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).

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.

The Indiana Country Club in Indiana PA is a great venue for an upscale wedding with both indoor and outdoor options for your ceremony. I’ve photographed weddings with the ceremony outdoors in the dedicated grove of trees near the golf course for ceremonies, with ceremonies outdoors but under their covered clubhouse patio, and also indoors in the ballroom with a quick room flip for the reception. It’s truly a versatile place for your wedding no matter the weather or room set up.

Most couples that get married at Indiana Country Club will rent a room at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn and use that for a more aesthetic space for getting ready. The Country Club offers to locker rooms for the same purpose, but they are also still open to the public. The groomsmen can opt for getting ready in the Cigar Lounge if the smoke doesn’t bother them.

The country club would honestly be my choice for a wedding reception if I could do my wedding all over again, even after seeing hundreds of venues. You don’t have to worry about parking, guest accommodations, bartenders, wait staff, finding a caterer, decor, coordinators, tables linens and chairs, and weather options. The food is consistently some of the best wedding food I’ve had and the food and drink package is on-par with, if not cheaper than, most caterers. Not to mention it’s beautiful inside and out!

Natalie and Ben had a beautiful and modern black and white outdoor wedding at the Indiana Country Club this past July. The ceremony was outdoors in the grove, which made for a very romantic atmosphere among the tall grasses and shady trees. Confetti exits were popular this year, which always means some amazing photos right at the happiest part of the day - when your smile is the biggest and most genuine.

Their bridal party looked amazing in all black, keeping to the classy black and white theme even with their decor. The country club offers black table linens which is unique and looks so elegant with the white napkins and white floral centerpieces.

Another unique touch to this wedding was the light up letters, rented from a local company. The staff set these up and tore them down at the end of the night, and it made for a big impact and a way to decorate the adjoining patio space off of the reception ballroom.

If you’re looking for a money-smart but still upscale choice for a wedding venue that can accommodate both indoor and outdoor ceremonies, the Indiana County Club is definitely a wonderful choice!

Thinking of having a small, affordable wedding and looking to elope at the Allegheny County Courthouse? What could be better than a Christmas time elopement in a beautiful city like Pittsburgh full of magical holiday events and pop ups? Make it even more magical with a couple that’s only seen snow once, are huge Pittsburgh sports fans, and have the best weekend ever planned for their holiday wedding vacay!

With me being a photographer and my husband being a pastor, the courthouse is always a favorite for both of us for low-stress but still beautiful wedding ceremonies and photos. The Christmas decor at the grand staircase makes it even more special! This sweet couple flew in from Texas for their Pittsburgh nuptials, and I’m thrilled to have worked with them to help their day so easy and memorable.

Preparing for your ELOPEMENT

Applying for a license is a pretty easy and straightforward process on the Courthouse’s website. They will schedule a zoom call with you to go over specifics. The morning of the wedding the bride and groom picked up their bouquet at a local florist, picked up their marriage license, and walked right next door to the courthouse grand staircase to make it official! To prepare for photos and officiating with us, we do a zoom call too to meet you and discuss photo location options and to talk about any personal touches you want in your ceremony message and vows.

There’s never a ton of people around so your ceremony will still feel private. After the sweet and meaningful ceremony we did some photos in the beautiful courthouse, outside in the courtyard, then at some elegant and very Pittsburgh-y locations to really capture the magic of the city!

With traditional wedding costs on the rise, its becoming more and more popular to elope and have a more casual party with friends and family at another time. The Allegheny County Courthouse definitely makes it easy and elegant, not to mention finding a photographer/officiant team to help tie it all together!

