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

Please click the play button on the lower left hand side or within the center of the screen to view the slideshow.

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What a wonderful day!  It’s days like these that make me pinch myself to make sure that I’m not just dreaming…that I really get to do what I do for a living!

When planning an outdoor ceremony in the east, you realize that there’s always a reasonable chance of rain.  And from the looks of the weather forecast in the days proceeding their wedding, it seemed likely that Shannon and Tony’s outdoor ceremony was going to be moved indoors. Even on the drive from Pittsburgh to Morgantown the morning of the wedding, there were showers and ominous looking clouds.

But, we were lucky – the afternoon turned into a beautiful one (though a bit humid!) and the outdoor ceremony at the 10th Tee of Lakeview Resort happened as planned.

There are so many wonderful things to share about this wedding that I hardly know where to start…in some ways, it’s almost harder to blog about one full of details because I don’t want to leave anything out!  It was the first that I actually met both Shannon and Tony – our previous contact (as with many of my couples) was by email and phone – both of them and their family and friends were all wonderful.

In discussing plans, Shannon & Tony decided that they would exchange gifts on the day of the wedding to allow me the opportunity to document those moments since the gift giver usually doesn’t get to see the reaction.  Tony got to open his gifts first and he’s a HUGE Steeler’s fan, so Shannon presented him with a special Steeler’s NFL watch to wear when they head to Pittsburgh for the September 10th season opener.  Shannon created tickets to look like the real thing, but these included some wonderful extras like a two night hotel stay and a Friday night dinner date.  So for all the Steeler fans out there, if you’ll be at the game, be sure to look for Shannon & Tony and say “Hi!” or watch for them on your tv at home.

After hanging out with Tony and his guys for a bit, I went over to Shannon’s room.  When I got there, I started photographing some of the details.  Absolutely love Shannon’s e. ring, a gorgeous Asscher cut diamond.  The couple wanted their out-of-town guests to completely enjoy the area, so Shannon created a tri-fold brochure listing things to do in the area along with the schedule of events that was place in gift bags.  Shannon, being a WVU graduate placed the WVU cookie in the gift bags…there were a few extras, so I placed the rings on the cookie.  Also pictured here is the handcrafted plates from Paloma’s Nest. 

Love the kate spade shoes that were in a gorgeous fucshia color perfectly matching the sash to Shannon’s dress. 

Once Shannon was dressed, it was time to open her gifts from Tony. She was in for the surprise of her life.  Because they both work together at Deltek, Tony said that it’s almost impossible to keep something as a surprise, so Tony wouldn’t reveal to ANYONE where they were going on their honeymoon.  When we were headed over from Tony’s room to Shannon’s with the gift, Tony told me to be certain to tell Shannon to look in the pockets – since he didn’t reveal what was inside the gift to me, I wasn’t certain what he meant at first, but he said that Shannon would understand as she started opening things up.  Here you see where Shannon is reading Tony’s card and is about to wipe a happy tear away.  And her look on her face in the next 3 pictures just doesn’t need any words at all…she certainly didn’t hide her astonishment and happiness! When Shannon opened the box, she found a Versace bag…and when she ope ned it up, she found out where they were going on their honeymoon – two weeks in Greece!  (If you’re their friend on Facebook, you’ll be able to see some of the photos they took while they were there.)  And lastly, a pair of diamond stud earrings – an “upgrade” to replace one of the earrings she lost. 

I think that Shannon’s feet hardly touched the ground as she walked up the aisle to meet Tony!  And they both were just so happy the whole time during the ceremony.  From the position of the sun during the ceremony, I was able to get some nice photos with sunflare – I’m a fan of flare, so it’s always great when I have an opportunity to capture it a bit. 

The couple opted for a profusion of carnations and orchids for their reception centerpieces.  Shannon carried a hand-tied bouquet with peonies, listianthus, and crystal-studded orchids, while Tony wore a matching orchid boutonniere.

After the ceremony, we took a few minutes for their Romance Session to get some great photos of the two of them.  The last photo was inspired by going out onto the deck in the evening.  When I went out, I loved the Chinese lanterns that Shannon and Tony decided to use outside on the deck.  Most of my couples are more than happy to go out for a few minutes to get some great photos and as soon as I walked out and saw the lights glowing, I knew exactly the photo I wanted to create for them.  There were challenges because we were surrounded by guests all around and some tables, so it took an extra minute or so for setup with my assistant, but the challenges were worth it – I just love this image on the far right!

Some various moments and details from the reception:

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Location: Lakeview Resort & Spa, Morgantown, WV
Gown: Marisa from  Lady Hamilton Bridal , Leola, PA
Ceremony Musicians: The Seneca String Quartet
Reception Entertainment: Funomenon Entertainment, Ken, Morgantown, WV
Floral Designer:  Zaccagnini’s Suncrest Florist, Kelly Jo, Morgantown, WV
Bakery: Almost Heaven Desserts, Patti, Westover, WV
Hair Stylist: Spa Roma @ Lakeview Resort, Carrie, Morgantown, WV
Makeup Artist: Spa Roma @ Lakeview Resort, Megan, Morgantown, WV
Martini Ice Luge:  Mastro Ice, Linda Anne, Pittsburgh, PA
Flowers used: peonies, lisianthus, orchids, carnation clusters
Colors: magenta/fuschia, plum, white, and gold accents