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▣ Megan & Jon - Snowy Night
The reception! Even more delicious details :-)
I froze my fingers for this shot! It's always funny when guests wander away from the party and catch me working.
Megan and Jon alone for some one on one time - I loved her Ugg's !
Love this Image by Sean.
With the snow being almost three feet deep, we were a little limited to locations. Getting down to the pine trees or the lake would have required a a snowkat or a trail groomer on tracks. So we hung out under the deck (conveniently near the access door by the furnace ;-)
Night fell early with the overcast skies and the lodge was a snowy haven.
Some group photos in front of the fireplace, Image by Sean.
After a little furniture rearranging, all of the tables were spread out and guests could eat by the fire. I loved the lighting through the windows of dusk on the snow. Right and bottom images by Sean.
Inside it was warm and cozy. A violinist circled the room playing guest's requests.
First dance.
Details to die for! Everything from the mantles and fireplaces lit with candles to the silver tree where guests could fill out their wishes and hang them like icicles.
Close-up of those cupcakes - the snowflake on top was made from edible sugar.
Then, in the middle of this cozy romantic evening - a party broke loose! The grass skirts were for the men's serenade of "Kokomo" to the bride. And Jon grabbed the mic and brought down the house with his rendition of "Build me up Buttercup".
Just a quiet moment outside in the cold. I brought along my case of sparklers as a surprise. Fire and Ice :-)
I can't say it enough, congratulations to you both ! It was a privilege to be a part of this wedding :-)
Ceremony & Reception Site: Stonehenge Lodge, Stahlstown, PA
Accomodations: Foggy Mountain Lodge
Catering: Carson's Catering
Entertainment: DJ Jukebox Johnny 4 Comments added to this post ▣ Megan & Jon - I do
Almost finished digging out from the SNOWPOCALYPSE. I thought I would be able to wrap up Megan and Jon's wedding in one post - but it looks like it will take one more after this. **Note** if anyone feels like I'm posting too many images and would just like me to get on with it already - let me know!
The ceremony & reception venue, the picturesque Stonehenge Lodge in Stahlstown, PA. Image by Sean.
There's a story here - originally before the snow fell - the plan was to have the ceremony in a heated outdoor tent where guests could enjoy the scenery and then make a smooth transition to the reception in the lodge. However - as with many weddings - there's always something. Just a few days before the wedding the tent rental company called Megan to say that they would be unable to bring them a tent. They cited "inclement weather" as their reason. Now if I were a tent company and I had a problem with "inclement weather" - you would think that I would not book a January wedding in a ski resort area if I couldn't handle the snow. (Just my vendor opinion - I hate to see any of my brides disappointed by ANY vendor.)
To add to the challenges - the day before the wedding - the limo company called Megan to tell her that they would be unable to provide the transportation to the wedding due to "inclement weather". Sean said "they make hummer limos - why didn't the limo company just bump them up to one of them pro-bono? It's the least they could have done." I agree.
So with no tent and no transportation - the ceremony was moved indoors which meant all of the reception tables had to be stripped of their chairs and pushed against the walls. The chairs were then lined up for guests to sit in front of the great stone fireplace for the ceremony. Without the limo, Jon's brother shuttled the girls in their gowns back and forth between Foggy Mountain and Stonehenge. (There's something women like about a pick up man ;-)
Like I said before - I thought the deep snow (while it was problematic) also made the whole event a little more magical. Right image by Sean.
Megan was absolutely stunning.
The ladies carried fur muffs with a single red rose and a few crystals attached. They also sported Ugg boots under their gowns which they intended to swap out for heels once we were done with outside pictures - but ultimately they proved warmer and more comfortable and since you couldn't see them under their dresses, they wore them all day! (I sported a pair of hunter green knee-high felt-packs. I needed function more than style that day!) Bottom image by Sean.
Instead of the traditional pocket square, the men wore black chenille scarves with their tuxes.
The guys could not keep a straight face when it was time for photos - probably because we were freezing! Right image by Sean.
I know I'm posting a ton of pictures here, but I wanted you to see what this wedding party was up against just getting from point A to point B for photos! There were paths in places, but the snow was almost up to my waist everywhere else with temperatures in the 20s. Left and bottom images by Sean.
I have never seen a wedding rock a theme the way that this group did - their winter wonderland could not have been more perfect. Since the tent idea got scrapped - they built a fire in the stone fireplace and stood in front of it for their ceremony. Guests were given paper cones of artificial 'snow' to shower the bride and groom.
When the guests had arrived and made it safely inside, it was time for Megan to come down the aisle with her mother and grandfather at her side.
A friend of the couple sang beautifully and brought us all to tears - the whole ceremony was lit by candles and the cool tones of the sun dimming over the snow outside. It might not have been the tent they had hoped for - and things were a little snug - but it made the atmosphere much more intimate and special.
How much do you love the candles on the mantle - can't get enough!
