Pittsburgh, PA Wedding Photographer - Andrea Kelly Photography - Boudoir, Engagement, Maternity, Newborn » Weddings

Wedding Photography – New Year Promotion

Andrea — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:57:07 +0000

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In celebration of the new year, we are offering a limited time promotion. I’ve been talking with many newly engaged couples recently (congratulations!!!) and am pleased to offer a wonderful value through the end of the month. Get in contact with me today to find out if your wedding date is still available.

Jen + Nate | engaged

Andrea — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:22:30 +0000

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Continuing on the “catch-up” theme for blogs (loads more to come!)

While all seasons have their pluses, one of my favorite times of the year is fall…love the changing of the leaves and that distinctive autumn scent that fills the air. While we were living in Las Vegas, it was one of the things that I missed terribly. So, any time I can take photos outdoors in the fall makes me happy.

After running around in the park for a bit, we decided to head to a more urban setting to get some additional photos – this was a storefront shopping area where we wound up getting chased away by security! Oops! We got some great photos while we were there, so it was completely worth it.

A sample layout of a Save the Date magnet…

Below are a few page spreads (two facing pages) from the guestbook that was created for their wedding. Options are available to have questions on the pages to prompt guests to write or it can be left blank to allow for more of a “yearbook-style” interaction.

holiday cutoff dates – Andrea Kelly Photography, Pittsburgh wedding and newborn photographer

Andrea — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:45:37 +0000

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It’s hard to believe that it’s getting to be that time of year again….but the holiday season is rapidly approaching – with our first snowfall happening in October, that made it all the more real!

If you are an AKP client and wish to place a order for holiday gifts, please be certain to take note of the following holiday cutoff dates:

Amy + Steve – Grace United Methodist Church and Indiana Country Club – Weddings by Andrea Kelly

Andrea — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:29:30 +0000

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Hello again. World’s worst blogger here. Seriously. I’ve been posting updates on facebook, but I think I prefer the blog method of sharing better, so I’m going back to it and may do updating on the AKP facebook page with a few promotions and so on here and there. Although these were placed on facebook, I’ve got a ton of blog posts to catch up on from way back.

I always love to hear how couples decide upon the locations they select. Like many brides, Amy is no longer living locally, but returned to where she grew up to get married at Grace United Methodist Church – the church she has belonged to her enitre life. She and Steve chose the Indiana Country Club for their reception because they liked the classic setting and that it provided a nice place to take outdoor pictures.

I think that I’ve mentioned it before, but I will again…love the “getting ready” part of the day – it seems like it’s when it all becomes real. Some get nervous. Others are just eager to see the day that they’ve been planning come together. Regardless, there’s always a million things going on and I love documenting the anticipation.

The brooch sewn into Amy’s dress belonged to her maternal grandmother, Margaret. It’s always extra special to be able to incorporate bits and pieces from loved ones into part of the day – the perfect way to “carry someone with you” if they are unable to be there in person. I think that the brooch was absolutely perfect on the dress. LOVED it!

Sometimes couples opt to do a “first look” session prior to the ceremony, others like to hold a bit more tradition. Amy and Steve did something that allows a couple to have contact with each other without seeing one another. If a First Look session isn’t your preference, this may be something possible to do.

After the ceremony, Amy and Steve went out to greet their guests with a reading of an Indian blessing and butterfly release. One of the butterflies stuck around on Amy’s bouquet for a while, move onto her hand, and then flew off.

I had the first ever altar “group photo” with a dog – they brought their beagle in to the church after the ceremony to get a few photos.

To get from the ceremony to the reception, a family friend offered his beautiful 1925 Model T.

The couple put their dance lessons to use by dancing their first dance to Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra.

A little later in the evening, Amy and Steve took a few moments to slip out of the reception so they could have a little bit of time to themselves and allowed me to come along to get a few photos.
After the wedding, the couple headed off to Italy on their honeymoon and visited Florence, the Cinque Terre, and Venice.

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Ceremony: Grace United Methodist Church, Indiana, PA
Reception: Indiana Country Club, Indiana, PA
Reception Entertainment: Mobile MIX Entertainment
Floral Designer: Ellie’s Flower Shop, Shelocta, PA
Bakery: Gail’s Custom Cakes and Cookies, Indiana, PA
Hair Stylist: Renaissance Stylists, Kathy Stossel, Indiana, PA
Flowers used: Asiatic lilies, calla lilies, alstroemeria
Transportation: 1925 Model T, private owner
Butterfly release: Magical Beginnings Butterfly Farms
Colors: chocolate, burgundy, burnt orange, yellow
First Dance: Fly me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra
Father/Daughter Dance: What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Mother/Son Dance: I Can See Clearly Now

Morgan + Dave – slideshow: Mt. Carmel and Ramada, Altoona

Andrea — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:44:31 +0000

Please click the play button on the lower left hand side or within the center of the screen to view the slideshow.
Please note that music plays with the slideshows.

