Over 200 mandarin oranges, incredibly vibrant and unique floral arrangements and *brunch*, too!!! Heather and Vincent’s wedding was absolutely stunning and is sure to knock your socks off with its perfect blending of modern and romantic elements, I have never seen a wedding like it before… there are nods to their Scandinavian & Chinese heritage, their love of brunch and even their cats…
Heather and Vince shared, “We chose Rhinehart Photography because honestly, Lisa is the best photographer in the area, hands down. There is zero competition when you compare the composition, color and drama she is able to capture in her photos to others. Lisa is very passionate about photography and she constantly pushes the limits to grow her skill level and expertise, which really shows in her photos. Lisa is also a kind-hearted, bubbly, fun-loving person that we not only fell in love with Lisa’s work, but also Lisa as a person. We were so thrilled to have Lisa capture one of the most significant days of our life!”
They continued, “Lisa and her shooting partner, Jim, were such an amazing team to work with on our wedding day. Like most weddings, we ran into a few snafus; the bridal party was running a little behind schedule with hair and makeup, the murals we wanted to use as a backdrop in our photos were overtaken by a flea market, and passersby kept stopping our photography sessions to request a photo. Lisa handled every situation we encountered with professionalism, tact, and grace. We are hoping to see lots creativity, color and her famous “Vanity Fair” drama in our photos!”
I opened with a photograph that is colorful, creative, dramatic and certainly out of the box. I do like to play with different photography techniques and tried something completely new in the opening image. I love how it combines both modern and natural elements. This next photo incorporated a key wedding symbol, Mandarins, and was photographed in window light, like the Dutch Master still live paintings that were one of Heather’s sources of inspiration for the wedding…
I love color and wow, this wedding did not disappoint! So many vibrant colors– even the ring boxes were lined with these stunning mosses!
The blue sky was out in full force as well– here you can see it along with heather’s antique styled wedding gown hanging in one of the huge windows of The Bond in York.
Heather shared, “My wedding dress was a Victorian inspired gown with a high neckline, and I definitely wanted to pull my hair up so to not distract from my gown. I found my wedding dress online at Anthropologie’s BHLDN store. The dress was designed by Needle & Thread. I feel in love with the high neckline, long sleeves and hand-beaded floral design from top to bottom. Growing up, my mom had a collectible porcelain doll that was dressed as a bride in the most ornate Victorian wedding gown. I used to admire the doll as a small child and think “One day when I get married, that’s the kind of dress I want to wear.” As it turns out, that is the type of dress I wore for my wedding!”
Heather continued, “Our florist, Marcy Almoney from Foster’s Flower Shop, was a dream to work with and she went above and beyond to make my vision a reality. Marcy was able to track down Chinese Emperor Yellow peonies for my bouquet, which made it even more special and unique since the flower is only available during a few weeks of the year!”
They explained. “We wanted to have our wedding in the York area because it’s where we started our life together as a couple. As soon as we stumbled across The Bond, we knew instantly it was the venue for us. The Bond is modern and unique in that it can be transformed from a blank space to virtually anything you can imagine. We also really loved the juxtaposition of the masculine (industrial design elements) with the feminine (crystal chandeliers) found throughout the space. The ceremony, cocktail hour and reception could all be held at the venue; which was very important to selling point for us. The majority of our guests were from out-of-town and we wanted to be as accommodating as possible to ensure they could enjoy our wedding day, and not be worried about getting lost in an unfamiliar city searching for multiple locations.”
Heather shared, “I wanted my hair to be pulled up into a tousled top knot. I wanted my hair to be modern and elegant but still organic-looking.”
Wow!!! The flowers, the dress, the hair, the bride– I am speechless!!!
Heather shared, “In fitting with the vintage look of my wedding gown, we decided to rent some vintage décor to fill the space. We ended up selecting a blue velvet settee, brown trunk, and 100 brass candlestick holders from Love Birds Vintage Rentals in Lititz, PA.”
She continued, “Vince wore a custom 3-piece suit and black gingham dress shirt made by Indochino. Vince selected all the details for his outfit and had our names and wedding date embroidered above the interior pocket of the jacket. Vince’s floral tie was purchased on Etsy from My Tie Shop and his black gingham pocket square was from The Tie Bar.”
