Lindsay + Ryan: Hidden Valley Resort Wedding Photos

Ohhh friends. This is a good one!!! I am SO excited to share Lindsay and Ryan's Hidden Valley Resort wedding photos today! One of the BEST perks about being a wedding photographer is working with couples on one of the very best days of their lives. There's always so much joy and love, and for Lindsay and Ryan, I'm pretty sure that joy and love was doubled! These two might be two of the kindest individuals we've had the pleasure to photograph, and we quickly felt like fast friends with these two!

The wedding day started out with photographing the bridal details, and of COURSE, I had to incorporate some of the resort's amazing lodge-like decor! I took over their lobby for about thirty minutes to get these shots (all good things take time! 😉) but it was totally worth it for the final result!

After details and the final getting ready touches, Lindsay stepped right outside her getting ready room to a beautiful stone and wood staircase for a first look with her soon-to-be husband (Not sure what a first look is or if you should do one?! Click here!), followed by portraits of the two of them around Hidden Valley's amazing property, as well as bridal party photos.

Shortly after, we reconvened at the Stone Patio at Hidden Valley Resort for the main event: a gorgeous and heartfelt ceremony, decorated with bright blooms and sweet smiles! After, everyone headed over to the Lodge to celebrate with tons of dancing and amazing food! We were even able to sneak these two out for some sunset photos! ☺️

Lindsay and Ryan, it was truly such an honor to be a part of your day. We are so thankful to know you both and pray all the very best for you on this new adventure!

Vendors:

Event Coordinator: Eileen Crawford - Special Occasions Coordinator at Hidden Valley/Seven Springs

Ceremony: The Stone Patio at Hidden Valley Resort (PA)

Officiants: Traci Marriott Bowman and Dave Bowman

Reception: The Lodge at Hidden Valley Resort (PA)

Florist: Linda Brown's Floral

Invitations: Kim McCartney (family friend)

Makeup: Pretty Hair Salon, Valerie Dixon

Hair: Pretty Hair Salon, Christina Oros

Bride's Dress: Exquisite Bride

Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal

Menswear: Men's Wearhouse

Cake: Hidden Valley/Seven Springs Chef

Linens: Table Talk Linens

DJ: 2nd II None Productions

Taylor D: Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

We had the most BEAUTIFUL evening for Taylor's senior portraits at Hartwood Acres Mansion! The sun was in hiding for most of the time, but it came out RIGHT at the end and brought the most beautiful, golden light!

Taylor is heading into her senior year at Seneca Valley. She loves Disney (we got along just fine! ;) ), homemade ranch dressing (none of that from the bottle stuff!), and has aspirations of becoming a lawyer! Congratulations on your senior year, Taylor! 

Silas' First Birthday: McConnell's Mill Family Photos

I know I'm biased as his aunt, but I think this little nugget is the cutest one year old around! I LOVE when I get to take photos for family, so hanging out with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and their son Silas was an absolute blast! I can hardly believe this little guy is nearly a year old. 💛Enjoy a few favorites from their beautiful summer evening family photos at McConnell's Mill below!

Sam & Matt: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott Wedding Photos

You might remember this duo from their Phipp's Conservatory engagement session last summer (click here to check it out!)! Sam and Matt tied the knot in July at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott on a gorgeous summer day, surrounded by so many of their family and friends! Their ceremony took place in the beautiful courtyard of the hotel, surrounded by flower bushes and officiated by Sam's Mamaw - which was so incredibly sweet and personal!

The ceremony was followed by one heck of a party (when 2nd II None Productions is DJing, it's always a party!), along with the most amazing cupcakes I think I've ever had in my life by the Flour & Sugar Cakery.

Congratulations, Sam and Matt! It was such an honor to be a part of your beautiful day!!

