A stunning Cathedral and vibrant Hotel Hershey wedding for these two lovebirds and their close-knit family & friends…
When I first met with Chris and Sam I remember Samantha saying she liked my blog and Instagram and that she was surprised that I had so much national and international recognition but was located in Central Pennsylvania. Chris had said he liked my artistic eye, the way I captured candid moments as well as the perspective and backgrounds… they also mentioned loving the story telling aspect and how I could tailor my coverage to fit different styles.
Samantha agreed, “Yes, I knew right from the beginning that we needed you for our wedding! We loved your creativity and the way you can could catch a moment. I loved how beautiful and colorful your Instagram was and I knew I wanted to incorporate that aspect to our wedding! Working with Rhinehart Photography on the wedding day was great because we knew we could completely trust you to do the job right. It was one less thing to worry about. You just made us feel so comfortable!”
I love to give my couples a wide variety of photos so that they can re-live their wedding day for year to come. I started out with a colorful silhouette of just the two of them alone in Hotel Hershey, while this is a detail shot of her ring captured in her parents’ living room. I got a little creative and incorporated reflection and the crystals of her mother’s vase.
Samantha definitely likes sparkle and I wanted her wedding to have that classic, glamorous feel, I wanted her detail photos to fully embrace that vibe.
Sam shared, “When picking out shoes I knew I wanted a classic pair Badgley Mischka heels. I figured I should go with a low heel so I would be comfortable and dance the night away!”
Double vision… I love to play with different lighting and reflections… this was captured in Samantha’s parent’s living room… a huge shout out to her family for not caring if I moved some furniture, haha!
Samantha shared, “I purchased my dress from Cocoa Couture in Hershey. I started off not having a clue what I wanted. I tried on a few dresses and knew I could scratch off any of the poofy dresses. I knew that was not my style. The dress I finally chose was a Maggie Soterro fit and flare dress. Once I saw the dress I knew this was going to be the one!”
She continued, “We were going to add sleeves to the dress but once they were attached and fell off my shoulder I changed my mind and added the cap sleeve! It was so much more flattering! The dress was a little too simple so my sister Andrea suggested I should try on an art deco belt to go along with it.”
Sam’s beautiful mother kisses her cheek on the wedding morning…
Samantha explained, “My sister has always been one of my very best friends. We are 6 years apart but we have such similar personalities. I knew getting married would be an adjustment for us since we are together 24/7, haha, but I know she is so happy for me, to see me living the life I have always wanted to live!”
Sam continued, “Each one of my bridesmaids have always been there for me through thick and thin. They are always the ones I can count on. The bridesmaids dresses were a Navy Bill Levkoff number which I knew would be flattering for everyone.”
Samantha explained, “The flowers were exactly what I was envisioning. They were the perfect shade of white mixed in with just the right amount of pink and greenery. I don’t think I could have asked for a better bouquet or arrangement. We kept it simple and added the same flowers that were going to be at the reception at the Church.”
Samantha shared about Chris, “I fell for Chris’ calming personality. We are so different but we complement each other well. He has such a great heart, and that smile!”
Chris and his groomsmen gathered at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Harrisburg all dressed and ready for the ceremony to start…
Chris chose a Christian Dior tuxedo for all the men in the wedding. A huge shout out to Sten, for being my second photographer and catching these cool, colorful shots of the men.
The ladies arrived in style, here the flower girl is assisted out of the limousine…
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is breathtaking, when guests arrived they were greeted by beautiful harp music…
Here Samantha walks down the aisle with her father. I love offering couples a unique perspective, here I captured Sam and her father’s faces while having my second photographer, Sten, stationed in the balcony where he could catch this aerial shot. I was obsessed with the checkered floor and thought it would be cool to catch the guests’ reactions, I love how it turned out:
Sam shared, “I always knew that Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, where I grew up going to church, would be the perfect wedding ceremony location. I love the stained glass windows and marble floors and columns. The church is beautiful and also important to my family and I, who are members. Chris and I both agreed, it was the perfect place for us!”
I wanted to get a few very traditional photos of Sam and Chris exchanging vows in this very traditional space. I wanted to give the photo some extra depth so that you could see the marbling and detailed gold candles and sacraments on the altar as well as the happy couple and their attendants.
I was also blown away by the stained glass and really brought it into the composition of this next photo. I wanted to show just how grand it was in scale, and like how the column splits the frame in half. It shows on one side the hugeness of Biblical teachings and on the other the tiny couple reading scripture together. Something just fits about it, visually…
I typically move like a ninja during a wedding ceremony, I climbed up to the choir loft, got down on the marble floor in the back of the church, and navigated in the side aisles all to get different perspectives of the same space. Here I wanted to capture the full rotunda and all of the beautiful detailing of this place that means so much to Sam…
Sam’s brother lead songs during the ceremony, it was such a nice touch!
I have several photos that capture the full cathedral like this, but there was something about the contrast and light and lines of this one in black and white that really popped for me. If you look very closely you can see Sam & Chris…
Haaa here I got a little creative with the organists’ mirror…
Kiss the bride…
Soooo many bubbles, I also wanted to bring in some of the architecture…
I love the color…
The bridal party gathered for a quick pic at the Hotel Hershey. I liked this spot, because I felt like it really transitioned well from the church also with white marble columns…
The happy couple… I love giving couples and eclectic mix of photos to choose from– tiny details, beautiful landscapes, colorful creative shots, sweet candid moments, and posed traditional shots like this…
My concept for this image was to make Sam and Chris look like miniatures by using a tilt-shift effect. I wanted to show how amazing the Hotel Hershey gardens were. Can you spy the three hidden “kisses”?
The whole space was stunning, I thought the fountain and breeze were just perfect to play up Samantha’s cathedral length veil ;).
Chris explained, “Sam and I are both very different, but we complement each other. Her cheerful, bouncy ways really balance my more serious side were I might help her to be more disciplined at times, she helps me to lighten up and celebrate life.”
He went on, “We see each other as equals, we love,respect and trust each other. We are always there for each other for guidance and direction.”
An interesting perspective from the tulips, I see it as a meeting of the minds on Sam’s colorful, bubbly personality…
Chris shared, “I fell for Samantha’s kind personality and happy-go-lucky nature. She is almost always cheerful and can turn any situation into fun. I also trust Samantha very much, she is a fiercely loyal person.”
He went on, “Samantha is incredibly kindhearted and compassionate. When I first saw her on the wedding day a feeling of calm rushed over me. While others around me were stressed at times about the wedding, I really wasn’t. Seeing her on our wedding day, just standing next to her made my whole world absolutely tranquil.”
Samantha added, “Yes, when I first saw Chris coming down the aisle my nerves instantly went away. Just seeing him waiting there for me I knew we were ready to start our lives together.”
Another posed portrait under the bows of a flowering tree…
A different perspective from above, rather than using a tilt shift to blur the background, I used a very narrow aperture to capture all of the detail in the background.
Chris shared, “I liked that the Hershey Hotel was so close to home in central Pennsylvania, but had a world-class elegance that could be found somewhere far away.”
Samantha added, “When choosing venues we loved how it looked like you were somewhere on vacation but we were right here at home!”
Samantha continued, “I have always wanted to get married at the Hershey Hotel. We loved the size of the Castilian room. It was perfect for the amount of people we had for the wedding. It was so elegant but cozy enough so that we felt a closeness with our families and friends.”
Sam smiled, “The cake was the most fun to pick out! We tried out so many flavors and went with a chocolate peanut butter for one layer and a white cake with strawberries and cream filling. They were delicious! As far design we wanted something super simple. We went with a white tier cake with tiny polka dots and gold ribbon around the bottom of each layer.”
Being announced as Mr & Mrs…
Chris’ dance with his mom:
Sam’s sister’s speech:
Chris shared, “I was honored to have my sister, Lauren, be my witness at the wedding, holding the traditional “best man” role. My family is small but close-knit, and my sister was and is by far the closest relative and friend I have ever had. We grew up together and while we were two years apart, strangers always asked my parents if we were twins due to our visible bond. It was only right to have her be in this role.”
Samantha’s brother led the prayer…
They both agreed, “The best part of the wedding was getting out on the dance floor! It was so fun to hear our favorite songs and get down with our friends and family!!”
Haaa the garter and bouquet toss…
Group photo!!!
Chris shared, “The perfect ending to our night was by the fountain right below our ballroom. It was such a romantic setting!”
At the end of the evening, Sam and Chris stepped out in the cool of the evening. I used a special flash and technique to really play up that moonlight…
Sam and Chris, thanks for choosing to have me with you at your side during your big day! It was such a pleasure meeting your friends and family! If you want to see more of Sam and Chris, check out their apple orchard engagement here. 😀
If you’d like to know which vendors they used, you can find out more here:
Dress: Cocoa Couture: www.cocoacoutureonline.com
Flowers: Royers Flowers: www.Royers.com
DJ/Lighting: Klock Entertainment– Josh Wagner (DJ Wagz): www.klockentertainment.com
Tuxedos- Strictly Formals, Harrisburg: http://www.strictlyformals.com/
The Hotel Hershey, www.thehotelhershey.com
Church- St Patrick’s Cathedral, www.stpatrickscathedral.org