From the photographer: I’ve been excited about this Dayton Art Institute wedding since September of 2019 when Kenzie first emailed me. I could FEEL her excitement through the computer screen, and I’ve found that when the bride & groom have great energy, their wedding day has great energy, and this day was no exception.
From the excited buzz of the bridal party, as they got ready at the Dayton Country Club, to the beautiful tear-inducing ceremony at Holy Angels, all the way to the upbeat live band at the reception, the pure, exuberant JOY never died down.
There are a million things I could say about this wedding day, and I can’t help but smile when I think back on it, but the thing that sticks out to me most is how much love abounded.
Their incredible families celebrated through laughter and tears alike, their wonderful friends were always ready to lend a hand to make sure the day went smoothly, and, of course, Mark and Kenzie couldn’t have been more in love.
They are one another’s perfect compliment – her high energy and enthusiasm, his peaceful strength and happiness, and their mutual adoration for one another make their love the sweetest it could be.
From the bride: Mark and I are college sweethearts from the University of Dayton and officially met during Welcome Weekend of our junior year when we were 20 years old. We knew of each other all throughout our freshman and sophomore years but I decided to make the first move when I saw him standing on the porch of our mutual friend’s house for a 21st birthday party.
I went to Kleinfeld’s in NYC to buy my wedding dress. It has always been a dream of mine to go there (thanks to the TLC show ;)) and once I was engaged, my mom surprised me with this trip and appointment! I went in with 30 different printed pages of dresses and my stylist, Joel was incredible. I only tried on five dresses!
I went in wanting something form-fitting and long-sleeved and left with a stunning, Hayley Paige, strapless, princess ball gown dress. As soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one. I had that “WOW” moment when I looked in the mirror and felt like a true Princess. The cathedral length veil sealed the deal and I was a puddle. My wedding vision included a “veil picture” on the steps of our Dayton Art Institute wedding venue.
Advice: Enjoy it!! I truly loved wedding planning. You can never start too early! Do it all one step at a time and try to include your significant other as much as they want to be included.
My husband loved being involved… but loved even more that I made the main decisions and let him choose between our final 2 or 3 options.It was so much fun to turn wedding planning into date nights – building our band’s playlist, attending their “gigs”, the food tasting, and cake tasting are some of our favorite memories!
Enjoy being “the center of attention” because this is one moment in your life where you and your significant other can be celebrated and loved, whether it’s a bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner or just a pizza night – it’s rare to get so many of your loved ones in one place at the same time.
Associated Vendors
Shoes: Magosisters
Jewelry: The Gem Lab
Jewelry: Reis Nichols
Lighting: BLC Entertainment
Fashion Designer: BHLDN
Jewelry: olive + piper
Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey
Dress Designer: Hayley Paige
Apparel: The Black Tux
Reception Venue: Dayton Country Club
Ceremony Location: Holy Angels Church
Floral Designer: The Flower Shoppe
Event Planner: Aspen Jean Planning
Reception Venue: The Dayton Art Institute
Band: Airwave Band
Photographer: Lauren Day Photography