A blazing fire pit, dockside adventures, thunderstorms and dancing in the rain– you won’t want to miss this joyful couple’s Lake Raystown Resort Lodge wedding…
Katrina shared, “We chose Rhinehart Photography because of the great ratings and reviews we read online. We loved the unique/professional photos on your website and fun blogs. On the wedding day, we appreciated your creativity and “on the fly” ideas you and your assistant had for us and the ability you had to accommodate the weather challenges throughout our day. ”
She continued, “We loved how you came up with the fire pit photos at the end of the night and how you were not afraid to go out on a limb (or a shaking dock, haha) to help us capture some of the outdoor beauty that led us to choose our wedding day at Raystown Lake. Thank you for being so much fun to work with and making us feel so comfortable during our photos!”
Brian shared, “Katrina and I love the outdoors. I grew up not far from Raystown, and remember all of the camping trips, boating, and floating out in the coves. We had been to a friend’s wedding there a few years ago and loved the scenery and the fact that everyone could stay in the same area. We chose Friday so that people could spend the day Saturday relaxing on the Proud Mary and handing out together by the fire.”
I opened with a shot near the fire and will show the amazing view that Katrina and her ladies enjoyed during their wedding day preparations– wowza!
Brian shared, “When I first saw Katrina I noticed how pretty she was, her smile lit up the room and I started talking to her and soon realized there was a lot more there than just a beautiful woman.” Here he beautiful smile shines as she puts on her earrings…
I noticed a ring on her hand. Katrina shared, “Katrina: The ring on my thumb was a birthday gift from my sister when we were in high school. She worked for a jeweler in our home town and bought wedding bands for her and I to wear as thumb rings. I’ve honestly never taken it off since then. My sister lives in D.C. and we live in California so I guess it’s just something that makes me feel more connected to her and to home.”
Katrina’s mom helped her to put on a bracelet made from the pearls on her wedding gown!
She explained, “The bracelets that I wore were a gift from my Mom. She made them out of a few pearls and beads from her wedding dress and surprised me with them when we first flew home.”
Wow that train!!!
I while her smile is show stopping, her eye color is just gorgeous, too. I wanted to show off her eyes and the back of her dress and veil in this photograph…
Katrina shared, “We wanted a relaxed/romantic…slightly bohemian style with a lot of soft florals and greenery. I love the mix of eucalyptus and olive leaves because they bring me memories of hikes and adventures Brian and I shared in San Francisco and the coast of California. The color combination of dusty mauves and smoky blues paired with ivories and other neutral colors are very soothing to my soul. I wanted to keep our florals very organic and flowy rather than perfectly shaped.”
A badge of honor…
Brian explained, “Pinning Brady, aka Ring Security, was super cool because he was proud to do it for us. To prep him for his important role, I asked him what he would do if a ninja repelled from a tree to steel our rings, what he would do. He said he’d ask the ninja if he wanted a hug or to hang out. It was good enough for us.”
I love this photo so much, it was captured by my assistant, Jim, as he was photographing the men in the morning.
Brian laughed, “After getting fully into my tux, I noticed a couple buddies playing football. I had to join in. My groomsman, Joe, said it’s almost “doglike”, physically impossible to resist.”
The gangs all here…
Time for the first look… 
Katrina spun to give him the full effect…
He was even more impressed.
He said, “Katrina looked so gorgeous and happy! My first thought was, ‘I don’t deserve to stand anywhere near this beautiful woman!”
Katrina blotted a tear from the corner of her eye…
Katrina shared, “He looked perfect! I couldn’t get over how handsome he was in his bespoke suit.”
I love to play with color and perspective. The rain had brought such vibrant, saturated tones out in the landscape and as Brian and Kristina walked towards the water I hung back and photographed them from above.
Brain shared about the weather, “It rained most of the day, held out for two hours, then rained some more. We lucked out, weird how things seem to work out like that. It only stopped raining for our ceremony and first look, the rest of the day it was pretty constant.”
Yes, I have seen this so many times! Brian also noted that he appreciated how flexible everyone was when they decided to have it outdoors. They walked arm in arm along the harbor and enjoyed the view of Raystown Lake.
Despite wearing heels and windy (possibly stormy) weather, these two were up for anything. I suggested that they might want to walk the docks together.
I noticed the number 18 (their wedding date) and thought it was a cool way to show off the date, dock, and their shoes– if you look closely you can see the tiny raindrops as well.
Brian shared, “I think Katrina and I work well together because we almost always find the humor in anything. Even in sad times, we find humor to either cheer up ourselves or someone else.”
They were always joking around, having fun and just enjoying everything together– even though it wasn’t the weather they had anticipated you would never know it, they were so joyful and just enjoying each other’s company. Brian actually was doing a little dance here, haha.
I loved the intense light from the story sky, it made for incredible lighting. I’m always up for whatever, and got down low on the dock to catch a unique perspective.
Katrina admitted, “When we went out on the narrow dock, I was nervous that my heels were going to fall through the cracks or that Brian was going to step on my train or veil, but none of that happened.”
Brian laughed, “I kept thinking there’s no way I don’t slip and “ribcage it” off the side. My hope was that if we did go in, that the videographer or photographer could reel in all 28 feet of Katrina’s veil to salvage at least that part, haha”
Katrina shared, “Brian is such an authentic person– genuine and true. He has the kindest spirit and always seems to notice when someone needs a helping hand. He loves adventure, exploring nature, and challenging ourselves to things we never thought we’d try (like scuba diving) — there’s never a dull moment when we’re together.”
Following that little adventure, they were both at such peace and so happy together. I love how Katrina looks tickled and Brian looks so loving and protective:
Katrina reminisced, “At first, I fell in love with his kind heart, strong morals, goofy sense of humor, and handsome smile. Over time, I couldn’t resist our adventures (especially our fly by road trips with our family of dogs), his hard work ethics, and his old-timey soul.”
I love the authenticity of this moment– here they walk together hand in hand, balancing on a narrow dock as the wind blows, all the while holding hands and supporting each other, Katrina beaming, none the less. It just paints such a picture for who Brian and Katrina are as people and the bright future they have ahead of themselves!
Brain shared, “I am looking forward to more travels, adventures, accomplishments, and whatever else comes our way together.”
It started pouring again, so we headed inside for bridal party pictures. Katrina mentioned liking my editorial inspired group portraits, so I posed her bridal party beneath the large moose head, while my assistant, Jim, held a light towards its face so that it really popped, haha!
Brian said “I feel very fortunate that a moose donated his body to Raystown to be cut in half and mounted on two sides of a fire place. It does make for great pictures, jokes, and conversation. We are meeting up for photos by the moose? Which side? Haha!”
I love how the ceremony space at Raystown Lake Resort is perfectly angled to show the stunning mountain backdrop and lake, while simultaneously hiding the parking lot allowing everyone super easy ceremony site access.
Here I used a tilt-shift technique to bring the focus to Katrina and her father escorting her down the aisle. I love how the wind blew just at the right time to make her ribbons twirl!
This was a tricky shot, I wanted to have Katrina and her father framed below the floral arch and catch Brian’s beaming smile as they processed.
Such a sweet moment…
Brain shared, “We liked the idea of an outside ceremony where our guests were relaxed and could take in the scenery of the lake behind the gazebo.”
The kiss…
Katrina shared, “We wanted a less traditional “toss” that wouldn’t be harmful to the earth or animals…& that wouldn’t make a mess that we’d have to clean up the next day. In keeping to our natural theme we decided on tossing lavender — 1. Because it smells so good and relaxing, and 2. Because hopefully a few of the lavender seeds will root and grow in the spot of our wedding.”
Brian added, “Now birds and chipmunks in Raystown smell nice and have great breath.”
After the ceremony, Katrina mentioned how helpful the staff of Lake Raystown Resort was, “The biggest shoutout to our wedding and events coordinators Dan Genditzki and Jenn Skipper at Lake Raystown Resort! They worked tirelessly for us, not only the entire weekend, but were also nothing short of amazing during our long distance planning process. Even though they had weddings and events the days before and after our wedding, they made us feel like they were there just for us. I can’t think of one thing during our wedding day that they, personally, didn’t have a hand in. Because of them, our day was more stress free. They really went above and beyond in helping to make our dream become such a beautiful reality!!”
Katrina shared, “A lot of times when Brian and I are making dinner or relaxing after work, we play old, scratchy, deep southern blues to unwind. We wanted something unique for our guests that would create that same “chill” vibe that we love.”
Haaa bringing a little visual interest to the cheese platter…
Katrina mentioned, “Moscow Mules (served in copper cups) have become one of our favorite sips — we wanted to bring that, along with some of our favorite California wines into our wedding day to share with our families and friends.”
Katrina mentioned, “It was such a joy to work with Lisa Becker and plan our delicious cake over the phone!”
Brian shared, “Both Eric and Bethany did an awesome job. Both said things that made me us laugh and brought out emotions. I like how Beth calls me Brain.”
He continued, “Eric killed it by talking about a little history of Myers men and their strong wives, but also his comedic skills were great.”
While the speeches were super funny, they were also touching as well, I noticed Katrina and Brian holding hands, now you can really see the pearl bracelet!
Katrina shared, “My grandfather used to sing for a radio station when he was a young boy. Growing up, he would always be singing and “That’s Amore” was one of the songs that we (his grandchildren) would love to sing along with him. Although he has passed on…he was very present in Spirit.”
The whole group had a little lyrics sheet and sang along, it was a sweet, personal touch. Also that the DJ, Steven Vance, could also play electric violin was pretty rad.
The first dance… it was actually played by Brian’s dad, more about that in a bit:
Brian shared, “My Dad said he’d like to sing for us at some point. We thought it would be very cool to have our first dance with my Dad singing. He picked the song by John Legend and put his own style to it. We thought he nailed it and sounded great in that room.”
Here they are framed in Brian’s dad’s guitar!
Haaa these two were so much fun! Dom and his cousin Jimmy got the party started by opening up the dance floor.
Here they are getting a little up close and personal, haha!
The dance floor was packed!
Katrina and Brian both enjoy “family time” with their dogs, while they didn’t fly in from California, they did show up in a few photos ;).
Brian shared, “Katrina and I are very much spur of the moment people and kind of go with things as they come. You had a plan but also rolled with the changes of the day, which was great. All the changes of weather led to happy outcomes. The fire pits going at the same time as the rain coming off the building was very cool, and we are glad you spotted that combination and can’t even imagine the unique photos!”
Well here is one, I used the warm lights inside and the cool rain outside. If you look closely you can see a reflection in the glass.
I got even more abstract here…
Katrina shared, “One of the hardest things in planning our wedding long distance was trying to find reputable vendors. I have to say…I am beyond pleased in everyone that came together to make our special day amazing!!! So many people were just so easy going and great to work with. It really reminded us of how wonderful “hometown hospitality” really is — so genuine!”
A few of the other vendors include:
~ Venue: Raystown Lake
~ Photography: Rhinehart Photography
~ Bride’s and Bridesmaids hair: Desert Garden Day Spa
~ Florist – Country Blossoms
~ Cake – Lisa Becker Bakery
~Electric Violinist/DJ – Steven Vance, Blues Guitarist – Matt Barranti
~Linens – Emmabelle Events
Katrina & Brian thanks so much for sharing your story with me and being up for any crazy adventures! I am so excited to hear what you and your friends and family think! Feel free to share and/or comment below!