Angelika & Frederick's Cleveland Zoo Wedding

The day finally arrived for Angelika & Frederick and it was also my first wedding of the season. It was a gorgeous Spring day as I set off to meet Angelika, Frederick and their families at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tremont.
Immanuel is a special church because they offer services in both German and English and as you may remember, Angelika & Frederick had a German-themed engagement session and their wedding continued the theme of celebrating their heritage.
It was a small and intimate wedding that featured dear friends and family including Angelika’s son Johanes. You could feel Angelika’s hand in all the details of the wedding from the programs that she designed to her beautiful dress that she also made.
After the service, everyone headed to the Cleveland Zoo for an intimate reception in the Wolf Wilderness Lodge.
The lodge is very rustic, but is also connected to an open front aviary and tanks for viewing beavers and other aquatic animals. It was the perfect location for their reception and the kids loved checking out all the animals.
Angelika & Frederick started things off with the German tradition of sawing a log with a two-handled saw. There are several theories about what this signifies. Some say it represents the challenges of marriage – at first it is hard to get your rhythm as a couple, then gradually you get the flow of working together. Others say the round piece of wood you cut off represents the first wheel on the baby carriage.
The beautiful couple ended the night with dinner and dancing to the sounds of the Polka Kings of Cleveland, Fred Ziwich and his International Sound Machine.
Check out their amazing invitation. Each recipient received a suitcase-style box with passport and maps. Too cute!