We could not have had a more beautiful day for Jenna and Ben’s Cleveland Metropark Zoo wedding!

When Jenna originally contacted me about their day, I was so excited. I told her a zoo wedding was on my bucket list to photograph! As long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve NEVER had a wedding there before. But on top of that, they are just a really awesome couple and I knew it would be a fun day all around. P.S. I get to shoot at my other bucket list location next summer, Barn Wedding Venue, Receptions, Parties | Irongate Equestrian Center).

Do you know what the best part about a zoo wedding is? Besides the obvious (zoo animals), the bride and groom also have the opportunity to do some pretty memorable things - like feed the giraffes and go ziplining across the lake. If you want more than just your average wedding day, the zoo is a great place to have your wedding. Plus, your guests are free to go explore as well.

And Jenna and Ben also scheduled their wedding during the Chinese Lantern Festival, which I had never seen, is quite the spectacle. Let me tell you, it is 100% worth getting tickets to go and see the displays sometime. I was overly impressed! On this particular day, the event was sold out - there was certainly a sea of people to get through for photo ops, but it was certainly worth it. Plus, we had a really nice golf cart driver that helped us navigate a little bit more efficiently through the people, too. We got to see most of the lanterns via our cart tour in and out of the zoo!

This is certainly going to be a memorable wedding for guests for years to come. I think the unique location was a hit with everyone (plenty took advantage of riding the carousel, too). I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Jenna and Ben’s day and wish them nothing but the best in the future! Enjoy this peek into their day.