Kirsten + Travis: Elegant Burgundy & Navy Winter Wedding in Saxonburg, PA

A girl from South Africa and a boy from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania meet while at college at Penn State. At the time, neither of them know that what once started out as an acquaintance would grow into a life-long relationship built on love and most importantly, on Jesus.

After the chatting with Kirsten and Travis over Skype when they first inquired, I knew that they were exactly the type of couple who I love working with most: while, yes, they wanted everything to be beautiful, for the details to be meaningful, and for their friends and family to be a meaningful part of their celebration, their love and life-long commitment was the most important thing about their day. Even on their wedding day, they demonstrated their desire to love and serve each other by washing each other’s feet, like Jesus washed his disciples feet (if you’re wondering what the heck that means, click here).

It was an unusually warm January day here in Pittsburgh, which made outdoor portraits so much more pleasant! (Though everyone in attendance from South Africa will tell you it was still pretty darn cold - which it was!). We were able to take photos at the absolutely BEAUTIFUL Saxony Farms in Saxonburg (thanks to Travis’ sweetheart of a mom!), and we were blessed with the most beautiful light and sunset (again, crazy for January!)

The celebration continued at Cooper Hall (at the Saxonburg Museum) where firefly lights lit up the reception space. One of my favorite parts of their reception was the “open mic” toasts. Kirsten and Travis set aside about 30 minutes for anyone to give a little toast, and so many of their amazing friends and family did, from all over the world. And really, their stories of hospitality and kindness didn’t surprise me. Having spent just a few months communicating via email, phone, and Skype with these two, it’s easy to tell they have a supernatural love for those placed in their paths!

Kirsten and Travis, what an incredible honor it was to be a part of your day! I know your marriage is going to shine so brightly in this world.

And without further ado - here is the story of their day!

Vendors:

Ceremony: St. Luke's Lutheran Church (Saxonburg), Ceremony by Ps. Barry Keurulainen

Reception: Cooper Hall (Saxonburg Museum)

Invitations: Shutterfly

Bride’s Dress: Formalities by Tracina Fisher (Bridal Shop), Sophia Tolli gown, Mon Cheri (Designer)

Bridesmaid Dresses: Burgundy velvet dresses through Esty store, DesirCouture by Neringa

Makeup: Beauty by Joy

Hair: Hair by Wendy Vario

Menswear: Macy's

Cake Artist: Diane Lehnerd

Catering: LeFevre's Catering

Caller for Line Dancing: Brad Deibert

Chair Covers: Elegant Chair Design Covers

Lines & Tables: Classic Tents

Videography: Light Ridge Studio

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer: Jenna Hidinger Photography

A special thanks to my second photographer, Taylor Dymond!

Chiara + Patrick: The Grand Hall at the Priory Wedding Photos

A Christmas-time wedding with a couple who loves Disney: does it get any better?! For those of you who might not know, my husband and I are HUGE Disney fans, and even moreso fans of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort - which is where we spent our honeymoon in August of 2015. When I found out that Patrick had proposed to Chiara AT Disney’s Boardwalk Resort - I think I almost fell out of my chair. I think we were destined to work together! And to top it off - I found out that Nick and I were going to be in Orlando at the same time as Chiara and Patrick - literally right after their wedding. And we almost stayed at the same resort as them! (The Boardwalk!) Talk about a small world!

We joined in on Chiara and Patrick’s wedding day at Chiara’s parents’ house, where Chiara and her bridesmaids were getting their hair and makeup done. The house was full of Christmas trees - each decorated with a different theme - and even though it was a dreary day, there was an endless supply of beautiful backdrops right within Chiara’s parents’ home!

Their ceremony took place at Saints John & Paul Catholic Church in Wexford, with their reception at the Grand Hall at the Priory on the North Side of Pittsburgh, which was decorated to Christmas perfection. Trees, lights, wreaths, and candles dotted the reception space, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for guests - which also doubled as beautiful backdrops for Chiara and Patrick’s portraits! Santa Clause even made a surprise appearance near the end of dinner to say congratulations and dance with the bride!

Chiara and Patrick, thank you for the huge, incredible honor of being a part of your wedding day! You were a joy to work with, and we are so thankful to know you both!

