Charming, rustic & romantic– this church wedding and barn reception united a family focused couple, ready to revisit their country roots and begin a family of their own…

Brittany has been following my work for years, even before she met Eric.  Her friends teased her that she had her perfect wedding planned, now she just had to meet the guy ;).   I have to say that her contact form was one of the most surprising I have received to date as the referral listed Kiersten, my 6 year old daughter, who was now 10– mind blown!!!
Brittany shared, “Kiersten was one of my first graders during student teaching. It wasn’t until I graduated and became friends with Lisa on Facebook that I realized she was a “real photographer” (not that I doubted Kiersten, haha) as well as an incredible, award-winning photographer with the most original style I’d ever seen. So, I knew long before I met Eric that she would be the one to shoot my wedding one day. I followed her posts for years and eventually, once Eric and I had been together for a good amount of time, I showed her work to him. He was blown away just as I was.”

They wanted photos that were unique and would capture people’s emotion and the beautiful settings and details from the wedding day.   Brittany has a great eye for detail and I loved her decor selections, especially those at the reception and wow, the flowers!
Brittany dressed in the church nursery.  It was filled with baby toys, a diaper changing station etc.  She said that it wasn’t much to work with but I assured her not to worry.  I placed her bouquet on top of a radiator and utilized the natural, window light…

Brittany chose gray and a deep eggplant purple for the color scheme and had the girl’s dressed hemmed to show off their boots…

While you get a feel for the rustic barn reception at Springfield Manor in Thurmont Maryland and the purple color scheme in the image of the ladies, you get a feel for the more traditional church setting and see how nicely the men’s tuxes transition there as well.
The church is stunning– Kris was able to get the entire steeple in this image while still showing the groomsmen.  This shot will look awesome enlarged in your wedding album, guys!

Here is a closer perspective on all of the men on the steps of Zion Lutheran.  Eric shared that it was really only his closest friends and family that were in his bridal party.

These dapper gentlemen are Brittany’s nephews.  Brittany said while she doesn’t remember an exact moment when she knew that she’d marry Eric, seeing him with her nephews really stands out to her as a time when she realized what a great father he’d be.
There wasn’t any light in the back corner of the nursery where there was enough room for her to dress, so I made my own, using radio triggered flashes.
I loved the detail of her dress and really wanted to show off the intricate lace embroidery.  The gown was the second one that she tried on at TLC Bridal Boutique in Frederick, Maryland.

About twenty minutes before the ceremony began, tensions were running high.  Brittany & Eric’s faith seemed to be important to  them and I sensed that it would be a great time for her to pray.  It was technically her bridal portrait time, but I just asked her what she thought of the idea.
Brittany shared, “I can’t express the feeling I got when she asked me this but I gladly walked up the steps and took a seat in front of one of the church’s stained glass windows. I was able to pray for continued comfort and peace for Eric and I throughout our day, that we would be able to savor every moment, and that we would be able to feel God’s presence. It took everything in me to hold back tears, I really felt like the whole thing happened for a reason.”

I gave Brittany some space and actually photographed her from outside of the church for the most part.  The next image shows Brittany through the church window.
All of the other window panes reflect Middletown Maryland, the home of Zion Lutheran Church, but Brittany is visible because she is against the reflection of the sky.

Gift giving is one of Brittany’s favorite things.  Eric’s gift to her was simple and touched her deeply.  Here she wipes a tear from her eye.  The ceremony is just about to start…
Brittany’s father escorted her down the aisle.  The same exact aisle that Brittany’s mother had walked down a little over thirty years before.  It was an emotional moment for everyone involved.
Kris photographed this image from the balcony while I photographed Eric’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time…

Eric shared, “I remember standing by the alter, nervously waiting for her to come through doors. It seemed like forever before she finally did. She was beautiful! I had so many people come up to me at the end of the service and tell me I had a smile on my face from ear to ear.”  If I’m not mistaken, I think you can even see tears glistening in his eyes…

Brittany’s favorite moment of the day was standing with Eric at the altar listening to the pastor’s sermon that he had prepared for them.  She shared, “Everything about that moment was just so powerful.”

I don’t think that it woudl have been possible for the two of them to be more happy, than to be standing there together.
I like the way that you can also see all of the beautiful ruffles of Brittany’s dress here, too!

Brittany explained, “Eric and I both came from religious families and have grown a lot together through our faith. Although it was challenging to work out the logistics of things, we were set on getting married in a church. Our home church is small so we had to find another one for our ceremony. Ironically, we ended up choosing the church that my parents got married at 30+ years ago!”
This is not photo shopped– can you figure out how I captured this?