When they were pronounced the new Mr. & Mrs. everyone clapped and cheered and you could see they were SO happy :-)
I promise - only one more post after this then we'll talk about the Snowpocalypse - and then we'll go back to sunny weather pictures. I still have 10 more weddings to blog from 2009!
3 Comments added to this post ▣ At first sight . . .
First of all, I cannot even begin to tell you how outrageous the snowfall was that we received last night. I had great plans of blogging the play-by-play all Jim Cantore style right here - but alas the heavy snows took out the phone line, TV, and even the internet!! After staying up most of the night listening to the police scanner about downed wires, debri and fallen trees blocking the road, disabled vehicles and accidents - we woke to complete silence before the sun came up. I won't try to hide it, I kind of love bad weather. And the only person who loves it more than me is Sean. He wakes up to check the snowfall total like it's christmas morning and there's a mountain of presents to be unwrapped. Both eager to turn on the news and see photos of the carnage - that was when we discovered the cable was out. Instead we sat and munched on raisin bran and listened to the radio. It's been a full day of plowing and shovelling all of this heavy snow - but I can say with certainty that we received 25 inches or more because first we were measuring it with a ruler last night. Then the snow got so deep we almost lost the ruler. This morning we found a yard stick and came out around 25 iches of snow depending on where you are standing. I have lots of photos which I will share in a day or so. Until then - the next chapter in Megan and Jon's fairytale: their first look.
Those of you who are not recently married or getting married or have not pored over the pages of The Knot are asking yourselves what on earth a 'first look' is. Here's the shortened answer. Standard traditions dictate that on their wedding day the bride and groom are not to see eachother before the ceremony. The reason for this is that back in the day (back back in the day) arranged marriages were all the rage and couples never even met before the day of their wedding. Marriages were generally arranged by the eldest members of the families like a business deal to gain property or social status. (Imagine your great Aunt Ethel picking out your spouse because she liked his lawn.) Why such secrecy? If neither bride nor groom saw each other until they had already said their vows, there was no opportunity for them to get cold feet and back out.
In this day and age, we pick and choose the superstitions and traditions we want to uphold when it comes to weddings. Keeping the bride and groom apart until the ceremony no longer has anything to do with avoiding cold feet - (we know what we're getting into ladies, right?) - and everything to do with the "wow moment". That moment when the man you want to marry sees you for the very first time in your wedding dress on the best hair/make up day of your life. It's the day we as brides pull out all the stops and do whatever it takes to achieve our own movie start level of beauty. Giving up bread and cookies for six months? Easy. Early morning trips to the gym and tanning salon? No sweat. The longest hair appointment known to man? That's kids play. Because it all comes down to our wow moment.
We want to step into the sunlight for our moment to shine and have the love of our lives look at us with those eyes that say, "I am such a lucky man." Maybe it's a girlish fantasy - but we all dream of being this perfect vision in our wedding gown so that on those early mornings years down the road when we rise and shine to make the coffee wearing sweatpants with bedhead and dark circles under our eyes that our husband will look at us and remember our wedding day and smile and know deep down no matter what that we are the most beautiful woman they have ever known.
Cynics - you can roll your eyes all you want. (I can hear you!!) But I believe every women deserves her Cinderella moment. Every one.
And now - after all that build up - here are Megan and Jon who opted to do a "first look" BEFORE the ceremony. Since their wedding took place late in the day on a January evening - it would be dark out after the ceremony and outdoor photos were very important to them since they were getting married in such a beautiful place! I love it when couples opt to see each other beforehand. It gives them a chance to have their wow moment privately without a hundred eyes watching to see their reaction - and often they react more genuinely because it's not rushed or scheduled. They can really savor it for themselves. It also really frees up the timeline for after the wedding and gives an opportunity for some truly special photos. For their first look - we scoped out a spot at the venue (Stonehenge Lodge) that was out of the way and had great lighting. We asked Jon to stand and the botto of the steps and wait for Megan to arrive.
Megan's sisters helped her carefully down the path and arranged her hair and veil at the last minute so everything would be perfect.
When Megan was in place, I told Jon that he could turn around whenever he was ready. . . .
It was perfect. A moment frozen frame by frame in time. I stood at the bottom of the steps and Sean was just off camera at the top of the steps. Images of Jon by Sean.
They stood for a moment (by now I am shooting like crazy through my own blurry eyes not knowing whether I should laugh or cry because it was just so perfect) then Jon climbed the stairs to his bride.
You could see all of the anxiety and tension just melt away as they laughed and smiled and celebrated.
From that moment on, everything was smooth sailing. No one was nervous, no one was worried. They were just happy in the moment. The whole rest of the day just flowed. I would recommend a first look to anyone who is comfortable bending that particular tradition. Not only does it take a whole lot of pressure off the day and free up your timeline AND give you the opportunity to get photos you will cherish as memories.
Most importantly - it doesn't ruin your wow moment. It gives you the opportunity to really enjoy it for what it's meant to be.
4 Comments added to this post |
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