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
Last week I got to photograph Brandon and Marilyn, who just so happened to be one of the very first wedding’s I ever photographed in my first wedding season! I was so excited when Marilyn contacted me that they are expecting their first child! They’ve opted to not find out the gender which I think is so great. I totally wish I had the will power to do that with my pregnancy, ha! Either way, their little babe is bound to be the cutest little thing with the best eyes. I mean look at these two!
We used a local Christmas tree farm “Elizabeth Farms” for this mini session and it was the perfect back drop and colors paired with the perfect weather. Enjoy a few of my favorites!!
Happy Thursday! | Meagan
This year has been such a fun round of mini sessions! It’s been so awesome getting to use the local lake we live on for the epic backdrop and scenery. This was my third year photographing the Bonneau Family and each year it’s so fun to see how the girls have grown and to catch up! Here are a few of my favorite’s from our session the other week. 🙂
Meagan
Okay you guys, get ready to witness one of the cutest little girls with the biggest brown eyes on this planet. Aurelia is bound to be a model or just a super photogenic, adorable person when she grows up! I couldn’t get enough of her cuteness. I have loved getting to know this family! In 2015 I photographed James + Caroline’s wedding which just so happen’s to be Aurelia’s aunt. Aurelia was still in her mama’s belly for those photos! Last Winter I got to meet the little peanut as a newborn, and now this Fall got to celebrate her first birthday with these fun photographs!
xoxo | Meagan
We are so excited to announce our 2017 Second Shooter Intern “Morgan Fatjo”! She is as sweet as they come and we just can’t wait to spend every wedding weekend with her, getting creative and helping her grow in her photography knowledge/experience! When we first started taking applications, Morgan was one of the fist to apply. After meeting and getting to know her more and more, Morgan was a seamless fit. At our most recent team meeting she surprised us with home made macroons. I mean, if that doesn’t give you an idea of how awesome she is.. 🙂
You can look forward to seeing a lot more of Morgan around here! She’ll be starting in April and second shooting every wedding with us for the 2017 wedding season. She’s a newly wed, eager, smiley, and loves her dear little kitten Julep. To get to know her some more, stalk her social media accounts and give her a follow!
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE) | INSTAGRAM (CLICK HERE) | PINTEREST (CLICK HERE)
Give her a sweet welcome to our team in the comments below!
xoxo | Meagan + Julia
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Roberts family for three years in a row now, and each time gets sweeter and sweeter! That’s something I love about being a photographer. You truly get a chance to build relationship with people/clients. It’s unbeatable! It also totally brings a new level to photographing you, as I get to watch your family and story unfold over the years. I love it!
I’ve gone from photographing Henry when he was teeny tiny and they were just a family of three to last year when they grew to a family of four with baby Avanel’s newborn session and now some updated family portraits one year later. I can’t believe how much baby A and Henry look alike! Such a fun loving, sweet family this gang is. So excited to share their session with you all tonight!
Enjoy! | Meagan
Back when my husband and I were looking for our future home, I had one desire. That it would be on or near beautiful land that I could use for photography sessions! Well, we lucked out big time. Speedwell forge is surrounded by state game land filled with loads of hiking trails. And it gets better. A year after we moved in, the lake was refilled! HEYO! We have enjoyed biking, hiking, and kayaking along speedwell and love our little area we live in so much. Getting to use it for sessions this Fall has been so much fun! The reflections in the lake are like none I’ve ever seen.
When Nate and Justine hired me to do a 6 year anniversary session for them, I knew this would be the perfect spot! Justine and I have been “social media” friends for quite some time, but FINALLY got to meet in real life for this session, and I have a feeling we will be seeing lots more of one another over coffee and laughs in the near future! She was even so sweet to drop of a bag of goodies for me and our little baby boy on my doorstep. This girl is the real deal. A one of a kind gem! And Nate pairs with her perfectly with his genuine smile and kindness. What a power couple!
It was such a blessing to photograph them. Enjoy a handful of my favorites from the evening!
Meagan
It’s that wonderful time of year when natural light photographers start photographing family sessions out the wazoo! I always love this time of year when wedding season slows down and comes to an end, and portrait sessions pick up with the cooler weather and holiday’s in the near future!
I’ve been photographing some of the most adorable families and can’t keep all these insanely cute photos to myself! I met the Horne family a few weeks ago and had such a great time capturing them together. Here are a few of my favorites!
xoxo | Meagan
We’ve always had such a great turn out with our holiday mini shoots and look forward to them each year! This has been the busiest season yet for our team, so we decided to try something a little different! Normally we set aside 3-4 dates with a limited amount of spots open to book a mini session with us! This year we decided to offer a mini session package with dates available upon request based on our availability and at the location of your choice! We do have a handful of recommendations for great locations, but would love to use the location of your choice. All we ask is that it is within 20 miles of our home address.
This will be the perfect opportunity to get some new shots for Christmas cards, gifts, or just to spruce up the old facebook page! Details below! 🙂
30 MINUTE SESSION
$150.00
25 (-/+) HI RESOLUTION IMAGES IN AN ONLINE GALLERY
LOCATION WITHIN 20 MILES
To book, please email tori at tori@meagannicole.com or meagan@meagannicole.com
@megnicole instagram
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