Andrew and Jamie had the entire grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire to themselves for their Mount Hope Estate Wedding in Manheim, Pennsylvania! Not only was it gorgeous and romantic, but fun, too! Harry Potter wands & “Unbreakable Vow” craft beer in hand, led to an all-out Hogwarts Battle! Such a unique wedding!
A sunset kiss at the mansion… the tree branches created two highlights. I angled myself to frame the couple and statue in the bright spots and played up those firey colors….
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Jamie shares, “We knew that the wedding day would likely be a blur so we decided to invest in a fantastic photographer! We immediately loved your style. Your pictures are clear, crisp, and vibrant and you play with light in such interesting ways! We also loved that so many of your pictures were candid – we really wanted to have the majority of our pictures to be informal instead of perfectly posed pictures.”
She smiles, “We felt so comfortable with you, and had such a natural connection from the start! Working with you on our wedding day was fantastic. You blended into the background most of the day, and also spoke up to help guide us, to get a better angle or a fun shot! You made everything SO EASY!!! Neither of us are comfortable in front of the camera, but you found ways to make it so much fun! We never felt like we were being “posed” for formal pictures and like we needed to have a stiff smile plastered on our faces. It truly felt like we had a friend taking our pictures for us!”
I played with the sunlight here, I thought the setting sun kind of looked like a Patronus, so I suggested that Andrew and Jamie summon theirs :). I love how much fun their bridal party had with this Harry Potter theme. More to come!!
Jamie continues, “For our wedding pictures, we’re hoping to see two things: joy and love. When we decided to have a small wedding, we knew that we wanted it to be really fun and intimate and special. We were so happy to see that our sneak peek pictures completely captured the vibe we were hoping for!”
Andrew adds, “I totally agree, we felt like we meshed from day one. We are so happy and feel incredibly lucky that you were available to photograph our wedding day!”
Creativity is Key
I love to play with light and reflections, color and silhouettes, and who doesn’t like sunglasses? As the men opened up their beers I was really vibing with the location…
Inspired by My Couples
I take the time to get to know my couples, so I can capture the things that are most important to them and really allow their personality to shine through in their wedding photography. I loved these windows and capitalized on Andrew’s love of Star Wars here.
Andrew laughed, “I used ‘The Force’ on Devin and Justin.”
Her Wedding Gown
Jamie smiles, “I think I had this look in mind ever since I was a little girl. Disney movies were totally my thing, haha!”
I love showing off gorgeous wedding attire so this staircase caught my eye, pair that with this reflection, and wowza, I was in heaven!
Portraits, too
While I focus on photographing all the important moments of the wedding day, I always make time to take some traditional bridal portraits as well!
Jamie, you are stunning!!
Sister Love
Witnessing this sweet moment between Jamie and her sister was one of my favorite photos from this Mount Hope Estate wedding day. Sister bond, for sure!
First Look with Dad
I love to layer stories together, so here you can see both Jamie and her dad all in one shot. I like concise visual storytelling.
First Touch
Jamie says, “On our wedding day, I got to see Andrew before he got to see me. During the “first touch,” I walked up behind him and got a minute to hold him and just relax for a minute before the wedding.“
Why Mount Hope Estate?
Andrew shares, “We love going to the Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope Estate. My first time there was with Jamie and ever since I’ve really enjoyed going there every year with her. The Renaissance Faire shows a bit of our interests and personalities.”
They share, “We knew we had to check out Mount Hope Estate’s Micro Wedding Package. Being there took our breath away.”
I can see why!
Mount Hope Estate Wedding Ceremony
Andrew shares, “My favorite part of our wedding day was seeing Jamie for the first time in her wedding dress walking down the aisle. She looked so amazing and beautiful.”
I loved the blue ties and fans, so much fun, visually! Again, I’m layering this story visually, the groom, groomsmen, officiant, and wedding guests…
Her Other Half
Jamie shares, “We had been waiting for this moment for so long, and finally, we were getting to declare our love for one another! I felt more love than I could have ever imagined. I am so incredibly lucky to have met my other half.”
