Brides & Weddings Magazine
Captured & submitted by In Love and Adventure – Elopement Photography
Rachel and Adam were faced with the challenging struggles of COVID just weeks before their original wedding date. With the mayor of PA changing event rules to keep everyone safe, Rachel and Adam had to pivot and have an entirely outdoor wedding. Even with hand sanitizer stations, guests wearing masks, and moving everyone outdoors, their wedding wasn’t anything short of romantic, beautiful, and a true celebration. A first look that’s one for the books, the groom getting an engraved hatchet, a delicate moss and wild flower table scapes, a colorful bouquet, ice cream for dessert, and sunset portraits in a Pennsylvania field, this wedding album will have couples wanting a romantic, outdoor, countryside wedding inspired for months!
Story told from the bride about how they met, their proposal story, and answers about their wedding day including their favorite details, and number one struggle.
Engagement:
Adam and I met online. At the time we both were very embarrassed to admit this to anyone! We emailed back and forth for several weeks. Eventually I got impatient, I gave him my phone number and left the rest in his hands if it would go any further. We talked every day from that point on and eventually he asked me on our first official date.
About two years later, on December 1, 2018, I convinced Adam to go to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree. This is my absolute favorite thing to do each year for the holidays. We got there early before the crowd. We walked through the fields of trees looking for the perfect one. Once we found one, Adam got down and started sawing away while I went to get a wagon to carry it out. When I got back, he had the tree down and I did not even take notice that he was still kneeling on the ground. As I struggled to get the massive wagon just right to put the tree on, he didn’t budge despite trying to get my attention. I was just too excited to get the tree home and decorate it! Eventually after multiple attempts he got my attention and told me to just “come here for a second”. As I walked over to him, still worried about getting the tree on the wagon, he pulled out my dream ring from his pocket, and amongst a field of Christmas trees he asked me to marry him! Needless to say, I forgot about the tree at that point.
Wedding:
Our favorite memory was our first look. The whole day is kind of a blur except for that moment. It was one of the only moments we truly had alone. Our favorite detail was having an ice cream bar from our favorite local creamery for dessert instead of cake, it was a definite hit since our wedding day turned out to be sunny and over 90 degrees!
Our biggest frustration can be summed up in one word: Covid. We had every detail nailed down, then Covid happened. We changed our date, and changed the entire set up as guidelines changed frequently, down to two days before our wedding day. It was one curve ball after another, but we got through it together along with all of our amazing vendors! Looking back, it will give us a good story to tell.
Our photographers were amazing! Starting with the engagement pictures, they planned out every detail for us to get our amazing sunrise shots on a mountain top in Virginia. From the timing of the day to be on the summit in time to change clothes and freshen up before the sunrise, down to what to bring, make-up tips, attire, etc. They made us feel so at ease the whole time like we knew each other for a long time even though this was the first time we met in person. Fast forward to planning for the wedding, they had great advice on how to plan and time our day. They were so supportive during some uncertain times when we didn’t know if our wedding would even happen because of covid, and remained flexible during the many changes. They provided us with amazing photos of our wedding day, and captured all the little moments perfectly. We wanted our photos to be more candid versus posed, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!
We simply wanted everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves. We didn’t want to have our day too structured that we didn’t have time to enjoy it ourselves, either.
We instantly fell in love with our wedding venue because it provided us with the rustic, laid back feeling we wanted for our day. My favorite detail was the ceiling full of string lights all throughout the barn which was beautiful at night. Little did we know at the time, but it also proved to be the perfect location for a wedding and reception that allowed for outdoor dining set up and social distancing in 2020. The venue owners were amazing and went above and beyond to make our day memorable.
I got my dress at Posh Bridal in Lancaster, PA. I knew I wanted a dress from the Allure Wilderly line as I fell in love with the bohemian looks. This dress was the first I tried on at the shop, and I instantly fell in love. My initial thought was “I could take a nap in this dress” and I knew it was mine as comfort was my top priority.
We wanted a simple wedding look and were also trying to keep it low cost for everyone involved. The bridesmaids dresses are from Amazon. I loved that these dresses were simple and comfortable, especially due to the heat on our wedding day! The groom and groomsmen wore navy chino pants with a light blue, gingham print, button down to go along with our laid back vibe, as we knew we didn’t want the formal look of suits or jackets.
At first, I was very set on not doing a first look, and Adam wanted to do a first look. I wanted the dramatic walk down the aisle seeing each other for the first time, and he wanted the private one on one moment. We went back and forth on this for a while, and I eventually caved. I am so glad we did the first look. Looking back, we were so much more relaxed with our private first look and able to be more in the moment to enjoy it. Had we waited until the ceremony like I originally planned, I think both or our nerves would have taken some of that away and distracted us from the moment.
Caterer: Fox Meadows Creamery//Tuxedo and Mens Attire:Mens Wearhouse//Dress Store: Posh Bridal//Beauty: House of Hair//Event Venue: Pine Ridge Farm//Floral Designer: Rhapsody in Bloom//Photographer: In Love and Adventure – Elopement Photography//
