July 23, 2022 * Lebanon, PA

Chris and Sarah couldn't have picked a more beautiful day for their wedding celebration. With lots of beautiful music, cute children, and a radiant couple, it was an epic wedding day. 

It's always so neat when a couple incorporates details that are unique and special to them. This is the first time I've seen a turtle at a wedding, but it fit perfectly with the decor. Chris gave it to Sara on their first date after hearing that she had joked to Chris' sister that her man must be out there somewhere riding a turtle (because he hadn't shown up yet).

Chris and Sara's families were welcoming and fun to be around, and the bridal party was up for anything. 

The pampus grass added such an elegant touch to the green and cream bouquet.

Enjoy a few of my favorites from their special day!

The cakes and cupcakes were every bit as delectable as they looked! Ok, so I didn't try any cake, but the cupcakes were yummy.  

Kids having fun at weddings are always fun to capture!  

After the reception, we went to a beautiful state park to take some "Just married" photos.

Thank you, Chris & Sarah. Wishing you a wonderful life together!

Videographers: Marcus Troyer & TJ Horst

Cakes: Hadassah Hursh

Florist: Michelle Weaver

Lewisburg, PA

The best love stories are worth waiting for.

When a couple chooses God's timing for their happily ever after, there is always an extra big dose of joy.

Bradley and Jennifer couldn't have picked a more perfect June day for the beginning of the next chapter in their lives. When Jennifer told me about the historic church they were getting married in, I knew it was going to be an epic wedding. But it wasn't the location or the beautiful dress or the delicious  food that made it so special. It was the people. Jennifer and Bradley are so easy to talk to and eager to share about what God has done in their lives, and their families were the same way.

When Jennifer contacted me, I had already agreed to second shoot at a wedding in Virginia the next day. I knew it was going to make for a crazy weekend, and I'm really grateful for everyone who helped make it possible. This wedding was totally worth losing some sleep over, and I'm so grateful to Bradley & Jennifer for inviting me into their day!

Girls, if you're worried that a first look will take away from the moment you walk down the aisle, that's one worry you can forget about. The first look was so joyful, but the walk down the aisle during the ceremony was even more emotional!

Jennifer told me at their engagement session that her little sister would be the most adorable flower girl. She was a pro, gleefully throwing petals and laughing as she did so! Just look at that face!

The bride and her mom and sisters sang a song during the ceremony, and it was BEAUTIFUL.

The cakes were as scrumptious as they looked! And Chipotle style meals are always yummy.

Open mike is one of my favorite times during the reception--lots of laughter, encouragement, and happy tears.  

Highly recommend doing some newly married golden hour photos! Especially if there are mountains anywhere around.

The sparkler sendoff was the perfect end to a perfect day!

Bradley & Jennifer, I loved documenting your beautiful day, and wish you the best as you serve God and tackle life together.

Thanks, too, to all the family and friends who made this wedding so lovely.

Flowers: Candace Stoltzfus

Dress: Emily Miller

Cake: Jana Good

Venue: Old Buffalo Presbyterian Church

Kudos to my husband for some terrific groom prep pictures! First Look with a fire truck? Yes, please!

Most of the day was cloudy, but the sun slipped out for a few portraits.

Brittney's laugh is contagious!
The bridal party pictures were all so much fun!



Bridal parties are supposed to be a party, right? So why not bring on the confetti and glitter and photobombing!

Love these beautiful families!!
 The ceremony was so beautiful. I love when the parents pray a prayer of blessing on their children. It's always so meaningful.

Cute, cute kiddos!

 Loved all the fireman touches at their reception!  And the cozy candlelit atmosphere.

The cake smash was epic!

Open mike is my favorite part of the reception!!

Best photobooth ever!

And then, they left.

Sometimes children cooperate perfectly, and you get photos like this straight out of a camera:

And sometimes, people arrive late, and you have a whole bunch of little children who aren't used to cameras and don't want to leave their moms behind for a single picture and you have to work really fast, and they're moving around so much you can't even do head swapping in photoshop to get the best expressions of everyone:

Hence, my biggest tip for photographers and brides is not to put high expectations on children and let them be who they are. Here are a couple more tips to make that portion of the day less stressful for the bride, in particular:

1. Appoint someone in both of your families (you know who the bossy ones are) to round everyone up from the far corners of the church, to get on their phone and call people if they're not there when they're supposed to be, and go hunt them down if necessary. Brides and grooms are stressed enough without the worries of rounding up family members.

2. Give everyone a time to be there, and tell them a time that is 15-30 minutes before the time I need them to be there. You know your families best. If they are always on time types, then do 15 minutes. If they are laid back folks who always have trouble making it out the door, give them more than 30 minutes.

