Kellie & Chris- Brookside Country Club Wedding

Kellie and Chris didn’t let a little…okay a lot of rain put a damper on their Brookside Country Club wedding.

We started the day with Chris and his groomsmen at Brookside Country Club. They were all looking quite dapper in gray suits with pale pink ties. We stole Chris away for a few portraits before returning him to his groomsmen to give them their gifts. They all loved the wooden boxes engraved with their names and the crystal decanters inside. Of course one of them asked where the scotch was! When Chris opened his gift from Kellie, we all laughed because it was almost the same exact thing. I guess great minds do think alike! We left the guys to relax and headed over to the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel in Allentown.

The bridal suite was bustling with energy and laughter when we arrived. The girls were looking fabulous with hair and makeup by Carly Marinkovits at Absolute Hair Design. Kellie wore a white satin robe with bride embroidered on it and the bridesmaids wore pink robes with their names. We took a moment for Kellie to open her gift from Chris. It was a stuffed cat wearing a gold locket…apparently Kellie is a cat person! The locket had one photo of Chris and one photo of their two cats. Then I saw the dress hanging on a custom hanger made by one of the bridesmaids…wow! Kellie’s gown by Morilee had a dazzling beaded bodice with dreamy layers of tulle and organza. A gown of this nature deserves an amazing veil and an amazing veil is what it got. Kellie’s cathedral length veil was edged with horsehair and complimented her dress perfectly. Kellie also had her mom’s wedding garter, beautiful heirloom jewelry and her heels had a secret little “I do” on the bottom. Not it was time for Kellie to get dressed and I couldn’t wait. She looked stunning! We grabbed her bouquet from Bridal Blooms by Karen Scanlon. It was filled with pink roses, white peonies and pink calla lilies and had their initials in crystal on the stem. We spent some time on portraits with Kellie before heading off to the church.

St. Thomas Moore Church had amazing stained glass windows all the way around and a huge alter. Kellie and Chris were married by Father Mark Searles in a traditional Catholic ceremony surrounded by family and friends. Linda Umstead provided beautiful harp music for the ceremony and the couple was sent off through a tunnel of bubbles afterwards. We then took some time for family formals and a few wedding party shots before leaving for the reception.

When we arrived at the Brookside Country Club wedding reception space, we set out with Abby Tate, Director of Catering, to find some outdoor areas that would be under cover because Kellie and Chris really had their hearts set on outdoor photos. We used the carport out front and I don’t think you can even tell it was raining! The beautiful greenery made for a perfect background and everyone stayed dry. We decided to have Kellie and Chris go to cocktail hour for a while to see if the rain would let up so we could take them further from the country club. The rain had other plans, but we made it work anyway.

Now it was time to see the ballroom for the reception. There was a beautiful fireplace and hardwood dance floor and the tables we draped in white and pink. The flower arrangements were perfect, as was the cake by Kym’s Creations. The couple’s sweetheart table had the best view of the dance floor and had a custom etched bottle of champagne waiting for them, along with Mr. and Mrs. Walker engraved champagne flutes. I made sure to get all the details of the room before guests came in. Once everyone was seated, DJ Cap Cee started his announcements. First parents, then bridesmaids and groomsmen and finally the main attraction…Kellie and Chris. They entered onto the dance floor through a line of high fives from their wedding party and went right into their first dance. Before dinner, Chris’ mom gave a heartfelt blessing and toast and then the best man and maid of honor delivered their speeches during dinner. After parents dances, it was time to party. DJ Cap Cee packed the dance floor with young and old. He only broke for the bouquet and garter toss and the shoe game. What’s the shoe game, you ask? This is where the newlyweds sit back to back on the dance floor with one of each of their shoes. The DJ asked a series of questions and they each had to raise the shoe of the person they thought best fit. This had the whole room in laughter.

It finally stopped raining with just enough time for us to take Kellie and Chris out for a few night shots. For a rainy day, I think we managed to get a ton of gorgeous outdoor photos and I hope Kellie and Chris are as happy with them as I am. Special thanks to Abby at Brookside Country Club for being so helpful all day and Scott from 4LC Studios for being one of the easiest videographers I’ve ever worked with. Most of all thank you to Kellie and Chris for allowing me to capture their special day. I enjoyed spending the day with them and wish continued love for years to come. Please enjoy some highlights below along with a slideshow. Scott’s amazing video can be seen here as well!

