Lexi and Janelle’s Wyndham Gettysburg wedding was a genuine, open-hearted celebration, that was uniquely them and so much fun!!

This wedding featured Zelda, Star Wars, Gettysburg Battlefield and two  fun-loving brides!  Lexi’s custom gown was both a pants suit with a dress overcoat and one of the coolest I’ve seen!

These women love each other and their friends and family deeply, and are 100% true to themselves.  It was my honor to capture these two lovely ladies as they tied the knot!

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Lexi & Janelle share, “Overall fantastic, high-quality diverse work is why we chose Rhinehart Photography. The personality, emotion and creativity got us from the start!

They continued, “We knew immediately that we wanted to hire Lisa as our wedding photographer after meeting her at the Gettysburg Hotel Wedding Show.  Each of her photos tell a story and she is so friendly and easy to work with.”

They add, “To top it off, her work is literally the best we have ever seen.  Looking at the photos, you can see the hard work, dedication and attention to detail that she gives to her clients.  If you want the best, she’s it!”

Exactly the Right Person

Janelle shares, “When I look back on my life and past relationships, it always felt that there was some part of myself that I had to hide or couldn’t express. My friends have always loved me for me, exactly who I was, and I always thought that if I could somehow find a partner that treated me like my friends did, I would be set.”

Janelle continues, “Then I met Lexi and she was exactly that person. I just felt free and as if I could talk to her for hours on end. She has one of the biggest hearts I have ever known. She is kind and will do whatever it takes to care for those closest to her.

I used high contrast leading lines to show Lexi’s strength while her expression shows her soft side, too.

I Love Myself Because of Her

Lexi starts, “I always tell this story about Janelle. I walked into the Monkey Bar to meet her. She was sitting in a booth. I took one look at her and thought, “This woman is here for me?”

Lexi continues, “She was *stunning* and had the most wonderful personality. I knew after just a few months together, that this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She knows and loves me better than anyone else.”

She adds, “One of the first things I bought Janelle was a ring from Tiffany & Co. A classy woman like my wife deserves the best. She loves me for exactly who I am and I now love myself because of her.”

First Look

These ladies had the sweetest reaction to each other during their first look!

Janelle tells me, “Lexi has the ability to put a smile on my face no matter what. Because she is a part of it, my life is so much better. I want our life to continue to be an adventure!”

I love these two and their adventurous spirits. Their love just radiates!

Why a Gettysburg Wedding?

Janelle says, “Lexi was a history major in college and fell in love with Gettysburg the first time she was there. It was always one of her favorite places.”

Janelle says, “When Lexi proposed to me in Hollywood Studios knowing that held a special place in my heart because that is where I worked as Disney Cast Member, I wanted the wedding to be in a place that held special meaning to her. She always told me how much she loved Gettysburg. We visited and I instantly fell in love with the place and knew this is where our wedding had to be! So now we love it equally!”

Statues, cannons, big skies, bigger stories

They explained, “We wanted our guests to have this instant feeling that they were in a grand place with lots of history. Just walking into the Wyndham showcases that perfectly.”

I couldn’t agree more! We had such a great day at their Wyndham Gettysburg wedding.

Here we are at the iconic Jennie Wade House & they are seeing their Bridal Party for the first time:

Perfect Timing

It was a bit of a challenge to get a photo with no cars or pedestrians in the background at such a popular tourist spot.

I played with tilt-shift to focus on their expressions. I love how these turned out.

Uniquely Themselves

Lexi elaborates, “Janelle and I are lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful group of people around us. We are one big family. We love people for who they are and it is just an added bonus that they have the biggest hearts.”

Janelle adds, “They are truly a blessing and without each and every one of them, well life just wouldn’t be as wonderful.”

They chose the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for their wedding party photos.  We have some more formal shots, but I really think this one shows their personalities best 🙂

Dad’s Union Soldier Garb

Lexi says, “The outfits were my Dad and Dee’s idea. I felt so proud that they wanted to do something special.”

Symmetry of Two Brides

I love the symmetry two brides create standing at the end of the altar! Creating unique light for them by using custom programmed off-camera flashes was definitely a priority of mine. I wanted to show the elegant chandeliers and beautiful drapery at this Gettysburg Wyndham wedding.

Touching Moment

I have to be on my toes to catch fleeting moments like this where Lexi’s dad touches his heart during a moment in the ceremony!

Off with the Shoes

Lexi took her shoes off mid-ceremony!

She laughs “We were about to read our vows, I took off those shoes because I wanted to focus solely on those words and not my aching feet.”

She continued, “I was just being me, and didn’t realize how funny everyone would find that moment!”

Finally!!