Maddy and Mitch had such a beautiful day full of memorable moments and all of their favorite people and friends! This particular wedding, too, shows that you CAN in fact get married at the location that’s important to you and find time to travel on your wedding day to the reception venue of your dreams. The 9 hour timeline ensured that there was enough time to get all of the things on the wishlist, including prep shots, a “first touch”, a full Catholic mass, 45 minutes of travel, family photos, portraits, detail shots, large group shots, table shots, sunset photos, dancing photos, and a sparkler exit!

wedding timeline with travel

If you are wanting to create your best day ever around a bit of travel, the best way to approach it is with a convo with your photographer and adding on some extra time to the photo package JUST for the travel portion. A typical wedding timeline needs about 2 hours before the ceremony to get prep shots, and 2 hours after the ceremony for family photos, bridal party portraits, bride and groom portraits, a quick restroom break, and bustling the dress before grand introductions. Having time APART from all of that for travel ensures the smoothest possible day and adequate time to fit in everything photo-wise.

Many other things can affect the timeline as well including having a second photographer, doing a first look where you and your fiance see each other and get photos before the ceremony, the time of year for sunset and sparkler photos, and so much more. This is why an experienced photographer is invaluable - we’ve seen it all and can shift the pieces to make YOUR timeline exactly what you want it to be!

I started the day at Maddy’s beautiful house when hair and makeup were finishing up and snapped some sweet moments with the bridesmaids in their matching robes, then headed over to the church to see Mitch arrive in his beautifully restored classic car! After a sweet “first touch” in the stairwell to help calm some nerves, the beautiful Catholic mass started, complete with the most well-timed thunder and rain that was nice enough to finish before we had to leave!

I love doing family photos in beautiful churches, and St. Barbara’s was as stunning of a backdrop as anything else! After the family photos we got more beautiful shots with the bride and groom and the classic car, even recreating a photo from their grandparents’ wedding day!

Once we all arrive at the gorgeous Lingrow I got some lightening-fast detail shots as guests arrived for cocktail hour downstairs. Soon the bridal party was ready to go and we did a few fun group photos, individual photos, and beautiful bride and groom portraits that showcased the best features and view of the gorgeous venue.

Guests were dazzled by a dance completely choreographed by the bride, and we were able to get a massive group photo of all 175+ guests packing the dance floor to kick off the party! Even though the day was hot and humid, Maddy and Mitch were so incredibly sweet and kind enough to go back outside at sunset to get one last epic shot with a cotton-candy sky and, of course, the car!

We wrapped up the full day with a beautiful sparkler exit and some more expert twirls to cap off Mitch and Maddy’s happily ever after!

Thank you to these wonderful vendors who truly were a force on this very full day!

Venue: Lingrow Farm

Coordinator: Leah Frey

DJ: Royal Heir DJ

Cake: The BRIDE!!!

Florals: Bride and mom!

HMUA: Sanctus Spa and Salon

The Home Farm Barn is a great choice for a wedding venue if you’re looking for a barn venue that’s not too rustic and has beautiful spots for portraits. Every inch of the barn is beautiful and elevated, from its modern neutral color scheme to its beautiful glass gallery room on the bottom floor.

Nick and Rachel started their wedding day at the Home Farm Barn by getting ready in the downstairs Tack Room, a small room that can accommodate bridesmaids getting their hair and makeup done or that can function as a holding place for groomsmen until ceremony time. With its countertops, natural light, and full mirrors, it has everything you need for your finishing touches.

wedding venues with rain plans

This particular wedding had their ceremony inside of the bottom level of the barn, known as the glass gallery. This is a great option if rain is in the forecast for your wedding day since it is still beautiful and spacious enough for all of your guests to sit comfortably. Cocktail hour can easily be held in the reminder of the bottom floor of the barn since the dining is upstairs and the glass gallery’s sliding doors separate it into its own room. The industrial kitchen on this bottom floor also make it easy for caterers to keep food hot and cake cool.

With the option to add on the Just Hitched bar trailer that can be parked INSIDE the bottom floor for your cocktail hour, there is all the convenience and none of the down time having to flip spaces from one part of the day to the next.

barn wedding venues with outdoor ceremony

The outdoor patio just off of the glass gallery is a fantastic choice for your ceremony if the weather is cooperating, and also makes a beautiful, clean, neutral spot for group photos overlooking the property’s beautiful willow trees. Guests can also enjoy the tire swing and space for lawn games.