Aimee & Jeff- Bally Spring Inn Wedding

Aimee and Jeff’s Bally Spring Inn wedding was a little wet and a lot of fun. I got to know this sweet couple last year during their engagement shoot at Ridley Creek State Park and have been looking forward to their wedding day ever since.

The Bally Spring Inn is located in a peaceful country setting on the banks of the Perkiomen Creek. It is a beautifully restored 19th century rustic barn set on 29 beautiful acres. Upon arrival, we saw two girls in florals robes and decided to follow them. They led us into the Farmhouse and right to the bride! TheFarmhouse was built in the 18th century and runs along the banks of the Perkiomen Creek.  Aimee was getting her hair done while her mom and bridesmaids looked on. My assistant was thrilled to see a dog in the room; Abby is one of Aimee and Jeff’s three dogs. She was super sweet and stayed by Aimee’s side the entire time. We grabbed Aimee’s Casablanca dress from All Things Bridal and headed out to explore the Farmhouse. The rooms had amazing hardwood floors and stone walls. And though it was cloudy, there was still great light coming in through the windows for photos.

While the girls took turns getting hair and makeup done by Oh My Glam! Bridal Artistry, we went downstairs to meet Jeff and his groomsmen. They were rocking out….we could hear the music from upstairs! They were helping each other adjust their ties and suspenders while waiting to have their hair styled by Trevor from Reed’s Barber Shop and Shave Parlor. This was so cool. The barber gave each of the guys a fresh cut and shave before they got dressed and then styled each of their hair. We have never seen that before! Once finished we got a few portraits of Jeff and then some of him with his groomsmen. They we excited to show off the watches and socks they received as gifts from Jeff.

We headed back upstairs to photograph the rings, shoes and brides bouquet. I loved the simplicity of Aimee’s primarily white bouquet of daisies, roses and peonies from Kremp Florist. Then the bridesmaids got into their gray dresses and Aimee into her gorgeous white gown with an ivory lace overlay. We snapped a few quick bridal portraits before heading outside for the ceremony.

Though there was light rain, the couple decided to move forward with their outdoor ceremony. Aimee’s father and brother walked her down the aisle, where Jeff waited for her in front of the perfect country side gazebo. The ceremony was brief, but full of such personalization and guests enjoyed the babbling of the creek in the background. After the ceremony, the guests were ushered inside for cocktail hour while we made quick work of family formals and bridal party photos. We sent everyone inside, except for Aimee and Jeff. They were happy to endure the misty rain so we could get photos on the gorgeous ground of the Bally Spring Inn. The natural beauty of the property was only outshone by the love of this beautiful couple.

The couple had some time to relax and we head off to the barn to get ready for the reception. The Bally Spring Inn wedding reception space was a restored barn with beautiful and unique architecture. The handcrafted stone and woodwork throughout the large dining area and vintage bar were amazing. The dance floor was highlighted by a beautiful stone fireplace and hand carved beams. Their stunning Brooklyn Girl Bakery cake sat atop a slab of wood and had a wooden Mr. and Mrs. Moyer cake topper.

DJ Adam from Sound Factor Entertainment got on the mic and started introductions. First the parents of the bride and groom, then the bridal party and last, but definitely not least the bride and groom! Aimee and Jeff entered to a roaring applause and made their way to the dance floor for their first dance. I loved being able to use the three story staircase to get photos from above looking through the white string lights. After their dance, everyone was seated and enjoyed toasts from the maid of honor and best man. I have to say that Tyler, Jeff’s best friend, brought down the house! Guests enjoyed dinner before the couple cut their cake. Then DJ Adam got the real party going. We stole Aimee and Jeff away for one last thing before leaving. We headed back outside for some night photos. Though barely dark, I think they came out beautiful.

Thank you to Aimee and Jeff for trusting me to photograph your wedding day. I hope you continue to grow and laugh together! I hope you enjoy the highlights and slideshow below.