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Harrisburg Civic Club Rotunda Wedding Photographers: Anne & Dennis

A vibrant, romantic, unique Harrisburg wedding at the Capitol Rotunda and Harrisburg Civic Club
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Dennis shared,  “We chose Rhinehart Photography because we saw your work and loved your style. We really liked how you are able to capture natural, authentic moments between people and nothing feels staged.”
Annie added,  “I think your eye for lighting, staging and gorgeous backdrops is really remarkable. My matron of honor is an amateur photographer and she commented to me during the day that she could just tell that you knew what you were doing- something I already knew!”
Annie shared,  “I was really going for a timeless look with our wedding- with flowers inspired by a traditional English garden.”
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Annie shared, “Dennis chose my engagement ring because blue is my favorite color and I really like that my ring is a little more unique.”
Wait until you see her eyes, the blue is such a similar shade…
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Annie shared,  “I loved my make up by Carmina Christina (who is possibly the sweetest person ever!)- she did a great job of matching my colors and making me feel beautiful, but also not over done.”
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I liked how Annie’s make-up matched not only her coloring, but all the colors in her bouquet etc!
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I loved the rainbow coming through the window at the Civic Club and the reflection off of the piano as Carmina put on Anne’s final touches.
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See what I mean about the colors with Anne’s make-up?  Perfection!
Anne added, “Our florist, Wildflowers, did a really great job working with our vision.”
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Everything at the Civic Club had an almost Victorian feel…
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Annie smiled, “I love my dress as well, it is both very traditional and modern at the same time (and I LOVED the back!)”
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What a beautiful bride!  Just stunning…best-harrisburg-wedding-photographers-civic-club-creative-capitol-rotunda-10
The bridal party was so much fun, and super supportive and helpful throughout!
Annie shared, “Mike was my bridesman- one of my best friends from high school. I really wanted him to be a part of my wedding day and it just made sense to make him a part of my bridal party- something he was very enthusiastic about!”
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Now it’s time to put Dennis is the spotlight!  Here my second photographer, Kris, photographed his morning preparations…
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I love this show through the door, such interesting light and perspective.
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Hehe, anyone suddenly in the mood to listen to the Abby Road album?
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Time for the first look…
Dennis shared, “Our first look was really special- the anticipation of standing there waiting to see her was enough that I teared up waiting. When she tapped on my shoulder and I turned around and saw her for the first time-I cried even more!”
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Annie shared, “When I first saw him for our first look I was overwhelmed by his emotion and the love I could see in his eyes- it took me aback, we both cried!”
I love catching moments like this!!!  Annie and Dennis wiped their tears at the same time!!!
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Dennis shared, “When I first saw Annie, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be marrying my best friend.  I’m looking forward to starting a family with her and traveling the world.”
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Annie shared, “I fell for Dennis because of his kindness, loyalty and (slightly off beat!) sense of humor. I think Dennis is strong and steady, as well as one of the most intelligent people that I know.”
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Annie continued, “I’m looking forward to starting our life together, hopefully with children and lots of laughter.”
Sometimes I like to give my couples a bit of privacy, though not every cherub seems able to do that hehe…
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Dennis shared, “We chose the locations because we felt like it was our neighborhood. We both live and work nearby, and it made sense to us to let all of our friends and family experience it– we love Harrisburg so much.”
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Annie shared, “We chose the Civic Club because we loved that its a restored older mansion- and the river view and garden were really the icing on the cake for us.”
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Strike a pose!!!  I love how chic and sophisticated this bridal party looks!  This was so fun and fitting for them, I thought it was fun to play with a bit of tilt-shift as well…
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Annie shared, “We chose the Capitol because its gorgeous! The marble, the sculptures, the gold leafing, as well as the history behind it- you can’t get any better than that.”
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The ceremony began.  Annie explained, “I loved the string ensemble Vivace Live and loved that they did a rendition of ‘Annie’s Song’ by John Denver as I processed down the stairs to the wedding ceremony, its always been a favorite of mine and they did a beautiful job covering it.”
She laughed, “The entrance with my step dad was incredible- though I was really terrified of tripping down the those marble stairs! Walking down the staircase to Dennis to ‘Annie’s Song’ was really special- and I really liked that not many other people could see our first look at each other (we both cried, again!) , unlike if we had done the traditional walk down the aisle, because it made it feel more intimate.”
