Molly & Paul -5.27.16

Posted on June 24, 2016

So truth be told, there are two weddings that I always look forward to photographing. Offbeat Weddings (because frankly they’re awesome and unique every time) and small intimate weddings. Now… I’m not saying I don’t enjoy every wedding I photograph, but there is something wonderful about having less then 25 people at a wedding… and that’s including the bridal party! There just tend to be more little moments throughout the day, less timeline rushing drama and a loving bond is always evident in everyone that’s attending.

Molly and Paul’s wedding was just that! I mean, we fit all the guests in one photo and you can see everyone! That’s definitely not something you get at every wedding. Check out all these lovelies in attendance, seriously, aren’t they fantastic!

I’ll tell you though… this was probably the hottest wedding I’ve shot to date. I mean it was a good 98 degrees.. plus, like a gazillion percent humidity. This photog had to go home and wring out her clothes afterwards not to mention, chug like 10 gallons of water. It was nutty! Everyone was a trooper though, I mean, look at all those smiles!

Molly and Paul were perfect too! They champed through the heat and absorbed some sunshine for their photos. These two both have a love of the outdoors, hence the beautiful estates of Allenberry Resort Inn and outdoor ceremony, small ring box made to look like a tree stump (with their initials carved into it), and a beautiful flower covered arbor. Paul also has a love of fishing (note Yellow Breeches Creek in the background). He makes a lot of his own flies too. They even incorporated a fly into his boutonniere. How cool is that?!

Their ceremony was beautiful from beginning to end, starting with the groom’s son leading both mom’s down the aisle followed by his daughter with a huge bouquet of flowers! The bride’s father gave her away under that stunning arbor, much to the smile of her groom! The vows went swimmingly and everyone had a chuckle when the ring bearer struck a pose handing off the rings. The first kiss was had and the couple, all smiles, walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife. A tiny intimate reception followed with unique candy apple favors, a lovely three-tiered cake (the kids helped pick out the flavors!), ‘butterfly kisses’ and lots of laughs! What a wonderful day it was for these two! I was so honored to be a part of it, so without further ado, I give you Molly and Paul’s wedding:

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

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

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

Vendors:

Venue: Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse

Cake: Snickerdoodles Bakery

Flowers: Royers

2 Comments

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

Kristen & Ian – 10.3.15

Posted on November 6, 2015

Kristen and Ian’s fall wedding. What a magical day! It might have been cloudy with 100% of rain but these two champed through! You want to talk about compatibility, look no further. Kristen and Ian have that in spades! What a blast their bridal party was too! From fedora’s and mobster poses to champagne toasts and a ‘wheel barrow’ entrance, this was a fun crowd.

This was my first wedding this year that I got to do with my mom (who does the marrying) which is always a blast. We just need a caterer and a DJ and we could start our own wedding business lol. There ceremony was lovely and full of smiles! The groom even went in for the kiss a little too soon only to be met with laughter and applause from all their guests. When it was finally time for their first kiss the groom’s brother was the one to give the cue. There’s a funny photo of Kristen and Ian just laughing at the alter at this whole experience. It’s one of my favorites!

The rain started just as we began to shoot Kristen and Ian’s couple shots but it didn’t matter to these two! They rocked some porch photos and embraced the rain as a moment to relax and take each other and their wedding day in.

The reception was lovely. The speeches were some of the best I ever heard. I was busting a gut behind the camera at the best man’s speech. Who knew a golf game could lead to a dead goose? One of the best moments of the night was the dollar dance which just happened to be POLKA. Not only did almost every guest get up to dance with the bride BUT after they were done they joined hands and danced around the bride. The circle kept getting bigger and bigger, eventually multiplying into a few different circles. With her mom (who happened to be the last person in line), the dance ended and all the guests in circles squeezed together and created a kind of huge hug around the bride. It was awesome. The photo of the Kristen and her mom in the middle of all these people puts a smile on my face whenever I look at it.

The night winded down with dancing and cake cutting. They had a picked a cute little cupcake tower with a cake to top it off. There was no smashing, despite the pleas of the crowd. This led to a dance dedication to the groom’s brother. The song, Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, I’ve never seen someone more excited for a song to come on. He knew all the words and jammed out like a champ. It was a great moment and a great way to end the night. So without further ado, I give you Kristen and Ian’s lovely wedding. Enjoy!