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▣ Sami & Josh Part 2
Their outdoor ceremony was held by the lake. Josh waited under the big tree with his groomsmaids before making his way to the dock.
The guys were stylish.
Keeping with their environmentally friendly theme - the guests threw birdseed at the couple instead of rice.
When they reached the back of the aisle, Sami and Josh were picked up and whisked away for a private carriage ride while their guests made their way to the barn for the start of the reception. When they returned, the carriage stuck around for an hour and gave all the guests a ride around the grounds.
The barn was beautifully decorated for the reception with lights, and pumpkins filled with fresh flowers. Their cake topper was Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter.
Self portrait in the big glass tea pitchers out on the butcher block table where guests could get a cold drink while they visited on the lawn. Sean is in the far left of the frame keeping an eye out for the carriage to come back.
The call for a toast!
The whole wedding party, the siblings, the musicians, and the frisbee friends!
Waiting around for the sun to be just right - Image by Sean.
The wedding party - very chic!
When it was time for Sami to toss her bouquet she stood on the balcony and all the single ladies gathered on the lawn!
First dance.
When this group started dancing it shook the barn from the beams to the ceiling! They even re-enacted the scene from Romi & Michelle - "Time after time".
All lit up after dark.
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Sami & Josh 10.11.08
This wedding was truly one of a kind and so much fun to be a part of. Sami and Josh were married at Armstrong Farms in Saxonburg, PA way back in October. It was warm and sunny for their Green (environmentally friendly) fall wedding. When I arrived for the rehearsal friday night there was a hot air balloon floating over the property and for a minute I thought they were planning a grand entrance. However, the balloonists turned out to be the neighbors instead! Armstrong Farms is rustic charm at its best. Sami and Josh planned and included so many handmade details and special plans, it was the very best of what a wedding is meant to be. Their friends and family came together as the musicians, the readers, the wedding party, the florist, the DJ and more. Truly, all you need is love and the ones who love you to have a wedding better than any fairytale.
Sami and Josh had Jones Soda in two flavors printed with their photo and wedding date. The bottles were displayed on a table and listed as For Sale. Guests could purchase these special bottles for whatever they wanted to spend and all of the proceeds went to Animals Friends or The Saint Bernard Project of New Orleans. At the end of the wedding night the table was empty and the money baskets were filled. We thought it was an awesome way to take a celebration of love and then spread the good vibes around.
Setting things up during the rehearsal for their friends to act as the ceremony musicians the next day.
The next morning I met the girls at The Salon at Saxonburg. The salon was amazing the girls got their hair and nails done, and the bride got a massage and pedicure to relax. The folks at the salon had them come in early for a special breakfast and they put out a fantastic spread. They had quiche, bagels and lox, muffins, fresh berries, hot coffee, tea, and fresh squeezed orange juice in champagne flutes. It was truly a very special treat and the perfect way to start a day of celebration.
While the girls were being pampered, the guys were back at the farm. Since most of the wedding party stayed overnight at the bed and breakfast at the wedding site, they had plenty of time to hang out. They held an Ultimate Frisbee game in the empty cow pasture. I hopped the fence and went in for action shots - I wish I had brought old clothes and could have joined in. They were having a blast and took the competition very seriously.
Josh making a leap for the frisbee!
This game was not without casualties though. Although the pasture was empty, the cows had been there - recently. Making a dive for the frisbee turned nearly fatal when they realized they had not landed in mud.
While the guys were out to pasture, Sami's mom was hard at work. She made all of the arrangements for the centerpieces and then put together all of the girls's bouquets. They turned out perfect!
Josh with all of his groomsmaids who stood beside him at the ceremony.
Sami's mom helped her put flowers in her hair. All of her hair and make up supplies were environmentally friendly and not tested on animals. She wore her hair loose with handmade jewelry and a simple lace gown.
Sami with all of her bridesmaids.