Here she wipes a tear…
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I *loved* working in the rotunda!  You better believe I was all over that place during the short ceremony– on the top level behind the columns at the bottom on the floor, haha, I was a ninja– and the photographic results were so worth it!
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I made sure to get many different angles and perspectives, I want them to be able to re-live these moments and remember details of this time and space for many years to come!
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With two photographers, one of us can capture a more standard shot and one of us can get creative.
Haaaa playing with the columns during the ring exchange…
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This would look incredible as a canvas.  The rotunda is stunning and the support fro the guests and bridal party is almost palpable:
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So much gold leafing!
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I move a lot and have many tools at my disposal, constantly crunching numbers to calculate exposure, switching lenses, even physically moving around…
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Following the ceremony felt so natural.  We stepped outside to the intense light and shadow among the sculptures.
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Why hello Harrisburg…
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The Civic Club was so close to the rotunda that we could easily walk.  A local shop keeper was cleaning off the brick walkway in front of his shop, Annie lifted her dress as Dennis carried her boquet, with her wedding gown beading sparkling in the sunlight…
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Dennis shared, “Annie is incredibly strong, generous and sweet to everyone in her life and mine. I’m incredibly proud of her for working on her masters in social work while also working full time- and her passion about all things social justice related has opened my eyes and made me a better person.”
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Annie added, “Annie: I think that we work well together because we are so different in many ways. I’m higher energy (and stress!) and Dennis is steadier, which means that we balance each other out well. ”
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Annie explained, “We wanted out wedding to be traditional yet fun.  We hired a magician,  David Pepka and he did a wonderful job of keeping our guests entertained with fun card tricks etc. Dennis saw him at a Bat Mitzvah and loved him and wanted him at our wedding- something that really fits Dennis’ fun loving personality. When we decided on having a magician, I decided I wanted a cartoonist, Dylan Rinker, who we had really enjoyed at our friends’ wedding the previous year. It just really fit what we wanted from the wedding- a mix of formal and fun!”
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There is something so timeless, perhaps Victorian or even more modern-vintage and French inspired about the Civic Club.
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Annie shared, “I bought the mismatched antique dishes and our wedding coordinator Dana McGinley did a great job putting them all together and making them look cohesive.”
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I love to play with interesting perspectives and noticed this view of the guests during cocktail hour…
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Dennis shared, “The band, Philadelphia Funk Authority, was amazing- they learned all of the first dance songs.”
I photographed their first dance as golden sunlight from the early evening streamed through the large river facing windows of front street.  I love how you can see the expressions of Annie & Dennis as well as those of so many of their friends and family!
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Annie said, “Literally one of my favorite parts of the day was my dance with my stepdad- I love him so much and I could tell it meant a lot to him.”
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Dennis shared, ” My mom and I are very close! She choreographed our dance in about three minutes during Easter Dinner and we had so much fun doing it. The song had special significance to her because when I graduated high school because I graduated from high school she made a scrap book with those lyrics throughout the book- so it was very special that that was our song.”
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Dennis shared, “The sweet treats were from our local bakery.  They were a hit and delicious-we chose flavors like earl grey, nutella and mojito and we really couldn’t pick a favorite!”
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Dennis shared, “My favorite part of the wedding day was the time we got to spend dancing with our friends and family- the band was amazing!”
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Meow 😉 (check out her hair clip)best-harrisburg-wedding-photographers-civic-club-creative-capitol-rotunda-47
Annie shared, “I’m sure the photos you took at the end of the night with the sunset and the river were gorgeous- it was also a really nice way to step away from everything and have some time alone.”
I love the detailing on the back of Annie’s dress and just the natural beauty of this moment.
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A marvelous night for a moon dance…
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Annie and Dennis, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and inviting me to photograph such an important moment in your lives!
If you are just checking out the blog and want to see more of Annie and Dennis, you will want to see their downtown Harrisburg engagement session here.
Here are just a few of the incredible team of vendors who came together to make this event a success:

 

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