I love to hear our couple’s stories!  Everyone is different (of course) and uniquely theirs.  Melissa and Josh are no different and their story is so cute…

From the couple….

My opening line, “I just saved a baby penguin.”  I hadn’t actually just saved a baby penguin, but she didn’t need to know the finer details.  Luck must have been on my side because it actually worked!  Well it at least prompted a response, which led to a continuum of my best one liners.  I’ll admit that it was probably my best work. My masterpiece that night led to the real first date, this time in my comfort zone, a golf course.  The next 3 years we shared were the best of my life, and the conversations and memories have been on par ever since that first night. ~ Josh

September 21st, 2014, the first words Josh ever spoke to me were “I just saved a baby penguin.” From the moment we first met, he knew the way to my heart–animals. Of course those words weren’t true, but I quickly learned that life with Josh would never be boring. Our first few months together consisted of putting together a 2000 piece puzzle, which Josh claims was his way of getting to see me again and again. Little did he know that I used the same excuse. Since our early days of dating, our adventures together have taken us to the Virgin Islands, London, Australia and all around the United States. Besides traveling, our years together were spent sharing other hobbies–golfing, hiking, and attending Cleveland sports games. Josh has also supported me through many years of school, in fact, he might as well have a Master of Public Health and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies. Honestly, spending a year apart while Josh was in St. Louis and then Luxembourg working was harder than either of those programs. About a year and a half after he returned finally came the proposal! I thought we were going to a nice dinner to celebrate the end of the semester, but I was so surprised and excited to find out that Josh had other plans for the night. Josh proposed at Gervasi Vineyards in a beautiful greenhouse with a 60 piece puzzle ~ Melissa

Their wedding day began at the always perfect Lakeside Hilton.  Always a great location for wedding day preparations! From the hotel it was off to their wedding ceremony at the historic St. John Cathedral.  Such an icon of Cleveland and gorgeous location for a wedding ceremony.  The bubble shots we get at St. John don’t compare to any other location!

For the formal portraits we stayed downtown and took in the local points, such as Playhouse Square’s Chandelier, the popular and historic Cleveland Arcade, “the blue bridge” and the Superior viaduct for awesome city views!  With their reception at  Windows On The River, the viaduct is always a great close-bye option! The reception started with cocktail hour out on the riverside patio.  Again the views from this location are great!  Once the reception began Melissa and Josh entered with a custom dance and then later performed another!  How fun is that?!!   It was a great day and thank  you to Melissa and Josh for having us as part of it!!!  Congratulations!–Stephanie & John

Bridal Prep-Cleveland Lakeside Hilton

Makeup & Hair Artist-Romona Dauksa Studio

Bridal Shoppe-Something White Bridal 

Dress Designer-Atelier Pronovias

Invitations-Minted

Florist-Lowe’s Greenhouse

Cake-Wild Flour Bakery

DJ-A Brides DJ