Shannon + Matthew | Longwood Gardens Winter Elopement | Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Longwood Gardens Fall Maternity Session | Kennett Square Pennyslvania | Philadelphia Portrait Photographer
Victoria + CeeJay | Indian Echo Caverns Spooky Halloween Wedding | Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Aubrey + Trevor | Bellevue Hall Wedding | Delaware and Pennsylvania Photographer
Serenity + Tony | Weddings on Memory Lane | Hershey, Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Serenity and Tony will be celebrating their 1-year anniversary this weekend, so I thought I would surprise them by sharing a few highlights from their fabulous wedding ceremony that took place last May. (You might remember them from their Longwood Gardens engagement session blog.) Weddings on Memory Lane - located in Hershey, Pennsylvania - was such an incredible backdrop for their celebration. Everything took place here, from getting ready through to the end of the reception, and the venue had the perfect locations for all of it!
I was attending a family wedding in North Carolina this day, but my team of associates took incredible care of Serenity and Tony and documented their day perfectly. (They photographed the wedding on my memory cards, and I edited all of the images to match my style.) I’m so fortunate to have a wonderful team to call on when needed, and couples that trust me to take care of them - in person or from afar.
Without any further hesitation, here is a selection of details (ridiculously stunning details!) and moments (crazy, sweet, emotional moments!) from Serenity and Tony’s Day #1. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the dream team responsible for making all of the magic happen!
Thank you to the following team who made their wedding day vision come to life!
Venue: Weddings on Memory Lane
Wedding Coordinator: Melanie Haldeman
Florist: Melanie Haldeman
Cake Artist: Jody Mack
DJ: Klock Entertainment - Wil Monestime
Hair Artist: Down Street Salon
Makeup Artist: Prism Beauty and Wellness, Sierra Hoke
Ceremony Dress Boutique: ASOS
Reception Dress Boutique: Lulus
Bride’s Shoes: Keds x Kate Spade Bridal Sneakers
Bridesmaid Dress Boutique: ASOS and Lulus
Tuxedo/Suit Boutique: Joseph A. Bank
Officiant: Kurt Gregory
DIY personal touches: cake stand/plate, triangle ceremony backdrop, aisle flower boxes, reception sweetheart table backdrop
Kaitlin + Haruki | The Cliffs at Glassy Chapel and Biltmore Estate Asheville Wedding | North and South Carolina Destination Wedding Photographer
Last spring, Kaitlin and Haruki had an intimate wedding ceremony surrounded by a small group of their family members and friends. (You might remember Ruki’s incredible surprise proposal that took place at the Biltomore Estate!) Like many other couples, due to COVID-19, their bigger celebration had to be postponed to a later date. Well, that celebration is finally happening next week and I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of the highlights from their Day #1 as husband and wife.
Their wedding day was absolutely perfect. Their wedding party consisted of Haruki, Kaitlin, and Haruki’s two children. They are so lucky to have Kait as a bonus mom, and she is incredibly luck to call them hers. They were so overjoyed to officially become a family, as you will see from the selection of photos posted below.
Kait got ready at their home, while Ruki got ready at the Biltmore Forest Country Club. Right before the ceremony began at The Cliffs at Glassy Chapel, Ruki and his son had a first look with his daughter, and Kait shared a first look with her dad. The sun was shining brightly, and the tears were flowing! It really was a beautiful day all around - from the weather, to the emotions, to the absolutely stunning couple. Kait’s cathedral length veil (adorned with cherry blossoms to honor Ruki’s Japanese heritage) glistened beautifully against the bluebird skies and puffy clouds!
Haruki was speechless when his bride walked through the Glassy Chapel doors with her proud, adoring father. And Kait was equally elated to set her eyes upon her groom. Ruki’s mother read an incredibly touching poem from her late husband, and then Ruki and Kait exchanged vows and promises to each other and to their children. Their promises were sealed with a kiss - actually a few kisses!
