Nathan & Ella's WatersEdge Wedding in Hilliard, Ohio

Nathan and Ella got married on November 2, 2025, at Lakeview at WatersEdge Event & Conference Center in Hilliard, Ohio. WatersEdge sits on Trueman Boulevard, northwest of Columbus, and the whole property is built around the water: ponds, a wooden boardwalk, a deck with string lights, and trees that were turning gold the week of their wedding. If you are planning a wedding on the northwest side of Columbus, here is how our Hilliard photo and video team covered a fall day like this one.

Getting ready

The guys got ready in a room with wood beams and a coat rack full of suits, fixing ties and pinning boutonnieres. Nathan wore a blue suit with a pink tie. Ella's gown was off the shoulder with a long veil, and the first frames of her in the film are against a tall green hedge, before anyone else had seen her.

A first look by the water

Nathan waited with his back to Ella, next to a white post by the pond, with the WatersEdge deck reflected in the water behind him. When he turned around, Ella asked if the dress was pretty, and he told her it was the best dress he had ever seen. If you are a little nervous about being on camera for a moment like that, our tips for feeling relaxed in your wedding photos help a lot.

From the edit: I kept the first look on their own audio and let the music come in after. Their reactions were better than any song.

An indoor ceremony and vows they wrote themselves

The ceremony was indoors at Lakeview, so the early November weather never had a say in the plan. Nathan and Ella wrote their own vows, and they carry most of the highlight film. Ella promised Nathan a lifetime of dates, walks, dinners together and video games, and to be the mother of their cats. Nathan looked back on a message he sent her seven years ago and promised to always check her food for cheese and her tea for sugar.

Those are the details a couple will want to hear again in twenty years, and it is a big part of why couples hire a wedding videographer at all.

Fall portraits on the boardwalk

After the ceremony we walked the property for portraits. The wooden boardwalk with string lights overhead, the yellow and orange trees along the water, and a tree lined path made it easy to move fast and still get variety. Ella's bridesmaids wore mauve off the shoulder dresses that worked beautifully with the blue and purple flowers in her bouquet, and they looked great against the fall color.

From the edit: in November the light drops early, so we planned portraits for the softer late afternoon light. Here is more on how we work with natural light.

Family portraits

We grabbed family portraits by the trees near the water, with the boardwalk in the background. Quick, organized family photos keep the day moving and give everyone time to enjoy cocktail hour.

The reception

Inside the Lakeview ballroom, the room had warm wood walls, candles on every table and a stone fireplace behind their table. The cake was three tiers of white with lavender flowers and a script topper. Nathan and Ella made their entrance down a wooden staircase, and later the guests were on their feet cheering around the dance floor.



Night portraits on the deck

Before the night ended we stepped out to the deck with its white railings and the lights on the water behind them. A few quiet minutes in the middle of the party, and some of my favorite shots of the night.