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Lehigh University Hotel Bethlehem Wedding Photographer

College sweethearts experiencing a real-life “movie moment” and ending the night under a vintage Hollywood style marquee…
College sweethearts, Katelyn & John,  were married on the campus of their alma mater, Lehigh University in Packer Memorial Chapel.  They met during their freshman year– they shared the same dorm and both fell into the same group of friends.  They felt some “sparks” early on, but didn’t start seriously dating until spring of their Sophomore year.  One of their first dates was a picnic on campus at the same spot where they experienced their “first look” on their wedding day (wait until you see the expression on John’s face!) ;).
Lehigh was also important to them because they built lasting friendships there– six of the friends they met at Lehigh joined them as groomsmen and bridesmaids on this very special occasion.  The reception took place at the stunning Hotel Bethlehem, which has a great Gatsby vibe –built in 1922 it has served guests from Bob Hop to JFK and even the Dalai Lama of Tibet.   I love the look of this wedding– it has a soft romantic palette (the florals were stunning) and sweet with a fresh spin on historical elements and some sparkle.   But enough talking, let me show you…  let’s start with some sparkle:
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Talk about fresh face and stunning blue eyes, wow Katelyn, you are a knockout!  When I first talked to Katelyn about her wedding, I asked her what excited her most about her venue… it was the grand windows in the terrace room.  Looking out of them on her wedding day made her so happy, she could see a great view of Bethlehem, blue skies and the bright, sunny day that awaited her.

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There is something really cool about the Hotel’s old fashioned and rather official letter box.  I think all of these details really helped to set the stage for Katelyn and John’s wedding reception with a sense of history (can’t you imagine former guest, JFK dropping a letter in here to Jackie O?) elegant and yet a fresh and with a touch of gold sparkle.  🙂
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The area where Katelyn & John had their wedding day “first look” was a favorite spot for the two of them, quiet and tucked away from the bulk of the campus foot traffic.  Six years after they had their first picnic lunch together, they met at the *same spot* for their first look.  Film buff, John, says that the first look was a movie moment for him.  He said he had butterflies in his stomach all morning, he was so excited to see Katelyn.  When he saw her, she literally took his breath away, he was speechless.  They embraced and he said a wave of calm passed over him.    Wait until you see his expression!
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Above, I love how the breeze caught this ribbon and created a super sweet curl, at the moment that they kissed, just lovely!
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Lehigh University was not just a special place for Katelyn & John, it is also the place where they met the majority of their bridal party.   Katelyn met four of her bridesmaids and John met two of his groomsmen in college.  I really wanted to give a wide view of the bridal party to give it a sense of place and to show the beauty of campus (the ivy covered buildings, tall windows, wooden doors, stone walls) and the lovely trees as well.

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Katelyn & John were married at Packer Memorial Chapel on Lehigh University’s campus (above).  Below, guests entered the chapel and began to mingle.

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Katelyn’s step-father officiated the wedding.  It was very special for John and Katelyn to have him marry them, as he knows them both so well and has been there to see their relationship grow over the years.  This is one of my favorite images of the ceremony because not only is it when Katelyn slipped the ring onto John’s finger, but you can see the love that the minister has for the two of them, that they are also his family.

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When I asked Katelyn what excited her aesthetically on campus she mentioned the large doors to Packer chapel.    She studied design at Lehigh and one of her first assignments there was to find the alphabet hidden in everyday things on campus (tree branches that look like a v, etc) and that is when she first took notice of intricate ivy inspired metal loops on the dark wooden doors, she found a few letters in there ;).  Speaking of pattern, how about the titled mosaic on the floor?  wow!  Katelyn & John walked through the doors to all of their closest family and friends blowing bubbles.  🙂

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Formal family photographs were very important to Katelyn and John and they made sure to get several groupings of over 50 family members during their wedding.  We  scheduled enough time to accomplish the task and the results were beautiful.  It was hard to choose which image to feature, but Katelyn grandma looks so delightful in this one, that it caught my eye :).

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Time for cocktail hour at Hotel Bethlehem!  The Piano Man played Billy Joel among others, what a lovely touch.

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The bridal party was pretty excited to see John escort Katelyn onto the dance floor and welcome them as husband and wife.  They flowed straight from announcements into their first dance.  Again, John’s expressions are priceless.  He really is as dapper and kind in person as he looks in these photos.  These two are truly meant to be together.

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Party time!!!

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John’s mom made the cookies as favors for the guests and they were *amazing*.  There were even chocolate cookies with whole maraschino cherries inside… needless to say we filled a goodie bag as well.  Delicious and a perfect treat for such a sweet wedding!  These sugar cookies with gold sprinkles and sweet black signs went so well with their theme, that I had to share a photo.   Katelyn made the signs herself, as she is a talented graphic designer.

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Their Hollywood moment…  I loved the idea of ending the night under the marquee– John is a big film buff and it felt vintage Hollywood to me, and it really wrapped up so many elements for this classic, romantic wedding.  It gave that sense of history and  Katelyn and John felt a sense of peace and looked back on their journey and the extraordinary day that they had just experienced.  They felt a sense of excitement and anticipation for the next chapter that they were starting together.

Katelyn & John, it was a real pleasure to work with the two of you.  I couldn’t be happier for you both to be united and am so glad that you chose to have me there to celebrate with you.  I wish you all the very best, Lisa

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