Columbus Wedding Photography: GroovyDoodle Photography

We recently participated in a rather unique wedding show. Fully Committed was held on the second floor of the amazingly elegant Athletic Club of Columbus, and featured 20 hand-selected Columbus wedding vendors. This was the show’s first year, so it was a pretty intimate setting, especially when compared with the larger “meat market” wedding shows that are held in January and February. Aside from being later in the year and quite a bit smaller, what else made this show so special? Each vendor at the show was specifically chosen because they are either gay-owned or GLBT-friendly. The event catered to both GLBT and straight couples who wanted to feel confident that they could discuss their wedding plans and their family without prejudice, and we were proud to be one of the show’s selected vendors.

As it turns out, we’d worked with a good number of the other vendors in the past, and can happily recommend them to you if you’re still looking for quality service providers for your own wedding. Please note that the following are wedding vendors that we’ve actually worked with in some capacity, and our recommendation of them is completely unsolicited.

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Getting married? Looking for awesome, Columbus wedding vendors? Then join us for Fully Committed Sunday, April 17th from 10 – 2.

“Are straight couples welcome?” Of course! This is an inclusive event. We are expecting gay, lesbian and transgender couples, straight couples where one person may have gay parents and straight couples who simply understand that every dollar they spend is a vote for something – and they want to spend their wedding dollars with vendors who share their belief in marriage equality. All wedding vendors at the event are either gay-owned or GLBT-friendly, just like GroovyDoodle.

We’d love to see you there, and can even offer a 10% discount code to anyone who’s interested. Proceeds benefit Equality Ohio.

As Columbus wedding photographers, we shot a lot of weddings in 2010. We traveled to destinations as grand as Las Vegas, as exotic as Jamaica and as cool as Niagara Falls. And while we do love to travel and will happily discuss the benefits of bringing your own trusted photographer along on your destination wedding, we’ve gotta say that we really love some of the wedding and reception venues in and around our own backyard.

So with that in mind, here are our top (totally unsolicited) picks for Columbus wedding locations:

The Bluestone (formerly Bar of Modern Art (BoMA))

The Bluestone has been one of our favorite venues for quite some time. In addition to featuring literally thousands of square feet including 3 separate rooms on different levels, 2 dance floors, a large stage, 7 beautiful bars created by nationally acclaimed artists, a multi-million dollar light system and in-house catering, you get the benefit of The Bluestone’s original purpose – cathedral church – complete with a fantastic stone exterior, amazing hardwood surroundings in the main room, cathedral ceilings and stained glass windows. This is a really elegant venue with a staff who seem to understand the level of service you should receive on your big day. Not to mention, we’re one of their preferred wedding photography vendors. Any Bluestone wedding clients who also book their wedding photography with GroovyDoodle receive an awesome discount on our services!

Graystone Wine Cellar This little wine cellar was new to us in 2010, and what a little bonus find it was! The venue occupies the hand-hewn limestone vaults of the 1875 Bavarian Brewery in Columbus’s historic Brewery District. While they no longer produce any wine on-site, they do offer catering and a historic, intimate setting for either your wedding or reception. And, like GroovyDoodle, they’re GLBT-friendly.

Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Ok, we weren’t sure what to think either when we first heard the name of this place. But we’ve got to say, we were pleasantly surprised. The non-profit center is located just south of downtown Columbus, and serves as a model for sustainable design with 18,000 square feet built with recycled construction materials – it is surprisingly beautiful with a modern, open feel. Their main purpose is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. So, by holding your reception at the Audubon Center, you’re helping to support these objectives. Obviously, they don’t offer catering themselves, but they do have a list of pre-approved caterers (which includes our beloved City Barbeque). Their pricing is very reasonable, and they allow you to bring in your own alcohol if you are planning for cocktails or a nice local wine to be available to your guests.

Bonus Venue – Grand Pacific Junction Looking for something really unique and don’t mind a bit of a drive (or perhaps you are looking for Cleveland, Ohio wedding venues)? Grand Pacific Junction in Olmsted Falls, Ohio is like walking back in time 100 years. This campus of historic buildings is essentially a small town that will go all out for your wedding. It features a wedding chapel (with a fantastic, balconied bride room), a banquet facility, a wine cellar, a local stable for hiring a horse-drawn carriage and a variety of other services you’re sure to find useful. There’s also a beautiful park with a covered bridge within walking distance of the chapel for your formal wedding photos.

Was this article helpful to you? Do you have another Columbus or Ohio wedding venue where you’ve had a stellar experience? Drop us a line in our comments and let us know!

We met these girls at the Columbus Zoo for a fun Fall engagement photo session. While the zoo is normally one of our favorite places to shoot, the fog machines in the swan habitat and spider webs everywhere presented some unique and interesting challenges to our goal of creating romantic pictures. Regardless, the girls’ personalities were so playful that it all worked out.

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Interested in seeing more photos from Brit & Stephanie’s engagement session? Be sure to check out their full gallery.

What happens when your bridal couple’s favorite teams are rivals? You end up with sneak preview of the wedding photos that includes one of the brides refusing to dot the “I”!

We are so proud to be a GLBT-friendly business. Many thanks to Erika and Nicole for including us in their special day, and much love and happiness to them and their family! Looking for GLBT-friendly venues? Check out the Franklin Park Conservatory and Graystone Wine Cellar.

We were asked by Stonewall Columbus to set up our mini studio at the Columbus Pride 2009 Freedom festival. It was sunny, hot and loads of fun for our Pretty, Witty, and Gay GroovyDoodle staffers.  We took and printed on-the-spot about 150 pics for our fabulous customers.  Take a look…

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GroovyDoodle is proud to be participating in the Columbus Pride 2009 Freedom festival this weekend. Check out our soon-to-be-published ad for the 2009 / 2010 Stonewall Columbus Lavender Listings.