P.S. We love this family, and had no idea just how much they would come to mean to us! They win the award for easiest large family group to photograph ever!

3. If there are a lot of small children, I highly recommend taking family photos before the wedding. Let's face it, wedding are BORING to some children!

4. I send out a questionnaire to all my brides listing individual family pictures and which ones they want. Please let me know if there are people who you have a really special relationship with that you would like me to focus on. I love to get photos of you and that person interacting instead of just looking at the camera.

5. Indoors or outdoors? I can do both, but outdoor photos are generally faster. For indoor photos, depending on available light, I may need to set up lights. People tend to blink a lot more, so I have to take more photos of each pose. But if it's super cold, super hot, or super windy outdoors, then we'll look for the prettiest spot (usually the front of the church) indoors.

6. If there is time, I will grab photos of your siblings families as well. Since everyone is all dressed up for the wedding anyway, it's the perfect time to get a family photo.

7. Parents, don't worry about your kid's expressions, just your own. I can't tell how many times a picture was unusable because the parent was looking at the child to see if they were looking at the photographer. Don't worry, if they're picking their nose, I'll let you know!

8. And hey, it's ok to be goofy and ham it up for the camera sometimes! And sometimes I ask people to. Fun pictures like this one make everyone laugh and laughing relaxes people for pictures!

9. I love photos of the grandparents and parents, with and without the couple! I always try to get at least one picture of the bride's parents and groom's parents at some point during the wedding or reception.

And, that's about it! Family pictures can be one of the most fun parts of the wedding if everyone decides to relax and have a good time!

1. Bouquets should be held slightly below waist level. That's right, you don't want to cover up your waistline with the bouquet. You also want a slight bend in your elbows with space between your body and arms. However, a lot of this depends on the size of your bouquet. Large bouquets are going to cover part of your waistline no matter where you put them. Smaller bouquets like this bridesmaid's are going to be a lot easier to accomplish this with.

There are times to break this rule. Sometimes I like to vary the height of the bouquets when taking pictures of the bridesmaids. When a groom is a lot taller than the bride, holding the bouquet a little higher looks better. Sometimes the bouquet looks nice dropped by your side.

When it comes to bouquet rules, some people say that the bouquet shouldn't be wider than your waistline. But I think that really depends on the type of bouquet, because large, cascading arrangements can be larger that that and look beautiful. I've observed that smaller bouquets are really nice when you have a lot of details at the waist or textures in the skirt, because they don't distract from the pretty dress. Large bouquets look nice with simpler dresses, but you might want to think about how much it will weigh. You'll have to lug it around all day, and often brides are surprised by how heavy a bouquet actually is.

2. When you're taking pictures, flowers should be pointed towards the camera, with as little stem showing as possible. This also applies to sitting with flowers. There are exceptions to this as well, depending on stem length and shape of the bouquet. The longer the stem, the less you are able to angle flowers toward the camera.

3. Hold your hands as high on the stem of the bouquet as possible. Minimizing hands as much as possible is also ideal when photographing bouquets to create simple lines and eliminate distractions, although it isn't always possible with smaller bouquets. Make sure your fingers are together around the stem, rather than spread out. This is where even seasoned photographers struggle, because most people aren't that conscious of where their hands are at all times. This isn't an absolute by any means, but it is good to think about when taking a picture where the bouquet is the focus.

Is it a huge deal if your bouquet isn't properly positioned? No, in the end, most people are probably not paying attention to it. But, if you want your flowers to look their best for pictures, you might want to practice holding flowers ahead of the big day. During the wedding itself, you won't be pointing your flowers toward the camera, but you will still want to angle the stems slightly back toward you. Flowers do tend to creep upward when people are nervous, but that's okay. The flowers shouldn't be the top thing on everyone's minds anyway!

If you want a simple way to remember what to do, just think about pointing the stems toward your belly button. Bingo, problem solved. But don't stress over it. There are a lot more important things to be thinking about on your wedding day. I just wanted to mention this in case it's helpful to other photographers, brides, and bridesmaids!

Bonus tip: Make sure you credit your florist in the program, whether that's a friend, relative, or professional florist. There are a lot of different names to put on a program, and that's one that sometimes gets missed.

There is {almost} nothing more romantic than a candelit wedding reception. Turning off the overhead lights can really make a cavernous gym feel cozy and smaller somehow. There's something about the glow of candles that makes winter weddings seem warmer somehow. I get all mushy just thinking about it.

