Irish Pride Wedding in Gettysburg

Trends are changing constantly in weddings with more focus on couples representing their personal interests, passions, and heritage.  I may have a soft spot for anything Celtic (last name of McClain might be a dead giveaway) so when Lauren and Alex contacted us about their wedding, we were smitten in the details, especially Lauren’s mint green gown.  Learning their story individually and as a couple, we simply knew these were two amazing people who we were ecstatic to work with on their wedding day.

Alex and Lauren were both super hands on in planning their wedding day, which from a photographer standpoint, it’s awesome and appreciated to have both perspectives on photographic needs and opinions:)  Weather wise, it was a simply perfect early fall day- perfect for posed creatives on the battlefield and around their venue, The Gettysburg Hotel.

I normally try to mention a favorite moment from wedding days but the whole day was fantastic, filled with so many great moments- like the smile on Lauren’s face during the first look; the bridal party fun in the Limo and on the battlefield; hand-fasting during the ceremony; the couple’s first dance (awesome song choice too guys); and the cake topper- ’nuff said;-)  Wishing warmest congratulations and blessings to Lauren and Alex in their many years of wedded bliss!

Click here for more images from Lauren & Alex’ wedding day!

Vendor Love:

Venue: Gettysburg Train Station/ Gettysburg Hotel

Entertainment: Across the Pond

Cake: Karen Rodkey Cakes

Hair: Serenity Salon and Spa

Makeup: Until the Very End

Gown: Alfred Angelo

 

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Do This- Grandmotherly Flower Girls

Do This is a weekly blog series created to be a super quick read, highlighting awesome wedding ideas that you may want to incorporate into your own event!  Got an idea for our Do This readers?  Email me at mmcclainphoto@gmail.com with your idea! 

Flower girls are absolutely gorgeous but depending on the age, some have the attention span of a Terrier puppy.  A cute alternative if age is a factor, or you know no little ones, is to offer the position up to your Grandmother.  We saw this recently, with the grandmother’s pelting guests with petals!  Great photo ops and laughter from guests!

Check out more images from Amy & Bobby’s wedding at Ironstone Ranch!

Creatives Tie The Knot- Pam & Joe’s Fall Wedding

Ohemgeee!  There is nothing better for a creative than to photograph another creative, let alone TWO creatives!  Pam and Joe are into everything… art, music, photography, painting… everything- so it’s only natural to incorporate their two favorite things, music and photography, into their wedding theme. 

Our day started with getting ready, first look and creatives to be photographed at Historic Acres of Hershey (if you’ve never been.. go!  It’s gorgeous).  The groomsmen had a spirited game of Cards Against Humanity going on downstairs while the ladies primped upstairs.  After the first look, the insanity continued with the crazy awesome bridal party who kept everyone laughing and we were even able to steal a few sweet moments with the couple by themselves.

The reception is where the decor magic came to life with records to be signed by guests, cassette tapes used as table cards, and old cameras shown off on the tables and entry way, some handed down from past generations in both families.  Pam and Joe opted for a traditional Thanksgiving style meal, family served of course, with Joe offering a few words of thanks then cutting into the holiday “beast”. DJ Scooter (Ryan Willard) was hands down the best mixing DJ we’ve ever seen killing the dance floor all night!

One of my favorite moments was the couple’s introductions which DJ Scooter and DJ Tom Stank ramped up the crowd with a little Justin Timberlake “Senorita” mixed into some other sort of awesome!  Congratulations Pam and Joe!

Check out more images here from Pam and Joe’s wedding!

Vendor Love:

Getting Ready Location: Historic Acres of Hershey

Church: St Marks Lutheran Church

Reception: Blue Ridge Country Club

Catering: The Uncommon Caterer    

Entertainment: DJ Scooter/DJ Tom Stank

Stationary/Details: Made To Keep

Cake: Couture Cakery

Corinne & Jeff’s Mountain View Reception

In the past 6 years we’ve seen a ton of fantastic weddings.  More often than not we’re with our couples the entire day… or well 8 hours of it but we do have a handful of shorter coverage wedding days. I’m not going to lie, it throws me when we have either just the ceremony coverage or just the reception coverage but it’s also quite awesome because it’s different!  It allows us to stay on our toes and really enjoy the day for what it is- a celebration of love!

Corinne and Jeff were actually married a week ago and held their reception celebrations this past weekend at the seriously stunning Peter Allen House.  The PAH (Peter Allen House.. keep up guys) is actually the oldest registered house in Dauphin county and sits at the base of the Peters Mountain and overlooks the stony valley.  Receptions at PAH are held on their stone patio or “tennis court” under tents which after dark in November gets very cold!

