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A Backyard, Micro-Wedding COVID – Style in Perryville, MD | Lauren + Brandon
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

A Backyard, Micro-Wedding COVID – Style in Perryville, MD | Lauren + Brandon

It was a wrap. I three hours of coverage for Lauren and Brandon’s immediate family, micro-wedding at Brandon’s family home in Perryville, Maryland. Everything went superbly. A few detail photos, then my favorite part…they helped each other get ready (it was the sweetest thing I had never photographed before!), ceremony, husband and wife photos and a quick cake cutting and that was it! I was packing up my bag and heard Brandon’s mom, Julie, call from the kitchen, “Megan! We need you outside for one more photo!”

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After All These Years - A Touching Blue and Purple Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Alyssa + Jonathan 8.30.20  </strong></span>
Weddings, The Photos Megan Hoffer Weddings, The Photos Megan Hoffer

After All These Years - A Touching Blue and Purple Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Alyssa + Jonathan 8.30.20

He stood stone still holding his breath. The laughter and sweetness of watching the bridesmaids and his daughter come down the aisle were over. Now Jon waited. He waited for the girl he teased on the bus as children. He waited for the girl he dreamed about in High School. He waited for the girl who saved his life emotionally after time in the service. He waited for the girl who helped raise his daughter from a very young age. He waited for his light in the dark.

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A Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Wedding Ceremony and Backyard Bash | Chelsea&nbsp; + BJ 8.8.2020
Weddings, The Photos Megan Hoffer Weddings, The Photos Megan Hoffer

A Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Wedding Ceremony and Backyard Bash | Chelsea  + BJ 8.8.2020

He stood, confident and relaxed facing the guests spread across his daughter’s backyard who were seated at white tables with tall candle center pieces. String lights dangled crisscrossed above his head and he held a microphone that he never raised to his lips. Tom spoke so that all could hear him without it. He held a paper he didn’t have to read from. The words would come from his heart, not a paper. I think we all expected him to be serious and then he started

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  A Colorful Spring Micro-Wedding at Wind in the Willows | Jenna + Aaron
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

A Colorful Spring Micro-Wedding at Wind in the Willows | Jenna + Aaron

The time ticked closer. Would they have their wedding or postpone? Another day. And, another. Another week. “What’s the plan guys?”

I can’t imagine the stress Jenna and Aaron went through in the months, weeks and days leading up to their wedding day. Along with so many others, they had to make the choice: keep their date and only have a few guests or wait another year….so they decided to…do both! Why not?!

Jenna and Aaron tied the knot on their original date, June 6, 2020 surrounded by only a handful of family and friends (and their ADORABLE new puppy, Leo) at their planned wedding venue, Wind in the Willows in Grantville, PA.

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Jamie + Chris’s Private, Corona-Style Wedding Ceremony| Philadelphia, PA
The Photos, Weddings Emily Hess The Photos, Weddings Emily Hess

Jamie + Chris’s Private, Corona-Style Wedding Ceremony| Philadelphia, PA

“Guess what.”

The message popped up at me suddenly almost making me lose my balance. I was walking on the treadmill making my morning post as usual to save time. Today, there was a layer of sadness to it. I should have been packing my gear to drive to The Barn at Stoneybrooke for Jamie and Chris’s wedding day. Instead, I was exercising my frustration away while posting pictures from their engagement session as tribute to their original date before COVID-19 swept through the world turning our lives upside down.

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Kristine + Scott | A Fall Cameron Estate Inn Wedding 11.30.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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!

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A Purple Fall Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Jaclyn + Michael 11.02.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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A Purple and Grey Fall Wedding at Melhorn Manor | Nichole + Wills 11.01.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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A Fall Burgundy and Yellow Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Jacy + Nicholas 10.18.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

A Fall Burgundy and Yellow Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Jacy + Nicholas 10.18.19

It was time for the Father-Daughter dance. I found myself weaving through a sea of buzzing people to find Joe and Stacey to let them know they should make their way to the dance floor. I tapped Joe on the shoulder and shouted into his ear over the music, “It’s time for you to dance with your daughter!” And, for some reason I felt compelled to tell him that the speech he made earlier that evening brought me to tears. It was at the moment after he talked about how difficult it was to give his daughter away and his hopes that one day they would have a daughter of their own to throw a wedding for when he turned to Nick and told him to remember that through it all, “That’s still my princess you have there. Take good care of her,” that I lost it and had tears streaming down my cheeks.

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A Fall Wedding at Chestnut Hill Villa | Emily + Nathan 10.12.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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A Fall Blush and Blue Destination Wedding at The Cork Factory Hotel | Brittany + Joseph 10.12.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

A Fall Blush and Blue Destination Wedding at The Cork Factory Hotel | Brittany + Joseph 10.12.19

“She can’t open her gift until after the ceremony!” Ummmmmmm. Okay. This was one I had never heard before. After-the-fact it makes total sense. Joe had his vows to Brittany professionally printed and framed for her (there’s actually a really funny story behind this so if you know Joe….ask him to tell you!) In his vows Joe professed his love for Brittany in front of a room full of family and friends but he also admitted to wanting 2 (or 8) kids! Everyone laughed, but in all honesty, they’re going to make amazing parents one day. Joe and Brittany have been collecting books and toys for their future family for years during their many travels around the world. It was nice to hear Joe be the one to say it too because, let’s be real, he’s going to make the world’s best stay-at-home dad one day!

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A Fall Catholic Wedding and Mountaintop Reception at Roundtop Mountain Resort | Brittany + Brandon 10.05.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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A crisp fall wedding at the Barn at Stoneybrooke | Colleen + Nicholas 10.04.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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A Maroon, Blush and Navy Wedding at The Lodge at Liberty Forge | Katie + Jon 9.14.19
The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer The Photos, Weddings Megan Hoffer

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.

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