Carlene and Cole - November Wedding in Somerset, Ohio

Cole and Carlene met in 2018 on Memorial Day. Carlene’s dad and Cole’s uncle were best friends growing up and Cole’s dad used to tag along with them a lot. Cole’s dad moved to South Carolina after high school and raised his family down there. Carlene went to school with Cole’s cousins, but still had no idea he existed! After he graduated college, Cole moved to Somerset, Ohio and moved in with grandparents who lived down the road from Carlene.

Every year, Somerset, Ohio has a Memorial Day tradition of a parade and taps at every cemetery to honor those who have served. Carlene’s dad is a veteran and so their family participates every year. Carlene went to the American Legion later that day to hang out with her family and her dad knew that Cole was there and single. Carlene’s dad made a big deal of telling everyone that he wanted her to meet Cole. Eventually a couple of guys ended up dragging Cole out to meet Carlene and they talked for the rest of the day! The rest, as they say, is history. Props to Carlene’s dad for being the perfect match maker!

Carlene and Cole got married in a beautiful, historic church in Somerset, in the beginning of November. It was the windiest day! During the ceremony, the church doors were open and we could just hear the wind whirling around and portraits were definitely tough to navigate outside with hair flying around all crazy. It was so crazy, but despite the wind, it was still a beautiful wedding.

Carlene and her bridesmaids got ready at the venue, Harvest Adventures, while Cole and his guys got ready at the church. After Carlene’s mom helped zip her up, Carlene had a first look with her bridesmaids. It was super sweet! After the first look, we all headed to the church to get ready for the ceremony. Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church is not only a historic church, but it is so stunning. Carlene and Cole’s ceremony was amazing. I don't photograph a ton of Catholic ceremonies, so it was wonderful to see their traditions.

After the ceremony, we photographed their family and the wedding party. Carlene, Cole, and their wedding party were such troopers because the wind was not letting up during portraits. It was crazy! We wrapped up our time at the church with portraits of Carlene and Cole together. Carlene had a beautiful long veil and the wind worked in our favor for some portraits. Eventually, the wind took the veil out completely!

After portraits, we headed to Harvest Adventures for food, drinks, and dancing! We also took some more photos by the pond and the cows. The baby cows are so cute! We ended the night with speeches, great food and cupcakes, and a ton of dancing. Before their wedding, I photographed Cole and Carlene during a mini session and their engagement session and I really got to know them. I'm so happy they chose me to witness and capture the beginning of their marriage and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for them.