Vendors:

Reception: The Grand Hall at the Priory

Ceremony: Saints John & Paul Catholic Church

Makeup: See Jane Blush

Hair: Static Styling Salon

Florist: Blossoms by Jillian

Bride’s Dress: The Exquisite Bride, Stella York

Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie

DJ & Violinist: Steve Vance Entertainment

Cake: Priory Fine Pastries

Videographer: Kesneck Videography

Photographer: Jenna Hidinger Photography

Best of Weddings 2018: Bride & Groom Portraits

Making my “best of weddings: bride & groom portraits” yearly blog post always brings out my sentimental side! I only take a limited number of weddings each year to ensure that I’m able to give the best quality to each of my couples, and this year was filled with some of the most amazing people! I laughed, cried, and even danced with so many of these couples throughout their day, and there were so many weddings this year I was sad to leave because I didn’t want our time together to come to a close!

To all of my brides and grooms: thank you. It’s so hard to convey in words how honored I was to be a part of your days! I hope your photos serve as momentos of how blessed you are by your love and by the loved ones that surround you! 💛

Best of Weddings 2018: Bridal Party

I’m not sure what it was, but this year there were some absolutely AMAZING bridal parties - bridesmaids and groomsmen who went above and beyond, who came alongside their friends in love, and who even checked in on and encouraged us throughout wedding days! To all of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and bridal parties who we photographed this year: thank you for making our jobs so much fun! We are so thankful for each one of you! 💛

Best of Weddings 2018: Bridal Details

Now comes one of my favorite blog posts of the year - bridal details! Photographing bridal details is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day, because it lets me sort of “warm up” creatively, and is a great way to tie albums (and blog posts! 😉) together to create a cohesive style throughout the story of any wedding day!

I love how every wedding is so different, too, and how the style a bride works so hard to create can be captured and enhanced through her wedding details! If you’re a bride (or bridesmaid, mother of the bride, or mother of the groom!) looking for ways to “up” your bridal detail game, check out this blog post!

But for now, check out some of my favorite bridal details of this year!

Kelly + Daniel: Doubletree Monroeville Wedding Photos

If you’ve seen my work before, you know that I’m a HUGE fan of color - so Kelly and Dan’s sangria and gold fall wedding was a DREAM! Their day was full of color, and oh-so full of love!

One of the things I admire most about Kelly and Dan is their commitment to remembering what really mattered on their wedding day. Sure, the details were beautiful and everything came together beautifully, but at the end of the day, it was SO easy to see that these two are in it for the long haul - better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health. Their joy radiated throughout the entire day!

And I can’t neglect to mention their INCREDIBLE friends and family, who we were so privileged to walk alongside throughout the day! This was my second wedding with Kelly’s extended family (see the first here!), and truly, they are some of the most energetic, excited people we’ve had the honor of working with!

Kelly and Dan, I pray that your marriage continues to become all that it was meant to be and that you continue to be an example to those around you of what true love looks like! So thankful to have been a part of your day!

Vendors:

Ceremony: Anne Ashley United Methodist

Reception: Double Tree Hotel Monroeville

Bride’s Dress: White Orchid, Maggie Sottero Gown

DJ: All Pro DJ

Makeup and Hair: Ulta at the Waterfront

Cake: Spinola's Bakery

Florist: Colasante's Flowers in the Park

Leah + Connor: Morning Glory Inn Wedding Photos

Leah and Connor’s wedding was unlike any other I had ever experienced. When I first sat down with Leah and Connor, they explained the vision for their day: intimate, full of family and friends, and focused on what really matters. And truly, their day was all of that and more!

Their venue, the Morning Glory Inn (located on the South Side of Pittsburgh) is one of the most unique and intimate wedding venues I’ve ever come across! Though I tried to do this venue justice through Leah and Connor’s photos, this is a place you have to see in person and really experience to appreciate fully! (They take reservations for guests to stay - so if you’re looking for a “stay-cation,” I would highly recommend checking out this spot!)

The wedding day began inside the inn, which has SO MANY beautiful locations for detail photos! Being someone who LOVES the photographing the detail portion of the day (invitation suite, bride’s dress, jewelry, etc.) I was in heaven!! And on top of all of the inn details, Leah had the most beautiful details that matched the vibe of the inn to a “T”!

After getting ready, Leah shared a first look with her dad. There was hardly a dry eye in the room (including mine!). Immediately after, Leah and Connor shared a first look together in the courtyard of the Inn!

We headed to the Mellon Institute columns for bridal party and bride & groom portraits, then back to the Inn for the ceremony - which might’ve been the most unique part of the day! Guests stood in the courtyard, surrounding the bride and groom for the ceremony, which made it feel like there was a closeness and intimacy that is sometimes lost during wedding ceremonies!

After the ceremony were toasts, a delicious meal by Fish Hawk Acres catering, and TONS of dancing in the courtyard! We were even able to sneak Leah and Connor out at just the right moment (when it just started raining!) for a night portrait in front of the Inn!

