much of the evening, it remained sunny and warm until the wedding concluded. As day became night, the lightning bugs came out, and the revelry continued with dancing. We snuck away with Zach and Olivia for a few minutes to capture their newlywed portraits in the very place Zach grew up.
In reflection, it’s days like these that make us think things along the lines of you can keep your fancy ballroom wedding. These are the stories we want to be telling. The love stories and wedding days that have so much unique depth in them; families and lives interwoven forever. This, to us, is the whole point of weddings, to tell the story of two people, and also of those people who and and circumstances that have made them who they are.
We’re Katie and Joseph, a husband and wife team, and documentary wedding photographers.
We are big fans of documenting wedding days in an unposed, raw, genuine, and honest way that allows our couples to maximize their experience on their day while also receiving a gallery full of stunning images that communicate how it felt to be there.
Though we’re based in San Luis Obispo, we’ll travel anywhere for a good love story (and dance party). We invite you to follow the links below to learn more about us and our services, and to get in contact with us!
Zach & Olivia’s Columbus Wedding Vendor Team—
Coordinator - Petals & Silks / DJ - Buckeye Entertainment / Bar - Boozy Adventures / Beauty - Le Reve Makeup / Rentals - Lasting Impressions / Dress - Emerald City Gowns, Justin Alexander / Photography - Poppy and Vine
Our hope for this gallery is that it evokes a sense of nostalgia for all who view it. With the same sentiment that Zach and Olivia chose to be married on his grandfather’s farm, they chose to spend the day in a way that felt non-performative and true to them. We hope you enjoy these photographs, and that they, in some way, bring you back to a simpler time when you were free to simply be, to live your very best days.
Zach & Olivia were married on his grandfather’s farm in rural Ohio, and celebrated with only their family and closest friends, on a day steeped in nostalgia and intimacy.