The main barn upstairs is accessed by a beautiful wide timber staircase, making for dramatic grand entrances that are photographer friendly and don’t require your bridal party to awkwardly wait outside of a set of closed barn doors like at other barn venues. The dance floor will also be tastefully decorated with twinkle lights and large hanging hoops that can hold greenery or other decor.

wedding venues with transportation

At the end of the night, Home Farm Barn’s trolley service will make sure that your guests get back to their hotel (there are 2 great hotel options less than 10 minutes from the venue) and also make for lovely photo ops. The venue does require that guests ride the trolley to maximize the efficiency of parking at the venue.

This couple featured below wanted to end the night with a sparkler send off, and again the beautiful exterior of the barn provides a great backdrop and the outside lighting helps make the photo even more successful.

Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort Weddings

Chestnut Ridge is one of the biggest, most upscale wedding venues outside of Pittsburgh. The ballroom can hold 350 guests, and the on-site amenities make it extremely convenient for you and your guests. The wedding featured below utilized the getting ready room downstairs, the on-site salon, a separate space for their ceremony, in-house catering, and a late-night pizza bar.

We started the day with the women getting ready in the downstairs conference room which had plenty of natural light for hair and makeup. Some of the members of the bridal party even got their hair done at the salon in the downstairs floor of the resort. The men got ready at the neighboring hotel, the Hampton Inn, which made for a very convenient option for guests as well since it is in the same complex as the resort.

The ceremony took place in an upstairs ballroom which neighbored the beautiful reception hall, separated by room dividers but still boasting the beautiful view of the mountains out of the window!

When it comes time for portraits, the resort is happy to lend you golf carts for your entire bridal party and will escort you around the course for all of your photos.

Chesnut Ridge is wonderful at setting up a seamless buffet experience in the room adjacent to your reception, and the food is always fantastic. They also have a wonderful and spacious display for cookies right in the main ballroom.

Guests always have a great time on the ample dance floor - there’s plenty of room to hold even the largest guests lists without having to tear down tables on the dance floor or fight your way through chairs to move around the room.

Hope you can find some inspiration for your Chest Ridge wedding!

Weddings are one of the most expensive things you will encounter in your life, but as wedding culture evolves, so do ways to make your wedding more unique AND more cost effective. COVID undoubtedly turned the world upside down, but some of the practices that we adopted to have safe, outdoor weddings have impacted wedding trends and are sticking around for a long time. Some of these changes can even be used to save you money, and definitely have made more non-traditional weddings more popular, which means you can feel more free than ever to plan the wedding that YOU want!

Wedding changes thanks to covid

• Friday and Sunday dates: a lot of venues now offer Friday and Sunday dates as they aren’t as popular as Saturday. This way, they can accommodate more weddings in a year!

• Small Ceremonies: It’s common now for couples to have a small ceremony at churches, homes, or even the courthouse. Sometimes ceremonies are even private and then guests are invited to the reception portion of the day only.

• Split dates: the ceremony can be now, and the party can be later! Clients are still having their big, dream receptions, only a year later. This makes having an elopement or destination wedding much easier!

• Smaller Bridal Parties: A way to cut down on expenses and day-of chaos is to downsize your bridal party. There are lots of ways you can honor your family and closest friends and have them be a part of your wedding, such as having them as ushers, read a passage during your ceremony, give speeches at dinner, or dedicate songs to them at the reception.

• House Parties: Some couples are opting to scale down from start to finish, having a small ceremony and then a banger of a house party after!

