Rain or shine, we were excited to celebrate with couple Rachel Boone and Justin Hope as they joined hands in marriage. All weddings are crafted to be different. Rachel and Justin crafted their dream wedding to take place over two full days.
We started on Saturday, September 1st by visiting Rachel at her family home while she was preparing for her first big day. There was not a single moment where we could not catch Rachel glowing in smiles. It was quite clear that Rachel was about to marry her best friend. The confidence that shined through Rachel made us all forget about the dreary weather that was taking place outside. Nothing else mattered for Rachel besides celebrating her love with us all, even if that meant getting a little wet.
Later that afternoon we joined our groom Justin at the Lutheran Advent Church. Alike Rachel, Justin himself was glowing with smiles. He had no doubts about the weather and no doubts that he was about to marry the love of his life. Together nothing would spoil their day.
After the couple shared their “I-do’s”, we took some time to shoot their formal photographs. Following the photos, we all headed down to celebrate at The Speckled Hen Cottage Pub & Ale House with close friends and family. It was a beautiful place to unwind and rejoice. What a great first wedding day!
Sunday afternoon, the couple continued their celebration of husband and wife with all of their friends and family at the Green Valley Chateau & Tent for their wedding reception. Let us just say, there was even more joy and excitement shared on day 2! Love was in the air and everyone felt it. Two-day weddings do not happen very often, but it worked really well for this couple.
At the beginning of the day, we were cooped up in Rachel’s parents house due to the inclement weather. This didn’t stop us from getting some absolutely stunning photographs. This one in particular is a wonderful silhouette photo that really captures her beautiful wedding dress quite well.
Rachel’s heels were truly extravagant. The blue was a pleasant contrast as well!
This dress was just superb to work with all day. Certain dresses tend to give us issues, but this one was not one of them.
We made our way over to the Lutheran Advent Church in West Lawn to meet with our groom Justin who looked quite fantastic in his suit and tie. He was very excited to get the day going.
The Lutheran Advent Church in West Lawn is very traditional and requested we not move or use flash photography during the ceremony. We would be lying if we said this didn’t hinder us at all, but thanks to our depth of wedding ceremony experience, we were still able to capture all of the beautiful ceremony thanks to a long lens and a reliable tripod.
Rachel and Justin were willing to do anything for a great photograph. They would have climbed Mount Everest if we told them it was going to give us the best opportunity for photography. It was a true pleasure working with these two throughout the day.
Due to the never-ending rain, we decided to do more photography inside the church. This was a excellent move as we were able to capture some exquisite photos of the lovely couple.
We finally decided to move over to the Charles Evans Cemetery for our outdoor formals. Rachel and Justin were troopers and gave us the opportunity for some awesome photographs. This one in particular is a stunning silhouette of the two.
This was one of the easiest dip photos we have ever taken. These two honestly made every photo easier to capture.
We ended Saturday at The Speckled Hen Cottage & Pub where the newly married couple had a dinner with close family and friends to celebrate their wonderful day. It was a very fun night and the food was perfect. It was a great ending to an awesome first day.
Sunday began with the couple arriving on a horse drawn carriage in front of all 200 of their reception guests. This was definitely a textbook wedding reception entrance.
Making a photo black and white does not work for every photograph; however, when it does work, it always makes a photo look stunning.
Fritz Farm Carriages did a phenomenal job of giving horse-drawn carriage rides to Rachel and Justin’s guests throughout the entire reception. During one of their few moments when they didn’t have someone waiting for a ride, we captured this awesome image of the rings.
This was a very non-traditional wedding reception with most of the normal events not taking place. Instead, this was more of a celebration block party style reception which suited this couple quite well. It is sometimes much more preferable for a bride and groom to have less formal events taking place at the reception. This gives the couple more time to enjoy themselves.
With Justin being a Pennsylvania State Trooper, it was no surprise to see all of these State Troopers at his wedding reception. We strongly support our first responders and were truly honored to capture this group photo!
Green Valley Chateau & Tent has a wonderful waterfall setup that always looks amazing in photographs.
It was a great two days with Rachel, Justin, and their families. It was a true honor to get to work with everyone and we can’t wait to continue the wonderful relationship in the future.
Photographers:
Lead Photographer: Wayne Becker
Lead Photographer: Chad Zerbe
