Choosing and planning your wedding decor elements like linens, centerpieces, signage and favors can seem like an overwhelming task if you don’t start early and start with a mood or vision board, but luckily there is tons of inspiration out there and tons of venues that can match your theme!

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Abbey and Jake had a beautiful National Park Themed Wedding at Tuck’d Inn Farm - a gorgeous venue that felt like a nature destination in itself. Tucked away in the Cook’s Forest just northeast of Pittsburgh, it lends itself perfectly to a wedding designed to celebrate the beauty of love and of nature.

There were many ways in which the couple incorporated the theme into the day:

Venue Location

Starting with the actual venue itself, Tuck’d Inn Farm is a spacious venue that was built with such intention for events. It’s more like a “barn-shaped” elegant event hall than “farm.” With plenty of parking, beautiful views and privacy, it truly feels like a luxury escape. The couple shared with me that they were camping at the nearby state park and happened to drive past the wedding venue. After a quick internet search and an initial tour, they knew it was exactly what they were dreaming of.

How can you choose a venue that fits your wedding theme? I would suggest starting with how you want you and your guests to FEEL when they spend time there. Consider what’s around, what the guest accommodations are, and what your non-negotiables are.

TableScape

Opting for farm-style long tables created a more relaxed family-style feel, as opposed to round tables which are often used in ballrooms. The runners in the middle of the table let the natural wood become a part of the design as well, lending to a rustic “camp” style feel. Top it off with handkerchief napkins and speckled enamel coffee mugs (custom printed) and it created a whimsical and delightful nod at having a picnic in the mountains. Don’t be deterred by “rustic” though, the bud vases of colorful fresh flowers and crystal water glasses made the whole tablescape feel both elevated and refined.

Signage

If all the other decor doesn’t give your guests the idea of the theme, you can really make your point with signage and other printed decor. The couple turned their guestbook into postcards they collected at every park they visited, where guests could write their will wishes on the back for them. The tables and seating chart were bespoke as well, the chart showing a map with every significant destination the couple has enjoyed together, with the tables named after them. Guests could then enjoy being at the “Smoky Mountain National Park” table instead of being at “Table 13.”

Ceremony

One other sweet way the theme was incorporated was in the actual vows themselves. Not exactly planned by the couple, the officiant (the Bride’s grandma!) wove in beautiful well-wishes that were themed to the couple’s favorite places (“May your love by as vast as the Grand Canyon” - I made this one up because my memory is terrible, but hers were even MORE beautiful!)

If your officiant doesn’t know you and your partner before hand, try reaching out to a poetic friend or even ChatGPT for some inspiration on how to incorporate your theme into wedding vows. Also if you NEED an officiant still, check this out!

I hope this gives you some inspiration and some boldness to try out some of the ways mentioned to truly make your wedding unforgettable, and most importantly, YOURS. Enjoy some beautiful wedding photos at the Tuck’d Inn Farm.

Weddings can be crazy expensive, so make sure you budget in some extra for these potential hidden costs for weddings that are sometimes overlooked! Even though I’m normally a Pittsburgh and Indiana based wedding photographer, I was lucky enough to travel to photograph this Harrisburg Wedding! Deb and Michael definitely pulled off the “wedding of the century” at the Manor on Front in Harrisburg, incorporating their sacred wedding mass rooted in history and tradition, their stunning venue harkening prohibition-era in structure and decor, and our collaboration to emulate family heirloom wedding portraits.

The smartest thing about this wedding though? Their ability to pull off a high-end, classy wedding with money-saving tweaks like a small guest list, DIY signage, and utilizing smaller vendor packages (like limited time for photography or having live music during cocktail hour only).

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Hidden Wedding Costs to Plan for

Below are some general tips for making sure you set aside some extra funds to ensure there’s no surprises that last month before the wedding when everything gets expensive!

PERMITS:

If you have your heart set on a location for photos, the next step is to find out who owns or controls that location and see if they require a permit and how much that costs.

SNACKS:

Food can be a nuisance on a day when you are crazy busy, but if you have everything prepared ahead of time (including how to pay for it!), you can just enjoy! Consider breakfast, lunch, and snacks/drinks for after the ceremony too!

TIPS:

Although not necessary, you may want to budget in some money to tip your vendors who are providing a service in real-time at your wedding, including your bartenders, DJ, videographer, photographer, limo driver and catering staff.

PARKING:

It's likely that your venue will have a parking lot, but have you thought about any stops along the way in between the ceremony and reception? If your bridal party is going to be driving their own cars to your photo locations, make sure everyone has money for unexpected meters or tolls! 

DRESS/SUIT:

Even if you don't think you need alterations, you probably do. Your dress or suit was not MADE for your body, so budget just a bit more to get it to look absolutely perfect. And if the dress has a train, you WILL want a bustle.

POSTAGE:

If you are doing save the dates, invites, and thank you cards, the postage for each piece can add up! Without realizing it, your guest list of 300 just cost you $450+ in stamps!

PAPER PRODUCTS:

Invites are obvious, but what about other paper products you will need like RSVP cards, gift registry cards, escort cards, programs, maps, menus, signage, and more?

