Mellon Park is one of my favorite locations for photos - the light is always beautiful, and there’s a beautiful balance between architecture and natural scenery. It ended up being the perfect location for Brooklyn, who had the perfect outfits to match, and was a total natural in front of the camera! The only downside: I literally fell into a bush. I squatted down to take a photo - and just keeled over. Good thing Brooklyn was a good sport and laughed with me! ☺️ Thank you so much for the honor of taking your photos, Brooklyn! You are a rockstar, and I know you’re going to do incredible things!
Let me paint you a picture: I show up to a the parking lot at McConnell’s Mill, and I see a car parked in the corner of the parking lot (mind you, I’m 20 minutes early to the session!). I see Leah and Greg step out of their car, and, as we walk closer to each other, I notice a gift bag and a cookie tin in Leah’s arms. And friends, this was no ordinary cookie tin - it was a cookie tin decorated to look like a llama - my favorite animal! Cue the tears. No - I’m not kidding. I literally teared up. Are you ever having one of those weeks, and then, out of nowhere, someone surprises you with some sort of kindness that you never EVER expected? That’s exactly what happened!
Inside that llama cookie tin were heaping piles of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten in my LIFE. You might be thinking, oh, she’s exaggerating for the affect! Let me reassure you that I most certainly am not. I literally ate two during the shoot! 😍
But really, the tin, cookies, and llama water bottle (😭) are just the beginning with these two! I felt like I had known these two for years by the end of their engagement session. The kindness in their hearts was so evident, and really, I couldn’t be more excited to be working with these two to document their wedding day! (Also - Leah’s a Disney fanatic, so we get along just fine! 😉)
Leah and Greg, I am so thankful to know you two, and so thankful you chose me to capture this beautiful time in your lives! Thank you for the incredible honor! 💛
Daniel is a Mercer Area High School senior who loves basketball, baseball, golfing, hunting and fishing! As you can tell - he’s quite a busy guy! I was so honored to take his senior portraits at Hartwood Acres Mansion. Congratulations on your last year of school, Daniel! You are going to do great things!!
There are a couple of reasons I will never forget the day we took Bainer’s senior photos. Okay, maybe just one: PRINCESSES!
That’s probably not the first word you thought of when you saw the photo above this little caption, right? Well, believe it or not, the day of Bainer’s senior session at Hartwood Acres, there were TONS of people gathered at the Hartwood mansion for a photography workshop - and the subjects were little girls dressed up as princesses!
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were close to 100 people there, because they took almost every nook and cranny of the mansion up! And I do not mean that at ALL in a spiteful way - it looked like a great workshop! I just couldn’t get over the irony of this workshop happening on Bainer’s session day. But he was such a trooper, princesses and all!
As you might be able to tell, Bainer plays the guitar and loves music. Besides bringing his guitar to his session, he also brought his dog, “Fozzie,” who I kept calling “Fonzie” throughout the session 🙈
Congratulations on your last year, Bainer! It was such an honor to take these photos for you!
I had the pleasure of taking Caleb’s senior photos on his family’s property just a few weeks ago! Why go anywhere else for photos when you have the most picturesque scenery right in your backyard?! My favorite thing I learned about Caleb during our session is that he works for a pizza shop and gets to MAKE pizza for his job! Not sure why, but that’s something I have ALWAYS wanted to do!
Caleb, it was such an honor to take these photos for you! I hope you have a great rest of your senior year! ☺️
I met Cassidy and Dylan for their engagement session on the MOST beautiful fall afternoon! For their session, they chose a combination of two of my favorite locations - McConnell’s Mill and Moraine State Park! McConnell’s Mill ended up being the perfect location, especially with Dylan’s background of growing up around farms! And the lake at Moraine State Park was another subtly perfect location choice, because these two love to fish together!
Cassidy and Dylan, I am so thankful to have been able to get to know you both a little better and take these images for you! 💛 I cannot wait for the wedding!!!
What an absolutely STUNNING day this was to be a part of! Kayla and Colin tied the knot at Succop Nature Park on a glorious September afternoon. There were so many beautiful DIY elements that made this wedding come to life, and so many different family members that contributed to the day in so many ways. Kayla and Colin, it was such an honor to be a part of your day! Praying all the best for you two as you head into this next adventure together! 💛
Oh my, am I excited to share this engagement session and this INCREDIBLE couple with you!! I met Becca and Dino on the most beautiful morning at Highland Park in Pittsburgh for their engagement photos on a gorgeous Saturday in September! But my love for these two began long before their epic engagement session.
When I originally met with Becca and Dino, I learned of Becca’s family’s HUGE love for Disney. And if you’ve been following along on the blog for an extended period of time - you’ll know that Disney is one of my favorite places EVER (and one of my bucket list items is to photograph a wedding there!) While Becca and Dino aren’t tying the knot in Disney, we sure had an amazing time talking about all of our favorite spots there!
I was especially excited for this engagement session, because it was in a location I hadn’t even been to before! Highland Park wasn’t on mine or Becca’s radar until she was rerouted past the park right around sunrise on her way to work. And I’m so thankful she was, because this might be one of my new favorite spots!!
Becca and Dino, you two are AMAZING and I cannot wait to be a part of your wedding day! Thank you for being such troopers so early in the morning! 💛
I met Kayla and Donny on a cool, cloudy, Pittsburgh morning at the end of September for their engagement session. These two - originally from Pittsburgh - were in for the weekend from their now-home in FLORIDA, where they live oh-so close to one of my favorite places in the world (Disney!). We had a great time chatting about how they’ll head over to a Disney park on a weeknight after work, just to walk around, and I tried my best not to be too jealous 😉 As much as these two love their home in Florida, it’s easy to tell that Pittsburgh is where their hearts come alive, which is where they will be officially tying the knot next year!
Kayla and Donny, you two are incredible humans and I am so thankful we were able to get to know each other better! 💛 Cannot WAIT for your wedding next year!!!
September 8, 2018 marks 8 years of Kayla and Michael’s relationship. What better way to spend their 8 year anniversary than to create a NEW anniversary - this one for their wedding day!
I’ve had the privilege of really getting to know Kayla and Michael over the last two years, since their engagement session nearly two years ago (Click here to see their photos!). I’ve seen ups and downs in their lives, but what remained steady: their relationship and their love for each other. These two have already lived out many of the vows they took on their wedding day, but hearing them confirm their vows in front of their closest friends and family even brought tears to my eyes!
Not only are Kayla and Michael amazing, but so was their bridal party and family, who welcomed us with the most open arms! We truly can’t thank each of you enough for making us feel like a part of the party (and for making me an honorary bridesmaid 😉). And Kayla and Michael - you two truly are amazing, and I am so blessed to know you! And without further ado - check out some of my favorite photos from Kayla and Michael’s wedding day!
Vendors:
Makeup: Allison Renock Makeup
Cake: Lincoln Bakery
Ceremony & Reception: The Chadwick
DJ: Jason Lacko
Bridesmaid Dresses: Vera Wang from David’s Bridal
Bride’s Dress: Truly Zac Posen at Davids Bridal
Invitations: The Wedding Suite by Shutterfly
Officiant: Reverend Mark Dinuzzio
Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer: Jenna Hidinger Photography