Carrie and Josh’s May wedding took place in two states: West Virginia and Pennsylvania. They got ready, had their first look, did all fun and formal pictures, and said “I do” in West Virginia. The reception was then held just over the border in Pennsylvania at The Historic Summit Inn (one of my new favorite venues, and where I had my junior prom 🙂 ). I was especially excited for their wedding not only because I knew it would be a beautiful spring celebration, but also because Carrie is awesome. 

She and I met the summer before on my front porch. She wanted to make the booking process easy and fast, so instead of waiting for a signed contract and deposit to make it to me in the mail, she drove to Garrett County one evening to hand everything to me in person. 45 minutes later she left and we were both so excited about our upcoming work together. Yes, we stood on my front porch and talked for 45 minutes, and because of that, I knew we’d make an awesome team. It’s clients like Carrie (and Josh, I came to find out that he’s pretty awesome, too!) that make my job so wonderful, and keep me excited for each new photography assignment!

So thank you, Carrie and Josh, for being yourselves, and making me feel right at home from moment one (on my front porch, ha!). I loved working with you for your wedding (and engagement session, too!) and I really hope we can take more pictures together in the future! 🙂

Carrie teamed up with the very talented Allison (former JFP bride!) of Paper Hearts Invitations for all her paper goods for the wedding. Miss Allison NEVER disappoints! She always seems to capture the essence and style of each wedding day event so well in the final designs. Her quality and creativity is unmatched, if you ask me. 🙂 

Carrie collected her florals and arranged them herself! I think she did a fine job. 🙂

Carrie and Josh got ready in his grandma’s old farmhouse and the light was wonderful! My mom (my second shooter for the day) was also very impressed with the light quality. The old charm was a nice added touch, too! I was a fan!

There’s one thing that every person that has ever met Carrie knows: SHE SMILES! A LOT! She always has a smile to share and a laugh to pass along. She’s incredibly friendly and bubbly, and also very honest. I’ve found her not only to be a fun person to be around, but also someone to have a good conversation with. You’ll notice plenty of Carrie’s smile and laughs and awesomeness throughout this post…

This was the first time I worked with Leo and Amanda of Gonzalez Videography…and we had fun together! I’ve also had the opportunity to get to know them much better since and love what I’ve discovered! They’re talented, sweet and ambitious, and I can’t wait to work with them again this year! (If you visit Leo’s website and scroll towards the bottom of this page, you’ll see Carrie and Josh’s wedding video. 🙂 )

Carrie and Josh got ready at the same place, so there was a lot of “hide and seek” going on between their two rooms. While it may have been a little challenging to safely keep them away from each other, having everyone in one place definitely made things easier on us wedding vendors!

This was Carrie’s reaction when she first slipped into her dress. Pure JOY! And that smile of hers. 🙂

Carrie was stunning! We all loved her dress…

 One of my favorites from the day…and I think it clearly shows Carrie’s personality!

Time for their first look! They met on the gravel road just outside the farmhouse with the rolling hills in the background…

If you look closely, Carrie isn’t going for the shoulder tap…haha. 🙂 

Mis-matched bridesmaid dresses! I LOVE this trend! Every girl gets to pick their own style, something that is true to them and something they’ll feel comfortable in. It also adds some personality and uniqueness to the day. I highly recommend! 🙂

One of my favorite bridal portraits of all time! Woo hoo, Carrie! 🙂

This next series of Carrie with her sister and mom…priceless and candid. 🙂

A favorite for sure!!!

I found Josh and his mom hiding in the back of the church. 🙂

And then I found Carrie’s grandma sharing secrets with Josh’s mom. I love a good grandma picture!

We drove over the state border and through some rain to get to the reception. The “grand ballroom” at the Summit Inn is so beautiful. It has historic charm, big windows, plenty of space and white walls and ceilings, which makes for some good reception pictures!

This is also where I had my junior prom! 13.5 years ago I went with my friend Jason to the prom where I wore a light pink dress that had a skirt full of large ruffles. Just some fun facts. 🙂 

More paper goods from Allison at Paper Hearts Invitations! 

Carrie loves slideshows! She put one together for the reception and I loved how friends and family casually gathered to watch…

She even included some engagement pictures! 

One of the previous times I was at the Summit for a wedding I used this exact spot for very similar pictures. The Summit has an INCREDIBLE view of Uniontown and is in the exact right spot for glowy light and sunsets! Definitely something you can’t pass up while visiting!

I recently entered this picture into a contest in the “Emotion & Excitement” category. Pretty perfect, right? 🙂

Carrie also stuck out her tongue a few times that day…haha. 🙂

A couple of pictures of Carrie and her grandma. After meeting this lady, I knew exactly where Carrie got her awesome spunk. 🙂

Planning tip: Ask your DJ to do a soul train during your reception. I saw this happen at a few weddings last year and not only does it encourage some awesome photo opportunities, but it also gets the dance floor hoppin’! 

What a beautiful, fun spring wedding! YAY! 

P.S. Carrie is also a talented photographer in West Virginia so it was an extra special honor to capture her wedding day. Thanks for trusting me, Carrie, and for becoming such a great friend along the way. 🙂