Leah and Connor, I couldn’t have been more thankful to be a part of your day. Thank you (to you two and your friends & family!) for having as capture such a beautiful day, and for making us feel like a part of the family in the process. 💛

Ceremony & Reception: Morning Glory Inn

Bride’s Dress: Bridal Beginning (Wtoo Watters)

Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie

Bouquets: Deb Smith (Maid of Honor’s Mother)

Menswear: The Black Tux

Invitations: Minted Weddings

Catering: Fish Hawk Acres

Officiant: Meaningful Marriages (Larry)

Cake: Oakmont Bakery

Makeup: Briann Mattise (JL Makeup Studio)

Hair: Sahaira Beauty Salon

Lauren + John: Pittsburgh Wedding Photos

Lauren and John have been together for ELEVEN years. How amazing is that?! These two have a big group of friends and have attended countless weddings this year - when we went over to Lauren and John’s house for detail & final prep photos, I noticed that one side of their fridge was completely covered in save the dates - and that is NOT an exaggeration! There were even some spilling onto the front of their fridge - it was unbelievable!

It’s easy to see how these two have such a large group of supportive friends and family surrounding them - they are two of the easiest, most laid back people to be around! Their wedding fell on one of the first cool days in October, which made it really start to feel like fall! For their ceremony, Lauren and John had buckets of each of their favorite beers (IC Light and Miller Lite, respectively) for their guests to enjoy, and after the ceremony, their pup joined them for a few family photos. Lauren and John were total naturals in front of the camera and made my job EXTRA fun with all of their dips and twirls!

We finished off the night celebrating their marriage at the Columbian Room in Wexford! Congratulations on your marriage, Lauren and John! So thankful to have been a part of your day!

Vendors:

Ceremony: Richland Township Community Park Pavilion

Reception: The Columbian Room

Hair & Makeup: Hats Off Hair Design

Bride’s Dress: Michaels Bridal in Pines Plaza

Bridesmaid Dresses: Banana Republic

Menswear: Tuxedo Junction

Invitations: Designed by the Bride using Vista Print

Photography: Jenna Hidinger Photography

Carly & Nick: White Barn Wedding Photos

I can’t lie to you - I’ve been looking forward to Carly and Nick’s wedding day ever since I first met them! You might remember Carly and Nick from their Christmas Historic Harmony engagement session last year (click here to see it!) - after that session, I knew their wedding was going to be all kinds of fun - and it most certainly was!

You might’ve seen a recent wedding trend where a best man or groomsman dresses up like a bride for a “fake” first look. Well… Carly and the groomsmen staged a fake first look for Nick, too! And he was COMPLETELY surprised! But don’t worry, Carly didn’t use her real dress - just one she found at a consignment shop! And in lieu of a bouquet, the “bride” carried a beer! 😂

So many other beautiful and unique details made Carly and Nick’s day one to remember! From Carly and her dad’s entrance to the ceremony via horse and carriage, to a “lit” reception entrance (you’ll see what I mean 😏), to a larger-than-lifesize cutout of their dog that they danced with for their first song, this beautiful day was certainly one to remember. And it was all the sweeter remembering mine and Nick’s own wedding day at the very same venue nearly three years ago!

Carly and Nick, you both are a JOY to know. I am so thankful to have been a part of your day! Congratulations on your beautiful marriage! 💛

Vendor:

Ceremony & Reception: The White Barn

Event Planner: Em & E Events (Emily Capitano)

Bride’s Dress: Alfred Angelo

Makeup: Wanderlust Beauty Studio

Florist: Lea’s Floral Shop

Caterer: Medure’s Catering

Cake: Tin Man Sweets

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal

Menswear: Jack’s Tuxedo

Invitations: Minted

Furniture Rental: Vintage Alley

Horse and Carriage: Tim Swickraths Pony Rides

Guest Book: Happy Lil Canvases

Officiant: Pastor Ann

DJ: PowerBomb Productions

Videographer: Just Hitched Wedding Films

White Barn Wedding Photos by Jenna Hidinger Photography

Kayla + Collin: Succop Nature Park Wedding Photos

What an absolutely STUNNING day this was to be a part of! Kayla and Colin tied the knot at Succop Nature Park on a glorious September afternoon. There were so many beautiful DIY elements that made this wedding come to life, and so many different family members that contributed to the day in so many ways. Kayla and Colin, it was such an honor to be a part of your day! Praying all the best for you two as you head into this next adventure together! 💛