Tomorrow's post - the ceremony, the goose, the horse drawn carriage, and the dance party that almost brought the barn down . . . 1 Comment added to this post ▣ October Trip: The End
Finally! You must all be so bored by now. I really am sorry, and we will be back to our regularly schedule weddings and portraits soon. This is the end of the photos from this trip, and hopefully some of the best are last. Pennsylvania is very unique in that we are the only state east of the Mississippi river today to have Elk. At one point before America was settled by Europeans, elk roamed wild from New York to Georgie. However, the elk was extinct in this area by 1870 from massive overkill. Thanks to the game commission, a small herd of elk was transplanted here from yellowstone in 1913 and has grown to the healthy population we have today. Most people don't even realize we have such a big game animal in the state.
This is a white-tail deer. What you're used to seeing in your backyard.
This is an elk. MUCH BIGGER.
People flock to see the elk every fall. It seems like there's more and more of them every year. In fact while we were searching for them ourselves a luxury tourbus pulled up along side the dirt road and about 30 Amish people got off and searched the horizon with their binoculars. (They really do not like to have their picture taken.)
We weren't having a ton of luck being in the right place at the right time this week until almost the very last day when we came upon a bull and his harem of cows standing in the middle of the river. Sometimes in the heat of the moment you have to remind yourself that this is a WILD animal. A wild animal that will stomp the snot out of you if you get too close.
(In case you were wondering - this is too close.)
The view up the railroad tracks.
On the very last day we ran into a local man who had a canon 500mm F4 lens. He let me borrow it for a while to get some great shots. I was extremely grateful since they are so expensive I won't be able to afford one for many many many years if ever!
2 Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip: Part 3
I've discovered what my mental block is about this blog. I have to do things in chronological order. Which is why you're still seeing photos from October and not January. In fact, last week I went to the zoo but you probably won't hear about it till March. Sigh. I don't know what it is - I have to do things in order. I can't even post the photos out of order. Maybe I am OCD? Wow is it COLD today - predicted high temperature of 11 degrees - and tomorrow's high will be 7. In that case I'm glad to be looking at October. Same trip. Visited the river at a point where two bridges cross over. A train bridge and a car traffic bridge. The train bridge was covered in signs warning of no trespassing, and no walking, no looking, and no picture taking - but it was such a good subject. In the distance you can see the traffic bridge in this shot.
Back in the day, the only way to get around up here was by horse or on foot. The trains were the only way of transporting large amounts of lumber, coal, steel, and supplies.
Almost a sighting!!
This was a bad year for rain. The pictures above and below you can see how far down the water levels are. If you don't believe in global warming - the dry lake was teeming with fish and wildlife just a few years ago. In fact - this is the marina where the boats were kept and launched. Just on the other side of the boats used to be 5 feet of water. There used to be eagles nesting along the shore and on the day we visited there was only one blue heron fishing out of the last puddle in the middle of the mud. When the water dried up, it made easy fishing for the birds and predators until all the fish were gone. Then the animals that needed them for food were left to starve or leave the area.
Reflection of the bridge in the stream.
0 Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip: Part 2
More photos from our trip! Spent a lot of time exploring (see driving around aimlessly with no schedule). I usually have 2 or 3 cameras on my lap because you never know when a bear will walk into your landscape photo and you suddenly need a different lens.
Sometimes the wild wildlife can be frustratingly elusive. Instead of getting discouraged I get out my jar of peanuts. Just the sound of the nuts rattling in the container usually brings a curious photo subject. Sometimes 5 or 6.
So funny stoy here - we spent 2 mornings in a row hiding in the bushes next to a beaver pond hoping to get a shot of Mr. Beaver doing his morning rounds at the dam. The weeds were almost over my head when I sat down on the ground in the twilight. After an hour or so - no beavers - and now it was daylight. I turned my head to look over my shoulder and right next to my face was this spider. Sitting in the middle of her web strung up between two goldenrod stalks. I froze for a minute and then decided that if it sat there peacefully for the whole hour in the darkness, it probably didn't want to jump in my hair.
The water everywhere was very low from late season drought.
Stay tuned for elk photos! 3 Comments added to this post |
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