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Stephanie + Anthony | A Winter Elizabethtown, PA Engagement Session
Declan was born the exact same month as my little Finn so when Stephanie and Anthony asked it if was okay for him to come to the engagement session I, of course, said YES! Whether it’s your fur baby or your actual baby, it is ALWAYS your choice to bring them along to your session. The only thing I ask is that you bring someone along to watch them so that the MAIN focus can be you two and this incredible journey you are embarking on together called marriage.
Clare + Anthony | A Wolf’s Hollow County Park Winter Engagement Session
It was cold. The warmth of the day was at it’s high, peaking at 32 degrees as I walked the grounds of Wolf’s Hollow County Park to search for new and interesting spots to shoot in for Clare and Anthony’s winter engagement session on Saturday. As luck would have it, I found some beautiful new locations right away so I was able to head back to the car to warm up for a minute before they arrived. I heard them before I saw them.
Martha + David | A Lancaster City Engagement Session
Martha’s exact words in an email before her Lancaster City engagement session on Saturday: “I’m really bad in front of the camera…good luck girl!” I literally LOLed when I read it. She emailed that to me and then proceeded to KILL IT for the entire session on Saturday.
Michelle + Chris’s Winter Allenberry Resort Engagement Session
I’m not a prop kind of photographer. Michelle is not the prop kind of bride. We bonded over this when we met. THEN….they decided to bring Chris’s 1962 Chevy Impala…and we each put our foot in our mouth. If you’re going to bring a prop, a classic car is probably at the top of my “let’s do this” list….with flowers of course. Especially when it’s powder blue.
A January Tree Farm Engagement Session | Katie + Michael
We went to the wrong house. Yes, that’s right. We not only went to the wrong house but did the whole session there! Their session was full of life. Even with the rain…it was deliciously beautiful. The trees dripped with desire for more. The mountain loomed ever present like the future waiting to be recognized. The wispy grasses swayed and sang to us as the wind whispered its sweet song. And then there was Drake their ADORABLE golden retriever puppy… he was the CUTEST THING EVER!!!!
Everything went perfectly! Then, I got a message from Katie later that evening: “Omg….we were at the wrong house…”
A Wolf’s Hollow Fall Engagement | Jenna + Aaron 12.22.19
Jenna and Aaron dressed to the nines and lucked out with the perfect day for a December session. We truly had a blast as we hiked Wolf’s Hollow County Park in Chester County, PA. Jenna in heels and a billowing, red dress. Aaron in a dapper, black suit. I had never been there in the winter and was astounded by the breathtaking beauty it held even in the most disparaging of winter shooting months. The light this day was like velvet on our skin and candy for the soul as they danced in its embrace and I captured it all.
Kristine + Scott | A Fall Cameron Estate Inn Wedding 11.30.19
“We will start the day with tea at Cameron Estate Inn for my side and food and drinks at Bube’s Brewery for Scott’s side,” Kristine explained while sketching out their timeline via email back-and-forth. Kristine and Scott currently live in Arlington, VA which made it difficult to get together to meet initially and ultimately at all, even for their engagement session. We all have jam packed calendars year-round so we squeezed their engagement session in the DAY before their wedding!
The Stem’s End Styled Shoot | Coatesville, PA 11.18.19
I got a message from The Stem’s End over the weekend: “I have this crazy idea to do a fun design shoot with this arch I made today. Would you have any interest in shooting it for me? I also have a dress made out of ferns and natural elements that would make a fun artsy shoot.”Ummmmmmm, for you Gail? YES!
A Purple Fall Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Jaclyn + Michael 11.02.19
In an age where the details we tend to think of for weddings are color pallets and the correct combination of florals and sparkly shoes, the details of Jaclyn and Michael’s day were predominantly focused on pieces of wedding dresses from the other women in the family, family heirlooms and the FAMILY piece of the meaning behind a wedding day. It was the joining of lives individually between the bride and groom, the families as a whole and also the traditions passed down from generation-to-generation.
