Maria & Connor’s October wedding day was bathed in golden sunshine—one of those crisp, perfect fall days that remind me why I love fall so much! This wedding was significant for me because I had the honor of photographing Maria’s sister, Christina’s, wedding six years ago at the very same church in Dayton, Ohio (back when my editing was a lot more yellow haha!) Holy Family Catholic Church is the Traditional Latin Mass parish in Dayton and it is truly a gem—filled with stunning stained glass windows, dramatic architecture, and rich colors & paintings on every wall!

We began the morning at Maria’s parents’ home, where the girls were getting ready. I photographed her lovely details on the front porch while hair and makeup wrapped up inside. A little fun side note: I recently got the perfume sampler from Salt & Light by Sami (a Catholic, non-toxic small business!) and fell in love with the scent Gold & Rubies. When I was editing Maria’s detail photos, I realized that was the very perfume she had chosen for her wedding day!

Maria & Connor’s Ceremony was a Traditional Latin Mass and while I don’t usually attend the Latin Mas, I do love getting to experience the rich beauty found in this rite, and their choir was absolutely heavenly!

After Mass, we stopped at Wegerzyn Gardens for their portraits. This is one of Dayton’s prettiest metroparks, in my opinion (and clearly in many others), because what you don’t see in the photos is that it happened to be homecoming weekend — and there were hundreds of students, parents, and even two other weddings taking photos there at the same time. I had to get a bit creative with angles and with editing to make it look like we had the place to ourselves.

Their reception took place at another Catholic parish’s banquet hall, and it was such a joyful celebration — full of laughter, good friends, and so much love. We slipped outside during golden hour for a few sunset portraits, and I love the carefree, romantic feel of those golden hour shots! The evening ended with a sparkler exit that felt like the perfect, joy-filled sendoff into married life.

Maria & Connor, thank you so much for trusting me with documenting your wedding day!

Xoxo,

Mary Kate

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A huge thank you to all the other vendors who came together to make this day possible!

CHURCH // Holy Family Catholic Church

RECEPTION // St. Paul Catholic Church Pilliod Hall

FLORIST // The Flowerman

DJ // Party Pleasers

CAKE // Lana Elrich (Aunt of the Bride)

CATERING // Little Miami River Catering (LMR)

DRESS // Antoinette Bridal

GROOMSMEN // USAF Mess Dress Uniform & Men’s Wearhouse

BRIDESMAIDS // JJ’s House