With 547 votes, in FIRST PLACE is Delaney and her tea set!
She sure did put up a fierce fight! Delaney was our Best of 2010 winner! Two years in a row!!!! She sure did want that title again!
Enjoy your free session and disc of images. You guys surely deserve it!

In a VERY close second place, with 542 votes, is Avery, Melissa and Ryan! A special gift for you… a $75 print credit for your very close second place win. Thank you so much for all your efforts! SERIOUSLY, you guys ROCK! (I am aware this is a different photo. I was asked to remove the photo on the railroad tracks as this was dangerous. So here is another beautiful photo of this awesome family.)

In third place is Miss Mansfield. She loves a good running! (Or maybe her mother does so she can win a free session. ) You are BEAUTIFUL, Ashley. Inside and out!

In fourth place, these two adorable little boys. How perfect is this?!

Thank you everyone for your tremendous support with voting and “liking” Crystal Jo Foto. Looking back at these photos really makes me feel successful and proud of the imagery produced. I know how important these are to the folks in them. Memories that will last forever. I am forever grateful to be such a big part of making them possible. Thank you all for the Best 2011. I’m looking forward to many more happy, successful years!

You are ALL winners in my heart!

Here are the other photos I’ve selected as my favorites of 2011. In no particular order…

Engaged and REALLY IN LOVE!These two met at a billiard hall.  OH SUH-WHEET.  Let’s do your engagement sesh here!
This is MY FAVE.  LOVE IT!
AND, SECOND FAVE.  Reflection.  Reflection.  Reflection.  Reflection.  Super cool.
A little rooftop romance.

I just love the wispy happiness in this one.
I won’t tell you where these photographs were taken because Tyler in a Michigan Alum and he may just be in trouble.  Hint Hint.
Erica is a teacher.  This is SO fitting.  Participants Needed for their 7/7/12 wedding!  I am oh-so lucky to be one of those participants!  Thank you, Erica and Tyler, for inviting me to be such a big part of your wedding day.  I’m SUPER excited!

Some fun facts about these pretty people…

Erica – I’m an “out of work” band director (working retail at the moment) with a bachelors and a masters degree in music education. When I am teaching, I’m a workaholic–I’ll do anything for my students’ success! I have a huge travel bug and have been to Europe three times. I love playing pool–my dad taught me many years ago and Tyler and I still love to play. I also love to cook–it’s very cathartic for me. I’ll send goodies to work with Tyler every so often. I’m pretty sure my cupcakes are the reason he got his promotion!

Tyler – Extremely strict work ethic, University of Michigan degree, love to shoot pool and play darts, the only time I lost to Erica in pool was when I threw the game either to get her phone number when we first met or to keep it interesting when we play best of three games.

When and where is your wedding?

July 7th, 2012 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio

How did you meet?

Erica – Funny story…I had a friend who was pretty shy when it came to men, so she asked me to help her out. I played “wingman” for her on Halloween night, started playing pool with a couple guys, talking to them, trying to get her to keep conversations with them. It just kind of turned out that Tyler and I got to talking, and at the end of the night he asked for my number! The best part, he was so nervous that he ran around the bar to ask someone for a pencil. When he came back, I reminded him he could have put my number straight into his phone. So adorable!

Tyler – We met playing pool at a pub on Halloween 2009. Erica was playing “wingman” for her friend. She actually was trying to hook her friend up with me, but ended up giving me her number at the end of the night. (Great friend huh)

Tell us about your proposal!

Erica – Tyler got us second row seats to see a Cirque Du Soleil show (really they were like front row with how the seats were laid out). I am a HUGE fan of Cirque, so I knew it was going to be a great time. I actually was chosen to be part of the show (I had to make slightly inappropriate flirtatious gestures at a member of the cast) and as I came back to my seat I was grinning from ear to ear. At the end of the show, paper butterflies fell from the ceiling, which is especially meaningful to me, as my late grandma LOVED butterflies. We went back to our apartment, Tyler drew a bath and I grabbed a bottle of wine. When I got back into the bedroom, he proposed. I really have no idea what he said, besides something like “I saw how happy you were tonight, and I want to spend the rest of my life seeing you that happy and making you that happy”. Of course that probably isn’t even close, but it was sweet! And of course he got me the most beautiful ring, including his late uncle’s diamond. I am honored to wear his memory on my finger every day!

Tyler – I was actually not originally planning to ask Erica to marry me the day that ended up asking her. I had bought us tickets to Cirque du Soleil front row for the Ovo show. Erica ended up getting selected from the audience to participate in the show. When the show was finished I realized we had such a great time that there was only one way the day could be any better. When we got home I asked Erica to pour us some wine while I drew a bath. When she came into the bedroom I dropped to one knee, explained how much she meant to me and how much I loved her and asked her to marry me.

What makes you guys unique?