Ruki, Kait, and I stopped at a few of their favorite spots at the Biltmore Estate for some couple’s portraits. Then, we headed to Posana in downtown Asheville for their reception. They reserved a private room at Posana, and it was decorated so beautifully. The hugs, laughs, and tears - lots of tears - continued at Posana. I’m sure their upcoming celebration at the Biltmore Forest Country Club will also be overflowing with love and fun, and I can’t wait! Congratulations again, Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura! See you soon!
Special thanks to this team for bringing Ruki and Kait’s vision to life:
Groom’s Getting Ready Location: Biltmore Forest Country Club
Bride’s Hair and Makeup Artist: Wink Salon
Bride’s Gown: BHLDN (Jenny by Jenny Yoo)
Bride’s Veil: Amsale
Bridesmaid’s Dress: David’s Bridal (Georgette Cascade)
Groomsman’s Tuxedo: Little Tuxedos
Harpist: Beste Toparlak
Officiant: Dr. Keith Black
Wedding Ceremony Venue: The Cliffs at Glassy Chapel
Portrait Location: The Biltmore Estate
Reception Location: Posana Restaurant
Videographer: Val Cinema
Intimate Honeybrook AirBnb Elopement | Chester County Wedding Photographer
Kate + Adam | Trexler Nature Preserve Fall Engagement Session | Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
I’m so excited to share Kate and Adam’s engagement session! I was absolutely thrilled when they were referred to me by another couple of mine - Ally and Dan! Ally and Dan are so fun and kind - and are just all-around incredible human beings - so I knew that their good friends would be a perfect fit for me and my wedding day approach. The first time I met Kate and Adam in person was actually at Ally and Dan’s wedding - and I assure you, they heated up that dance floor all night. The heat continued when we captured their engagement session just a few days later at Trexler Nature Preserve! It’s a good thing they were there to keep each other warm, because that water they splashed around in was super chilly! I know, I walked through it myself to capture the incredible moments with my cameras! LOL
I’m kicking off my 2022 wedding season with Kate and Adam in just a few days! I’m so excited to see Ally and Dan again, and I can’t wait to reunite with all of them on the dance floor. (I just realized I never blogged Ally and Dan’s session, so I’m going to rectify that soon! Oops!)
Alessia + Ludvik | Surprise Proposal at Longwood Gardens | Pennsylvania Engagement and Wedding Photographer
Happy New Year!!! I know that it is going to be a great one. I have so many sessions and weddings to blog from 2021 (and I haven’t forgotten about those!) but I thought that sharing a surprise proposal at one of my “happy places” would be a fabulous way to kick off 2022. Cheers to authentic smiles, laughs, hugs, and new beginnings!!!
So, I present to you Alessia and Ludvik’s surprise proposal-turned-engagement session at Longwood Gardens. I had so much fun planning this surprise with Ludvik. He was on a mission to catch Alessia off-guard and take her breath away, and in my opinion he was most definitely successful. When you see our images from the proposal itself, and the hour the followed, I think you’ll agree.
December is a beautiful yet especially crowded time of year at Longwood Gardens. Christmas week in particular is the busiest time of year there, so trying to pull off a surprise proposal on the day before Christmas Eve and get decent photographs is not necessarily an easy task. When the moment arrived, we couldn’t have asked for better weather, lighting, or timing - everything came together perfectly. When you look at their photos, it almost seems like we had the place to ourselves…. but the photos are deceiving, take my word for it! I have photographed lots of sessions at Longwood and have become quite skilled at losing crowds when I’m there with my clients. :)
Without any further delay, I present to you some of my favorite moments and images from Ludvik and Alessia’s proposal and engagement session at Longwood Gardens. The excited couple, Golden Hour, and Christmas lights came together to help me create one of my absolute favorite sessions yet. Congratulations again, Ludvik and Alessia! I wish you a lifetime of surprises, laughter, and love together.
(And if anyone else wants to schedule a session at the gardens, reach out to me! I’m happy to use my membership to get you inside and create beautiful images and memories together.)
