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
Okay you guys, I had no idea how dreamy The Inn at Leola Village is! This was my first time photographing here and oh my goodness, it’s instantly one of my top venues for 2016. The rain decided to grace us all day long, but it didn’t even matter because Lance and Courtney are two of the happiest, sweetest people and made sure their wedding day was nothing short of fun and special. I can’t stop swooning over the perfect, soft lighting we had for the first half of the day mixed with all the beautiful greenery. These rose gold, sequenced bridesmaid dresses rented from Rent The Runway are also worth all the swooning! I think the detail that steals the show and takes all the cake home though is Courtney’s dress. This wedding dress was actually her mothers wedding dress! She had some minimal things tailored and adjusted to make it her own, but kept it pretty true to the original which is so amazing. I can’t get over the vintage, laced headpiece that’s attached. Goodness, goodness! So dreamy.
Courtney and Lance both surprised one another with fun/silly choreographed dances for their father/daughter and mother/son numbers. The whole guest list was howling with laughter and snapping photos with their hands in the air clapping and whistling along. It was just.. the best. 🙂
I love how Lance and Courtney really let their personalities shine through, making their wedding day so personable and relatable and down right enjoyable! Enjoy taking a peek into their special day with me!
Warmly | Meagan
After photographing Joe and Courtney by their local park in Brooklyn, NYC for their engagement session last year I could not wait for their wedding day! These two are effortlessly photogenic and in love. They compliment one another (literally + figuratively) so, so well. Their truly best friends! I really don’t even know what else to say about them because that literally wraps it up to a T! I just, adore them as a couple. 🙂
They made their wedding day their own, celebrating with all of their closest family and friends. Courtney did DIY for her center piece arrangements + florals. Seriously, drooling over them. They had a traditional catholic mass for their ceremony and held their reception and super fun dance party at Riverdale Manor. The rain didn’t hold these two or their wedding party back from making it a day to remember. This will forever be one for the books!
Without further ado.. | Meagan Nicole
William and Anni are two of the kindest people I’ve had the pleasure of photographing! They’re both so fun and full of life. Listening to all of their stories and adventures from their dating relationship had everyone at the reception smiling ear to ear. These two were destined for one another and for greatness! They live life to the fullest and light up the room they’re in and the people they’re with.
Their wedding was held in Lock Haven, PA at the “1900 Red Barn”. The view was breath taking! Anni infused the entire wedding with accents of her favorite color red. At the reception the groomsmen graced us all with a hilarious dance to whip + nae nae, then broke out in karaoke/lip syncing battles. The evening ended with a beer race, and Anni was oh so close to winning but William’s brother stole the show (quite proudly, as you’ll see below). Ha!
Enjoy a few of my favorites from their wedding day!
xoxo | Meagan
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