A Joy-Filled Ceremony at the Old Arcade
The best weddings I photograph are the ones where the couple feels safe and comfortable enough to just be themselves, and this moment is one of the best examples I have of exactly that.
This was captured on the iconic staircase at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade — though ask any Clevelander and they'll just call it the Old Arcade. That soaring glass ceiling, the ornate ironwork, the warm glow of the lights lining the steps — it's one of the most stunning ceremony backdrops in the city.
The ceremony had just ended. They'd already had their first kiss as a married couple, and I fully expected what usually comes next — a calm, composed walk back down the aisle together. Instead, they grabbed each other's hands and just started hopping up and down, grinning and laughing, unable to contain themselves. It was pure, unmitigated joy — happiness, excitement, a little disbelief, like they couldn't quite believe the moment had finally happened. Their joy was palpable, and genuinely special to witness.
This is exactly why I never stop shooting the second a couple kisses. The real magic often happens in the messy, unscripted seconds right after — when a couple drops whatever composure they'd been holding onto and just reacts, honestly, to what just happened to them.
Technically, I stayed wide enough to capture the full scale of that staircase and their wedding party's reaction around them, because the setting and the joy on everyone else's faces are just as much a part of the story as the couple themselves. The Arcade's warm ambient lighting did a lot of the work here, giving the whole image this golden, celebratory glow without needing any additional light of my own.
Wedding photographed at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade by Lindsey Beckwith.
Location: 420 Superior Avenue East, Cleveland, OH 44114.
Keywords: Hyatt Arcade, Hyatt Regency, Old Arcade.