Intimate winter wedding with vintage accents at historical small town Art Gallery

This intimate winter wedding with adorable vintage accents and taken place in a just as charming historical downtown building turned art gallery creates a relaxed celebration and was the perfect way to kick off my 2020 wedding season.

I know I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again, I adore small and intimate weddings. There’s always a relaxed feel, just wanting to enjoy the day. I feel like the little moments mean so much more and are easier to remember.

JD and Kelly’s wedding day started off at their apartment. Kelly was there with her girlfriends and Mom casually enjoying the day accented with one of the best brunch spreads I’ve seen. Just ask Erik, with Kelly’s Moms insistence he happily indulged in taste-testing everything.

The start of the day

Photographing bridal details is one of my favorite parts of the day. As I was standing by the window for natural light I loved having the background noise of “girl talk” and their laughter ringing throughout the apartment as I set up Kelly’s bridal details. I knew with her love of vintage pieces she would appreciate some of the extra additives I used in her details. One of my favorite pieces Kelly had was her veil. A vintage and perfectly preserved veil, was placed in hair braided hair by her talented makeup artist, Beauty by Khara, who did an amazing job highlighting Kelly’s features. JD’s parents, Kelly’s soon-to-be-in laws own an antique shop in Pittsburg, PA and when the veil came through the store JD’s Mom pulled the piece and called Kelly asking if she would be interested. Kelly way and it was one of my favorite pieces I’ve seen!

Ceremony time

With both her Mom and Dad looking on Kelly put on her last few details and readied herself to head to the church. It was there that the closest friends and family gathered to celebrate. JD and his groomsmen, all outfitted in velvet suits, perfect for a wintery February wedding, took their places at the front of the altar and everything else fell into place.

After the ceremony we braved the cold for some outside photos. Fortunately the church they attend and chose to marry in was directly across from the Harrisburg Capitol which provided us with the perfect architecturally modern aesthetic, very different from their engagement photos which you can check out HERE. I love when couples can get the “best of both worlds” for their engagement and wedding photos, it’s such a unique compliment to one another.

One of the many reasons as to why engagement sessions are so important y’all!

Time to celebrate

Once we wrapped up portraits we then piled into our respective vehicles and made our way to the little river town of Columbia where their reception was to be held at Garth’s, a local art gallery and coffeeshop, a venue I’ve actually had the pleasure of photographing in a few times now.

Their reception, again, kept simple and minimal, included a few well given toasts and a small cake cutting. Outside of that the reception was a relaxed mingle with some really delicious catering provided by A Pinch of Yum. Guests took part in wonderful conversation and each person got to walk away with a box (or more than one!) from the well stocked cookie table, a Pittsburgh tradition where family members make dozens upon dozens of cookies so the guests can take home some scrumptious treats.

For the record, our box lasted maybe a total of three days. Maybe?

I left before the festivities officially ended for the evening but it was great to see the smiles of JD and Kelly’s faces as they talked to their friends and family and it made me really happy to see a couple who was able to celebrate their wedding day exactly the way they wanted to.