The wedding landscape has certainly changed a lot in the past year, forcing many couples to change up their original plans. I doubt Sam and Kate ever imagined having to plan two separate wedding days, but due to the current state of the world right now, they ended up needing to do a small courthouse ceremony this spring and also a large traditional wedding with all their friends and family next spring, which will be happening at the Booking House in Manheim, PA. So when they hired us to photograph their wedding next year, they asked if we would be willing to also do some pictures with the two of them and a few family members after their small courthouse ceremony in Baltimore, which of course we said yes to!
To give you a little background, these two met in typical millennial fashion - on the Hinge dating app. Sam took Kate to a local bar's 21st Birthday event where they rolled back the prices to 1996 on all their house made beer and the rest is history! Over the past few months Sam started joking with Kate, asking "Do you want to get married?" to which she would say, "Of course" and he would joke, “See now we're engaged, that was easy, no ring needed." And then one day last September, while in Kate’s hometown in New Jersey, Sam insisted in the morning that they take a nice long hike (one of their favorite activities), but Kate, feeling tired, wasn’t too excited about that idea. After some convincing she agreed and they got in the car driving up toward the NJ/PA state line and Appalachian trail, but the weather did not agree with Sam's plans. After about two hours of driving through drizzle they agreed that the drive through the nice roads was pretty enough and decided to head for something to eat. Sitting in the diner parking lot Sam stopped Kate before getting out of the car and asked "Do you want to get married?" She laughed and rolled her eyes and as always said "Of course". She then realized that he seemed nervous. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he designed himself and said "No, seriously." So they got engaged in a diner parking lot, like every good Jersey girl should! (Kate’s words, not mine, lol)
Leading up to the day of their ceremony, I was getting a little nervous about the weather, since the forecast was saying windy and rainy. But to my pleasant surprise, there was not a raincloud in sight all day. We did have to deal with super strong winds though, which sort of became the joke of the day. It made for a bit of difficulty trying to get hair and outfits to cooperate, but Sam and Kate had such a great attitude and took the whole thing in stride. I also have to say how much I love that, even though it was a small courthouse ceremony, Sam and Kate showed up dressed to perfection. Sam, who is from the UK, reminded me of Colin Firth in his dapper blue suit, and Kate looked stunning in her white jumpsuit and blue shoes. And speaking of style, check out this gorgeous ring! I’m so impressed with Sam’s design skills!
Since this was a small courthouse ceremony, I wasn’t expecting to have many details to photograph, but I’m glad Sam and Kate still had a few meaningful pieces that added to their wedding day, like the horseshoe that Sam’s family sent over all the way from across the pond since they couldn’t be there in person. Kate’s other details consisted mainly of her rings, blue shoes, and flower bouquet. Typically a groom’s details include things like watches, ties, cuff links, and shoes. But I’m pretty sure anyone who knows Sam knows his love for photography and especially vintage film cameras. So of course I had to showcase his favorite accessory, his Hasselblad.
I could go on and on about how fun this afternoon with Sam and Kate was, from wandering around the beautiful Mount Vernon neighborhood right as things are starting to bloom for spring, to laughing with Sam and Kate and her family while trying to do portraits during gale force winds. I’m so grateful we were able to capture these images for them, and I can’t wait for their wedding back here in PA in exactly a year! Congrats Sam and Kate!!
