Ed & Jenn had an intimate wedding with their closest loved ones at the beautiful French Creek Golf Club in early November of 2021. They are a super down to earth couple and I had such a great time celebrating their big day with them!!

Getting Ready

Both Ed & Jenn got ready on site in separate suites attached to the room that would eventually be their reception hall. Jenn’s details were absolutely STUNNING and I had a field day using the beauty of their venue to document these details!! After walking around a bit looking for a place to hang the dress, one of the staff members pointed out an area that I hadn’t seen that was PERFECT for a dress photo. I brought a chair over, had someone help me carry the dress over, stood up on the chair (a very common thing for me to do on wedding days lol) and hung the dress up … BOOM! That’s what I’m talking about!!!

As for the boys, I photographed some super sweet moments of Ed’s son helping him get ready (which are not included in this gallery to respect the privacy of the children at the wedding). Ed & Jenn didn’t want to do an official first look moment, but I was able to capture the moment Ed saw Jenn for the first time which was super sweet!!!

Bride & Groom Portraits

Then, it was portrait time. And myyyy GOODNESS is French Creek a beautiful place for pictures!!! After getting through family portraits quickly yet at a natural, not-rushed pace, Ed, Jenn and I made our way around the grounds for bride & groom portraits. Besides the building itself being very photogenic, there was this beautiful pond with an old stone house next to it and a very majestic tree that made for one of the most picturesque backgrounds I’ve had the pleasure of photographing on a wedding day!! The ground was a little too soft for Jenn’s heels, so we didn’t venture all the way down to the water and instead captured the beauty of the scenery from above (which honestly looked even better!!).

This was the first time that I was able to see Ed & Jenn by themselves, and goodness GRACIOUS they are such an adorable couple!!! Ed makes Jenn laugh so easily and I really don’t think the two of them stopped smiling the entire time. Even though I just met them, I couldn’t wait for Ed & Jenn to get married!!!

We had a few minutes to spare before the ceremony, so after grabbing just a few more portraits in a beautiful side room inside the venue, I let Ed & Jenn chill for a bit and asked their parents if they wanted some nice portraits outside since we had that gorgeous scenery at our disposal!! They both said “why not!” and acquiesced to my request … and we honestly had SO much fun!! I always try to make sure I get solid portraits of the parents of the couple I’m photographing because wedding days are a huge deal for them, too! AND it’s not every day you have unlimited access to a professional photographer. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ceremony

As guests began piling into the farmhouse where the ceremony was to be, I got my gear all set and made my way over. The farmhouse was STUNNING, with rustic stone walls and a massive wooden ceiling that gave the place a nice, airy feel. Since it was November and the farmhouse wasn’t heated, there was a hot chocolate stand set up for all the guests!!!! HOW COOL?!? 🤩 I’m absolutely taking note of that for my own wedding one day!!!

Ed & Jenn’s ceremony was short and sweet, filled with big smiles and the giggles of two people madly in love with each other! After Ed’s son handed over the rings, Ed turned around and gave his son a sly thumbs up which was SO cute. After sliding rings onto each other’s fingers, the two sealed their union with a kiss and walked back down the aisle hand in hand as a very happy Mr. & Mrs.!!!

Cocktail Hour

Before making their way over to cocktail hour, the newlyweds signed their marriage license together to seal the deal (legally speaking!). I photographed this moment as well as some details of their new wedding bands before heading over to document the cocktail hour!! Food decorated the window-lit room in aesthetic groupings that made it impossible not to dig in myself!! (I might have grabbed a small plate of fries after getting a good amount of pictures in 🤫) I noticed a group of people outside and made my way out to photograph them as well. Since it was a small group and the picturesque pond was right there, I offered to take couples portraits and was met with a resounding yes!!!

Soon after making my way back inside, I noticed the sky had turned a beautiful shade of pink with the sunset. I walked back outside and caught a glimpse of an electric sunset over by the farmhouse where the ceremony was. So, naturally, I took off running (no joke) in the direction of the sunset to see what it looked like!

The best word I could think of to describe the sky was “breathtaking”. Just, WOW. God was showing off!!! I took a few pictures of the scene before running BACK to the cocktail hour (somehow I always manage to find myself running on a wedding day 🤣) to tell Ed & Jenn about the crazy sunset that would only last a few more minutes before the sky turned dark. They graciously paused their conversation and walked outside for a portrait with literally SECONDS to go … and dang, was it worth it!!!! I took such a beautiful portrait of them just as the last of the colors in the sky faded to black. And I mean that … as soon as they walked back inside the colors were gone!!! I am SO happy we were able to capture the beauty of the sunset on their big day. Heck yes!!!

First Dances & Blessing

Since there was no wedding party, Ed & Jenn ditched the formal reception entrances and instead kicked off the party with a super sweet first dance as they stared lovingly into each other’s eyes. I really don’t think they broke eye contact once during the entire song! It felt as if they were in their own world and I was just on the outskirts capturing every moment. Gosh, I love my job!!!

There was only one toast, and it was given by Jenn’s father. Y’all, I kid you not when I say there was not a single dry eye in the room!!! He told the story of how Ed found out about Jenn’s grandmother’s engagement ring, asked permission to use the ring to propose to Jenn, got the ring refinished and proposed to Jenn with her grandmother’s ring. Jenn’s father was overcome with emotion with the realization that his mother’s ring was being worn by his daughter tonight, and he explained how overjoyed he was that his daughter was marrying such a kind, thoughtful and genuinely good man. It was such a special moment and the most wonderful toast to celebrate the union of Ed & Jenn!!

The parent dances that followed were also super sweet and full of joy. Jenn’s father had the biggest smile the entire dance — I mean, how could he not?! His daughter look absolutely gorgeous and had just married the love of her life!! He ended their dance with a kiss on Jenn’s cheek and made way for Ed and his mother to have the dance floor. Ed held his mother’s hand as they walked out together to dance. His mother looked at him with so much pride and joy as they danced, I couldn’t help smiling myself!!!

Cake Cutting & Reception

Before hitting the dance floor, Ed & Jenn cut their gorgeous, three-tiered cake decorated with flowers that matched Jenn’s bouquet. The two shared some giggles as they figured out how to cut the cake together and nicely fed the other a forkful of cake before ending with a sugary kiss on the lips!!

Ed & Jenn’s reception was full of chatting and dancing as guests caught up with each other and jammed out to some tunes on the dance floor. Jenn’s niece, the flower girl, claimed she felt like an angel in her white dress and shawl and was jumping and twirling about all night long — it was adorable!! The reception was the perfect way to end the celebration of Ed & Jenn’s deep love for each other.

Congratulations, Ed & Jenn!! Thank you once again for trusting me to document your wedding day 💛 I wish you two a lifetime of joy & happiness as you commit to forever with each other!!!

Vendors who made this day as special as it was:

Venue: French Creek Golf Club

Florals: Blue Moon Florist

Cake: Bakers of Buffington

DJ: Silver Sound DJ

Philadelphia Wedding Photographer: Gabriella Marie Photography