The Aaron Watson Photography Blog

Recently I had the pleasure to travel to Ohio for my friend Daniel’s wedding. First year at UVA Daniel and I lived next door to each other in Lefevre (our dorm). So when I heard he was getting married and wanted me to photograph the wedding I was honored and extremely happy for him and his new wife to be, Ruth!

When Matt and I arrived in Ohio we had no idea what to expect! On our drive between the Toledo airport and Bowling Green (where we were staying) we stopped for lunch and happened to come across the Hillbillies Convention! No Joke! A nice big sign said Welcome Hillbillies! Outside were very colorfully decorated vehicles with animal furs, antlers, spray paint, and many other funny nicknacks! After getting some photos of Matt and the hillbillie princess we new we were in for a fun weekend!

Saturday we enjoyed a nice rehearsal luncheon followed by a trip to the famed Cedar Pointe amusment park! We heard stories from Ruth and Dan about how Ruth passed out on a rides during one of their first dates. After seeing some of them and taking what one kid proclaimed as “the worst ride ever!” I certainly could see why! I have to say my favorite was the dragster, which we waited in line for two hours to ride! The dragster rockets you 120 mph down the track in 2 seconds and then sends you 90 degrees spiraling up in the air for just over 400 feet followed by a quick decent down where you are perpendicular with the ground wondering why this was such a good idea!

Sunday was the big day, filled with some tears, lot of laughter and plenty of fun! Ruth and Dan were married at the beautiful Nazareth Hall in Grand Rapids, Ohio (not Michigan as so many people like to correct me on). When we originally drove up I thought we had found a castle in the middle of a bunch of corn fields, but later I found out it was a really nice military school that had been converted to a reception hall for weddings and other events. I think my favorite area was the grotto, which unfortunately we had less time in then I would have liked as it started to pour down rain! I also loved the elevator, which let me check off my list “Shoot a bride and groom in an old elevator that may or may not work”!

I would like to thank Matt Ryb for being a fun travel companion and also for shooting the video. Also, I am happy to announce that Kelsey Pace has joined the team as our new editor! The film may take a little while to load so please enjoy some of my favorite pictures and other recent posts!