Brooke & Chase planned a stress free June wedding day at Cedar Mahantongo Lodge. The Lodge is located in Dalmatia Pennsylvania, which is in Northumberland county just a few miles outside of Millersburg. It was a fairly warm and very sunny day, filled with lots of love & laughter.
This venue does not offer many options for getting ready, so Brooke & her girls got ready in a barn just up the street, owned by Wellington Farms. If you find yourself planning your wedding day here, Wellington Farms rental fee for the day is very budget friendly, and it beats having to get ready off location. The guys got ready under the pavilion area, where the reception was held, and needed a little youtube help with their ties (HAH). I laugh, because this actually happens A LOT.
They included their dog, Hazel, in their wedding day, just as they did their engagement photos. She even got a pretty new collar & leash for this special occasion.
In order to maximize their time together on their wedding day, they opted to do a first look. This also provided them with SO many extra photos together on their special day. I am a big fan of first looks, for so many reasons, but that is definitely a big one.
One of the many perks of hiring a wedding photography TEAM, is that we are able to document moments like these from more than one point of view. It truly does elevate your wedding day gallery and all of my bride & grooms will tell you that they felt it was a worthy investment, investing in a team rather than a solo photographer.
Brooke was truly a STUNNING bride!
Their ceremony was intimate and only surrounded by their closest friends and family. Dress code was casual and we had full sun with a bright blue sky. Hazel, got a front row seat, too!
There were poem readings, wind that almost blew the arch away, funny stories shared & lots of laughter.
They tied the cord of 3 strands during their ceremony
And then shared a magical first kiss & another half way down the aisle while their family & friends blew bubbles
The aisle kiss was so good it deserved a moment in both color and B&W
After family formals, we had another nice chunk of time for more bride & groom portraits. I helped them finalize their timeline so that they had plenty of time to spend together and lots of photo opportunities. Doing a first look, keeping bridal party photos short & sweet BEFORE the ceremony and reserving family formals for immediate family only, is really helpful with this
The bridal party rolled into the reception in barrel cars, which I thought was really unique & so much fun. Definitely fitting for the personality of the bridal party
They partied their way into the reception, shared their first dance as husband & wife, Brooke’s dad kept his glasses on to hide his tears during their father/daughter dance & Chase’s mom soaked in every moment of that dance with her son
Dinner was great, the party started & we snuck away for yet again … more bride & groom portraits. Remember: a wedding day is for the bride & groom. Spend as much time as you can together & snag as many photos as time allows for. This is where it’s really helpful to hire an experienced photographer that can help you create a good wedding day timeline
They cut their cake and spent the rest of their night partying away with everyone they love. Some people ended up in the creek, like they always do at cedar lodge. It’s just a given when we photograph weddings there, that a few people have a little too much to drink and end up going for a swim haha. They did a quick little photo rush to maximize their photos with guests and everyone had a great time, including me as usual. If you know me at all, you know I ALWAYS end up on the dance floor while I’m working. I can’t resist a good cha-cha slide!
This is such a small peak into their beautiful day, as they received a gallery of just shy of 900 images. If you are on the hunt for a wedding or in state elopement photographer that values even the smallest details, has 10 years of experience under their belt and can help you create a wedding day timeline that makes sense … I’d be so honored to work with you! Contact me to chat and see if we’ll be a good fit.
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Shoutout to DJ Se7ens, my go to DJ recommendation for all of my bride & grooms and Mission BBQ for the great food!
Other vendors that helped make this day happen:
Unveiled Bridal - Dress & Jewlery
Savage Beauty - Makeup
Hair - Small talk by Rachel & Lizzie Enders
Men’s Suits - Special Moments Bridal
Beer cart - Nelson’s Beer Distributor
Barrel Cars - Cody’s Carts
Dog Handler - Kaylee’s Personalized Car for Furry Friends
Officiant - Matt Messinger from LCBC Church