Corinne stunned in a beautiful white, yet simple gown whi   ch donned some pretty awesome pockets while Jeff rocked out his deep blue suit.  The couple were beyond amazing, especially when asked to huff a bit into the wood area to grab some red berry backdrops for a few of their creatives.  Although the evening brought on some brisk weather, guests had a blast and hit the bar and photo booth often.  Congratulations Corinne & Jeff!  Wishing you both many years of happily wedded bliss!

Check out more images from Jeff and Corinne’s wedding!

Vendor Love:

Venue: Peter Allen House

Catering: C&J Catering

Entertainment/Photo Booth: Ryan Miller Entertainment

Michelle & Travis’ Fall Manor Wedding

It’s always neat re-visiting locations that Jason and I had checked out when we were planning our wedding years ago and holy hell did we check out locations.  I’d like to stack up the paper pile of venues to the paper pile of houses and see which had more. We’re what you’d call “slow to make decisions”.  Not procrastinators, just we think out our decisions for bigger items, make a decision, then sleep on it, and make it again. Sometimes there’s a soft pretzel in there too, to literally “chew things over” and well.. I love carbs.

Michelle and Travis chose the historic Stone Mill Inn for their wedding, which looked much different today versus in 2007.  The garden area near the home was stunning, the patio for cocktail hour was covered and had gorgeous crystal chandeliers hung from the tent.  The rustic barn area was the one part that remained untouched, yet still held that elegant family feeling charm.  My favorite feature was the limestone area where ceremonies are held.  If the light hits just right, which it did today, it’s simply magical.

Michelle and Travis, two of my absolute favorite people this year, opted for a first look and to get the majority of their images done pre-ceremony.  I loved the beaming smile as Michelle walked up behind Travis, seeing each other for the first time that day.  Throughout their creatives, Michelle and Travis clearly were meant to be together, as they made our hearts swell (again.. might be the post kid hormones but shit they were awesome).  One of my favorite additions to their day was a micro brew tasting during cocktail hour of the couple’s favorite beers.  There was also some mad dancing to fantastic 80’s music all night.  Travis’ brother has some killer good MJ dance moves!

I know these guys took their party afterward back to the hotel with tons of guest crammed onto their shuttle… I mean who wouldn’t want to drink Papa Nelson’s alcohol!  Congrats guys and lots of love to you both and Mr. Jerome, the dog extraordinaire!

More images from Michelle & Travis’ wedding!

Vendor Love:

Venue/Flowers: Stone Mill Inn

Officiant: Dave DiRaddo

DJ: Tommy Gunn

Hair/Makeup: Blush Bridal Studio

Cake: Flour Child

Catering (AND OMG GOOD!!!): Unique Presentations

Sarah & Thomas’ Autumn Country Club Wedding

Damn! I picked one hell of an amazing wedding to make my first back from maternity leave. First off, I adore Fall and everything that goes with it (except for the pumpkin spice craze… what gives). The weather was simply magical on Sarah and Thomas’ wedding day!  The sun was shining but there was that cool brisk breeze, marking the start of really good fishing weather:)

Sarah and Thomas celebrated their vows at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Mechanicsburg– a beautiful natural light sanctuary with a semi-round pew setting and a nice long aisle from which Sarah’s father led her down.  We had a blast capturing natural emotions as Sarah looked to Thomas with a beaming smile filled with love.

Couple creatives were captured back at Blue Ridge Country Club which boast stunning views at the base of the Blue Mountain line. Although most leaves hadn’t quite turned yet, we were able to do some creative editing to bring out some fall vibrance.  Back inside guests feasted on a traditional (and OMG tasty) Pittsburgh style cookie table after dinner.  Seriously every wedding should have a cookie table!  Sarah and Thomas’ night was filled with a kick ass dance floor and some good ol’ Pennstate love including a crazy awesome dance off, passing the viking hat, and tasty dollar dance shots.

Although there were so many amazing moments, the nearest and dearest moment was watching Thomas’s parents give hugs and kisses before he walked down the aisle.  I blame the I-have-a-newborn-and-my-hormones-are-still-awol but it was beyond touching and I may have had a mommy moment tearing up and trying to see through the smudging mascara as the processional started.

Congratulations Sarah and Thomas!  You guys had such a fun event and I know you’ll both keep each other laughing through many years of married bliss!

Check out more images from Sarah & Thomas’ wedding day!

Vendor Love:

Ceremony: St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church

Reception/Catering: Blue Ridge Country Club

Hair/Makeup: Changes Salon

Entertainment: Ryan Miller Entertainment

Flowers: Weddings and Blooms    

Details, Details, Details… Alicia & Chai’s Rustic Elegance Wedding

Walking into any event, the first thing that catches my eye are the details!  I friggin’ LOVE wedding day details!  It’s kinda like when a plan comes together and you can finally, after months of preparations, see everything come to life.  Photographically.. I drool over carefully chosen table decor, little special touches that reflect the couples’ personality, and unique accent items. Alicia and Chai met every single stimulus I’ve always dreamed about in their elegant, vintage inspired wedding at their Beech Springs Farm wedding.