Vendors:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott

Makeup: Blake Artistry

Bride's Dress: Bridal Beginnings 

Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal

Florist: Parkway Florist

Cake: Flour & Sugar Cakery

DJ: 2nd II None Productions

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer: Jenna Hidinger Photography

Rachel C: Historic Harmony Senior Photos

Rachel is a soon-to-be Seneca Valley senior who plays the saxophone and absolutely loves ice cream (especially birthday cake from Brusters)!! Her senior session took place in Historic Harmony, which was actually the perfect location, considering she's been taking music lessons right in town for years! We also found out during her session that she works at the same pool that I worked at as a lifeguard when I was her age - which was so fun to learn, and brought back so many good summer job memories for me!

Rachel, you were a joy to photograph and I wish you nothing but the best heading into your senior year! 💛

Jacob C: Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

Jacob is a senior at Laurel Highlands High School and is probably one of the nicest senior guys you'll ever meet! I have absolutely loved working with this awesome family throughout the last few years (see Jacob's brother's senior photos from 2014 here!) and was SO excited when they contacted me again, this time for Jacob's senior photos!

Since Jacob's friends call him "soup," (quite fitting since his last name is "Campbell"), Jacob incorporated some Campbells-themed attire into his session, including a bow tie and some Converse shoes! And, since Jacob plays soccer, we incorporated some of those items, too!

Wendy, Jacob, and Brielle (his soon-to-be sister-in-law!): we absolutely LOVED hanging out with all of you. It was such an honor to take these photos for you! Jacob, you're going to do amazing things!

Emily & Brady: Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe Wedding Photos

I've been looking forward to Emily and Brady's wedding for quite some time since their North Shore engagement session (click here to see it!) early this year. Thankfully - their wedding day was slightly warmer than the day we took their engagement photos! ;) And even more thankfully - it didn't rain, as we expected it to!

Emily and Brady's wedding day started out at the Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe, a beautiful hotel right in Canonsburg! Emily's bridesmaids wore a slate blue dress color, which definitely has to be one of my favorite wedding colors I've seen at any of my weddings this season - it's classy, refined, and photographs like a dream!

After some getting ready photos around the hotel, we headed over to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the heart of Washington, PA for the ceremony. Afterwards, we stopped at Washington & Jefferson College for bridal party & bride and groom photos. And seriously - this has to be one of my new favorite spots for photos! There is so much beautiful architecture, along with quaint historical buildings, that make it the perfect spot for wedding photos with tons of variety!

I know that everyone is supposed to be madly in love on their wedding day - but these two really were. In the midst of the craziness of a wedding day, it's easy to feel the need to push past really savoring moments with one another throughout the day - but it was easy to see that Emily and Brady took the time to truly enjoy themselves, each other, and their family and friends who came to celebrate with them, without getting caught up in the craziness. THOSE are my favorite weddings to be a part of. The ones that aren't just about a one day wedding - they're about a marriage commitment, and a lifelong love between two people.

Without further ado, I'm SO excited to share just a small fraction of my favorite photos from Emily and Brady's wedding day. Congratulations, you two! 💛Thank you for the honor of being a part of your day!

Vendors:

Ceremony: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

Reception: Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe

Bride's Dress: Exquisite Bride

Hair: Hair by Bri

Makeup: Veiled Complexions

DJ: All Star Events (Jason Lacko)

Cake: Bethel Bakery

Florist: Washington Square Flower Shop

Second Shooter: Ashley McLaughlin

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer: Jenna Hidinger Photography

What I Wish I Knew When I First Started Photographing Weddings

Can I tell you about my first wedding for a second? Oh my goodness, was it ROUGH. And no, not because of the couple (who was amazing!) or the photos (which I actually think were pretty good for my first wedding!) - what made my first wedding rough was all of the things that I didn’t know going into it. That’s true with anything, but for a girl who had only been to one wedding my life (as a flower girl when I was four), you could say that there was a lot I didn’t know about weddings.

The truth is, I didn’t have a whole lot of grace for myself in that initial learning period. Maybe you can relate: you start something new, you give it everything you have – and, still, your expectations for yourself fall a little flat. You know what you want, but you don’t necessarily know how to get there yet. Truth be told, that’s a lesson I am still learning, and one that I’ve dedicated a big portion of this year to learning. And in honor of this lesson that I’m learning, I want to share four things I wish I would’ve known when I first started photographing weddings – or maybe, more aptly, four ways I wish I would’ve given myself grace that first time around.

