Isn’t it crazy when life comes full circle?! Just a few years back I was photographing Amanda and Jeff for their pregnancy announcement, then for their maternity photos - and now for Atlas’ first Christmas at Lake Forest Gardens! 🎄We had such a great time walking through the rows of trees - even though it was a little muddy, and a little cold, but they were such troopers through it all! Amanda and Jeff, thank you for having me take these photos for you. It was such an honor!
I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family a few times over the last couple of years - and they are truly some of the kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to work with! This year was especially special, considering they’re moving out-of-state towards the end of this year! So, of course, the city made the perfect backdrop as a tribute to their years spent in Pittsburgh.
Eva, Allan, Peter, and Carolyn - you will be missed! Prayers for a smooth move and transition into your new norm! 💛
Leah and Connor’s wedding was unlike any other I had ever experienced. When I first sat down with Leah and Connor, they explained the vision for their day: intimate, full of family and friends, and focused on what really matters. And truly, their day was all of that and more!
Their venue, the Morning Glory Inn (located on the South Side of Pittsburgh) is one of the most unique and intimate wedding venues I’ve ever come across! Though I tried to do this venue justice through Leah and Connor’s photos, this is a place you have to see in person and really experience to appreciate fully! (They take reservations for guests to stay - so if you’re looking for a “stay-cation,” I would highly recommend checking out this spot!)
The wedding day began inside the inn, which has SO MANY beautiful locations for detail photos! Being someone who LOVES the photographing the detail portion of the day (invitation suite, bride’s dress, jewelry, etc.) I was in heaven!! And on top of all of the inn details, Leah had the most beautiful details that matched the vibe of the inn to a “T”!
After getting ready, Leah shared a first look with her dad. There was hardly a dry eye in the room (including mine!). Immediately after, Leah and Connor shared a first look together in the courtyard of the Inn!
We headed to the Mellon Institute columns for bridal party and bride & groom portraits, then back to the Inn for the ceremony - which might’ve been the most unique part of the day! Guests stood in the courtyard, surrounding the bride and groom for the ceremony, which made it feel like there was a closeness and intimacy that is sometimes lost during wedding ceremonies!
After the ceremony were toasts, a delicious meal by Fish Hawk Acres catering, and TONS of dancing in the courtyard! We were even able to sneak Leah and Connor out at just the right moment (when it just started raining!) for a night portrait in front of the Inn!
Leah and Connor, I couldn’t have been more thankful to be a part of your day. Thank you (to you two and your friends & family!) for having as capture such a beautiful day, and for making us feel like a part of the family in the process. 💛
Ceremony & Reception: Morning Glory Inn
Bride’s Dress: Bridal Beginning (Wtoo Watters)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Bouquets: Deb Smith (Maid of Honor’s Mother)
Menswear: The Black Tux
Invitations: Minted Weddings
Catering: Fish Hawk Acres
Officiant: Meaningful Marriages (Larry)
Cake: Oakmont Bakery
Makeup: Briann Mattise (JL Makeup Studio)
Hair: Sahaira Beauty Salon
Cait and Brian met in high school and started dating in the summer of 2011, and are tying the knot at the White Barn next year! These two were such troopers with the rain and cold during their session - I couldn't have asked for two kinder people to photograph! Congratulations on your engagement, Cait and Brian! 💛
Krista + Brent live in Chicago, got engaged in Delaware, and are tying the knot in the 'Burgh next year! We had THE perfect fall evening for their engagement session, and I even got to meet their adorable Golden Retriever pup named Phil! And after their engagement photos, these two headed straight over to the Steelers game - talk about a great night!! 💛
Thank you so much for the honor of taking these photos for you, Krista and Brent!
Hartwood in the fall... I'm not sure it gets much better, except for maybe pairing it with Valerie and Matt! These two met at Robert Morris University (my alma mater!), but didn't start dating until they reconnected a few years later! Both are graphic designers, love tacos, and are just all around wonderful, easy going people. So thankful to know you both, Valerie and Matt!