Most brides have every intention of making an awesome coffee table album of their wedding photos, but the truth is, they never get around to it. (I have been married for over a decade and still have not made mine!) After your wedding, you will have SO much to do, including selling or storing decorations, getting your dress cleaned and preserved, perhaps moving in together, finding places to store the wedding gifts, not to mention those dreaded thank you cards! Perhaps most overwhleming of all is the never-ending legalities of changing your name, combining bank accounts, etc! When you're trying to settle into your newly married life and roles, time to create a photo album is a luxury many don't have. (…and then 11 years later still not having time like moi hahaha)

Enter online sites like Shutterfly. Shutterfly sells wedding albums, and they have templates to save you lots of time, and they are cheap! What’s not to love? It’s no shock that your photographer would prefer you did NOT use Shutterfly, but I take a different approach. I don’t care if you spend the extra money and have me do it, or if you save some time and do it yourself - the important part is that your photos are getting a chance to live in the real world (not just on your computer or phone!) and THAT is why we create art!

The best day of your life deserves to be showcased for years to come, and that means your wedding photos cannot just live on in your cell phone! It's so important to be able to celebrate your life together often, and showcasing an album that's beautiful and durable as part of your home decor will give you the opportunity to reminisce together in those memories over and over again. Not to mention, an album is a great heirloom to pass on to your soon-to-be growing family!

The big advantage when choosing “me or them” is first and foremost quality. It’s obviously ideal to have an album with a stunning and durable cover to compliment your home's style, one with thick pages to endure hundreds of turns, something that is weighty and durable enough to stand up to being toted back and forth to friends’ and families’ homes, and you need something with the same quality and valuable as your perfect wedding day. Quality is worth it! It’s a hard balance to not only make your album, but know exactly how many photos to put in it! The albums I design typically have 50-75 images in them.

how easy is it to design an album?

If you decide to either book a package with an album included, purchase one after your wedding through me, the entire process of designing it couldn’t be more simple. Most of my wedding couples DO get an album, and we are able to meet in person to design their dream album! I will show up to that meeting with a draft on my computer, and we will be able to go through page-by-page to swap out or delete photos you don’t want until the amount of photos and the selections are exactly what you want!

But what if you don’t live closeby? We can do the entire process mentioned above over zoom, or if you prefer, we can do it over email as it’s convenient for you! Here's a timeline of what to expect in order for us to work together to create the album of your dreams!

1. The first draft of your album with images chosen by me will be sent to your email (or you get to see it in person at a meeting!) in about two weeks after your gallery is delivered. I use an online tool called Album Draft that makes it super easy for you to make edits and let me know which photos you would like to use instead of the ones I initially chose for your draft. This tool shows you a digital version of your album and makes it super easy for you to click each photo and make notes, such as what you want to change, etc. 

2. We will then email requests and edits back and forth until we settle on a design you love!

3. Final design is approved, albums ordered and shipped directly to you!

I asked Steph, the bride from the video above, to give YOU real, honest feedback about everything albums from designing it together to the album itself. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: Can you describe the process of reviewing the album and submitting changes online yourself?

A: The processing of reviewing the album is very simple and convenient. At first I thought I would have to view it only on my desktop but I tried to view it on my phone and it worked just as good! It is like viewing an actual album virtually and turning the pages like you are holding it in your hand. Submitting changes is just as simple. You just click on the picture that you would like to change/swap and make a note of what change you'd like to change.

Q; What was your overall impression of the software?

A: The software is very user friendly and high-quality.Was the software easy to use?Very easy to use! Quick, simple, and very user-friendly.

Q: How easy or hard was it to customize your album exactly the way you wanted it to be?

A: Extremely simple! There were a handful of changes that were made but they were made quickly and precisely.

Q: About how long did it take you to submit changes?

A: Only a couple of minutes.

Q: Were you happy with how fast changes were sent back to you?

A: Yes! Barely any wait time at all!

Q: Would you recommend ordering an album to future brides?

A: Absolutely! It was such a simple process and the finished product was more than perfect! The process was made easy and the finished product was exactly what I wanted and more :) I am thrilled I decided to go through the process because I have a beautiful keep sake of the best day (my wedding day) for the rest of my life!