Janelle shared, “The moment I finally got to put that ring on Lexi’s finger and let everyone in the room know how much I loved this woman was the most magical moment of my life. Better than all the fairytales in the world.”

First Kiss as Wives

Lexi adds, “I will never forget our first kiss as a married couple. It was wonderful!”

A New Hope & Link to the Past

Lexi says, “I was a huge fan of the sword photos because they show our love of history and fantasy.  I found my gown idea online and a woman created it especially for me!  I added the Legend of Zelda belt buckle which I decorated myself.”

Janelle says, “For my gown and look, I got it in my head that I wanted to look like a Greek goddess. They always say on your wedding day you should feel like a queen and the center of attention and I just thought a goddess was perfect, haha!”

The Look & Feel of Gettysburg Wyndham

I shot this photo through the window at their venue. I liked how expressive the guest’s hands were, the blue of the sky, and how I could frame these gentlemen in the windowpane. It layers so much info into one photograph of the traditional feel of the hotel.

Twinning with Her Brother

She tells me, “My brothers mean the world to me. I was so happy to see them both really let loose and have a great time.”

Lexi and her brother, Blaise, have the exact same reaction to taking the first sip of alcohol at the reception, haha!

100% Support

It was clear that all the guests had nothing but love and support for Lexi & Janelle’s marriage.

They share, “We thrive off seeing our friends and family happy, our wedding day was absolutely amazing.”

Love That Spans Time & Space

They shared, “The Star Wars and Legend of Zelda accents were indicative of our personalities. Lexi has been a Zelda fan for many years. Janelle fell in love with Star Wars when she was a cast member at the Star Tours attraction in Walt Disney World.”

So cool that they combined so many things they love into one amazing, detailed cake!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (and grandparents, too!)

Lexi & Janelle share, “We hadn’t seen many of our friends and family members because of the pandemic so that led to even more excitement.”

They continue, “After the year that we all had, it was nice just to see people let loose, be themselves, and just have fun. It was good to see guests (like my grandparents) at the photo booth and on the dance floor.”

Tearing up the Dance Floor

Lexi & Janelle smile, “Bree and John are great dancers!  John definitely won the award for the most entertaining guest at our wedding.”

Ha! I’d have to agree! Watching the guests have a blast dancing is always one of my favorite parts of this Wyndham Gettysburg wedding reception.

Let them Eat Cake

With Jim as my second photographer, of course, I have solid traditional shots of the cake cutting, but this was my absolute favorite… the super low perspective was so fun, showed off their many pieces of jewelry (all symbolic to them), and shows their gorgeous florals in an unusual way

Photobooth

There were so many fun props to choose from at the photo booth. These props always bring the best reactions that make for hilarious photos to look back at!

My Everything

I ask Lexi how she felt about the wedding day. She shares, “This was by far the best day of my life. Janelle is my everything and I feel totally at peace when she’s by my side.”

Sunset Views

Lexi & Janelle share that the best part of their day was “Walking off into the sunset and finally looking at my partner and being able to say ‘Hey that’s my wife‘.”

So sweet! The sunset views from this Gettysburg Wyndham wedding are some of the best in the area, and super accessible from the ballroom!  I love to capture dramatic lighting and really push the limits of my camera equipment:

Lexi and Janelle, thank you so much for having me capture such a significant part of your story!  I’m so glad we met at The Gettysburg Hotel and hit it off right from the start!  I could tell even then that your party would be incredible and that you two would be 100% authentic and true to yourselves, and you were! I love being an LGBTQIA+ Wedding Photographer!

Wyndham Gettysburg Wedding Vendors

We had the perfect wedding team. All of these people deserve 5 stars.

• The Wyndham Gettysburg, Wanda, Mandi, and the rest of the staff who helped whit the wedding guests were outstanding. Also the chef who cooked our diner was a master of his craft.
• Officiant: Ceremonies by Rachel Rachel Zajac created the perfectly tailored unique ceremony that was custom to fit us exactly!
• DJ: Great Scott Productions: Scott was fun and he got everyone up and dancing, the best DJ!
• Florist:  Koons Florist: Heidi’s flowers were over the top gorgeous, such a talented florist!
• Cake: Karen Rodkey Cakes: Karen not only made what we wanted it was elegant and delicious. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a cake or pastries in the surrounding areas.
• Wedding Planner: Steve Smith. Steve assisted Janelle’s mom in planning our wedding and catered to our every need as well as that of our guests.
• 1863 Inn of Gettysburg Everything was perfect at our rehearsal dinner at the 1863 Inn. Norma and the staff really did a fabulous job.
• Garryowen Irish Pub:  They catered our rehearsal dinner. The best Sheppard’s Pie I have ever eaten in my life!

Hungry for More?

• More Gettysburg weddings here
• More Pennsylvania weddings here