Erica – Hmm. I suppose maybe because I’m a musician and he’s an engineer we’re unique. Very right-brain/left-brain. We have so many similar interests, but when it comes down to it, our professions are extremely different. We balance each other out really well!

Tyler – We are unique because we never get tired of each other. If Erica was the only other person I spent time with I would be completely fine with that.

How did you find Crystal Jo?

Erica – We found her to be wonderful!! All kidding aside, Crystal Jo was the photographer for a close family friend’s wedding. We not only loved the pictures, but heard wonderful things from them about how great she was and what fun they had! We can’t wait for her to shoot our wedding!

Tyler – We found Crystal Jo through word of mouth. She had done such a fantastic job with a friend of ours wedding that we knew she was the right choice for us as well.

We went to the skating rink!

They are getting married 10/13/12.  Yeah buddy!

No, they don’t roller skate.  EVER.  This was my idea and thankfully they went with it.  I’m loving it.  Thanks guys for trusting my CRAZY ways!
Fave FAVE FAVORITEEEE!  Oh, so cool!
Sooo much fun!

I did this magical move….

…to get these magical shots.  Magic.  I’m a magician.
So cute!JUMMMMMMMP!
Richelle, you are beautiful.  And so is your voice!  I really hope you sing on your wedding day!!
She did this all on her own.
You guys crack me up!

A little behind the scenes.  Thanks for your help, Light Girl.  Your shoulders are OH-SO-FUN to sit on!!

We’re cool!

The only request for this shoot… “We wanna have fun.”

Okay, it is my number one priority. Let’s have some FUN. REAL FUN!

My fave.  My fave.  My fave.  I JUST LOVE THEIR BODY LANGUAGE SO MUCH!See.  Real fun.Aaron’s middle name is Russell.  On Russell Street.  Britt…your bootie is cute and your hair is beautiful.  Yes, ma’am.  Uh huh.Mmmmkkkkkk.  Aaron saw a photo of a guy pretending to balance his lady on his hand.  He wanted to replicate.  Here’s our attempt.  (By the way, Britt, your shadow is well endowed!)
Real.  Fun.So adorable.

A few fun facts about these FUN people…

When and where is your wedding?
Brittany: In my hometown of Shelby, Ohio
Aaron: Some place up north where people walk Goats instead of Dogs, haha

How did you meet?
Brittany: At Aaron’s soccer game that he was coaching (I hate soccer, but loved that he spent time helping kids!)
Aaron: Met her at Lowe’s while she was looking for a stud finder, told her she didn’t have to look any further jk at my soccer game

Tell us about your proposal!
Brittany: Aaron being the artist he is, told me he had painted a mural for the Downtown library and wanted to show everyone at a party we were having. We gathered everyone outside where he was going to reveal the painting. Little did I know, he had painted a sign asking me to marry him
Aaron: I wanted to do something that no one else had done. Something special and something that people would say “aaron would do that.” Me being the artist I am, I painted a sign asking her to marry me. That was the 3rd option as I had 2 other ideas that were epic fails. I wouldn’t change a thing! (see photo)

What makes you guys unique?
Brittany: We can make you laugh like you have never laughed before and are a really exciting couple.
Aaron: Most people say they marry their best friend, but we truely are best friends. We can finish each others sentences, laugh at each others faults but help one another grow at the same time. AND we can sing the whole Gilmore Girls theme song (me not by choice!)

How did you find Crystal Jo?
Britt: Aaron thought she was cute so I went with it
Aaron :She was standing on the corner looking helpless so we stopped to help her out. We got to talking and she said she wanted to do our photos so we allowed her do so. I must say, she did an amazing job!
Actually, Sarah Shambaugh recommended her!

Some fun facts about this happy couple….

When and where is your wedding?
When: August 11, 2012
Where: Grand Oaks Event Center Grove City

How did you meet?
Bride- I guess you could say we met in middle school. We were so young and all we cared about was looks. We started dating in 7th grade because we thought each other were cute, eight years later we are getting married!

Groom- I had no idea who Nicole was at the time when we started dating. She was just the cute girl that came into my class for homework hotline. My friend Ryan asked me on her behalf if we wanted to go out and I said sure. That started the process of notes and going to the movies which have led to soon to be 9 great years and our wedding.

Tell us about your proposal!
Bride- It was April 1, 2011 and we went out to dinner that night because my 21st birthday was April 2nd and we had plans to go out that night. We had planned to go out at midnight just so I could get my first drink being 21. After dinner I was so full I just wanted to go home and sleep haha. Joel kept telling me ” no, lets go out, lets go out” I wanted to save all my drinking for the next night. So while laying in bed trying to fall asleep Joel got my attention by rolling me over and gave me his little speech about how much he loves me and that I am his best friend. He asked me to marry him, and when he opened the ring box IT WAS EMPTY!!! I was so upset.. He waited until 12:00 AM April 2 (10 minutes later) to actually propose the right way with a ring

Groom- Pretty much what she said, except… I did all of that on a whim. She had known for a few months that I had the ring because she found the papers for it. I had tried to plan something on several different occasions but it never worked out. Obviously that night didn’t go as planned but I was just tired of waiting. I have always been one who likes to joke around and with it being April fools I decided to mess with her a bit. I thought it was funny, although she may not have. Either way I don’t regret it because I felt like we were just being ourselves that night and that is what I love about us. We are just ourselves, and nobody else is like us.

