Sweet love in charming, small town America…

Teachers, Lara & Wade, met in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.  When Lara finished college in Philadelphia and started looking for French teaching jobs, she found one in Wellsboro and experienced a bit of culture-shock.  Going from the hustle-bustle of Philadelphia where where she felt somewhat rushed and anonymous to small town life was quite a change!
In Wellsboro, people were welcoming and relaxed, they took time to chat even if it was just in line a the grocery store or post office.    It was the people who made her want to stay.  Everyone– friends, colleagues, students, strangers are generally friendly and take care of each other.
Wade grew up outside of Wellsboro but has always considered it to be his hometown. He was drawn to the “down home” Americana vibe that makes you feel like you’ve just stepped back in time. He came back after finishing college and found a job teaching there and fell in love with the town all over again. He also fell in love with a sweet French teacher named Lara. 🙂
Wellsboro is beautiful and has such a warm, welcoming feel as you can see with it’s tree-lined streets.  I particularly like this colorful front yard garden:

Wade grew up outside of Wellsboro but has always considered it to be his hometown.  He was drawn to the “down home” Americana vibe that makes you feel like you’ve just stepped back in time.  He came back after finishing college and found a job teaching there and fell in love with the town all over again.   He also fell in love with a sweet French teacher named Lara.  🙂
I like the old-school black and white photo below.  It’s timeless and you get a feel from how smitten they are:

Lara & Wade wanted their engagement photography session to be in Wellsboro to capture the place that they met and live as well as the small town feel that they love so much.  Lara & Wade enjoy taking walks downtown, so we planned their engagement session accordingly and basically explored Wellsboro together.
Since they both shared about loving that small-town American feel, I couldn’t pass up taking their photo in front of this american flag with street signs in the background.  Absolutely idyllic!

We stopped at their friends’ barn where Wade proposed to Lara.  It is almost more of a museum of collected memories than anything else and such a fun, quirky place to propose in and almost symbolic of all of the memories that Wade and Lara will be making together, too.
He proposed in front of the barn window where they are standing here:

Wade shared that there are so many things that he loves about Lara that he can’t narrow it down to just one.
He said that they just fit– they balance each other out so well.  While Wade is more of a planner and can overthink things, Lara is laid back and calm.  She is lighthearted when he is too serious and strong when he’s weak.  She is beautiful and genuine and loves him unconditionally.
Lara added that Wade is such a classic gentleman and so easy to love.  He puts her first and has a deep respect for her and for their relationship.  He believes in love in a way that few people have the ability to and how can you not love that? 😉

We also stopped at West End Market.  It is a unique little cafe where Lara and Wade’s relationship deepened and grew through good conversation and a great cup of coffee or in Lara’s case, Chai.  The owner, Jenny, is incredibly welcoming, she knows her regulars by name and even remembers what they typically order!

Lara and Wade initially contacted me looking for an eclectic mix of colorful, well-lit photos that had a natural feel that would capture their love and personalities.
I really liked how open and affectionate they were and how you would just “go with the flow”!   I hope all of those elements and qualitities come across in these images. 🙂

As we walked we came to a random piano in the street.  That said “Play me, I’m yours!”  (I looked it up and apparently there is a whole street piano movement, pretty cool!)

Lara loved this idea and the two of them sat down on the bench and played “Heart and Soul” together.
Wade commented that while he considers himself to be a pretty creative person that sitting down on a random piano bench in the street is not anything that he would have done without Lara in his life, but with her he feels like he can do anything 🙂

I thought this was kind of cute, teachers using chalkboards and all, hehe

Haaa this shot is so them– playful & lighthearted!  Lara quoted Nietzsche, “In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.”  She said that she and Wade don’t really try to hide that inner child,  she says embracing your goofy side is good for the soul.  🙂 The Winken Blinken & Nod fountain is kind of where Lara & Wade’s relationship started.  They would go for walks and talk and always ended up on the green near the fountain.  Wade added that this is where he first tried to hold Lara’s hand and sneak a kiss, just the mention of which totally made Lara blush haaa…

Lara is a big fan of the gas lamps, so we planned their engagement session to be at the end of the day when you would see their golden glow.  She said that the gas lamps are there to welcome her home whether she is on a trip out of town or after a long day at school.  They are so peaceful.
Wade added that they remind him of Singing in the Rain which was one of his grandma’s favorite movies and she was one of his favorite people.
I could not call this a classic Wellsboro engagement without getting the iconic Wellsboro Diner in a shot.
The sentimentality of this photo-shoot and timelessness of this small town made me want to stop and have dinner at the diner, so I did ;).  My grandparents moved to Wellsboro in the 1960’s while my grandfather managed a “Five and Dime” store downtown.  My mom spent her pre-teen and early teen years there and my aunt was even the homecoming queen (I think that was in 1970?).
I sat in the diner being nostalgic, imagining my grandparents and their children (5 of my favorite people) sitting in those same booths as a young family.  Enough about me though, back to Lara and Wade…

The Penn Wells Hotel is our final stop for this blog.  It has a lovely dining room and lounge and is a place they like to go especially in the cold winter months.  Wade says that, for him,  scoring a table right by the big fireplace is like winning the lottery :).  Here they are near the dining room window:

Lara and Wade, thank you so much for introducing me to Wellsboro.
I have heard so much about it in family stories as this idyllic small town and it is astounding to me that it continues to remain that way even today.  Thank you for sharing your story with me and letting me into your world for a few hours.  It was an absolute pleasure and I’m beyond excited to photograph your wedding at The Bond next month!
PS: If you follow the link to the Bond, those are my photos on their website :).