1.     It’s going to take some trial and error.

You know what the funny thing is about doing something for the first time? YOU’VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE! Or, maybe from a different perspective – you really have little to no experience. When I shot my first wedding, I had second shot with a few other photographers before, but nothing would fully prepare me for my first wedding as lead photographer. I felt so much pressure to make sure everything was perfect, and in the process, totally forgot (or really, neglected) to give myself the grace of knowing that there would be a bit of a learning curve. And you know what? I’m still learning six years later, and I'm still having to practice giving myself grace with every single session.

2.     Learning from other people is a necessity!

And speaking of learning – learning from other people is a COMPLETE necessity! I used to feel embarrassed asking other people for help, or even just asking clarifying questions to people who were kind enough to teach me. But when I photograph my first wedding, I had to seek out people who could show me the ropes, and even more importantly – I had to be willing to hear their critique and learn from them with an open mind so that I could improve faster!

3.     Know your gear inside and out!!

Here’s a funny story for you – for my first wedding, I rented some new gear that I had never used before. I had seen it online, I had read the reviews, watched the tutorials – but when I got said gear in the mail (including a camera), I noticed that the camera I had rented took a different type of memory card than what I had! I had literally no idea what to do because I never even knew that there was a different type of memory card out there that I could use!

After shedding a few tears, I ordered a few memory cards that I could use in my fancy rented camera and overnight shipped them to myself. By the grace of God they made it on time, but shortly after, I realized that I had actually spent more money renting gear and buying memory cards than I received in payment for the wedding. And since I didn’t know how to use that gear – I fumbled through the wedding day with it. Looking back, I realize now that it would’ve been more to my benefit to use the gear I already had and was confident using instead of renting a bunch of gear that I didn’t even know how to use, just because it was “fancy!”

4.     IT’S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK.

One of the hardest things for me to do during that first wedding was to sit down during dinner (when there was literally nothing going on to take photos of!) and EAT. And hydrate. And go to the restroom – like a normal human being. I remember Nick (my now husband) physically forcing the camera from my hands and coaxing me to sit down at the spot my couple had so graciously reserved for me to eat dinner. I didn’t realize that it was not only okay, but necessary for me to give my body a teeny tiny bit of rest and refuel – I believed that I had to be taking a photo every five seconds, even while people were eating (and who wants their photo taken while they’re eating?!). Breaks are not only good, but necessary!

What about you? Where do you need to give yourself a little bit of grace? Is it time to give yourself the rest you need? Maybe you need to bow the knee and give yourself the grace and humility to learn from those around you. Or maybe you just need to let yourself fail so that you can pick yourself up and try again next time. Whatever your “thing” might be – give yourself the grace to do it at your own pace. Decide to hold yourself to a standard of grace – not perfection.

Hockenberry Family: North Shore Family Photos

One thing I LOVE about photographing people in Pittsburgh is that there are an overwhelming amount of amazing backgrounds to choose from - which was so true with this family session!

I had the pleasure of photographing this family with their extended family a few years ago and was so honored when they asked me to take a few photos of them in on North Shore this year! I love how thoughtful this family was when choosing their location, too - Sherry (Mom) is an engineer who works on bridges, making the bridges of Pittsburgh the perfect background for their session! They also have a painting of Gus & YiaYia's iceball stand on the North Side that these photos will hang near - making the Pittsburgh theme come full circle!

I'm so thankful for you three, Sherry, Bill, and Logan! Thank you for an awesome evening!!

Herbie's First Birthday: Mellon Park Family Photos

I met up with Nicolas, Natalie, and Hera (Herbie) at Mellon Park a few weeks ago for the most beautiful little first birthday session!

This sweet family recently moved from Durham, NC (fun fact: that's where I was born!) to Pittsburgh, PA - and I'm pretty sure they have the cutest baby EVER! These three were complete naturals in front of the camera, and I'm so honored that I was able to capture all of Herbie's one year old cuteness! Check out a few of my favorites below!