PS - Valerie's engagement ring is emerald and an heirloom from Matt's family! 💍
I’ve been to Indiana, PA twice - once before for a wedding, and the second time was to photograph these two for their engagement photos! And it was completely and totally worth the trip! 💛 Amy and Anthony met while attending IUP (see more from Amy’s recount of their story below!) and got engaged on a trip to Florida last fall! One of my favorite little details I learned about these two is that Anthony took Amy (on their first date) to the same restaurant that Anthony’s dad took Anthony’s mom to on their first date 😭 Talk about special!
Besides their love for coffee and cars, these two love traveling and being adventurous together! One of their more adventurous dates included zip-lining over the ocean and swimming with dolphins. They’ve also backpacked around Switzerland, where they “scootered” down the alps! Even in the midst of all of their adventuring, I couldn’t help but get the sense that these two truly love and care not only for each other, but for the people around them. They are two incredibly kind and down-to-earth people who I feel so privileged to know!
Amy and Anthony, thank you for the incredible honor of taking these photos for you! I cannot WAIT for your wedding!! 💛
How they met:
“IUP hosts a mandatory pre-departure meeting for all students studying abroad. We both studied abroad in Spring 2014 -myself in Spain and Anthony in England. Due to an error (or some may call it fate) in the seating chart, my assigned seat was at the England table, right next to Anthony. We talked the whole meeting and then left and went our separate ways, without talking or communicating in any way again. Then on my first night back in Indiana in August 2014, I was out catching up with a friend and Anthony walked into the restaurant. It turns out that the friend I was out with was a mutual friend of both mine and Anthony's, so Anthony sat down with us for awhile. We hit it off again, but this time we weren't studying abroad, so we've been almost inseparable ever since.”
Two words: three boys - all five and under! 😲 And let me tell you - these three were some of the most well behaved kids I think I’ve ever photographed!
I had the pleasure of photographing this absolutely beautiful (and fun!) family just a few weeks ago at one of my favorite places - Hartwood Acres! Megan and Chris told me that they hadn’t had professional photos taken for eleven (or twelve?) years - since their wedding!! So of course, after we snagged a few of the whole family and the kids, we snagged a few updated portraits of Megan and Chris!
Thank you all for the honor of taking these photos! 💛
Lauren and John have been together for ELEVEN years. How amazing is that?! These two have a big group of friends and have attended countless weddings this year - when we went over to Lauren and John’s house for detail & final prep photos, I noticed that one side of their fridge was completely covered in save the dates - and that is NOT an exaggeration! There were even some spilling onto the front of their fridge - it was unbelievable!
It’s easy to see how these two have such a large group of supportive friends and family surrounding them - they are two of the easiest, most laid back people to be around! Their wedding fell on one of the first cool days in October, which made it really start to feel like fall! For their ceremony, Lauren and John had buckets of each of their favorite beers (IC Light and Miller Lite, respectively) for their guests to enjoy, and after the ceremony, their pup joined them for a few family photos. Lauren and John were total naturals in front of the camera and made my job EXTRA fun with all of their dips and twirls!
We finished off the night celebrating their marriage at the Columbian Room in Wexford! Congratulations on your marriage, Lauren and John! So thankful to have been a part of your day!
Vendors:
Ceremony: Richland Township Community Park Pavilion
Reception: The Columbian Room
Hair & Makeup: Hats Off Hair Design
Bride’s Dress: Michaels Bridal in Pines Plaza
Bridesmaid Dresses: Banana Republic
Menswear: Tuxedo Junction
Invitations: Designed by the Bride using Vista Print
Photography: Jenna Hidinger Photography
Natasha’s senior session took place on a crisp October morning, just when the leaves began changing at McConnell’s Mill. One of the BEST things about scheduling a session in the morning is the fact that there are so few people (usually!), which helped us SO much at such a popular location like McConnell’s Mill - we basically had the park to ourselves!
Natasha is graduating in 2019 from Montour High School and has such a fun and carefree personality! She brought a hat to her senior session, which really helped pull her fall look together (even though she rarely wears hats!). It goes to show that sometimes going a little outside of your normal comfort zone in terms of style can be a great idea! If you’re looking for some more ideas on how to up your senior outfit game, (or really, any photo shoot outfit game!) feel free to check out this article I wrote a little while back!
Natasha, thank you for the honor of taking these photos - you are going to do incredible things! 💛
