It was my pleasure to photograph Heather and Chris’ beautiful wedding back in August. I knew from the first time I met Heather that we were going to be a good fit. Then when I met Chris in May when we shot their engagement session, I was even more sure that their wedding was going to be not just beautiful, but really fun to shoot. I was not disappointed.

Lots of getting ready details.

At our first meeting, Heather mentioned that they had found her grandmother’s wedding dress in an old cedar chest, right around the time that she was looking for her own wedding dress. Her grandmother had passed away and they had been cleaning up her house. She had thought about altering it to wear for her wedding, but then decided to leave it as it was. She suggested that if we’d have time, she would like to possibly get some photos of her in her grandmother’s dress. I was so glad that we did have time to do this. It fit her just perfectly and Heather looked gorgeous in both dresses.

Since Heather and Chris decided to see each other before the ceremony, we had the opportunity to explore the grounds of Heather’s family farm, which was awesome. When Heather told me about photo location options, she rattled off a list of options that left me salivating. I can’t imagine if we hadn’t had this time.

We shot their first look photo at Heather’s childhood tree house. It was the perfect location for such a special moment.

Next we headed over to her grandmother’s porch which was full of amazing old antiques.

The list of location choices included a junkyard…a proper junkyard full of old bus parts! Heather’s grandfather was one of the first school bus drivers in the area and wound up collecting old buses for parts. AMAZING! I think they both look so cool here.

The ceremony and reception were at the Valley Green Inn and it was beautiful.

And the big exit with fireworks. Thank you Heather and Chris for sharing your day with me!

A couple of weeks ago, I had a great time shooting Charlotte’s senior photos. Honestly, it felt like I was on a fashion shoot. Her mom and dad came along so that we could get some updated family photos too and they were able to help us with a couple of outfit changes. So fun! Charlotte is just gorgeous and the whole family was easy to photograph. Made my job a breeze.

We started out at Chanticleer Gardens and they just about had to throw us out of the place. We only had an hour there before they closed, so we had to work fast! I had never been there and it’s definitely a beautiful place to shoot. Here are some of my favorites.

Charlotte’s parents, Catherine and Ken, were just as great in front of the camera. Naturals.

I love tall grasses in general, but I think I loved these more than most with their little puffs on top.

On the way to do photos with the puppy, Teddy, we stopped on the side of the road for some photos with cows. I think I like these best.

Charlotte brought along her ukulele, which was perfect for this location.

I also took a couple of photos of Catherine for her business as a feng shui consultant. From talking with Catherine a bit about her work, I can tell that she really loves what she does and is incredibly passionate about it. I honestly could have stood there talking about it for a long time. So interesting.

…and finally…family photos with Teddy! How cute is he?

I also had to mention something very cool that my good friend Alissa is doing. Alissa is sooo incredibly talented and artsy and she’s finally started her own etsy shop, Wanderlust. One of the really awesome items in her shop, a custom photo locket, is actually being featured right now on The Bright Side Project. Alissa can take your own personal photos, from travel or engagement photos…wedding photos…whatever, and put them inside these book lockets. Sort of like a funky take on the traditional photo locket. I think it’s just about the coolest idea ever and I will DEFINITELY be getting one for myself. Sooo…if you head over to The Bright Side Project site by Thursday, September 17, you can leave a comment to possibly win a photo locket of your own. Or just check out Wanderlust and you can order one for yourself.

Oh how I loved shooting this wedding.

When Scott first contacted me, I don’t even think it was a month before the wedding. They had bought a historic old house in Conshohocken a while back and had been putting lots of time and effort into fixing it up. He and Sarah had been together for 10 years and rather than have an elaborate affair, they decided to have an intimate front porch ceremony. Scott let me know that although they weren’t planning anything extravagant, the photographs were important to them so they wanted to have someone there to take photos of the ceremony and to do some formal photos before they headed off to dinner (the reception). At that point they were still deciding between two dates, one when I was available and one when I wasn’t. I crossed my fingers and hoped that they’d settle on the day that I could do. They did!

I first met Scott and Sarah in person the day before the wedding and if I didn’t already love them, I definitely loved them after meeting them. They gave me a tour of the house and introduced me to their cats and the kittens they were fostering and Sarah’s parents who were in from out of town for the wedding. We went over the plan for the next day’s ceremony and walked to where we would do their formal photos. They were so laid back and I knew the next days festivities were going to be a pleasure to capture. I wasn’t at all disappointed.

The wedding day guests/vendors included Scott & Sarah, Sarah’s parents, Scott’s mom, the bride’s good friend Heather (aka maid of honor, best man, ring bearer, etc), the officiant and myself. The ceremony was intimate and charming and full of laughter…just how a ceremony should be. Sarah made her dress, her veil, the ring bearer’s pillow, the rings, and possibly other things that I’m forgetting. I am incredibly envious of all of her talents and how she made the wedding so personal to them in many ways.

When I first got there, I joined Sarah, Heather and Sarah’s mom upstairs while she got ready.

Scott and Sarah were both so full of happy expression during the ceremony. Oh, and the black cat on Sarah’s bouquet had been on Sarah’s mother’s bouquet at her parents’ wedding. I thought it was such a sweet, sentimental detail.

A little hug after the first kiss.

…and more hugs!

Immediately after the ceremony, the champagne was uncorked and there was a toast.

Then we went inside for the officiant to sign the marriage contract. LOVE the expression in this photo.

Finally we headed out for some formal photos of just Scott and Sarah near their house.

Sarah sat AND laid in the tall grasses for me…there was a cricket on her and she did not freak out! I hope the photos make it worth it.

Thank you Scott & Sarah for being such a wonderful bride and groom and making me feel as much like a wedding guest as the real guests. It was my absolute pleasure.