Lizzy and Nate – 5.21.16

Posted on June 17, 2016

Oh man.. Lizzy and Nate’s wedding! Sometimes… just sometimes…. one of those couples comes around that are just so unique and awesome that when they ask you to photograph their wedding… you start doing a happy dance in your living room. THIS was one of those couples. And THIS was one of those weddings. I mean, two people that met at an invitational board game convention, does it seriously get any more offbeat and up my ‘favorite wedding alley’ than that?

When I got an email originally from Lizzy asking for information for their wedding at KNOEBELS, I was a little more then just excited. Our original consult went off swimmingly, which left me wondering… ‘I wish these two didn’t live all the way out in Washington State because I would like to hang out with them quite regularly.’ Have you ever been so excited about something you just find ways to bring it up in every conversation? Literally me. For about a week after I booked their wedding. For example, random stranger… “Oh hey Alysha, how are you today?” Me, “I BOOKED A WEDDING AT KNOEBELS.” I’m sure I left a lot of my coworkers scratching their heads lol.

So why did these two, from Washington, decide to have a Knoebel’s wedding in Elysburg, Pennsylvania? Wellllll, originally Lizzy is from this area. These two actually got hitched earlier in the year and now wanted to share in their celebrations with friends and family! They’ve actually had a few different weddings, from one side of the country to the other. In turn, bringing together their friends and family that they have all of the US. How cool is that? The way they described their wedding celebration day was, ‘a lot less formal and more like a big family reunion.’ And that’s exactly what it was!

Two people, surrounded by the friends and family who clearly love them and all their uniqueness to death! I was sooo excited to meet these two after many phone/Skype calls and when they saw me, I got a big running hug! That’s how the whole day went. Lots of hugs, laughter, funny stories and I mean.. duh.. lots of rides. It was a theme park wedding after all!

For their ceremony, these two had a hand-fasting ceremony on the entrance of the Phoenix! Yes, the Phoenix. I mean… it’s only one of the top TEN wooden rollercoasters in the world! Hands tied together, these two literally took their first ‘plunge’ with their guests. While they did have the Pheonix for an hour, they also planned to meet up at various rides and take them over throughout the day. We took over the Carousel and the Bumper Cars. What fun! Plus, Knoebel’s staff was awesome and helped me throughout the day. We even got the brass ring at the Carousel for some fun ‘ring’ shots and bumper cars placed in just the right way for couple shots!

What a wonderful day! Plus, a totally and awesomely unique couple. They’re like a unicorn and they only come around every so often (not to say I don’t love all my couples, but I mean… rollercoasters.. come on!). So here’s to a gazillion more years of mutual weirdness for these two!

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

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

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

Vendors:

Venue and Catering: Knoebel’s Amusement Resort

Cake: La Dolce Vita Bakery

1 Comment

Ali & Mike – 10.9.15

Posted on November 16, 2015

Talk about a fun, quirky couple! Ali and Mike were a couple that I had the pleasure of photographing previously in their engagement session. These two agreed to get photographed at the Magic Garden in Philly (which in itself is a pretty awesome setting) so I knew right off the bat that Ali and Mike were going to be a fun couple! Talk about a few states love affair. These two met in Philly, recently moved to Boston and had their wedding in New Jersey!

Their venue, Valenzano Family Winery, couldn’t have been a stunning setting. From the vineyards where we did their sneak peeks to the barrel room where we did some fun backlit shots, there were so many unique settings for stunning photos! When I arrived, the sky had already started to turn grey and looked like rain. I asked the photo gods to hold off the rain, at least until we could get some fun outdoor shots. Who would have thunk that would work?

Literally to the minute, these two had their outdoor ceremony, walked down the aisle as husband and wife for the first time and BAM full on thunder, lighting, torrential downpour. It was almost magical. Throughout the ceremony the sky got darker and darker. There was a moment when a loud clap of thunder occurred and Ali looked back at the guests with a worried look. Thankfully no one got soaked and everyone got to clamber inside before mother nature fully released her wrath.

As everyone scattered inside they were all led to the reception area where Matt and his team had set up beautiful tiers of food all around wine barrels and decorations. Guests got to sample Valenzano Wine as they smiled for photos and chatted the night away. A fantastic (seriously awesome!) dinner catered by Summit Catering was served after Mike and Ali shared their first dance under a chandelier surrounded by their party members. Soon after, parent dances followed until everyone joined in, especially the couple’s nieces and nephews who were dancing machines! After letting me snag them for some fun shots in the barrel room the staff did a dessert dance, led by all the kids, and served everyone a huge variety of sweet specialties. Talk about a fun night! These two and all their close friends and family were such a joy to photograph. Check out their big night below!

Vendors:

– Venue – Valenzano Family Winery –

– Caterer – Summit Catering –

– DJ – Stew of Time Productions –

– Officiant – Irene of Journeys of the Heart –

– Wedding Planner – Matt and Dory of Summit Catering –

– Photography – Alysha Yoder Photography –

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

2 Comments

Amy & Daniel – 9.19.15

Posted on October 22, 2015

Amy and Daniel, talk about romance meets Southern Charm! I honestly couldn’t even tell you which one was more excited to get married! There was a point when I was photographing the groom with his groomsman prior to the ceremony and one of them said something to the point of, “Are you ready to do this?” Daniel responded with, “I’ve never been more ready for anything.” That was how the whole night was.

These two were not only so ready to get married but so clearly head over heels for one another. Seeing the look on Daniel’s face when Amy began her walk down the aisle was a little magical. They both couldn’t stop smiling at each other throughout the whole ceremony. Looking through the lens at these two all day still puts a grin on my face. Their family and friends all rallied for some fantastic formal portraits not to mention the awesome dance skills many of the guests possessed. Seriously though, not joking about the dancing. Half of them could have been professionals the way their guests rocked the dance floor! It was a blast to watch. I even wanted to join in!

On a side note, this photog had actually known Amy since middle school. We rode on the same bus for years so it was delightful to see this women I’d known for quite a few years grow up, be so entirely happy and look absolutely stunning her wedding day.

So many fun tiny details too at this wedding. The bridesmaids classy black dresses were some of my favorite I’ve seen to date! The couple had a beautiful LOVE ice sculpture, ‘I Do’ stickers on the bottom of the bride’s shoes, their hashtag ‪#‎FallfortheKossiks‬, the lovely fall colored bouquets and boutonnieres, and roses to gift each other with during the ceremony. Their laughter and love throughout the whole night made it more fun. They were both glowing and shared hugs, smiles and dances with just about everyone attending. All in all one of most fun weddings I’ve ever had the pleasure to photograph! So congrats again Amy and Daniel! Enjoy all the photos!