Days before their wedding weekend, we had some slight concerns regarding the weather. The forecast was pretty dreary; thunderstorms and heavy rain were suppose to soak the Valley Forge area for the entirety of the wedding day. When we find ourselves in this kind of situation, the best we can do is develop a rain plan, and pray, pray, pray.
Come the wedding day, we were greeted with the hot and humid weather that was typical of May in our part of the country. We started with our couple at the nearby Embassy Suites, followed by their first look at the historic Duportail House. Built in 1740, the house + surrounding property are an amazing representation of colonial American history. Meredith + John had expressed to us how much they loved the architecture around Duportail House property, so we made sure to plan our portrait session around various parts of the estate.
By early afternoon, the sun was still out and the storm clouds were nowhere in sight… prayers answered! Our bride and groom ended up having an amazing outdoor ceremony, presided by their dear friend + pastor. At some point during the wedding ceremony, while singing along to the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” the storm clouds could be heard in the near distance. We kid you not; seconds after the crowd sang the verse, “…I see the stars… I hear the rolling thunder…Thy power throughout the universe displayed,” the sound of roaring thunder cracked through the sky. As soon as the ceremony concluded, the booming sound of canon went off from the nearby Valley Forge National Park— all in perfect timing. This series of unplanned event were definitely the most memorable for us that day.
The reception started just around the time the rain began (and the rain came down on us hard). We loved the intimate space that they planned for when planning their reception— an outdoor tented reception, a cozy first dance on the patio, followed by an evening of crazy dance movies + bellyaching laughter on the main dance floor. At one point on the dance floor, we spotted John lifted up his baby nephew into the air in very Lion King-like fashion. Meredith later reflected on this very moment, saying in an email to us that she was both laughing and terrified.
We reached out to Meredith + John the week after their wedding, while the wedding memories were still fresh on their minds. We asked them to send us a few of their favorite moments, and funny enough, their list pretty much aligned with the same set of teaser photos we posted the week after the wedding.
A very special thanks to Meredith + John for hosting an amazing marriage celebration, and we hope you all enjoy the photos that follow!
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