Vibrant fall foliage provided the perfect backdrop for this Gettysburg Lodges Wedding.
Tia & Andy are creative, joyful, and overflowing with personality. From Tia’s teal hair, to her dad’s entrance to Kesha, and an outpouring of support with guests dawning temporary tattoos of the couple, this wedding was 100% unique!
Leave it to these two to make lemonade out of lemons on their rainy day, pandemic wedding. I know, if I didn’t mention it, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it with these spectacular colors and beaming smiles:
Superfan: Tia’s 5th Session with Me!
Tia smiled, “Lisa is my dream photographer. This is actually my fifth time working with her! I first met her when she hosted a life-sized version of the board game, Clue, when I was a teenager. I dressed as ‘Miss Peacock’ and Lisa was the children’s librarian at the time. She took all of our photos to promote the game, and I was already hooked.”
She continued, “Since then, Lisa has photographed my senior portraits (then my sister’s, too). Also, our family portraits, my engagement photos, and now my wedding too! I’ve watched Lisa grow in her photography career. She’s literally watched me grow from a teen into an adult! Her photos are so unique and really capture the essence of the day, I can’t wait to see them!”
Awww I can’t tell you how much this means to me, tia! Can you feel the essence? Color, joy, excitement…
What Andy Loves Most
Andy shared, “I fell in love with my wife because she is the most beautiful woman in all the world. She has the most wonderful personality, and is the best person to spend time with. She is the most hard-working, driven person I know.”
I have noticed the same in knowing Tia for over a decade. She is kind, intelligent, and dang is she strong! To me, this portrait not only captures her beauty but her strength.
Mermaid Dreams
Tia shared, blushing a bit, “I had so much fun during the bridal portraits. I felt so special and beautiful.”
When Tia sat on this rock I said she reminded me of Ariel.
Tia was like, “Really??? The Little Mermaid??? How clandestine! I mean, as a bride I feel like I’m not-so-secretly living out all of my childhood Disney princess fantasies. I just feel really beautiful today.”
You are!!
Gettysburg Lodges First Look
The two of them were so giddy before their first look. Giggles, nervous laughter, even wiggling fingers and nearly reaching palms on Andy’s part, haha! This made Tia burst out in laughter.
I think this image help you feel that energy and tension, especially with the two of them on opposite sides of the frame:
Andy beamed, “Seeing Tia on our wedding day totally reassured me that she was indeed the most beautiful woman in all the world.”
He continued, “I’m looking forward to moving into our first house, that we just purchased, and starting a family together.”
Awww his expression, though:
They Make a Great Team
Tia smiled, “Andy and I have been through a lot in our five years together. We have always made it through as a team. He’s so supportive of me and all of my goals. I really try to support him, too.”
Andy added, “Andy, “Tia is a motivational person. It’s easy to get things accomplished with her support.”
They check out their fingers, remarking about how they will have wedding bands on in a few hours!
Autumn Gettysburg Lodges Wedding
Andy shared, “I loved all the nature around the venue. The lake, the woods, and the view. The Lodges have these cabins for on-site accommodation that are so cool and fun. We wanted a venue where people could stay over, and this was so unique.”
Tia explained, “The Lodges at Gettysburg is truly a hidden gem of the town. We, and other locals, had no idea it was here, but it’s amazing. We saw the venue the October before the wedding, and knew the fall leaves would be breathtaking that time of year.”
It sure was! The rust and gold tones were incredible!
What Tia Loves Most about Andy
Tia, “Andy is so kind-hearted and caring. He goes above and beyond for his friends and family and is so loyal. I love how goofy and funny he is, and how into his hobbies he gets, from craft beer to music, to art. We have so much fun together. He’s just the best.”
Autumn Leaves Fly!
Speaking of fun, how about throwing leaves like dolla’ bills? Haaaa…
Tia & Andy both agreed that buying a house was the next page in their story together. Fingers crossed, that will happen very soon!
My assistant, Jim, was working this wedding with me and literally leaped (carefully of course so as not to appear in the frame) while I captured this scene:
Teal Gowns Match Tia’s Hair!