If you would like to purchase this slideshow on a DVD to play on your TV or a mini book with all of these images, please contact us via email.

Morgan + Dave – Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and Ramada Conference Center, Altoona, PA – wedding by Andrea Kelly Photography

Andrea — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:46:56 +0000

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Gosh, I’m so behind in blogging…so in an effort to start to catch up a bit, I give you Morgan + Dave’s wedding day…The day started at Morgan’s parent’s house where she got ready. Love the details of the front of her dress, and her ring…just lovely.

Morgan’s dad was waiting for her prior to the ceremony starting. With the photo on the left, he was looking over toward Morgan in the area where she was waiting until the ceremony was ready to start…he looks like a very proud dad.

Mount Carmel underwent extensive restoration about 5 years ago – they did an amazing job…it’s probably the most beautiful church I’ve seen in Altoona. And it holds extra meaning to Morgan because her parents, aunts, uncles, and one brother have gotten married there.After group photos, we had a little bit of time before the evening services began and Father Frank allowed us stay to get some beautiful pictures inside the church.Just love how happy both of them looked during their first dance.

Later in the evening, Morgan & Dave slipped outside and we got these intimate, romantic images.

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Ceremony: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Altoona, PA
Reception: Ramada Conference Center, Altoona, PA
Reception Entertainment: Steve Kelsey DJ Services, Duncansville, PA
Floral Designer: Barbara Jean Florist, Altoona, PA
Bakery: Anissa DiLeo, Aliquippa, PA
Hair Stylist: ClipArt Salon, Lucy DiLeo, Altoona, PA
Flowers used: calla lillies, astroemeria, and dahlias
Colors: chocolate, burgundy, burnt orange
First Dance: More Than Anyone, Gavin DeGraw
Father/Daughter Dance: You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban
Mother/Son Dance: Forever Young, Rod Stewart

Alternative Ring Bearer Pillow and Flower Girl Basket – Pittsburgh and Central PA Wedding Photographer

Andrea — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:42:40 +0000

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Stumbled across this today on Etsy.com and thought this would be perfect for someone having a nature/outdoorsy themed wedding. I haven’t bought from the seller, so no first hand experience with them, but I just thought this was a cute find and wanted to share.

Picture courtesy of etsy.com seller: NHWoodscreations

Album Day

Andrea — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:51:19 +0000

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Some albums arrived and are getting prepped for shipment! I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see the final product when it comes in – online previews of the layouts just don’t begin to give the true idea of what it’s like to hold these in your hands and go through the pages.

So excited to be getting these out. Some images of Maia & Chris’s wedding album. They got a 12×12 Fine Art Book with the duplicate 8×8 Fine Art parent book. The larger size for both is just awesome and makes a huge difference. With the Fine Art Book, we opted for a charcoal grey exterior, which I just love and their names are in the same color as a color picked up in Maia’s gown (it had a beautiful peachy- champagne color to it).

A picture from one of the page spreads. One of the things that I just LOVE about these albums is that we are able to design a spread without worrying about a cut down the center. The crease is extremely discrete – the image where Chris is kissing Maia’s forehead is where the crease is located.

A fun filled spread showing just a few of the highlights of guests dancing and having a great time at the reception. Love to include one of these pages in an album.

And just a quick image showing the thickness of the pages – the book itself is about 1 1/4″ and the pages are semi rigid, with a matte finish…the paper makes it look just like a museum piece.

Next up is a sweet “Awaiting and Arrived” book for Krista and Craig. These books are press-printed beauties with a hinged page, allowing the book to open completely without “hoving up” in the center.

Krista and Craig opted for the linen cover on their book. It’s a slim book filled up with memories that “little Miss C.” will be thrilled to look through when she gets a bit older.

If you have questions about albums, we’re happy to talk with you about the numerous options we have available – just email or call us.

Wedding Photographers vs. Volcano…who wins?

Andrea — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:06:41 +0000

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Sometimes I get asked by prospective clients, “Well, Andrea, what happens if you can’t make it to our wedding?” It’s a good and valid question, of course. At times, people are a little harsher and ask, “What if you die before our wedding?” Yikes! Well, luckily, I can assure you that I have absolutely NO plans of dying any time soon…I’m relatively young-ish (late 30′s) and in good health – though I’m trying to get rid of a few pounds (did I mention that I love the metabolism drop that happened to me in my 30′s?) But, I understand their concern that I will be there.

So, yeah, you’re wondering by now, what me dying has to do with volcanoes. Right? I’m getting there…by way of Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano that has been in the news due to it’s recent eruption and resultant air travel disruption.