A Purple and Grey Fall Wedding at Melhorn Manor | Nichole + Wills 11.01.19
A gust of wind hit him in the face. The temperature outside had dipped below a comfortable threshold. He didn’t seem to notice. His fingers grasped the cold metal barn door handle. His gaze was down and focused. Wills’s bride was behind this door. The rest of the world melted away as he heaved it open to reveal Nichole. In that moment when he lifted his eyes to meet hers, time stopped and every anxiety was swept away with the wind. He stepped into the warmth of the barn. An orange glow of warmth swirled around their embrace enhanced by Nichole’s delighted laughter. There would be no tears for them, only joy and excitement.
A Fall Wedding at Chestnut Hill Villa | Emily + Nathan 10.12.19
Manheim, PAI was already as booked as I wanted to be for 2019 when Emily’s contact form hit my email. I think I had just said to my husband, “I’m not booking ANY more weddings for 2019!” I read the date on the contact form and knew I had a wedding already the day before and THREE the weekend prior….this was out of the question.
The Barn at Stoneybrooke’s Every Weather Fall Wedding | Ashley + John 10.06.2019
Inside or outside? Inside or outside? The decision went-back and-forth. The weather forecast kept changing in the hour leading up to Ashley and John’s 4:00pm ceremony time at The Barn at Stoneybrooke.
A Fall Catholic Wedding and Mountaintop Reception at Roundtop Mountain Resort | Brittany + Brandon 10.05.19
If you know me, you know I am never at a loss for words. I’m a “talker.” I love people. I love stories. Most of all, I love to tell stories about the people I love. Bringing out the beauty I see in other people for the world to see is what lights my heart on fire and breathes life into my soul. Telling stories with pictures is my very special niche but when I can pair words with those pictures it deepens the impact of the story that I want to tell that much more. Brittany and Brandon have put me at a loss for words in the best kind of way. They are the embodiment of why I do what I do and why I do it with my entire heart each and every single time I go out to shoot. I sit here at my desk, looking at their photo story, not knowing where to start because I could tell their story for about a hundred different angles and they are all amazing. So, here I go.
A crisp fall wedding at the Barn at Stoneybrooke | Colleen + Nicholas 10.04.19
She was a vision as she stepped out the of car on her wedding day. First thing in the morning, Colleen was also wrapped up in anxiety and nerves. It is her personality to worry about every detail. I asked her if she was having fun when I greeted her at the doors to The Barn at Stoneybrooke after having hair and makeup done off-site. Her response, “I’m so nervous!” While she smiled graciously and held herself with poise and composure, she was anything but calm on the inside. I’ll never know what was going on inside her head during that first hour but I do know that the moment she saw Nick walk out of the door for their first look, she melted.
A First Week of Autumn Wedding at Historic Ashland | Courtney + Ian 9.28.19
It was autumn at Historic Ashland. It was supposed to be cool. It wasn’t supposed to be humid. The highway wasn’t supposed to be closed.
A Maroon, Blush and Navy Wedding at The Lodge at Liberty Forge | Katie + Jon 9.14.19
It was the end of the night. The party was going strong in The Lodge at Liberty Forge reception hall. Lights flashed and guests sang and waived their arms as they laughed and danced to the music. I happed to be standing by Katie’s Uncle who had diligently pushed her grandpa Joe in his wheelchair for much of the day. It was his turn to let loose. On his own, he seemed to be taking it all in. He stood tall and proud with a look of genuine joy and pride in the family he saw before him. I asked him if he had enjoyed the day.
Amanda + Michael’s West Chester, PA Engagement Session
We had a last-minute change of location for Amanda and Michael’s engagement session. They are in the middle of home renovations, the start of the school year for Amanda and about a million other things in addition to planning their wedding day so it was up to Michael to scout and suggest locations closer to their home. Well, he will be happy to tell you that he knocked it out of the park! We ended up in a stunning park in West Chester, PA. I, as a rule, am always ridiculously early so I was surprised and impressed to find that when I texted Amanda to let her know I arrived 30 minutes early that they were already there! I love early people. LOVE THEM. I got to meet their adorable pup Callie who was generously escorted by her grandPUPparents. We had a blast! Michael’s humor kept us laughing the entire time but what really struck me was that as we were walking past a man with his daughter and dog trying to take a selfie along the side of the trail, Michael took the time to stop, walk over and get a nice photo for them from a few steps back. What a stand-up guy!
A Summer Wedding at Stone Manor Country Club | Abby + Mark 9/1/2019
“Mom, I met a girl. She has the best laugh.”