What makes you guys unique?
Bride- What makes us unique is that we have been together for 8 years and still have the same amount of love we have had for eachother all along

Groom- I think what makes us so unique is that you could almost say we are complete opposites. I like one thing and she likes the other. She is loud, I am quiet. All of our differences seem to balance out our relationship and make us stronger as one. This is what has made our 8-9 years relationship so strong and enjoyable.

How did you find Crystal Jo?
Bride- I was looking at all my friends facebooks that I knew had gotten married. And I came across one girls pictures who I loved so I went to Crystal Jo’s website and watched her video she created about herself and i loved that as well and decided she was the one for us!  (Thanks to Stephanie Potokar!  Remember her wedding? )

Groom- Nicole showed me.

I love Autumn.  The colors.  The leaves.  The air.  Mmmmm.Um, HELLO PRETTY LIGHT!And….. HELLO PRETTY WOMAN! This reminds me of the famous pitchfork photo.  Only with pretty leaves and fun people.Seriously.  Picturesque.They fit together so perfectly.  Like that last book you slide in your bookshelf.  Snug and complete. ALL TIME FAVE.  Carri, you are SO breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL!
This just screams LOVE, FALL and FALLING IN LOVE.  (Side note…pine cones are sappy and sticky.)
The park just happened to be having some sort of harvest day for families and there was this cute little corn maze set up for the kiddos.  Hey, Carri and Brian!  Get yo butts in therrrrrrrreeeeee and have some fun!
Carri is short.  The maze had that tacky orange construction fence all the way around it and the only way I could get Carri in the shot without the orange fence was if Brian lifted her up.  And then came this beautiful image….
And then this one…

Some fun facts about this happy couple….

Where is your wedding?
Our wedding is in the brides garden at Franklin Park Conservatory on 6/10/12.

How did you meet?
We met through friends (although we went to high school together) his best friend was the drummer of my best friends band Lazy Lane. We went to all their shows, he was always there solo sitting in the back by himself. I made a point to always talk to him, just to be polite. He ended up asking for my #, we talked on the phone for months & became the best of friends. He lived in Columbus, I lived in Morgantown. Our friends band threw a New Years Eve bash, which we both went to and from that night on it’s history! That was January of 2004.

Tell us about your proposal!
We got engaged on 7/23/11. It was a very hot Saturday afternoon, we just got done doing yoga. He kept asking me what I wanted to do today & I said absolutely nothing, I rarely get a day off so I wanted to just relax at home. He said ok, whatever you want. So I was just taking it easy in our favorite chair in the living room, he comes out of the bedroom & says “I can’t wait any longer” gets down on one knee and says “Carri will u marry me?” I said “of course I will!” we kissed, hugged, shed a few tears of joy & then had a long heart to heart. We spent the rest of the day together just hanging out at home.

What makes you guys unique?
Hmm, what makes us unique. This is a tough one aside from the obvious, he is very tall and I am very small. We are a silly couple. We rarely call each other by our real names & we like to make up words for things so that only we know what they mean. It’s like our own secret language! I call him Bee, he calls me be & our favorite thing to do is buggle!

How did you find Crystal Jo?
We found you through a friend of his mom. Sarah Wills Waugh got her wedding pics taken by you & highly referred you.

It’s such a small world.  These two, they were a referral from the fabulous Menchen wedding I shot a couple of years ago.  (Thanks Kristen and Rik!)  Then they came over to check out wedding albums and saw Lauren Boley (a past bride) and realized they went to school together.  Such a small world.

Eskimo your nose real close.  Cute kids.

Happy.  And in love.

I may have been saying some really inappropriate things here.  Hey, it worked.

The Japanese Gardens.  BEAUTIFUL.  REALLY.  This is such a serene area artistically created with rocks, sand, hills, ponds, flowing water, trees and shrubs.

A stepping stone path across the reflecting pool. Check out that reflection on the still water.  LOVE.  Tall tree.  Shorter tree.  Tall guy.  Shorter girl.  PERFECT.
UM, YES, PLEASE.
Okay, so where are we?  Dawes Arboretum.