Interestingly, professional wedding photographers are a fairly tight group – while we are scattered across the country and the world, we have online forums that make us into a family of sorts and we’ve got one another’s backs. I just saw this phenomenon in action again for this past weekend – probably on a larger scale/greater distance than ever before.

One of the members, posted an urgent message message on Thursday the 15th. He was to fly from the US to Ireland to cover a wedding that was taking place on Saturday, only to find that air travel throughout Europe was being completely shut down due to the volcanic ash. There was simply no way for him to get there in time for the wedding, even if he was able to re-route his flight and then take trains and ferries to Ireland. Literally, within an hour of the post, two members of the forum from England stepped forward to say that they would get there. And within 4 hours, they packed up their gear and began the journey (drive, ferry ride, drive again). 13 hours of hard travel later – they arrived in time to begin coverage.

In the meantime, another forum member was in Moscow where he had just finished giving a seminar and it appeared that he would be unable to make it back in time for his weekend wedding in Dallas, TX. The original photographer who was not able to fly to Ireland stepped forward to fill in for the member who was stuck overseas.

Some of the resulting images have been shared on the forum – and they are nothing short of amazing. I think that each of the photographers (who are phenomenal to begin with) brought a little something extra special that day.

Again, I have seen this type of stepping forward within our photographic community on several occasions. Every single time, I am in awe of the amazing people that I am fortunate enough to know. So, knowing that I am in a community that is not only local, state, or country wide, but instead worldwide, should help to ease the minds of those who are concerned that I might die and not show up to photograph their wedding.

Oh yeah, and in the case of the question of who wins, the wedding photographers kicked Eyjafjallajokull’s butt! Lastly for now, if you would like to check out some really amazing images from the volcano, you need to visit this link: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

From www.boston.com

Erynne + George – Holy Trinity Church & Cameron Estate, Columbia and Marietta, PA – wedding by Andrea Kelly Photography

Andrea — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:25:15 +0000

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For Erynne & George, we last got together for an engagement session on a cold fall morning at Erynne’s alma mater, St. Francis College in Loretto, PA. In spite of us all about freezing, I had a wonderful time with them. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see them again on their wedding day.

During her planning, Erynne sent me a fantastic inspiration board which gave me a little peak into what to expect for their wedding day…this was a fantastic thing to get – I love getting a feel for what the couple has in mind for their wedding.

The day started off with Erynne getting ready at the lovely Cameron Estate in Marietta, PA…truly a beautiful location. We had to deal with a bit of drizzle throughout the day, but everybody just took it in stride.

Love the image with Erynne having her makeup applied – if you look to the right, you can make out her dress hanging in the background just waiting. And, I loved her sweet Stuart Weitzman shoes. It seems that many of my brides wear the same shoe size as me…I think it’s so that they can torture me more was I wear my super practical Danskos.

Loved the variety of flowers and berries used in Erynne’s bouquet. Crystals from Erynne’s grandmother’s necklace were incorporated into her bouquet and with the gardenias, it smelled absolutely amazing. My macro lens is wonderful for getting the close up details of the flowers..they would be fantastic printed up as square canvas to decorate an area.

With the photo on the left, I turned away from everyone and shot through the mirror to create a bit of a frame to draw your eye in – you can just feel the Erynne’s anticipation rising as finishing touches are completed on her dress. When Erynne was facing away from the windows, the room was very dim, so to light her, I believe that my assistant was holding off camera lighting in that photo.

Love big, beautiful churches with balconies.

During ceremonies – small moments are easily forgotten…the soft loving touch on the back, the glances as the officiant is talking…these are things that just take you back to the day immediately and help rekindle all the feelings.

The drizzle continued throughout the day, but we were able to get out for just a few minutes to get a few pictures with the Rolls Royce before it left for the day. The grounds are so beautiful at Cameron Estate – wish that we could have gone out to get some additional photos.

Father and daughter during their dance together…really, words would just take from the moments.

The bakery did a fantastic job in matching the theme of the invitations with the cake decorations. Lovely!

Ceremony: Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Columbia, PA
Reception: Cameron Estate, Marietta, PA
Reception Entertainment: Jam on Sound Production
Floral Designer: Floral Designs by Heather Anne, Lititz, PA
Bakery: House of Clarendon, Lancaster, PA
Transportation: 1964 White Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, Classic British Limosine, Spring City, PA
Hair Stylist: Melissa Diaz
Flowers used: gardenia, white hydrangeas, stephanotis, gerber daisies
Colors: white, green, magenta/fuschia
First Dance: Love is on the Way, Saigon Kick
Father/Daughter Dance: Wind Beneath My Wings
Mother/Son Dance: Simple Man