The great thing about a family friend getting married is it gives you an excuse to go home to Pittsburgh and shoot their wedding. Jenny + Adam had a beautiful winter wedding in Butler, Pennsylvania. There was a light dusting of snow that was perfect for fairy tale kind of pictures.

Jenny and her bridesmaids all got ready at Jenny + Adam’s house they recently purchased.

Jenny wore her mom’s veil.

Her soon-to-be sister-in-law, sister and mom helped Jenny get into her dress and put on all her accessories.

Jenny’s mom gave her a lace handkerchief, perfect for reading Adam’s note.

Part of Jenny’s mom’s wedding dress was wrapped around her bouquet and her bridesmaids gave her a cute Kate Spade clutch as her something blue.

I met up with Adam and his groomsmen at his parents’ house.

Adam + Jenny opted for a first look and were up for a little different of a plan. Adam waited on one side of a column while Jenny got in place.

Neither one had seen each other and then on the count of three…

They saw each other at the exact same time!

They had quite the audience watching from the windows.

The great thing about doing a first look is it leaves lots of time for portraits! (Especially in the fall/winter when it gets dark early.) We really took advantage of the extra time!

Jenny was such a trooper in the cold.  She said it wasn’t that bad, but the poor girl had goosebumps. I secretly loved that she was willing to sacrifice a little for the portraits!

Adam’s parents’ house had so many perfect spots for pictures.

You know I love some black and white! Love these classic shots so much!

Jenny brought out a beautiful wrap for some portraits too… she looks like a snow princess!

The bridesmaids were such troopers in the snow too!

Everyone headed back inside to warm up and for a couple more shots.

This was a big bridal party, but they were such a great group to work with!

I found this spot in the den while exploring the house and knew we had to stop for a couple of portraits.

This may be my favorite shot of the day! So classic and timeless!

I don’t normally post family pictures, but I really loved this shot of both their immediate families together.

The North Street Christian Church was filled, I’d even say stuffed, with Jenny + Adam’s closest family and friends.

I just love flower girls!

Officially husband and wife!

Ben was really proud of these two pictures. On the left is Jenny walking down the aisle with her dad to get married and on the right is Jenny walking down the aisle with Adam after getting married to greet their guests.

Time to celebrate!

The Wok of Life was at the reception serving ice cream with almost any topping you could think of.

Apparently this is only a Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania tradition, but at Pittsburgh weddings there are always cookie tables.

What’s a cookie table you ask? It’s what it sounds like… a table with lots of cookies. Traditionally the bride’s immediate family and close friends spend months before the wedding baking cookies to serve at the wedding. I didn’t know this part, but according to the story at Jenny + Adam’s cookie table, “The tradition began during the Great Depression when many families could not afford a wedding cake. Instead, they substituted homemade cookies baked by the bride’s family as part of their financial responsibility to pay for the wedding.”

As I said earlier, Jenny is a family friend. Jenny’s Grandma is known for her pictures. She always has her camera, but what is really impressive is that she actually prints the pictures out and mails them to whoever is in the picture. She even managed to get Ben and me to stop for a minute so she could get a picture of the two of us.

This was such a special moment. Adam’s aunt has MS, but because of a new diet she’s had some improvement. She wanted to surprise Adam and dance with him.

Jenny’s grandparents won the “Anniversary Dance”. It was so encouraging during the dance to see so many couples who had been married more than 30 years.

This group was ready to dance!

Congratulations Jenny + Adam! I hope you’re enjoying Antigua and the warm weather!

 

 

Stationary | Exclusively Weddings

Ceremony | North Street Christian Church

Reception | Days Inn Butler Crystal Room

Ice Cream Bar | Wok of Life

Bride’s Dress | MB Bride

Bridesmaids’ Dresses | Forever 21

Groom & Groomsmen | Top Hat Tuxedo

Florist | Jan Davis

DJ | Red Hot Chameleon

Cake | Cakes by Natasha