Lovely and Unique Summer Cleveland Zoo Wedding | 2016

Ohio Weddings, Northeast Ohio Wedding Venues

romantic bride and groom portrait in front of weeping willow tree at cleveland zoo wedding in ohio

Lauren and Jarrod’s Summer Cleveland Zoo Wedding was so gorgeous and SO MUCH fun

What’s better than a wedding at the Cleveland Metropark Zoo? Honestly, from the beautiful plant life to the fun elements (and animals), it’s just such a unique experience. In fact, Cleveland Zoo weddings are one of our favorite kinds of weddings to get to photograph.

Jarrod is in the air force, so the bride and groom have been stationed in Germany, which left them planning their wedding from afar. Luckily, Lauren’s mom took care of all the in-person planning tasks here in Cleveland. It’s difficult planning a destination wedding, but the bride and mother of the bride pulled it off seamlessly. It was comfortable, laid back day and we didn’t see any stress at all.

The girls all got ready at the Stillwater Place building at the zoo. After the groom arrived and completed his finishing touches of getting ready, it was time for the ceremony. The back of Stillwater Place provided the perfect ceremony location. The weather was amazing, a beautiful summer evening, and the water in the background was an added bonus. Lauren and Jarrod were so playful and sweet all throughout the ceremony. The first time the groom saw the bride walking down the aisle was the best! His expressions were so animated and you could just feel his love for Lauren radiating off of him.

After the ceremony, we had time to adventure around the zoo for photos with the (extremely small) bridal party. The bride and groom opted for just a maid of honor and best man rather than a large bridal party. That made photos intimate and sometimes less is more. These guys proved that and they made it so easy to get around the zoo and get photos done quickly and efficiently.

After photos, it was time for the party at Stillwater Place. The bride and groom had a great time hanging out with all their guests for the evening. The dance floor was full all night long. It was fantastic and we’re so happy we got to capture it all!

OUR FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THIS CLEVELAND ZOO WEDDING

The Cleveland Zoo does something really unique during cocktail hour for all weddings there. For Lauren and Jarrod, they brought in a hedgehog for guests to see and hold. It was the sweetest little thing and it was such a hit with everyone. How many people can say that there was a hedgehog at their wedding day cocktail hour? Not many, which made this part of the day so special and unique.