I got to Newark a bit early to do some photo scouting because it’s been a few years since I’ve shot here.  I stumble upon the 2,040-foot-long Hedge Lettering, spelling out “Dawes Arboretum.”  Well…I see these large letters and I think, hmm, they will soon be “The Blossers”.  Wouldn’t it be super cool to put them in the “B” and photograph them from the outlook tower.  Yeah.  Until I realized a “B” is a seamless letter so they had to TREK THROUGH THOSE THICK BUSHES to get into the center of the “B”.  They were TOTALLY up for anything.  Okay, you guys get in the B, I’ll go to the top of the tower and call your cell and let you know where to go and what to do.  Sounds clever, right?  Yeah, until I drive to the tower and climb to the top and look down.  And I see this…

Um, you most definitely cannot make out the letter “B”.  And they look like ants on a football field.  It’s all good.  It’s the thought that counts, right?

This place couldn’t be more AWESOME for the perfect backdrop.  Swoon.  And kiss. Look at that killer sky!Dude, these guys ROCK.  Bug filled, wet field and they were STILL up for laying in it!  I love it when people will do ANYTHING to get a great photo.

I just love this.  Their legs intertwined like the tree roots.  Awesome.
HUGE Reds fans.  They travel to a few games a year.

Congrats on your engagement, Jessica and Kyle.  I’m looking forward to your June wedding.  Now Jess, go practice your throw so your bouquet toss is a hit out of the park!  :)

And, I still have no idea how to pronounce “Arboretum”, mmmkkk!

Meet Caleb and Holly.  They’re cute.
And so am I.


SO cute.

See.  Told ya.

Bow chicka wow wow.  Stand like this and you will look HOT!

Mmmmhmmm.
LOVE.  We totally stumbled upon this field.  I was in HEAVEN.

Fave from the session.  On the right.

If you choose me as your photographer…

1. We’re going to have FUN.

2.  You ARE guaranteed a good LAUGH.

3.  I might touch your rear.  I just might.  It happens.

Great choice, Caleb!

This picture just screams BABY, I LOVE YOU.

Street cars were honking at Holly. As they should. She was diggin’ it. As she SHOULD!

Hello, very fitting sign in the background.  Thanks for being there.

It’s getting dark.  What to do?  Well…go stand in the middle of the street!

…. and then…
…we almost died.

I like how you can see Light Girl’s hand on the left side.  She was waving traffic by so that we could get the light trails from the cars.  Everyone kept stopping because we were in the middle of the street.  Duh, most people would.  Unless you are an ANGRY woman driving a green slug bug.  Hey, lady, drink a tall glass of milk and get over yourself…we have cool photos to make.  BOOOO-YAH.

I’m looking forward to your September wedding, friends. See ya soon!

An ALL TIME FAVE! Love, love, LOVE, LOOOOOOOVE this! Did I tell you I love this? I do.

Margaux, you are SO beautiful!  SO BEAUTIFUL!


This is HOT….so hot, she’s on ICE.

I love this next sequence of photos!  Love, love.  Engagement photos on a carousel = Uh-mazing!

I love her expression here!

This girl has talent. Hold hands, kiss, balance, kiss, climb, kiss. All on some galloping horses. Amazing.

These two are characters, to say the least!  This was all their idea.  ”Let’s act like pink flamingos.”  Aren’t they so fun?!


Dude, I wanna cuddle with myself.

Margaux loves it when Adam kisses her on the forehead.  Okay, seriously.  You can’t get any cuter!

Hello, long eyelashes. I want you.
One of my faves from the session.  Just lovely.
Again with the funny ideas.  Margaux, ” Let’s chest bump.”  Okay!

A little behind the scenes…

Pixie Jo’s first zoo visit. She LOVED it!

Iceberg, right ahead! How many people does it take to find the polar bears?! Ashley from That Gym on Grandview is training the soon-to-be’s for their wedding. If I do say so myself, she’s the best trainer EVER.

Jason and Craig. Having way too much fun on the carousel.  Ha, Craig looks like a scared little boy.  Mommy, help.

Pixie Pie was making silly faces at Margaux and Adam. She HAS to be the reason they are soooo happy in all of these pictures.

Adam and Margaux, we had SO much fun with you! I’m very much looking forward to your BIG day in September. Much love!

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We should all champagne toast to these two. Oh, how far they’ve come. They were buddies in the 2nd grade! Can you believe that?! What a journey. Growing up together and now growing together and committing their lives to one another…next summer. I think that says a lot about who these two people are.

Hello tree stump in the middle of nowhere.  Let’s sit on you.
And love on each other.
Isn’t she lovely?!
And, I just LOVE this.
Notice they are both wearing purple?  Wonder if they both wore purple in the 2nd grade?
I bet Jeremy rocked the purple and Lara’s little eight year old eyes said, “I’m gonna marry that boy someday.”
Love fall for this very reason right here.
Having fun!


And this is probably my favorite from the day!
Lara, you are so GORGE!

And let’s go out with a bang, shall we?