Heather and Stephen Wedding – 6.22.19
Posted on September 11, 2019
It’s not every day you get to see a Disney fairytale come to life, but that’s exactly what happened with Heather and Stephen’s wedding! Throughout the day, there were so many special moments and I was so honored to have captured them. Not to mention, more of the Disney theme came through as the day continued, and put a smile on guest’s (and my!) faces. From the magic mirror photo booth, to the Disney castle sign in heart blocks, and even a Disney themed candy bar, these two went all out with their theme! To begin this fairytale, I started off the day with getting ready photos with Heather and her bridesmaids. Note those amazing hangers! A super touching first look with Heather’s dad, had everyone a little teary eyed.
Then we all headed over to the church so these two could get hitched! St. Joseph’s is a truly stunning church, and built in 1882, it’s the oldest Slovak Roman Catholic Parish in the Western Hemisphere. I met with Stephen and his groomsmen to get some getting ready shots behind the alter before everything got started! The service was a traditional Catholic service, with many of their friends and family doing readings, rose gifts to their mothers, communion, and of course, their ring exchange and first kiss! We all headed outside afterwards for a fun bubble exit and then proceeded to take family shots inside!
After the ceremony, we made a special stop to visit Heather’s ill uncle in the hospital. The look on his face when he realized they had stopped to see him was a priceless moment. There were some truly touching moments caught on film with the bride and groom as well as his family. It won’t be a moment any of them will forget soon.
Next we all headed to our final destination, the reception at Edgewood Country Club! The place was DECKED out in Disney themed decor! The guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the patio while the bridal party and myself headed out on golf carts to get some lovely photos of them on the grounds. Guests walked in to pick up their seat cards with a mirror mirror on the wall, little wooden hearts to sign and put in a Disney castle, Disney themed cocktails, a magic mirror photo booth, stunning Beauty and the Beast rose centerpieces (that the bride and groom made themselves!), a Disney cake, and even a Disney themed projection on the dance floor above the sweethearts table. We proceeded with entrances and the couple had their first dance as husband and wife, followed by the bride dancing with her mother and father, and the groom doing his mother son dance! After dinner, we did a cake cutting and then headed out to do some nice sunset shots. It was the longest day of the year, so sunset wasn’t until almost 9pm! The couple then had a lovely dollar dance or shots with the groom, and shortly after that, I bid the couple ado and headed out! Congrats to the happy couple and here’s to many more years of happiness! So without anymore delay, Stephen and Heather’s wedding!
Photography and writing by:
(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com
(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com
(p) 610.762.7810
Venues: Edgewood Country Club
St. Joseph’s Church
Catering: Edgewood Country Club
Cake: Edgewood Country Club
Videography: Heisey Productions
Flowers: Smilax Floral Shop
Alia and Ryan’s Wedding Celebration – 4.12 & 13.19
Posted on June 16, 2019
It’s not every day you get to photograph someone getting married that you’ve known for over 20 years (and who lived right up the road from me growing up)! But, that’s exactly what happened with Alia and Ryan’s wedding! I met Alia way back in grade school riding the bus together, and when she wrote me to see if I could shoot her wedding, I was thrilled! This couple met when Alia put the call out with her friends for a Salsa dance partner, and while Ryan was unable to go, he invited her to a BBQ the next weekend and after hitting it off swimmingly, the rest is history! These two live in Alaska, so not only was it quite the hike, but they brought their dog, Cooper, to serve as ring bearer too! Friends and family flew in from all over the country and the world to share in this couple’s special day (all the way from Australia!).
I was there to shoot two days of their wedding celebration. The first being the Mehndi (which is a pre-wedding ceremony), lots of blessings for the couple from family and friends, feeding of sweets, dancing, and henna! Each Mehndi I shoot is different, and this one was no exception! These two are big foodies so they had all sorts of fun food stations, from make your own Hakka noodles to a Dosa station! The bride and the groom were adorned with flowers before guests lined up to give feed the couple sweets and give them their blessings. While they waiting, people could get henna done in a pillowed sitting area or munch on apps! Towards the end of the celebration, they had live musicians and one of their friends performed a dance for them! What a fun night to remember! And did you check out those rain shot?! These two rocked those photos!
The next day the official wedding ceremony took place! Tables were set with a bit of a nautical theme, with the couple’s love of water, and all tables were named after famous ships! The ceremony went off without a hitch and then guests were wined and dined with a cocktail hour followed by an entrance by the bride and groom! Dances were had with their parents, which led to a cake cutting. The cakes were done just for the bride and groom by one of their friends! They were a mermaid themed cake and a Jaws themed cake. How cool is that?! Following cake cutting, another wonderful meal was had along with three great speeches for the bride and groom! I snuck the couple off for some more night shots. It was sadly too cloudy for some good sunset photos! Coming back inside, we had another live dance done by one of Alia’s close friends and his wife. This started dancing for the rest of the night!
Photography and writing by:
(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com
(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com
(p) 610.762.7810
Venue: Holiday Inn Allentown I-78
Catering: Moghul Catering
Decorator: Pendurthi Swaree Events (Aruna is the decorator)
DJ- DJ Bhupi
Lauren & Bram’s Wedding – 11.24.18
Posted on January 16, 2019
2018, what a year you were! And it ended on a high note with me getting to photograph the marriage of Lauren and Bram. Not only are these two beaming with love, but they have quite an adorable love story! They actually met the first day of college orientation, which was a hiking trip! They became quite inseparable and one thing led to another and they both knew they had met their lifetime match. At the peach orchard they both worked at, they planned a sunset picnic and that’s where Bram popped the question; Lauren of course said yes! And that’s what led us to their magical day!
A perfect combination of old soul and quirky, these two got ready at the home Lauren’s grandfather built for her grandmother. It’s been a central hub for the family ever since! Lauren’s parents even got married in the backyard, so needless to say, getting ready there was a must! It has a great old world charm that you rarely see in homes and seriously, check out some of the amazing chairs and staircases we used as props, it was a great setting to be sure! Following party and couple shots at the house, we headed over to Heidelberg United Church-Christ in Downtown York for the ceremony, right across the street from their reception location at the Central Market House. Two great old buildings with lots of history and flair! The ceremony went off without a hitch, and everyone applauded as these two were announced as husband and wife! Despite the pouring down rain we had all day, we managed to capture some shots of the couple running from the ceremony to the reception hall.
Following the ceremony all guests went to Central Market to begin the reception. Yummy hors d’oeuvres were passed around as guests begin to mingle, catch up with friends and family, and dance! If you’ve never been to Central Market, it’s quite a cool building, and most people in York know it as the place they buy farm fresh produce, locally made food, and artisan’s works. This pair is so loved by everyone that attended and, if the looks and laughs didn’t give it away, the speeches people prepared for them would have! Glasses were raised, hugs were had, and touching words were spoken. Lauren even prepared a little surprise for Bram and serenaded him a song as she played the guitar. Following dinner, the cake was cut, parents were danced with (Lauren and her dad killed it!), and then everyone got out on the dance floor. It finally stopped pouring about twenty minutes before I was supposed to leave (figures!), so we were able to go outside and get some rain shots! As I left, the bride and the groom were out on the dance floor having the time of their lives surrounded by the people that love them most! So here’s to the happy couple and many, many more years of happiness! Without further ado, I give you Lauren and Bram’s wedding.
Photography and writing by:
(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com
(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com
(p) 610.762.7810
Venues: Central Market House – Reception
Heidelberg United Church-Christ – Ceremony
Catering: Mountain Laurel Catering
Officiant: Kait Verkest of Sealed with a Kiss by Kait
Flowers – Foster’s Flower Shop
Wedding Planner – Kristine of Stylish Soirees in PA
Hair and Makeup –
Cake-
Dresses-
DJ-
Chelsea & Brandon Wedding – 7.22.18
Posted on September 5, 2018
Bowling alley, Elvis, mariachi band?! Yes, yes, and yes! Not only did Chelsea and Brandon seriously plan an epically unique wedding, but these two and their guests were a blast to photograph! This was definitely a first for me, shooting in a bowling alley, but I hope it’s not my last! To begin their day, I started off at South Bowl Philadelphia, where they had rented out the event space on the top floor. Not only does it have ample seating space indoors and outdoors, but their guests got to play old pinball games, bowl at the private lanes (complete with Chelsea and Brandon graphics), and snack on finger food and a tower of pies that the groom drove all the way from New York!
Not only that, but the groom and groomsman were decked out in sequin jackets, while the ladies rocked more rockabilly type dresses. Chelsea and Brandon were all about the details from the wedding program they designed to look like a bowling score sheet but with all the wedding details guests needed, to the ‘gif’ video generator guests could make on a green screen, even down to the bowling sock take aways, and the bowling pin guests got to sign as a ‘guest book’ when they arrived. Once the wedding begin, Elvis serenaded guests as everyone took their seats and then the mariachi band played in the party and the bride and groom. After a hilarious service with plenty of Elvis puns, these two love birds were hitched, much to the cheers of their family and friends. The couple then walked down the aisle and did their first dance along with the bride’s parents (whose anniversary it was) to a rendition of their song by the mariachi band. Following some family and party shots on the bowling lanes, I headed downstairs with the happy couple to get some shots of them at the shoe check out and the vintage dining area with a huge light up ‘SPARE!’ sign. With our couple shots done, the bride went to change into her second party dress while I went upstairs to grab some detail shots.
The night continued with guests dancing, bowling, and pin-balling the night away. The couple fed each other pie (they even had a custom ‘pie cake topper’ featuring them), took group photos, and tore it up on the dance floor. As I was leaving, the bride and groom were having the time of their lives dancing with guests on the dance floor. To quote The King, “When I get married, it’ll be no secret” and with these two, it definitely wasn’t a secret, and their family and friends will certainly always remember this day of awesomeness! So here’s to many more years of happiness for this wonderful couple!
