This is one blog post I have been itching to do! Zach and Nikki are as sweet as they come and I an confidently say they turned into life long friends of mine. I love when this little job of mine allows me to meet complete strangers and in turn, form lasting relationships. Every time I get a sweet note from Nikki in my inbox on instagram it makes my day! Whether it’s discussing our latest product finds/reviews, encouragement over life circumstances or laughing at my son Owen’s adorableness – Nikki is always so authentic and really just such a gem.
Zach and Nikki’s relationship and wedding day can be wrapped up in this entire word: authenticity. They’re so kind and yet so real. They form real relationships with every one of the people in their lives. So much so that Nikki hand wrote personalized letters for each and every individual guest that she had tucked in their place settings at the reception. I mean if that doesn’t give you an idea of how neat this couple is than I don’t know what will! Zach leads Nikki with such care and devotion, and Nikki loves on her now husband with such tenderness + grace. I can’t say enough about these two!
Their day was irish themed, with a bunch of neat nods to the country. But the main inspiration for Zach + Niki were their families. They both come from incredibly close families, and really wanted to honor them in planning their wedding. They chose to have special touches throughout the wedding to honor loved ones and family members. Their officiant was Nikki’s uncle, They had Nikki’s maternal grandparents’ song as the prelude to the ceremony, they chose for their mothers to share readings during the ceremony, and wanted the entire day to feel like two families coming together. They also wanted the day to have a very natural, ethereal feel regarding decor and the vibe. Zach and Nikki love being outdoors and having an outdoor wedding and bringing in lots of natural elements while keeping things airy and romantic was really important to them.
The love story: “Zach and I have known each other since we were in middle school. We met at our very small towns summer carnival that is held each year. We had similar mutual friends and had all decided to go together. At a certain point in the night I saw Zach sitting by himself near the Ferris wheel, looking rather sad. Turns out he had been “dumped” by his first girlfriend, who was my sisters best friend. I offered to ride the Ferris wheel with him so he wouldn’t be alone, and ever since that moment, we’ve been the best of friends.
We never dated during high school or college, but we would go on “dates” to get dinner, see movies, or hang out. He was the person I would go to to share good news, and the first person I turned to in the most difficult of times. We were each other’s person since middle school, and even though there was always something else, something very special with us, we didn’t start dating until we were both in grad school. After a spontaneous phone call on Valentines Day, we decided to take a leap of faith and see if our friendship just might be the beginning of a relationship. We dated long distance for about a year during my graduate program, traveling between Philadelphia where Zach was getting his PhD and D.C. where I was in school getting my masters in counseling. After school we moved in together in Philadelphia and began our next chapter.
In October of 2015 Zach and I went to Ridley Creek State Park, one of our favorite places in Philadelphia area that we went to so many times during my trips up from D.C. our favorite spot was at the end of the walking trail by the waterfalls. We made our way down and Zach suggested crossing the water to a small “island” of rocks in the center to get better pictures. The water was freezing and deeper than we thought, so Zach carried me across the water to the center where the large rocks were. Getting there wasn’t too easy, and there may have been a fall involved. Once in the center of the river standing in front of the waterfall he asked me to marry him, and I instantly began crying and of course said yes to my best friend.”
When I asked Nikki what their favorite memories from their wedding day was, this was her response: One of my favorite moments was having my “first look” with my dad. That was one of the best moments of the day for me, being able to have that special time with him and getting to surprise him. I cherish the pictures from that time because it was something that turned out better than I could have hoped. Our ceremony was my absolute favorite part of the day. The service that my uncle gave as our officiant was so perfect and so “us.” It meant the world to us that he agreed to marry us and the message he gave was so personal to Zach and I it really made our day even more magical. The first dance was also an amazing moment to cherish the fact that we were finally husband and wife! Zach’s favorite moment was “seeing you walk down the aisle. It was perfect.”
Vendors:
Venue- Stone Mill Inn
Flowers- Dan O’Donnel from Blue Heron Florist
Music- Declan of Provolve Entertainment
Dress- Pronovias gown from Elizabeth Johns Bridal
Shoes- Bella Bride shoes
Suits- Jos A Banks
Photography- Meagan Nicole
Until Next time | Meagan
Holy moly, it’s been a hot second since I’ve blogged! Let’s be real, it’s been like a year. WHOOPS. It feels so good to be back in action + updating my new site for you all! I wanted my first post of the new year to be our behind the scenes from our recent wedding season.
Reflecting back on all that the Lord has done in 2017 brings me to tears. First off we had the best intern/second shooter EVER and she goes by Morgan but I like to call her the sweetest dang thing since sliced bread. Morgan went above and beyond this year, tackling her first time photographing weddings like a pro. She fluffed dresses, held bags and more bags and phones and memory cards and flower bouquets (sometimes all at once – you’re the real mvp Mo), pinned on boutonnieres, got me drinks when I was about to pass out from the heat (not really, but really) and sooo much more. Morgan has morphed into this phenomenal, confident, assuring, helpful, eager wedding photographer and it has been the biggest blessing getting to play a small role in that.
2017 wrote the final chapter to an amazing journey. I’ve managed and grown with a team for almost 5+ years, and now going into 2018 I decided to scale down and go back to the roots of being an independent photographer. Julia has been with me since 2014 when she started out as an intern, and here she was in 2017 photographing her third full wedding season as a lead associate. I couldn’t be prouder of my girls + all of the memories and growth we experienced together.
Looking back over these images CRACKS me up. From testing locations/lighting, mirror selfies + selfies with the groomsmen.. it’s been a good year. From my first day back not knowing what the heck to wear to accommodate all of the pumping I’d be doing and feeling so swollen from nursing (literally so embarassed by that first outfit/hair choice. Black, always wear black Meagan.) to getting the hang of this mom life + work life down to a system and feeling like I could conquer the world. So dramatic, but so true. But really, I love seeing the evolvement that we’ve each gone through over the year.
We want to thank EVERYONE who hired us and entrusted us in 2017 to document some of your most treasured moments for you. We have been so humbled, honored and blessed to meet so many amazing clients turned friends.
Now, what you really came here for.. enjoy laughing with us.. or at us.. we won’t judge.
ALLLLLL of the love | Meagan
Assistant Photographers: Morgan Fatjo, Jordan Kreiser and Madeline Isabella
Tori and I still talk about Armin and Rebecca’s wedding day to this very day. Probably because we learned a sweet armanian dance move thanks to Armin and their awesome friends and family. After watching the whole dance floor erupt in this jazzing dance we’d never seen before, we kept trying to mimic/learn it. After witnessing our failed attempts Armin came up to us laughing and said “pretend you’re screwing in light bulbs”.. “AHHH!” we proclaimed. Thus, the rest of the night we couldn’t stop exercising our new found move.
But in all seriousness, I don’t even know where to start with these two! Some adjectives that come to mind when I think about their wedding: family, traditions, special, close, kind, vintage, antique, SO HAPPY, unique, enchanting, thoughtful, and just perfect. Rebecca had so many wonderful details all unique to her own style. Like those shoes! Our eyes immediately turned into big ole red hearts. They had a non traditional bridal party which was made the whole day feel so much more intimate. Armin had his sister on his side, and Rebecca had her sister on her side. They also had Rebecca’s grandmother as the “flower girl”, how sweet!? There were so many neat touches like the family history table, which had both of their mothers vintage wedding dresses showcased, as well as photos and family heirlooms. There was also a lot of traditions weaved in, in honor of Armin’s family and their culture. I loved the table at the reception that held a ton of things that I’m not even going to pretend to know what they were, but it was super cool.
Armin and Rebecca have been together for 16 years. YOU GUYS. You can’t make up this kind of love story. Their story, their vows, their toasts, their conversations, their gazes towards one another.. it was all like something out of a fairy tale book. I honestly believe they were made for one another and I was so, so honored to be the one who got to document their wedding day.
Lauxmont Farms is one of my all time favorite wedding venues. Especially their rotunda venue! These views were unbeatable and the sunset was killer. I love how big and open and white the indoor faciloity is, and how much natural light it allows to flow in through the floor to ceiling windows. It totally gives you the practicalness of an indoor wedding while still allowing you to have that magical outdoor feel.
I could talk all day about this wedding, but instead I’ll let you soak it in for yourself with the images..
xoxo | Meagan
When Graham and Sarah decided they wanted to go above and beyond in their wedding package/experience with us, we knew it was going to be a ton of fun to work with them to bring their dreams to life! You’ve seen our wicked stylist Kelsey Courtney of Style By Rae work her magic at a few of our portrait sessions and she always add’s so much wonderful to every shoot that she styles, so we decided to start offering a wedding package that includes her services for a engagement session!
Kelsey worked with Sarah to help style her three different outfits, props, and photo ideas. We started out with a fun little walk through the woods scene including their adorable little pup. Kelsey even thought to add in a fun hat for some variation. Graham and Sarah are the truest definition of candy lovers, so for their second scene they wanted to emulate their fun loving personalities mixed with their love for candy. What better way then to make some cotton candy pops! One of my favorite aspects to this session was Kelsey’s “picnic scene” she put so much thought and work into. She found a vintage picnic basket, the perfect IKEA blanket, and grabbed all the yummy necessities for a delicious picnic at Central Market! She sliced and diced her magic and even managed to grab a bottle of the couples favorite wine! Mmm. For our last “scene” Kelsey made the most beautiful flower crown, and we danced away the sunlight in the lake for some silhouette images.
I’ve definitely learned that when working together on a styled shoot with Kelsey, I need to allow myself WAY more time at a session because I could just shoot all day when she brings her magic to the table. It’s such a fun way to add personality and a story to your session!
Enjoy! | Meagan
Daryl and Bri has such a fun wedding day! Their entire bridal party was so energetic and silly, which made for the most personable moments through out their day. The dancing, the toasts, the reception entrances.. don’t even get me started on those! Each “couple” had a unique entrance planned out with costumes and all. It was amazing.
This was my first bride/groom portraits that I photographed in downtown Lancaster City! We walked all around some of my go to streets and spots and it turned out to be so awesome. The lighting was killer that day! Most of all I just loved seeing how much Daryl loved Bri, and how much Bri loved Daryl. They’re truly best friends and make one another light up inside, which lights up the entire room they’re in. This day was such a joy to be a part of!
Here are a few of my favorite’s from their wedding this past June!
Meagan
Tyler and Tina were such a fun pair to photograph! We risked getting caught in a crazy storm for their photos and we’re so happy we did! They were so easy to get along with, were willing to do anything for a great shot, and brought ICE CREAM. I’m especially glad they brought along their canoe. It’s always the best when couples bring an item or prop that’s true to who they are as a couple or that represents them and/or their relationship well. I am so excited to photograph their October wedding!
Julia
Tom and Emily are two of the sweetest people. The entire day they were smiling ear to ear, making one another laugh with their little inside jokes. It was such a fun relationship to witness become one, and to photograph! The minute that I met Emily on her wedding day I knew I was instantly going to be drooling all day. The dresses, the veil, the florals, makeup, colors, lighting, location.. AH! It was a dream. Anyone who knows me knows I looove playing with makeup, so all of the perfection happening on Emily’s face had me so excited. That lipstick! I loved how it totally matched all of the girls robes and the invitation suite.
The entire day was so laid back and fun. It was a smaller wedding, with a backyard type feel. Tom and Emily had their little Boston terrier named Barney in the ceremony which was just adorable! Both Tom and Emily really wanted a budget friendly wedding with a unique feel so they chose to have friends form a bit of a live band which wound up being so perfect with the soft, acoustic tunes playing throughout the reception. The evening ended with yard games and lots of laughter between family and friends in the warm, setting sun.
As if their wedding wasn’t already amazing, having my second shooter Maddie Broderick along for the day put the cherry on top!
Enjoy a few of my faaaavorites from this intimate, beautiful wedding day!