Here Jamie’s father gives her one final hug before she marries her other half.
Location. Location. Location.
I love the personal touch of having a loved one officiate your wedding ceremony. For this photo, I wanted to capture not just portraits but **all the things** on their wedding day. In this case, I really wanted to show off the ceremony location.
I used a wide-angle lens and got in a rather precarious position so that I could show the Estate, and outstretched tree limbs. It actually made me think a bit about the Whomping Willow. More on that soon…
Personalized Wedding Ceremony
So many elements of this Mount Hope Estate wedding were personalized. I love couples who truly embrace who they are and work it into the wedding.
In this case, even the officiant was a family member, and important to Jamie and Andrew.
Vows
They started out fairly traditional…
“Do you Andrew, take Jamie, to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward through all your adventures in life together?”
Then they added their own twist.
They smile, “We loved being able to create our own, slightly nerdy, vows!”
“With this ring…I bind myself to you…until my journey’s end. I promise to be your navigator, best friend, and husband. I promise to honor, love and cherish you through all life’s adventures. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”
Just Married
These two are adorable and did a little “we are married dance” following the ceremony!
What a Pair!!
Jamie shares, “Our personalities are not the same, but we complement each other in perfect ways! He brings such a calming presence – he reminds me about the big picture and what truly matters. I keep him on track and bring him back down to earth. I think we help to bring out the best in each other!”
She continues, “When we got married, it felt complete. Like this promise that we have been making to each other over the years was finally fulfilled. I felt like such a princess on our wedding day! Andrew is the most perfect prince. :)”
All the Emotion
For me, part of what I do is capture what a wedding looks like, but more importantly, I capture what it *feels* like.
Here Jamie hugs her grandfather whom she was so thrilled to have present during her wedding day!
Strangers Turned Friends
Jamie shares, “We intentionally had a small bridal party, but I definitely didn’t feel like we had a small bridal party! My bridesmaids knew each other, and Andrew’s groomsmen knew each other… but the bridesmaids and groomsmen had never met before.
They all got along so well – I would never have guessed that they were strangers before that day!”
A Pirate Ship!?! Yes, please!!
They share, “When we found out that we’d be able to go onto the grounds of the Renaissance Faire to take pictures, we were sold. We did not expect to be able to go onto the grounds of one of our favorite places to take wedding pictures, what an opportunity!”
It was as fun as it looks, even for me! I’ve been going to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire since I was a kid and LOVE it. When I found out that we’d have free reign of the grounds for portraits, I was ecstatic. First on my list was the pirate ship!
No Boring Photos Allowed!
I knew this was their request and went all-out to deliver. No generic, stiff, or stuffy photos– just plain fun!
We opened up with a little pirate ship charades– ahoy there!
Inspired by My Couples
I take time getting to know my couples, that’s a really important part of the creative process for me. It helps us to connect emotionally and gives me so much more to work with on the wedding day!
If Harry Potter and fun bridal party photos are their thing, I’m all-in. I’m all-in in whatever you’d like, really, and adapt my coverage to my clients. This is my first ever Hogwarts Battle, but I won’t at all be opposed to more! 🙂
Wands Drawn!!
It didn’t take long until things got a little hasty ;).
Jamie says, “Andrew, Sarah, and I LOVE Harry Potter so much!!”
She smiles, “It didn’t take us long until we were playing around with wands and “casting spells”.”
Summoning their Patronuses!!
I loved that the sun looked like a Patronus here! I mentioned it to them and they knew exactly what to do!
Fantasy World
Jamie says, “The best thing about the PA Ren Faire (and part of why it’s an annual tradition for us, is just being immersed in a fantasy world.”
The battle continues– to the Human Chessboard, ladies!!!
Hogwarts Battle!
We escalated into a full battle scene, and everyone had a blast!
They were all in! Jamie smiles at the thought of the whole bridal party embracing the Hogwarts Battle vibe!
At some point, it transitioned into swordplay, haha!
Fun bridal party photos, check!
Distillery Reception
They add, “The whole decor and scenery of the Estate alone was just amazing. It was above and beyond what I was expecting .”
I wanted to show the movement of Jamie’s “dancing dress” (more on that later) along with the ambient light of and ceiling of the distillery.
Jamie shares, “I love the interior brick, the soft lighting with the Edison bulbs, and the live-edge wood table at Mount Hope Estate Distillery. The whole building just gave off some major Harry Potter/Hogwarts Castle vibes! That was a major selling point for us.”
Shots!! (I was Down– Literally)
One of my favorite parts of photographing a wedding day is using my creativity to get unique angles. I’ll do pretty much anything to get a great shot ;).
Hamilton Duet
Jamie shares, “We love musicals, and Hamilton is definitely one of our favorites! Sarah and I were in chorus together throughout middle and high school, so we’ve done a lot of singing together. Some of my favorite memories of us revolve around singing.”
Jamie & Sarah knew all the lyrics to several Hamilton Songs! I could totally relate as a total highlight for me was seeing the original cast of Hamilton on Broadway a few years ago, and totally know them, too!
Mount Hope Estate Wedding Cake Cutting
Sometimes the guests are so fun to watch, haha! Don’t worry, I totally got a “safe shot” with the couple in focus, too!
I love this shot of the guests smiling and laughing while Jamie & Andrew tried their first bites of wedding cake.
Her “Dancing Dress”
Jamie shares, “I actually had a “dancing dress” when I was little. My mom always tells the story of how I used to dance around in it all the time. It would get washed, and I’d want to wear it again right away. My mom still has it, even though it’s very worn. That was the first thing my mom mentioned when she saw the picture of us dancing that you posted for our sneak peek!”
Her Match
Jamie shares, “Andrew is the most kind, caring, generous person, that I’ve ever known. I know that everyone says the same thing about their significant other, but I wholeheartedly believe it.”
She continues, “Andrew looks at the bright side of every situation – he’s definitely a ‘glass-half-full person.’ He makes me want to be a better person. Without a doubt, I have married the most perfect man for me. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have found him!”
His Match
Andrew shares, “Jamie is the most kind and caring person that I have ever met. She is very supportive of me. She always tries to help me be more self-confident. I love her so much. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her! I want to do all the things with her! I am a very lucky person to have found someone so wonderful in my life.”
Let’s Do it Again!
That’s right, this was a micro wedding ceremony, so the full reception will be held when guests can attend next year.
I loved all the personal touches to their Mount Hope Estate wedding and can’t wait for their big reception next year!
Hungry for More?
- See more Micro Weddings Here.
- View more Weddings Here
- Watch a SLIDESHOW **even more photos of Jamie & Andrew’s Wedding** set to music here:
Jamie & Andrew’s Wedding Slideshow
Mount Hope Estate Wedding Vendors
- Venue & Caterer: Mount Hope Estate & Winery: Brenna was the venue coordinator the day of the wedding– EVERYONE from Mount Hope was fabulous!!! They are truly wonderful people, and they made our entire wedding day perfect. We cannot wait to work with them again for the reception next year!
- Hair & Makeup Artist: Beauty by Khara: Khara is a delight! She has such a calming, gentle energy that she brought on the day of the wedding! Khara is just a genuinely kind person!
- Wedding Coordinator: Sapphire Road: Gabriella was the wedding coordinator on the day of our wedding. I can’t say enough good things about them.
- Entertainment: Klock Entertainment
- Cake & Cupcakes: Sweet Confections
- Bridal Shop: J&B Bridals and Tuxedos
- Groom’s Suit Tailor: Bill Maloney Men’s Wear & Tailor Shop: Andrew had purchased a suit online, and it did not fit well. He took it to this tailor in Hummelstown, and they worked miracles on his suit! It fit him perfectly. They do great work, and they were wonderful to work with. We’d recommend them to anyone!