The couple chose to accent the large maple tree with beautifully hung picture frames for their ceremony.  Their cocktail hour boasted fun lawn games, including a ginormous Jenga game, with more great details like a pure white bicycle.  Tables for their smaller guest count featured old books with succulents and glass accents.  Lace runners with beautiful linens and silverware also adorned the wooden tables.

My absolute favorite moment from Alicia and Chai’s wedding was their first look. Alicia is an amazing woman, very strong with a huge heart.  While walking down to meet Chai, his back to her, she began to tear up just a few feet away.  I love the emotion and power in that very moment which I hope the couple is able to look back on fondly in their images:)  Congratulations Alicia and Chai!  Wishing you both an amazing marriage and a lifetime of blessings!

See more from Alicia & Chai’s wedding here!

Vendor Love

Venue: Beech Springs Farm

Entertainment: G2 DJ Service

Catering: Fabio Events

Dress: Renaissance Bridal

Suit: Joseph Bank

Hair: Serenity Salon

Officiant: Joyce Shutt

Special Thanks to Harmony Boore for her second shooting skills during this event!     

September = Last Blast of Wedding Season

September is my second favorite month.. or maybe my third with a close tie to May.  The weather and humidity starts to dissipate, the wind is a little crisper with a hint of the gorgeous October weather coming in the near future.. oh and it’s the last blast of wedding season in PA!  This past September we had some of the most amazing couples and events!  Almost all were sunny weather, kick ass dancing, and lots of love and laughter!

Angela & John were married at a local family church and stopped off at Pinchot Park for this gorgeous image captured by Photographer Scott Bostjancic!  The couple then kicked off their shoes and celebrated in Dillsburg while munching on some Chipolte (yum!!).

Melissa & RJ held a sweet and intimate mid day wedding at the remote Hickory Bridge Farm near Gettysburg.  The couple opted for gorgeous sunflowers and mixed daisies to accent their beautiful country decor.  Don’t forget the cowboy boots for both bride and groom as well! 

Kelsey & James celebrated in style at Roundtop Mountain Resort!  Sadly the rain pushed the couple’s ceremony indoors but cleared for some beautiful creatives outdoors featuring the not-yet-snow-covered slopes.  Kelsey had a super cute something blue incorporated into her dress!  Click here to see what it was!

Amanda & Michael had one of the most gorgeous afternoons in September for their classic Cameron Estate Inn wedding.  The couple had chosen to do a wine box during their ceremony which sounds quite delicious compared to more traditional wedding ceremony mementos.  Along with the celebrations, Amanda and Michael will write one in the history books for the kick ass dance floor party!

Okay not technically September, but the last day of August, Rachel & Thomas held a laid back barn style wedding at Union Mills Homestead in Maryland.  This military duo, currently in England, beamed radiant smiles as they exchanged vows in the garden area of the homestead.  The couple was well prepared with blankets, flops, umbrellas and flashlights.. just in case:)

Danielle and Brittani’s wedding, also featured on Charm City Wed, was held at the stunning Corradetti Glass Blowing Studio near Baltimore, MD.  Scott Bostjancic and Whitney Hart had an amazing time working with these ladies and especially loved the touch of Gatsby feel in their decor, with feathers, gold, and white pearls.

Humor, Harley and Hot Pink- Nicki & Tug

There is nothing worse than being cooped up at home when you really just want to party.. or know of a REALLY good party about to happen!  Although it may have been a bit shy of the recommended 6 weeks postpartum, I absolutely could not miss Nicki & Tug’s kick ass wedding held at Armstrong Valley Winery!  Jason, Whitney and I met up with this beautiful duo, capturing a heartfelt first look, super funny outhouse outtakes, and some good ol’ creative portraiture.  There was even a tabby cat stole the show, walking down the aisle with one of the bridesmaids!

Nicki & Tug had a super sweet exchange of vows and a blending ceremony which included Nicki’s daughter and Tug’s son, who was just able to clear the table to pour his sand.  Afterward the couple joined family and friends with some tasty pretzels, wine and other assorted snacks!  The hit of the night was the sparkler exit as Nicki and Tug drove through on their yellow Harley!  A gorgeous wedding with a gorgeous couple- who could ask for a more perfect day!

For more images from Nicki & Tug’s wedding click here!

Venue: Armstrong Valley Winery

Catering/Cake: The Uncommon Caterer

Entertainment: Provolve Entertainment