Who gets married outdoors in January? Nicholas and Hannah, that’s who. When Hannah and her mother first contacted me, I thought they were kidding. But Hannah said that she always dreamed of a Hallmark-type wedding outdoors with snow and holiday lights. So, after Nicholas proposed, the first place she called was the city of Strongsville to see if they could get married in The Commons gazebo. Strongsville always has the best town holiday lighting display in the area. They readily agreed and said that this was a first. Not for a wedding in the gazebo, but for a wedding in January in the holiday-decorated gazebo.

Always open for a challenge and unusual wedding requests, I was game. The week before it was looking like Hannah would not have the snow-covered wedding she so wanted. But on Saturday, the rain turned into snow just a few hours before the wedding and it was beautiful against the incredible light display.

The groom, me and 40 or so guests huddled together in the gazebo awaiting the beautiful bride. She arrived with an umbrella escort in a short-to-long white dress and shawl. Nicholas took his jacket off and they braved the cold together with the warmth of their love. I, on the other hand, was toasty in my long, winter coat and boots. The ceremony went off without a hitch and the enthusiastic crowd cheered for the happy couple. The lovely, lighting display made for incredible and very unusual wedding photos.