Meagan Nicole
VENDORS: 1. Makeup – AshleyMarie Makeup Artistry 2. Florist – Splints and Daisies 3. Catering – Shady’s BBQ 4. Dresses – David’s bridal 5. Cupcakes- Kim Hoover 6. Hair – Dora Percoskie and Tierney Williams 7. Venue – Haldeman Mansion
Let us just begin by saying that if you don’t know Danielle, you need to know Danielle. A few months back, we started dreaming up a whimsical shoot along the Susquehanna and were pumped to have Danielle on board. With our vision in mind and our cameras in tow, we made the journey to our photo destination and had a ball. Let us also tell you that this little lady is a genius in front of a camera. We’re talking like beyond genius actually. She even face-plants it gracefully. We know this because it’s probable we witnessed this. Sorry, Danielle, we love you. We finished our shoot with a muted golden hour and candle goodness, hellllllooooo (insert praise hands.) Danielle also agreed to go in the water which was colder than we don’t even know what because it was just that cold. We were so thankful for our night together and can’t wait to share our images with you!
Behold!
Tori and Julia
TORI’S WORK:
JULIA’S WORK:
I’m not even sure where to start with this magical day! I’ve known Ari for quite awhile through our old church, and then later in life through mutual friends. We’d bumped into one another now and then over the years and I always hoped she’d hire me as her wedding photographer one day. HEYO! How lucky am I, because she did! Matt + Ari remind me so much of my husband and I. He loves hunting and she loves makeup. Matt and Ari are so easy to talk to and laugh with. They’re just the neatest, down to earth couple … and together, they shine. They’re undeniably perfect for one another!
This wedding day had so many neat facets to it. One of my favorites being that my parents were the officiants + married this amazing couple! It was so much fun being a part of the ceremony they helped plan and orchestrate. I may be biased, but I just love them! So let’s talk about Ari’s dress! That dress deserves all the heart eyes man. It had a short sleeved, lace over lay and underneath was a strappy, babydoll look. LOVE. A super cute touch to the day were the bridesmaid dresses! Ari works for her sister’s boutique in Downtown Lancaster called “Coleson Fine Clothiers” on Queen Street, which is where they got these one of a kind, super unique and fun bridesmaid dresses made by Trina Turk. Another really fun detail was the ceremony decor. Ari had the aisle lined with white paper windmills! The entire ceremony was held on her families white farm house which was beyond beautiful. One of my favorite florist’s to work with, Lori from Wild Flowers By Design created all of the florals and decorated the property perfectly. I can’t get over the hanging frame at the ceremony and all of the dreamy tablescapes she crafted at the reception, which was held at one of my favorite venues – The Booking House. My friend Taylor Courtney of Bring On The Bash was the DJ which was super fun! Everyone pretty much danced their faces off and it was awesome. There were just so many things that made this day so special. It had rained off and on all day, finally ending in a torrential downpour RIGHT after their ceremony ended just in the nic of time for us to tuck away, but that didn’t stop these two from radiating happiness and love.
I am so excited to finally share this beautiful wedding day with you all!
Meagan Nicole
VENDORS:
Photographer: Meagan Nicole
Second Shoot: Tori Radick
Florist: Wild Flowers By Design
Bridesmaid Dresses: Coleson Fine Clothiers
Officiants: Brian and Kim Zimmerman of Shift House Church + City Gate Lancaster
DJ: Bring On The Bash
Coordinator: Nikki Lannigan
Ceremony Venue: Brides Parents Home
Reception Venue: The Booking House
When Alan and Dani contacted me to be their wedding photographer, I think it’s pretty safe to say I was grinning from ear to ear. And ever since I have been thoroughly excited and anxiously awaiting their magical wedding day! It’s fiiiinally, so close! These two are tying the knot on July 2nd and I am counting down the days! I just can’t get over how adorable they are together! The happiness their loves brings them is so infectious! I genuinely look forward to all of their cute posts about one another on my news feed, ha!
Alan and Dani are the truest definition of best friends and soul mates. I can’t wait to be a part of their much anticipated wedding day!
xoxo,
Meagan
@megnicole instagram
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