Reception in the Vault at the Metropolitan at the 9

Monica and Rob’s wedding day was a blur all day-so much fun and great locations and some of the most energetic dancing I’ve seen in a long time.

Please enjoy, Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer

The couple met through their jobs although it took awhile
before they started dating. Rob is British and Monica is a
Clevelander so they’ve had lots of long distance obstacles
they have conquered.

We started with Monica getting ready at the Metropolitan
at The 9 hotel in downtown Cleveland. Things were running
a bit late before everyone went to the ceremony at the Western
Reserve Historical Society.

Monica about the day: “Fun fact about the wedding is that
it was all done very last minute, as the Groom wanted to be
as involved as possible and was held up in the UK for months
leading up to it. Everything from the cake, to the ceremony
order, to the food selection was all done within about 3 weeks
time. The flowers? Just two days before! Who walked down the
aisle was even being adjusted just before the music started.”

Everyone returned to the Metropolitan at The 9 for the
reception in the Vault. Cleveland wedding photographers are all
talking about the Vault and it was wonderful to finally
photograph a reception there.

I love the lighting fixtures in the Vault
and had to do some detail shots with them.

At the Western Reserve Historical Society Rob got a tie check
from his best man, Steven, also from England.

James Beaton “The Bald Piper” plays before the bride enters with
her father Kenneth in the Hanna Courtyard Garden.

The couple chose traditions significant of their cultural roots.
His was handfasting and hers involved a broom.

Handfasting is a ceremony with ties as early as 7000 BC by Celtic
tribes, where two people are joined together at the hands
and wrists, and bound by rope or cord. In our case, we
chose both. The cords represented our vows to each other,
and the ribbons were wishes for our marriage by loved ones.
Each color symbolizes something different: from passion,
serenity and purity, to wealth, happiness and warmth.

Officiant Yousef, a longtime best friend of the bride, helped finish the handfasting.

Then the couple did a tradition called Jumping the Broom. It is
a ceremony that was popular amongst slaves in the United States
in the mid-1800s. It was an open declaration of marriage at a
time where the legal right was not extended. It represents a new
beginning and sweeping away of the past.

As a Cleveland wedding photographer I love using architecture
and history in my photos. The portraits at the Western Reserve
Historical Society offered a wealth of possibilities.

We did some photos at the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection
too. The Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel was recently
restored nearly 45 years after the park’s closure.

The Metropolitan at The 9 reception included cards with
different locations on each table. The cake was done by Kelly Rogers.

Monica hugs her father Kenneth after his toast to the couple.

We were able to spend a few minutes above the Heinen’s grocery store
in downtown Cleveland, housed in the historic Cleveland
Trust Rotunda Building.

The Azure is a sun and deck lounge that is just as nice in the evening.

The Vault is a great place for a reception with all of
the different vault rooms and a large bar.

These dancing photos really show the chemistry Monica and
Rob have with each other. Steamy stuff!

DJ Klimaxxx aka Christian Moore kept the dance floor moving
all night with his air horns interjected in the music.

This quiet moment with Monica and her mother Barbara is one of my favorite
photos I’ve taken this year as a Cleveland wedding photographer.

The couple is now in Ohio. Monica: “Rob had to return to England
just after the honeymoon while his visa was being sorted.
Not the best way to spend your first weeks as a married couple,
haha. Considering most of our relationship was spent over Google
Hangout (like Skype), it almost felt normal.”

Good luck with everything and I can’t wait for our
after the wedding fashion session this spring!

Thank you,

– Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer