Kelly & Sarah Wedding – 6.9.18

Posted on July 17, 2018

So how often do you have jousting bride’s at a wedding?! For me, it was definitely a first and I couldn’t have been more excited to photograph Kelly and Sarah’s wedding! Not only did these two throw a kick ass wedding, but they also made almost all the decorations! From a popcorn bar, to ring boxes, homemade wedding benches (that were signed by guests!), and even a cake piñata, these two made it all by hand! Not only that but Kelly had a custom Celtic knot belt made for Sarah. And that pearl necklace Sarah wore!? Kelly made it from her late grandma’s pearls. Quite the beautiful touch right?

What a day this was, it started with a sage blessing to cleanse the space beforehand and then the ceremony began. All their children and their niece and nephew surrounded Sarah as she walked down the aisle to her beaming bride. The ceremony began, and they rock, paper, scissored to see who would give their vows first. Following the vows, they joined their family together by giving all their boys handmade bracelets to match their own. With a kiss, these two sealed their union!

After the ceremony and family photos, we headed back to their pavilion to ‘joust a bride’ where guests could joust a bride in their bouncy joust house! Seriously, is that not the coolest thing ever? Their guests got to enjoy a popcorn bar, some amazing bbq, a delicious cupcake tower, a photo booth with a green screen where they got to pick what background they got put on, and they even had homemade ice cream, made on-site complete with a toppings bar! What an amazing day it was! The guests wrapped up the wedding with the smashing of a homemade 3-tier cake piñata; now that’s what I call a cake smash lol! So let’s cheers to this happy couple, I wish them nothing but happiness! Without further ado, Kelly and Sarah’s wedding:

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com

www.alyshayoderphoto.com

(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com

(p) 610.762.7810

Rings: Brides made their engagement rings at Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. Kelly drew Sarah’s and vice versa.

Benches: Made by the bride’s brother, John

Venue: Lancaster County Park

Catering: Grandpa’s Country Catering

Cupcakes: Psycho Cupcakes

Bouncy House: Big Bright Bounces

Officiant & DJ: Sacred Ceremony’s with Sabrina

Shannon & Josh Wedding – 10.15.16

Posted on November 21, 2016

Two families coming together in love, life, and faith. That’s what the lovely wedding of Shannon and Josh was. Taking place at the stunning St. Patrick Church in Carlisle, light streamed in through the stained glass to reveal this church’s humble 1779 beginnings. Shannon and Josh’s closest friends helped these two get ready before they took their plunge into marriage. They chose a purple and white color scheme and peppered these colors throughout from the bridesmaids dresses, groomsman’s ties, flowers, and even the mother’s dresses.

With a traditional Catholic ceremony, Shannon and Josh’s day was filled with tradition. An especially wonderful family touch was the bride’s brothers and mother played music and sang throughout their ceremony. How wonderful is that? Following the ceremony and family photos, we all headed down to Thornwald Park to take fun party and couple photos! These two and their party both rocked their photo session! The sunlight coming through the trees lit these two perfectly in all the fall park beauty. Between brick walls, gazebos, and a forest backdrop, I couldn’t have asked for a more stunning backdrop for this wedding party.

After we wrapped up their photo session, we headed over the St. Patrick Activity Center where the family had set up lights, banners, and backdrops to create a perfect setting for a reception. Dances were had, speeches were given, and dinner was served. Following dinner, guests danced with the happy couple for their dollar dance, the bouquet and garter toss were held, the cake was cut, and HUGE family photos were taken with just about everyone in attendance. Before I left the happy couple, we stepped outside to catch the perfect golden hour light and these two just glowed with happiness. So here’s to another 100 years of happiness to the happy couple, and without further ado, Shannon and Josh’s wedding.

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com www.alyshayoderphoto.com

(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com (p) 610.762.7810

Venues: St. Patrick Church of Carlisle

St. Patrick Activity Center

DJ: Payne Hurley

Flowers: Royers

Caterer: Kathy’s Deli

Cake: Carlisle Bakery

Jodi and Mary’s Wedding – 9.10.16

Posted on October 12, 2016

It’s not too often that you get two wonderful people coming together to celebrate their love while also almost making everything for their big day! You want to talk about DIY, these two nailed just about every part of that! From signs, to their ring box, and even cupcake toppers, these two made it all! Not to mention, they picked just about the most perfect day, and such a beautiful location to get married.

A backyard wedding, right on the shore line of Deep Creek Lake, MD. Sun streaming, friend’s laughing, and brides smiling. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day. As opposed to getting walked down the aisle by their fathers, these bride’s opted for ‘first looks’ with their dads. As they ascended down the stairs, each of their father’s beamed. Hugs, kisses, and tears were all exchanged before the ceremony began.

The bridal party were all decked out in blue dresses with lovely sunflower accent bouquets. Walking down the aisle, the brides rocked custom Converses that said ‘2gether’ and ‘4ever.’ How fantastic is that?! There was a wonderful moment when Jodi was waiting for Mary as she walked down the aisle, and as she looked up and saw her bride, the love shining in both their eyes was beautiful.

There were a lot of unique wedding traditions during their ceremony. Jodi’s mom did a beautiful Polish wedding blessing as guests passed around their rings to bless the couple and think positive thoughts of love for their marriage. The bride’s each wrote their own vows and as they read them to each other, guests looked on with tears of happiness in many of their eyes. Rings and a kiss were exchanged before these two lovely brides walked down the aisle for the first time as a married couple.

Speeches, dinner, and dances followed the ceremony with lots of hugs and laughs exchanged between. People loved the s’more bar and camp fire as kids spent time swimming in the lake and walking along the shore. As the sun began to set, these brides stunned in an evening photo session. Jodi even changed into a fantastic tuxedo t-shirt. Isn’t that just awesome sauce? As I was packing up to leave, I left with hugs, congrats, and a smile on my face. This is how Mary and Jodi’s whole day was, and I can’t imagine that any of their guests left without joy in their heart. What an honor it was to photograph these two and their wedding day. There aren’t too many couples who genuinely light up the place when they’re together. These two brides lit up the whole wedding and this was clear to everyone in attendance. I hope that this joy is obvious in the photos below, and you can see the love these two have for each other. So without further ado, Mary and Jodi’s wedding: