Amanda and Nick
cairnwood estate
bryn athyn
Remember that time it snowed in November? And I mean REALLY SNOWED. Welcome to the winter wonderland wedding of Amanda and Nick. I’ll fill you in on a little secret - I am loyal to a T (enegram 4… need I say more?) When couples book me for their winter weddings I always get asked, “What happens if it snows?” The answer: My dreams come true. Snow on a wedding day is so magical and cozy and wonderful and can we just talk about the beautiful natural lighting that happens? I will deal with the sun setting early and the cold feet and frozen fingers just to be able to get you back beautiful portraits in the snow any day!
Let me take it back to Amanda and Nick. So I plan for extra travel and end up beating the snow (give or take) and get started with details as I would with any wedding. As I’m shooting I’m looking out of the window and noticing the snow is just covering more and more. It’s BEAUTIFUL. I couldn’t have asked for a better location to have a snow wedding. Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Cairnwood Estate look like winter goals and I’m dying for Amanda to show up from the hotel. Nick is also getting a little restless because we both want to see how beautiful Amanda will be. So the time comes when Amanda should be arriving to get dressed and the day takes a detour. The roads have gotten horrible and while she is only 5 miles away, everything is jammed up and stopped. My heart sinks. I’ll let you in on another secret… time is of the essence when it comes to weddings in the winter months. The daylight leaves up about 4 hours sooner that it does in the summer months which means if you want natural light for your portraits, we have a much smaller window to work with. I’ve shot all my details - I’ve covered the grounds - I ate my snack - still no Amanda and the sun is starting to drop with my heart. I know at this point that my snow covered portraits are not going to happen and all the ideas I planned out in my head are voided. When Amanda shows up we barely have enough time to focus on the wedding party shots after getting dressed and I know I’m treading a fine line between rushing around and missing everything.
Fast forward to the ceremony. My second shooter and I have just trudged through calf deep snow with our gear to get from the Estate to the Cathedral because digging out the cars right now is not an option. The cathedral is beautiful inside and out - but it is a bat cave. They also have rules against flash during the ceremony. The sun has also gone down. Are you picking up what I’m putting down? Luckily I convince the staff to let me use flash for parts of the ceremony that I don’t want to risk missing. This is a tough day for me and for Amanda and Nick. My heart is breaking all around for everyone as I can feel the uneasiness rising in everyone. Then it happens… pure magic.
I swear to you the moment Amanda started walking down the isle the entire mood of the day shifted. Guests started FaceTiming others who were stuck in traffic. The cold of the entire day literally melted away as the focus was brought back to the purpose of the day - Nick and Amanda getting married. I have only felt this amount of worth from a ceremony a few times but literally people were oozing with love. There is no better way to describe it than magical. Enjoy the magic.
… but wait! there’s more!
Remember those snowy portrait dreams that were crushed because of timing? Amanda and Nick decided to get dressed up (for the third time) - trek back out to the beautiful Carinwood Estate - and get the couple’s session they deserved. I mean come on! How can you not want to take advantage of these beautiful grounds and that dress?!