Just prior to Brittany & Eric’s Frederick Fair engagement photography session, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
She shared, “I don’t talk about it much but the emotion behind my sickness played a huge part in the joy of both of our families on our wedding day.”

Following the ceremony, Brittany asked if I could somehow incorporate one of her parents wedding photos into their own.
She said, “My parents are the best example of a sacrificial, unconditional love and Eric and I often talk about how we hope to emulate their relationship.”
I had them hold the photo and kiss in the background.  It was a sweet moment and notable that the same candelabra and tapestries are in their photos, too!

Eric is polite and humble, a gentleman through and through.  I think this next photo gives you a sense of the gentle way he cares for Brittany.
It also shows her stunning engagement and wedding rings 🙂

I love the architecture of this church and liked this perspective because it really captured the columns and stained glass as well as the happy couple.

Eric shared, “Some of the things that made me fall in love with Britt are her caring ways, her love of family and friends and her beautiful looks :).”
This photo says it all– their love is so tender and pure and a beautiful thing!

He went on, “As soon as we started dating I noticed that she was a loving person who would make a great wife and mother.  I cannot wait for us to start the next chapter in out lives together. Buying a house is important to me, but the thing I am looking forward to the most is starting a family.  Family is what is most important in life.”
As for the venue, they both wanted their wedding to have a rustic, country vibe.  Brittany explained, “We are both from rural areas and intend to get back to those roots to raise our family.”
They were impressed with the Barn at Springfield Manor and the fact that it looked like a barn, but had all the functionality of a ballroom venue (heat, air-conditioning, catering kitchen and sturdy walls and floors etc.)
Here you can see the Springfield Manor Winery, vineyard and Distillery as well as Brittany & Eric– this is another one that will look excellent enlarged for an album or canvas…

Brittany went on, “The barn was incredible and the mountains surrounding it sealed the deal. We knew we wanted a fall wedding and couldn’t wait to see those beautiful, fall colors!!”  Check out this vibrant fall foliage:

While there were parts of the venue that were very well manicured and had more of a country club feel, I chose this rustic, natural country side for the majority of Brittany and Eric wedding portraits.

There is something soft, wild and beautiful about this “stolen moment.”
I shot through the tall grasses framing Brittany and Eric.  It really brings in that rustic, romantic feeling.

Brittany shared that a close second for her was spending quality time with Eric exploring the venue together prior to the reception.  “We were able to take everything in.”
Brittany shared, “Eric is the most genuine, authentic person I’ve ever met…  He is incredibly humble, polite, and just an incredible person.”  She said she feels thankful, honored and grateful to be loved by him.

While I focus on more candid, organic photographs, I also make sure to get traditional portraits as well.  Here Brittany and Eric are smiling for the camera.
I love how genuine their smiles are…

While I have some traditional photos of the bridal party, this one conveys all of their excitement and support for Brittany and Eric and really stands out to me.

I told you that Brittany loves her details, so I went out of my way to capture them in a way that allowed her unique style to show.  I present the rustic boot vase, heehee:

Seriously though, all of her details were spot on and perfectly captured her rustic, romantic aesthetic and purple toned color scheme.
She said, “I have talented friends who helped bring my vision to life.  A close friend of mine created the invitations, programs signs and hand-lettered the purple agate place cards, too.  Another friend made our incredibly delicious cake!”

Here is a closer look at the agate slices– they were so lovely, especially centered on gray linen with the fresh greenery below each.

While leading up to the wedding Brittany and Eric were initially most impressed by the creativity of my work, as the day approached, it was my professionalism that provided them with peace of mind.
Brittany shared, “We felt the utmost sense of comfort that no matter what happened on our big day, she and Kris would make it incredible.”
She went on,  “Up until the day of our wedding, it was calling for rain. Typically, this would set me over the edge in worry, but again, I found reassurance in the fact that they had it under control.”

I like to play with photographic techniques that can capture the feelings of the day.  I used a slow shutter speed to capture these shot on the dance floor…

In this shot I used the opposite technique.  I used a fast shutter to freeze the motion of the brides bouquet in mid-air.

Haahaa her face!!

The garter catcher was a little younger than anticipated…

More dancing and party shenanigans…

A perfect *purple* sunset…

Brittany & Eric. It was an honor and pleasure to photograph your wedding day. I am so gad that Kiersten mentioned me all of those years ago and hope that you love these photos as much as you had hoped all of those years ago when you had started reading my blog!
If you want to see more photos of Brittany and Eric, their engagement blog post which includes their favorite place may interest you.