Before we get into the how to, there are a couple situations where a candlit wedding is not ideal. The first scenario I can think of is if you or the groom are blinkers. I think this is a genetic thing. If you want to know if you have it, look at your childhood photo albums. If your eyes are closed on half the indoor pictures, the same thing will happen at your wedding. Although flash may make your blink in a bright room, the tendency is exaggerated in a darker room. The camera shutter may be open a tad longer, giving you a split second more to react with a blink.

The second scenario is a really tight reception area where people are scrunched up against each other and there is not much space between tables. Your servers and photographers may find it difficult to navigate the minefield of purses and diaper bags that hide in the dark. Servers carrying pitchers full of drinks will thank you the most for making sure it's bright enough to see obstacles on the floor. And if parents put sleeping children partway under the table, it could really become dangerous, especially if they're wearing dark clothes.

The third scenario is something only Mennonite wedding photographers will understand. If you have a lot of Old Order Amish relatives who are very uncomfortable being around cameras, really dark receptions might not be a good idea. It's hard to take a stealth photo of your grandma you really want a picture of, but who doesn't want to know about photos taken of her. I always want to honor the couple's wishes when it comes to how much to photograph Amish relatives, but taking photos without flash feels more respectful in iffy situations.

Now that we have those scenarios out of the way with, let's talk about some basic tips.

1. Always preview your lighting scenario ahead of time. Not all candlelit spaces are equal. You want to make sure you have enough light for people to see where they are going, yet still have it dim enough to set the mood.

2. Your bridal table should be at least as bright as the surrounding area, maybe even brighter. People like to be able to see the bride and groom at a wedding, and the bridal table is a focal point. Your friends' cell phone camera photos will look better. Bridal party members will be able to take better selfies if you have some more ambient light. But if you're both super reclusive and want to hide from your guests and want a completely unplugged reception, then less light might be your thing.

3. Twinkle lights are always a good idea. In addition to looking nice in pictures, you are probably going to need some additional lighting to what is on the tables. Get creative, and string them wherever you can. And if your reception is in a gym, then make use of the basketball hoops!

4. Think beforehand about when you want the lights turned off. I've been at weddings where the lights are on until just before the bridal party comes in, or after they are seated. It is really nice for reception ushers and even servers to be able to see clearly across the room. And, people typically turn the lights back on as people are leaving. In addition to helping the folks cleaning up, guests can see things they may be leaving under tables a little more easily.

5. This goes without saying, but enjoy your candlelit reception! A designated lighting person will make that easier to do. Let someone else worry about making sure all the candles are lit and the lights are turned off at appropriate moments. That job can be done by candle lighters, ushers, or reception coordinators. Better yet, give the job to a relative or friend you have no jobs left for, but you want to be involved in your day.

The bride nervously waits with her girls for the coordinator to tell her it's time to start walking in. The coordinator is running around, trying to make sure the music is ready, the parents and ushers are set. And then she sees it. The line of guests still stretches out the door, guests needing to be seated before the wedding can commence.

Now the coordinator tries to snag an usher's attention. "Come on and seat these people already," she thinks, even if she is too calm and polite to say it like that. But the ushers have seated everyone who is ready to be seated. The line of people are waiting to sign the guestbook. At this point, experienced ushers and coordinators whisper to the line of guests, "Sign the guestbook on your way out." Ushers and coordinators with less experience get nervous and look despairingly at the clock and conclude that the wedding will start late. And sometimes, the photographer will nudge the coordinator and suggest having people sign the guestbook after the wedding. Part of our job, after all, is to help a wedding run as smoothly as possible.

So now that you're aware that the dreaded guestbook pileup happens, what can be done about it? There are several things that can help, but one really simple solution that trumps all the others. Why not make a nice little sign beforehand, and tell the guestbook gals to prop it on top of the guestbook five or ten minutes before the ceremony is scheduled to start? The sign could say, "Please sign the guestbook on your way out." Or, "Latecomers will forfeit signing the guestbook, and will not be recorded in the history of our special day." I'm guessing most brides would prefer the first wording!!

A standard guestbook or photobook with pictures from the engagement is such a lovely tradition and keepsake that I would hate to suggest ditching it in favor of faster guestbooks. Just be aware that if you only have one or two people who can sign at once, you do need to put more thought into planning how to take care of the last minute pileup.

I've seen a lot of creative guestbook ideas that involve more that one or two people signing in at a time. Puzzles and wooden hearts are just a few of the unique ideas at weddings recently. You're only limited by your imagination and Pinterest when it comes to "out of the book" ideas. Pileups can still occur, but having a few more pens and options does help.

Or, you could just start your wedding late. It wouldn't be the first time, or the last. But if you want to save your coordinator some last minute stress, you might want to think about it.