REHEARSALS:

Rehearsal dinners can be as fancy or as informal as you wish, but there WILL be an expense to consider, whether that be renting a room at a venue, tips, parking at a restaurant, or even paper goods for a pot-luck style shin-dig. Figure out your plan early and think through the details! Also, check if your venue requires anextra rental fee for occupying it during your rehearsal day (most do).

I have photographed many weddings at the Roost Event Center in the few years they have been operating in Mahaffey, PA and it is a very popular venue for a reason! This July, Christine + Ryan pulled off an epic wedding that felt like sweet slow summertime romance meets life in the fast lane IYKYK! Both of these wonderful people are astonishingly talented and fearless, as anyone at this stunning wedding can attest to. So much decor and details were hand-made, and the unique color scheme was equal parts romantic and whimsical.

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Unique Wedding colors

As a lover of color and anything bespoke when it comes to weddings, I absolutely adored the color palette dreamed up by the bride, all the way back to when she first got engaged. The butter yellow bridesmaid dresses were a part of the theme and vision far before they started to trend this wedding season. The florals followed suit (literally), matching the yellow dresses from Revelry and the groom’s LAVENDER suit from Men’s Wearhouse! The colors were carried throughout the details of the day as well! I was blown away by all of the clever places the yellow and lavender were used:

Wedding color decor ideas

• linens

• candlesticks

• cookie icing

• cake icing

• welcome sign

• seating chart

• escort cards (she used screen printed chiffon that matched the dresses!)

• lawn games (custom connect 4 game pieces! What?!?!)

• table signs

• playing cards as a guest book (guests sign each card in a deck!)

---

I hope this inspires you to think outside the black and white box that weddings usually live in and incorporate some COLOR into your big day! If you’re looking for a photographer that will edit those colors like you intended, lets talk! And of course this day could not have been as seamless without the help from this stellar team:

Hair: LadyDi Creates

Makeup: @thespaandstudioatmds

Invites: the BRIDE!!

Florals: Flower and Balloon Gallery

Catering: @oldcarolinabbqofficial

DJ: Royal Heir Professional DJ Services

Video: Capture Life Films, LLC

Coordinator: Events by Emily

Donut Truck: Sinkers & Suds Food Truck

Second Photographer: Jon Blanchard Photography

Looking to be efficient with your wedding photography budget and weighing if 6 hours of photography coverage is enough? In this post I’ll walk you through a 6 hour wedding day timeline and outline things that must be considered in order to have everything on your wedding day captured in 6 hours without feeling rushed!

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Example 6 Hour Wedding Timeline Template

Venue: SanaView Farms

3:00 - photographer arrives and captures detail photos
3:30 - bride gets dressed / bridal portraits

3:50 - first look with family
4:00 - groom gets dressed / groom portraits
4:30 - ceremony
4:45 - family photos/ cocktail hour
5:15 - bridal party photos
5:30 - bride and groom photos
6:00 - grand entrance
First dance
Parent dances
Cake cutting
Toasts
6:30 - dinner
7:15 - dancing
8:45 - sunset photos
9:00 - photographer departs / sparkler photo

This timeline was from a mid-July wedding that I photographed by myself - yes, it can be done! There are obviously some trade-offs and concessions that have to be made in order to have everything work. Things like having a small bridal party and not minding about having minimal prep photos were definitely helpful. I tell couples that when they are planning their coverage, we can either pair it down by taking time off of the beginning prep shots or the end dancing photos. Luckily this couple was happy to work with just a few of the important prep shots to save time for the fun at the end of the day!

It’s also very helpful having a smaller bridal for that small window for prep shots. Hair and makeup must be done ad gone by the time the photographer arrives and everyone ready to jump into their wedding outfits!

Perhaps the three most crucial elements, however, for having a 6 hour timeline are the following:

All - inclusive venue

If you’re doing shorter photography coverage, an all-inclusive venue, meaning a place where you can have both the ceremony and reception, is a MUST. Not only does travel time take up valuable time, but getting everyone packed up and out the door takes much more time than you think, which invites lots of opportunities to run late or have to hold things up because you’re waiting on one person in the wedding party to arrive. If you want to include prep shots in your 6 hours as well, having EVERYONE in the bridal party getting ready at the venue is also a must. If you’re shopping for a venue, it’s is a BIG selling point if they can accommodate both sides of the wedding party, the ceremony, and the reception all in the same walkable location.

Later ceremony time

Venues that shut down at 9pm because of residential noise ordinances will often push couples to have ceremonies that start at 2 or 3pm in order to still have a 4 hour reception, but if you’re looking for the most complete photography coverage that will include prep photos, you have to push your ceremony later to 4 or even 5pm. This gives the photographer enough time to get in the prep and detail shots before the wedding, and also have coverage extend past dinner into dancing!

consider the season for outdoor portraits

If you are having your ceremony outdoors or want your photos outdoors, you have to consider the season and when the sun goes down. The example timeline above was from a wedding in mid-July when the days were at their longest and the sun was up until past 8:30pm. If you’re having a fall wedding and the sun sets around 7, you’ll have to accept doing a first-look to get your outdoor portraits done before the ceremony (and thus lose dancing coverage).

If you’re considering a 6 hour wedding photography timeline for your big day, it is definitely achievable by following the septs outlined above. This wedding described in the post was easily one of the most relaxed, enjoyable weddings of my career, and not because of any plan we created, but because the couple CHOSE to be relaxed, trusting, and fully present for their friends and family.