This is my third year in row in which I had the honor of traveling to Pennsylvania to photograph a wedding. And every year, it’s no disappointment. This year I had the chance to drive far enough to experience the Cabot area….with its lush, rolling hills and fields of wild flowers. And when I drove up to Renée’s family’s home the evening before the wedding, I saw how beautiful it looked with Renée’s handiwork…including a pretty incredible tent for the ceremony as well as a tent for the reception. When the bride own Festive Tents and Rentals, you can pretty much guarantee that it is going to be spectacular.
Renée paid attention to every detail. She even designed a room in the house for her bridal preparation room! And it was so soft and lovely with light steaming in from the windows…literally exactly what I advice my brides in my bridal guide I send each one! She took to heart everything…and when you are already in the wedding industry, you know what works and doesn’t work… Renée knew what works.
She had a wonderful morning preparing with her ladies and she was gracious and loving to everyone in the room. After her preparations and some portraits, she and Kevin shared a first look. The sun was harsh overhead and bright, but because we were just outside of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, it felt great! There was no humidity…but they certainly turned up the heat! Renée was a beautiful, blushing bride and Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
We had a wonderful time photographing them by Renée’s grandmother’s pond and once it was time for the ceremony to start, Renée and Kevin’s family and friends packed the tent. The ceremony was full of everything you hope for…love, joy and expressions from both bride and groom about how very much they care for the other and know that they were absolutely meant for each other. Not a dry eye, folks.
And they had a traditional receiving line to greet their guests before some family and bridal party portraits as well as a cocktail hour with music, food and drinks. The reception was nothing short of perfection. The greenery wreath above the dane floor, the lush centerpieces, the gold drapery on the head tables and a meal perfect for a king and queen…everything came together to create the perfect atmosphere for an exciting and meaningful reception.
The maid of honor was Renée’s sister and when your sister has such wonderful words for you…well, you know she’s the real deal. And when the best man makes an Office reference, he’s a-ok in my book! Watching the father/daughter dance brought on tears and watching Kevin dance with his mom was one of the best dances I have seen. And even grandma got down on the dance floor!
Even golden hour in front of the tent was a sweet experience. Watching Renée and Kevin enjoy their day while also being the most welcoming hosts was a true honor. I absolutely loved my time in Pennsylvania and with their family and friends. From the first time I met them, I knew they had a long time bond that was going to be lifelong. They are truly committed to each other and come on…aren’t they just a stunning couple?!!!
And I had an extra special treat…Kristen Vota of Kristen Vota Photography second shot with me! Any chance to work with this wonderful lady is one I take!
Congratulations Renée and Kevin!!!! I can’t thank you enough for the joy of serving you on your big day!
The love story, penned by Renée:
“Kevin and I met almost 11 years ago at a calculus study group when he was a Senior and I was a Junior in high school. We started hanging out as friends and then went on a few dates that first year. I had never been in love before, but there was just something different about Kevin. I had never felt this way about anyone. I think we both remember the night we became “girlfriend and boyfriend” – it was after his high school graduation ceremony and we went bowling with a group of friends. We didn’t actually ask each other to be girlfriend and boyfriend, but something was just different between us that night. Something had clicked, and we were crazy about each other from that point on. After that summer, Kevin left for his Freshman year of college at the University of Pittsburgh. I was still in high school, but we saw each other every weekend. The following summer was hard. I was getting ready to head to Boston College, 600 miles away, and we were both having a difficult time preparing for a long distance relationship. After many long talks, and a lot of tears, we decided to commit to making it work. That year we saw each other over Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. We Skyped all the time and we missed each other like crazy. It was the hardest time in our relationship, but it was the best thing that could have happened to us. I truly believe that you can’t stand still in a long distance relationship. A couple will always drift apart or grow closer. Luckily, we became closer than ever. I knew I couldn’t be apart from him, so I decided to transfer to the University of Pittsburgh for my Sophomore year. The next 8 years took us both through our undergraduate degrees, moving in together in our first apartment in Shadyside (our favorite neighborhood in Pittsburgh), Kevin went through pharmacy school, we moved to DC for about a year, which was a fantastic adventure, and now we’ve moved back home to be near our families and for me to take over the family business. We’ve been through ups and downs, different jobs, health issues, family issues, but I couldn’t have picked a better person to spend my life with; to share in life’s most important experiences. I have always known Kevin was the one. He’s everything I strive to be – generous, kind, caring, funny, intelligent, outgoing. He makes me a better person every day and he supports me in all I do. He is my everything and he is the one person I want to share the rest of my life with. I love him more than words can express, until the end of all time.”
“Kevin and I have always been serious about each other. We were never the off again, on again couple. So after we graduated college, most of our friends and family expected us to get engaged right away. But Kevin was heading to pharmacy school and I was starting my own career and it wasn’t the right time for us. So a few years went by, Kevin graduated pharmacy school and we decided to move to DC. Again, people regularly asked when we would get married, as if it was strange for us to be dating for 10 years and not be engaged yet. The funny thing was, the question never concerned me. I knew this person was the one I would spend the rest of my life with and that gave us the freedom to decide to get married when was best for us. Planning a wedding is something I’ve always looked forward to, and we wanted to have the means to do exactly what we wanted. When we moved back home in December last year, we both felt that we were ready to take the next step. We went ring shopping together per Kevin’s request. I told him I wanted him to pick the ring, but he wanted to get a clear idea of what I liked. We ended up designing a ring together and I couldn’t love it more! It represents everything we’ve been through together, how much we mean to each other, and the future we will share together. I didn’t know when he was picking up the finished ring because he wanted to make the proposal a surprise – and it was! Kevin told me we were meeting friends in Pittsburgh for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It was April 14, 2016 and it was a beautiful warm day. The sun was shining, so he recommended we park the car and walk a ways to the restaurant. We were early for dinner so he suggested we wait on a bench in the park near the restaurant. The park was across the street from our first apartment in Shadyside. Up until this point, I didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary. We walked over to the bench and he asked me to hold his phone so he could take his jacket off. As he handed me the phone he hit the play button and our song began to play (I Will Stay With You by John Legend). Then he pulled the ring out of his jacket and knelt down on one knee and….haha I can’t remember exactly what he said because I was so happy and crying, but he asked me to marry him and of course I said YES!”
Thank you to these wonderful professionals who helped to make Renée and Kevin’s day so special!
Tents, Decor and Rentals: Festive Tents
Florals: Ashley’s Country Blooms
Hair and Make Up: Salon at Saxonburg
DJ: Steven Vance Entertainment
Ceremony Music: Black Diamond Quartet
Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals from One Enchanted Evening
Menswear: The Black Tux
Bridesmaid Dresses: Vera Wang
Catering: Stephen’s Kitchen and Catering
Cake: Pennie’s Bake Shop
Officiant: Ilana Goehring
