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The Orange Story
The customary advice for wedding reception speech-givers is to say something nice, something funny, tell a story from the past and to end with a piece of advice for the future. I hear a lot of wedding speeches…2-5 at every wedding so I’ve heard a lot of marriage advice in my career (a perk of the job). Most of them start with, “When the inevitable disagreement comes up…” “When the honeymoon phase is over…” Then, the advice is given… “Remember this day” “Don’t go to bed angry” and many others.
I often think about what advice I would give during one of these speeches. What I think I would say isn’t
A Fall Backyard Wedding - New Jersey Style | Kristin + Nicholas 9.26.20
My reaction pulling into the driveway for this backyard, New Jersey wedding reminded me of my husband seeing our wedding venue to the first time:
A Backyard, Micro-Wedding COVID – Style in Perryville, MD | Lauren + Brandon
It was a wrap. I three hours of coverage for Lauren and Brandon’s immediate family, micro-wedding at Brandon’s family home in Perryville, Maryland. Everything went superbly. A few detail photos, then my favorite part…they helped each other get ready (it was the sweetest thing I had never photographed before!), ceremony, husband and wife photos and a quick cake cutting and that was it! I was packing up my bag and heard Brandon’s mom, Julie, call from the kitchen, “Megan! We need you outside for one more photo!”
Goodbye Summer Engagement Shoot at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Annie + Nicholas
Sometimes even I am like, “Shut up. This is so gorgeous. I can’t even stand it!” Annie and Nick’s The Barn at Stoneybrooke engagement shoot was one of those moments….and processing pretty much every photo as well. I click on the next one…and gasp. Marc asks if everything is okay down there…and I yell up, “OMG these photos!” I can almost hear the eye roll through the floor….and then again minutes later as I click on the next one.
Last Days of Summer at Fort Hunter Mansion | Izzy + Austin Engaged
Izzy and Austin were torn between Fort Hunter Mansion & Park and Wolf’s Hollow. It was a tough call but I advised the former. They were bringing along their adorable pup, Kylo and had an outfit change. I’ll be honest, there is a LOT of walking involved at Wolf’s Hollow and with all the moving parts for them, I just had a feeling Fort Hunter was just the ticket for them.
Branding Shoot for Annie Grace - This Naked Mind | Colorado, Fall 2020
The only thing I love more than shooting weddings is meeting intelligent, kind, driven, culture-changing people like Annie to create visual representations of their messaging together that further the impact of their already powerful words.
A Historic Ashland Micro Wedding Under the Twinkle Lights | Maggie + Brian 9.12.20
Maggie: “At our wedding, he’ll be the one more aggressively dancing.”
Brian: “You’re required to!”
Maggie: “I know I am.”
Me: “I’ll dance with you if you need me to!”
Mauch Chunk Lake Engagement Session | Alyssa + Brian
I’m not usually one to harp on a location. My clients are the focus of my photos. BUT, when the location is as spectacular as the one Alyssa and Brian chose PLUS has sentimental value….I’ll drive 2+ hours to get there without batting an eye.
Lexi’s Graduation Session | The Strunk Family 2020
This beautiful family is very special to me.
They represent all three of my very separate worlds coming together.
A Touch of Autumn | Carly + Sam’s Splendid Wolf’s Hollow County Park Engagement Session
Every shoot is special and different but some just stand out for one reason or another. It’s not always the location or the couple’s particular love story. Sometimes it just IS.
After All These Years - A Touching Blue and Purple Wedding at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Alyssa + Jonathan 8.30.20
He stood stone still holding his breath. The laughter and sweetness of watching the bridesmaids and his daughter come down the aisle were over. Now Jon waited. He waited for the girl he teased on the bus as children. He waited for the girl he dreamed about in High School. He waited for the girl who saved his life emotionally after time in the service. He waited for the girl who helped raise his daughter from a very young age. He waited for his light in the dark.
Keller Family 2020 | Summer in Mount Gretna, PA
Will it rain? Will it hold off? Will we melt with heat and humidity? Is it even possible to reschedule 9 people with everything going on?
A Summer Pandemic Wedding at The Booking House | Morgan + Brandon 8.22.20
When you’ve already been through COVID-19 and survived, you go ahead and have your wedding. That said, every precaution was taken among staff and vendors to make this fabulous day happen.
What are they waiting for? 11 Questions Your Guests May Have Before Committing to Attending Your Wedding Celebration
Nowadays there are a few more tipping points on the yes/no scale for your guests. You may want to consider answering these questions IN your invitation, maybe adding a COVID-19 information card to your invitation suite to proactively answer these questions. The last thing you need is 100-200 separate questions regarding COVID before your big day. These are usually not exactly happy or excited questions so the fewer you can get in your inbox the better and brighter your day will be with the ones who decide to join you on your BEST DAY EVER.
Post-COVID Closure Longwood Gardens Engagement | Hannah + Justin
Every time I drive to Longwood Gardens I feel like singing, “Into the unknown!” from Frozen 2.
A Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Wedding Ceremony and Backyard Bash | Chelsea + BJ 8.8.2020
He stood, confident and relaxed facing the guests spread across his daughter’s backyard who were seated at white tables with tall candle center pieces. String lights dangled crisscrossed above his head and he held a microphone that he never raised to his lips. Tom spoke so that all could hear him without it. He held a paper he didn’t have to read from. The words would come from his heart, not a paper. I think we all expected him to be serious and then he started
A Summer Lifestyle Session | Mattern Family
She is the best definition of what the word ‘family’ means to me in the flesh and I knew she was going to make the best mom ever.
Cell Phones and Weddings | 4 Tips for Having Fewer Screens in Your Wedding Photos
A few of my brides are fine with it and don’t mind at all…and so then it’s fine with me too. Others, on the other hand, would be incredibly hurt and upset by seeing cell phones glowing in their down the aisle, first kiss, exit shots so here are a few tips to have fewer cell phones in your wedding photos (because let’s face it, no matter what you do, it is entirely possible Aunt Jane just won’t be able to restrain herself):
A Summer Engagement Session in the Hollow | Kerri + Michael
Recent research has shown that play is a big part of our well-being, both mental and physical. I started reading more about this phenomenon after listening to and photographing Doc Trish earlier this year in California. Now, I watch for people who “play” with each other more rather than focusing on (and worrying about) all the tiny insignificant details. Let’s just say, these two have that covered. I’ve never met a couple who were so willing to laugh and play together as Kerri and Michael. This session was SO MUCH FUN.