My second photographer for this wedding, Jim, really knocked my socks off with these photos of Vince in the morning, as well as several other images throughout the day. 😀
I love this combo– so incredibly dapper! Vince eventually added a floral pocket square in lieu of a boutonniere, LOVE that idea!
Those eyes!!! Heather is totally ready for “the first look”
Vince uncovered his eyes…
And was quickly tearing up…
Heather explained, “Heather: I was responsible for the overall design aesthetic for our wedding, despite that fact that Vince is a professional artist by trade and I am a business consultant who likes to dabble in the occasional crafting project. My design inspiration was a bizarre amalgamation of things that probably shouldn’t have worked together but somehow did. Vince and I hail from different cultures so it was important for us to pay tribute to the coming together of those cultures. We tried to incorporate aspects from both of our cultures in a symbolically meaningful way, mainly because hanging a bunch of Chinese lanterns and Scandinavian Himmeli from the ceiling beams would have looked like a disaster.”
I loved the floral frame! It was a piece of art! Heather shared, “Since we had a Spring-time wedding, I wanted to incorporate as many flowers as possible. Flowers were integrated into everything, from the oversized frame we used as our ceremony backdrop to the glass window escort card display. The branch that was used as a part of our ceremony backdrop was actually from a peach tree in our florist’s backyard!”
A little Vogue and Vanity fair action… I honestly think this wedding could be published, for sure…
The Bond is perfectly situated in downtown York, and there are so many colorful, beautiful locations surrounding it! I scouted out a few spots I wanted to visit and we were able to just explore and hang out! I love the yellow doors, they reminded of the yellow in Heather’s bouquet!
So many cute store fronts…
Colorful murals fit their theme perfectly…
So sweet…
Cherry blossoms? Yes please!
I love to play with perspective, reflections and contrast… 
One more final splash of color…
I like to play with new photography techniques and was so pleased that this worked! It is actually one single exposure and not photo shopped! I wanted to show the modern city elements, the natural elements and the couple all at once…
I love a traditional family portrait– it was so fitting for this crew!
Heather explained, “In Chinese culture, mandarins symbolize your family’s wish that the bride and groom share a happy and full life together. Also the name in Cantonese means gold, so it has a dual wish adding hopes for a life loaded with prosperity.”
A tiny peek at the decor and a kiss…
The ceremony space was all set…
The strings began…
Heather shared, “Vince’s sister, Lyn, officiated our wedding and did an incredible job! It really meant a lot to have a beloved family member unite us in marriage.”
I love this shot of Vince’s sister just about to begin the ceremony!
He didn’t seem so keen on walking down the aisle, but the lollipop sure did the trick, lol!
Heather’s father escorted her down the aisle…
Double the sunshine…
They shared, “A tea ceremony honoring the families of both the bride and groom are traditionally done instead of a vow exchange in Chinese culture. It was important for us to infuse the tradition with a more modern ceremony, so we added the tea ceremony prior to the exchanging of vows to honor our parents.”
Here Vincent’s mother accepts the tea:
The ring exchange:
Heather’s parents watch as she and Vincent exchange vows…
The kiss…
Heather shared, “The floral arrangements were inspired by Dutch Masters still life paintings. I really love how the fruit and floral arrangements are both organic and dramatic. Instead of the darker hues that traditionally comprise the still life paintings, I choose a brightly colored floral palette to suit our Spring-time wedding. Additionally, white flowers were banned from the wedding because they are used at funerals and symbolize death in Chinese culture. Because I couldn’t use white flowers, I decided to offset my brightly colored floral palette with lighter more neutral hues, such as peach and pale pink.”
She continued, “There were over 200 mandarins used for the wedding decor, from centerpieces to place cards. The colors gold and red are good luck colors in Chinese culture, and they were incorporated as much as possible through the use of vintage brass and glass accessories and floral arrangements.”
You can see first-hand the masculine and feminine feel of the bond with its industrial feel and elegant chandeliers, it’s a perfect marriage of both Vincent and Heather’s tastes…
They shared, “Since it was a morning wedding, we wanted to ensure that our guests were comfortable and had lots of caffeine available. We hired Prince Street Café in Lancaster to bring their mobile espresso cart to The Bond to serve a variety of fancy coffee and tea beverages to our guests. We also had a selection of brunch-themed alcoholic beverages (mimosa, bloody Mary, white cranberry wine spritzer) for our guests to choose from, as well.”
Heather shared, “In Scandinavian culture, the bridal party consists of one attendant each for the bride and groom. The attendant’s role is to act as a witness to the marriage. I selected my only sister, Kristina, as my attendant or maid of honor and Vince selected his best friend, James, to serve as his best man/ring bearer.”
Stylin…
Heather shared about their attire, “Our ceremony was held in the morning followed by a brunch reception. Although the wedding was during the day, I wanted to keep the bridal party attire formal but not black tie. Who says you can’t wear an evening gown at 10:30 in the morning?! The dark suits and evening gowns nicely complimented the dramatic element created by the floral arrangements and contrasted their bright hues.”
Werk it 😉 
They explained, “Our favorite part of the wedding was having the opportunity to spend some time with our extended families and friends. We really made it a point to enjoy our cocktail hour and talk to everyone. It truly meant a lot to us to have so much support and love on our wedding day!”
Heather shared, “We originally planned on having an evening reception but during the planning process, I felt uninspired. Vince and I occasionally go out for dinner but typically we like to spend our evenings cooking together at home. We do, however, go out to brunch almost every single weekend. I wanted our wedding to reflect our interests and since it would have been unreasonable to ask The Bond to host a cooking class inspired wedding six months prior to our selected date, I simply asked if they would be willing to host a brunch wedding. The Bond graciously agreed and were very excited since we would be the first brunch wedding held at The Bond. I worked with our venue coordinator, Abby Roche, and the head chef at The Bond to create our brunch menu from scratch. The Bond was willing and able to do anything menu-wise so it was really fun to develop the appetizers for cocktail hour and entrees for brunch.”
Brunch!!! Shrimp & grits!!!
Heather said, “Vince’s speech was completely made up on the spot and from the heart. Vince is an amazing public speaker who really stole the show on our wedding day!”
Vincent’s surprise: dancers during their first dance…
The guests joined in…
Heather shared, “Our wedding cake design was inspired by a painting technique called impasto. I love impasto oil paintings and I really wanted our cake to look like a piece of modern abstract art. Our baker aka cake artist, Jasmine Clouser from Couture Cakery, did an amazing job at creating that impasto look by applying tinted buttercream with a palette knife. She also added some gold leaf foil to match the gold décor accents.”
Photobooth fun…
One big happy family…
Heather explained, “Our favors were miniature bottles of champagne and Lucky Cat soda (non-alcoholic option). Vince and I have three black cats so we decided to give out Lucky Cat soda as a sweet symbolic way to incorporate them into the festivities. I tied gold ribbons and paper straws to each of the bottles. We wanted to give our guests a favor that they’d actually want to take home. Who doesn’t love champagne and Japanese soda?”
I’m not sure that there is a cooler intersection to get married at– the corner of king and queen street, haha! It is part of the “Royal Square” neighborhood in the city of York, PA.
Yay color, yay murals, yay York!
As we explored, we came across this flea market, I love the colorful mural and the way that the little kid on the bike is in yellow like the couple and heather is wearing a red dress. In fact, all of the colors in the mural are present in the scene below, Vince’s suit being the black element. The kid’s bike is even red with red training wheels…
When life really does imitate art 😉 Ahem, Oscar Wilde…
Happily ever after…
Cake: Couture Cakery – www.couturecakery.net
Décor Rentals: Love Birds Vintage Rentals – www.lovebirdsvintagedecorrentalsofpa.com
Florist: Foster’s Flower Shop – https://www.fostersflowershop.com/
Hair and Makeup: MKUP The Beauty Studio – www.makupbeautystudio.com
Mobile Espresso Cart: Prince Street Café – www.princestreetcafe.com
Photo Booth: Watch Me Shine Weddings & Events – www.getreadytoshine.com
Photographer: www.RhinehartPhotography.com
String Quartet: Vivace Live – www.vivacelive.com
Venue: The Bond – www.thebondevents.com