The Eden Resort in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was a spectacular venue for the wedding of Angel and Debora LaGrand. Everything was handled inside the venue, which made things extremely easy for us as photographers. This gave us more time to work with the bride and groom to get the best portraits we possibly could.
Their love and happiness with each other is just the essense of fairy-tales. The way the couple looked at each other was like there was no one else in the room with them. Both the bride and groom were extremely excited to get the festivities started, and the day just zoomed by. It was a treat to photograph Angel and Debora’s big wedding day.
The day began in the Lancaster Suite, which was well suited for all the girls to get ready. The whole suite was well laid out, which left room for some easy photography work. In some resorts and hotels, the backgrounds can be very interesting to say the least. In this case though, we had great backgrounds to work with. It really helps when you don’t have to worry about editing something out of a background.
It’s always a wonderful thing when the wedding party is this fun and ready to photograph. These women were such a blast to work with. We all had a great time filled with laughs and smiles. Bridesmaids are an important part of the bride’s wedding day! From helping her put on the dress to walking down the aisle. These ladies are remarkable.
For this hallway photo, we placed Debora right behind a hallway light and shot using a 200mm lens at a low aperture. This helped fade out the background and create the perfect exposure. The hallways in the Eden are stunning and provide wonderful fading backgrounds for photographs such as this one. As a photographer, photographs like these are always my favorite.
We did a first look inside the ballroom. With rain and storms possible throughout the day, we did not feel like risking a sudden weather change. A first look is always a wonderful idea. It gives the bride and groom an intimate moment alone together before the day gets hectic. This also gives us the opportunity to photograph all the formal wedding photography before the ceremony, giving the wedding party more time to party and have fun.
The Eden Resort was hosting high school students from far and wide for some kind of sporting tournament. It made things decently hectic in the lobby. We decided to disappear towards the back of the resort where we found this beautiful background. We had the couple walk towards us, they would stop, the bride would twirl, and they would kiss. It was the perfect set up for a perfect exposure.
Right as the ceremony began, a storm had rolled in and you could hear the thunder and rain crashing into the Eden Resort. It was very loud even though we were inside the building. As they began their vows though, the rain slowed down to a drizzle and the thunder ceased. It is as if their love opened the skies and stopped the storm right in its tracks.
The couple exchanged these looks as Debora placed the ring on Angel’s finger. A moment which capped off an absolutely beautiful ceremony.
The entrances into the reception were a ton of fun. Everyone had different music and had a blast walking into the ballroom. Tons of great moments. Here, the flower girl Lilliana is walking in with junior bridesmaid Mya. Lilliana’s smile was contagious all day, and she was having a great time.
Their first dance was just like the stuff you hear about in fairy-tales. Angel twirled Debora around like a princess and it was just beautiful. Their love just radiated throughout the ballroom and it was quite emotional to say the least.
As the couple stared into each others eyes, Debora stroked the back of Angel’s head. This was easily one of my favorite photographs of the day. I think it truly represents the love and affection that this couple has for each other.
We had the opportunity to borrow the bride and groom’s wedding rings during the reception to get some exquisite photographs. The rings were truly stunning making them a lot of fun to photograph. Using an external flash located above the bouquet, I was able to create very dynamic lighting.
The couple and their guests danced the night away. The dance-floor was always full and it felt like the bride and groom were always in the center of it. There was definitely no shortage of awesome dance music either!
After a ton of great reception festivities, we pulled the couple outside to do some nighttime photos. We always tend to do these photographs as a “goodnight” to the bride and groom who by this point in the reception are feeling the exhaustion of such a long day.
All in all, it was a wonderful day at the Eden Resorts with this beautiful wedding couple. The day was filled with laughs, smiles and love. Everyone there felt like family to one another and it made taking photographs quite simple. It was a pleasure to photograph Angel and Debora’s day and we look forward to working with them more in the future.