Tia laughs, “A lot of people asked me if I matched my hair to the bridesmaid dresses, but I actually did the opposite. I matched them to my hair. I’ve been dying my hair fun colors since I was a kid, and it was fun to tie that in.”
She added, “I wanted colors that went with a fall palette, but were unique. We ended up with jewel tones with gold and orange accents. All the colors played off the fall foliage beautifully. I couldn’t have been happier with how it all turned out.”
Tia’s brides-mates:
The Gang’s All Here!
Andy shared, “I’ve known all the groomsmen since at least my college years. Everyone is easy to hang out with, and gets along really well. We don’t all get to see each other in the same place often, so this was fun. We have all known each other for so long!”
He continued, “The whole photography experience felt comfortable. It was easy to have fun, relax, and have photos taken.”
VOGUE: A Creative Gettysburg Lodges Wedding Party
I helped each member to strike a pose Annie Leibowitz style in this epic scene showing off the fall foliage and pond in the background.
“Strike the pose (Vogue, vogue, vogue) Let your body go with the flow, You know you can do it…” Anyone else able to hear Madonna singing this?
Tia was just sitting in this chair when her reflection struck me! Something about it reminds me of a Spanish icon. Perhaps it’s the folding panels, or the chiaroscuro lighting, or just the beautifully timeless expression on her face… but this one makes me feel something:
Guests Arrived at The Lodges at Gettysburg
Tia shared, “The Lodges at Gettysburg have a beautiful ceremony space with a lake, and a wooded path to act as your aisle. The wedding reception space is gorgeous with high ceilings and beautiful wood beams and accents. They provide almost everything you need for your big day. It was so easy to work with them.”
Tia laughs, “I lit up when my dad’s best friend, Jeff, pulled up in his antique car, wearing a zoot suit. He’s been my dad’s best friend since high school, and around my whole life. He’s such a character and will always bring life to any party.” Andy laughs “People literally thought we hired him to be there.”
The processional began with all of the attendants, including this energetic flower girl…
Tia smiled, “My flower girl is my cousin, Calista, she’s so funny and energetic. Her parents mean a lot to me, as I even lived with them for a time. It was great to have them and their two children there to celebrate.”
Her dad’s Kesha Intro
Tia laughed, “My dad and I have a shared love of music. He’s my biggest musical inspiration. He’s so talented. One of our shared loves is pop princesses, specifically Kesha. We’ve covered her songs, and saw her in concert together. When he came in to see me in my dress for the first time he had his phone playing “Tonight” by Kesha in his pocket and we danced and sang it together. It’s 100% in character for us, and a memory I’m going to cherish forever.”
I absolutely love this shot by my second photographer, Jim. Its leading lines are striking and it tells such a story!
If you look closely you can see me in the background…
Rain Began
As Andy gathers his emotions, light raindrops begin to appear on his face and jacket.
Such a beautiful moment!
Capturing the Color…
I got down super low to show off all the beautifully colored petals lining the aisle for the wedding ceremony:
Capturing the moments…
Tia explained, “My nephew is the cutest, sweetest little guy. I knew he had to be a part of the day. He practiced carrying the ring pillow so much, it was adorable.
A moment between grandpa and grandson, this little dude is ready to bear the rings!!
Filling up each Photograph was as much story as possible…
Here I wanted to capture Andy and the officiant’s expressions (he’s one of Andy’s closest friends). I also wanted to show the florals and the arch and give background context to the groomsmen and forest.
I move a lot on a wedding day, here I squat low using a telephoto lens, shooting through Tia’s wedding party.
Gettysburg Lodges Wedding Kiss
This is it! The kiss to seal the deal, the applauding guests, the scenic view of the lake surrounded by trees that they’d dreamed of…
A Rainy Wedding Ceremony
Tia shared, “Every bride’s worst nightmare is rain, haha. And that it did, but Lisa and her assistant are so creative and flexible. We were able to get most of our photos done before it started to pour.”
She added, “Lisa even ended up taking some photos in the rain, which was fun and created another layer of detail to remember our day.” (my favorite is the last one at the very end of the blog)
So sweet and so rainy!!! Their expressions say it all!
The Wolfe Pack has a New Member
Tia, “My family goes by the moniker “The Wolfe Pack.” Our bond is so special. While I’m sad my brother couldn’t be there that day, as he is currently deployed in the Navy, it was still great to have everyone who was able to be there together. We definitely missed Gabe.”
The founding Wolfe Pack members…
Covid-19 Wedding Precautions (& Bracelets)
Tia explained, “Planning a wedding during 2020 is like planning a wedding 3 times over. Literally the week of the wedding we were making last-minute decisions based on ever-changing restrictions, and a genuine want to keep our guests safe, and comfortable. We took extra precautions providing masks, sanitizing stations, and a color-coded bracelet system to allow people to signal to everyone how much physical contact they were comfortable with.”
She added, “We were incredibly fortunate to have vendors that were so flexible, and willing to accommodate extra safety precautions. From the venue spacing out seating and tables, to the DJ announcing top of the hour hand sanitizing, everyone was so considerate of our needs.”
Andy commented, “The day of Lisa and her assistant were extremely professional. They had to overcome just as much with COVID as we did. I felt they adapted so well, and everyone felt safe.”
Gettysburg Lodges Wedding Reception
There were several excellent toasts. For this one, I got low and shot though a candle lit centerpiece.
Candles created golden orbs of light that were reflected by champagne and water glasses.
Tia smiled, “The reception space is gorgeous with high ceilings and beautiful wood beams and accents. They provide almost everything you need for your big day. It was so easy to work with them.”
Here I was getting a birds-eye view of the first dance while my assistant, Jim, was on the ground photographing things from a more traditional point of view.
*Super* Supportive Mom
Andy started, “My mom is the best. She’s always been supportive and is so much fun to be around.”
I love the joy in their faces and the symmetry of this photograph and the framing with the architectural detail:
Andy, “I got such a kick out of my family putting our temporary tattoo favors (of our faces) on their faces!”
Haaa I didn’t see it coming but definitely captured it! Wait until you see the full set, she definitely wasn’t alone!
And how much does the temporary tatt look like them??
Father-Daughter Dance
These two lit up the dance floor with their megawatt smiles! I got low to show off the architecture of the ceiling and frame them in the exposed beams of the Gettysburg Lodge Ballroom.
Yaaas, she got the hat… next up, zoot suit:
All Female Gettysburg Lodges Wedding Vendor Team
Tia beamed, “I LOVED that we had an all-female team! This was such a great opportunity to support all Central PA local, and female businesses!”
For a full list of vendors, including the joyful lady DJ’s here, see the bottom of this blog post.
Photographing Candid Moments
Capturing moments is a huge part of my job and what I spend most of the day doing.
Kiddos and moms were the first to brave the dance floor. I love to fill a frame with action:
The bouquet toss and drink spillage, haha!
Kids took flight!
I had to think quick on my feet for this one, focusing, flashing, and getting just the composition I wanted to full the frame with architecture and chandeliers:
At the End of the Wedding Day…
Now that it’s all over, I asked Andy what is his favorite part of the wedding day.
He answered, “Marrying my best friend.” Does it get any sweeter?
Gettysburg Lodges Wedding Team (All Female!!)
Tia, “I LOVED that we had an all-female team! This was such a great opportunity to support all Central PA local, and female businesses!”
- Venue & Catering: The Lodges at Gettysburg
- Entertainment, DJ: HD Entertainment
- Florist: Fiddlestix Florals
- Hair: Katelynn Altadonna
- Wedding Cake: Karen Rodkey Cakes
- Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal
- Grooms Ties: Frank & Buck
- Social Distancing Bracelet Kit (Etsy Seller ZipDesignsCo)
- Temporary Tattoos (Etsy Seller StylinTats)
Want More??
- Tia & Andy: Check out their Engagement Photos
- Wolf Pack: Check out these Family Photos from a decade ago
- Weddings: Here are a few Gettysburg Weddings and some other Gettysburg Lodges Weddings