This vibrant, classic, autumn Linwood Estate wedding was joy-filled and authentic. The wedding party was so much fun and incorporating handstands, money-guns and even a special delivery (bridesmaid in a box) during their reception entrances. I knew the party was going to be incredible and it was!
Sarah and Matt’s central PA wedding had plenty of romantic one-on-one time from a first look to golden hour, to a fireside chat at the end of the evening. You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind wedding. Here are a few of my favorite shots of them alone…
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Sarah shares, “The photos in Lisa’s portfolio were AMAZING, and we wanted photos just like that! We loved the bright colors and all of the unique shots! It was so easy to work with Lisa on our wedding day! She was able to round up everyone and was always easily accessible!”
Sarah adds, “Lisa also took the time to make sure she understood what we were looking for in our photos, and she worked very well with the videographer as well! She was always working to get the best angles!”
Why Linwood Estate?
Sarah laughs, “Mostly it was my choice, but Matt did have some say in the venue. We chose Linwood Estate because of the beautiful mansion and ballroom, the onsite rooms that the wedding party could stay in overnight, the fire pit, and the gorgeous grounds. My favorite part was the beautiful changing leaves. Fall is our favorite season!”
Matt adds, “I really enjoyed the fire pit at the end of the night. We also loved the small touches – the glassware, the decor, and the fact that the venue seemed so private– secluded from noise and traffic.”
Fun-loving Groomsmen
While I was photographing the details and ladies, my right-hand man, Jim, photographed the groomsmen in all their glory!
Matt shares, “The groomsmen seem to be able to entertain themselves anywhere. They were playing pig (the basketball game) with a paper ball, then playing football later. There’s always something going on with them!”
Behind the Scenes at Linwood Estate
Getting creative shots is SUPER important to me. It’s what most of my clients hire me to do, and makes my job really interesting and FUN. Here I found this mirror and used it to photograph Sarah’s gown and used the same technique to photograph Sarah later, too!
Lol my intensity here as I try to line up the shot:
Lovely Linwood Ladies
Sarah smiles, “I have some of the best friends I could ever ask for. They are some of the most supportive, kind, and wonderful people. I know everyone says that about their friends, but I could not have had a better group of girls to stand by me on my special day!”
(Here I’m using that mirror again, but with totally different camera settings!)
Perfectly Coordinated Bouquets
Sarah shares, “My bridesmaids were all BEAUTIFUL in their dresses!!! When we picked them I wanted to wear them too! Ha! The flowers were better than I could have imagined! The colors of the attire and flowers turned out perfectly!”
First Look
Sarah shares, “It felt good to have the traditional wedding events, especially because we weren’t able to initially do that, due to the pandemic. We feel so lucky, we realize that not everyone got to have that, and we are so thankful that we did!”
Sarah & Matt had an intimate wedding during the pandemic and then had a big celebration for their wedding. Since they initially got married during the pandemic they weren’t able to do any traditional events like a first look, making it even more special on their wedding day!
Sarah, you are *stunning*!
Traditional Photos & Vogue
I’m flexible when it comes to how I cover your wedding. I take the time to get to know you and plan coverage that suits your wants and needs. Some couples want really creative portraits with their bridal party and others want more traditional. Sarah wanted an even mix. I helped to custom-plan her timeline so that we could do just that!
Sarah says, “The vogue shot is the first shot in Lisa’s portfolio that really caught my eye! It’s where she gives each member of the wedding party a different pose and is so unique. Lisa was able to get everyone aligned, which is a skill with such a large group.”
Linwood Estate Wedding Ceremony
I always love to layer photos and tell a story. You can see here the woman looking at Sarah & Matt’s ceremony program and then the guests in front laughing and smiling before the ceremony starts.
Important Ceremony Aspects
Sarah shares, “It was very important to me to walk down the aisle with my dad. It was definitely a special moment.”
She continues, “It was also important for us to have Matt’s dad officiate the ceremony and to have such a close friend read a passage.”
I love how many personal touches Sarah & Matt added to their ceremony to make it their own. Keep scrolling to see all the sweet moments leading up to their kiss!
I loved balancing Sarah and her dad with this garden statue in this frame:
Golf Cart Escape
Sarah laughs, “Using the golf cart was fun! A bit chilly though!”
These two braved the late fall weather for some amazing golden hour portraits on Linwood Estate’s property. I always try to steal my couples away for a few minutes for golden hour or sunset portraits. As you can see below the light is beautiful:
Romantic Light & Romantic Stories
I asked what are some of the qualities they appreciate most about each other–
Sarah smiles, “I appreciate Matt’s reliability and his humor.” Matt says, “I appreciate her intelligence and work ethic.”
Sarah & Matt share, “We met through a mutual friend while Sarah was home for the summer between undergraduate and graduate school. When Sarah moved for school, Matt visited, and we started dating. The rest is history!”
Personalized Guestbook
Most couples include a guestbook at their wedding reception, it’s a fun way to keep record of all of those who were in attendance on your wedding day!
I offer a personally designed guestbook that features photos from your engagement session. Creating a guestbook using your engagement photos allows your weddings guests to take more of a peek into your relationship and interests and so there’s plenty of room for guests to write heartfelt messages.
It becomes a keepsake in so many ways because it is both an engagement photo album and guestbook, and has enough space for people to write personal messages as well. Here is Sarah and Matt’s and look how eager her mom is to find her page :).
Special Delivery LOL!
Sarah shares, “One thing about Matt’s friends is that they always try to top each other. The entrances were PERFECT! The backstory to the box entrance – Shane, Matt, and Tony all worked for UPS. Matt no longer works there, but Shane and Tony do. So they brought a dolly and a big box to act like Shane was making a typical delivery. The raining money happened because Tyler wanted to use money guns. I’m not sure how the walking on hands originated haha.”
Linwood Estate Wedding Reception Traditions
I loved photographing all the sentimental moments of their wedding traditions like the first dance and parent dances. You’ll notice the colorful dots in the photos (bokeh in photographer terms). Simple candles and lighting add such a unique texture to photos and allows me to get the bokeh in the background.
Let Them Eat Cake!
Sarah shares, “The cake and cupcakes were DELICIOUS, and Holly did an AMAZING job. Holly is a friend from college who has an amazing talent for baking. She put all of that together and decorated everything! The florist left perfect cuttings of the flowers and Holly put it all together. She used the drawers of the dresser and placed everything beautifully! Loved it!!”
Getting the Party Started
Sarah & Matt say, “We did everything we could to ensure people were on the dance floor! We kept the dance floor near the bar, tried to play songs we knew would be hits, and made sure to encourage people to get out there!! It also helps that we have some pretty amazing and outgoing friends that love to dance and get the party going!”
Post-Pandemic Wedding
They share, “We had so much fun catching up with everyone that we have missed for so long as a result of the pandemic. Everyone we had talked to said they had a great time. Our goal was to have a party that everyone enjoyed, and we hope that happened! We certainly had a great time!”
The Gang’s All Here
They smile, “The wedding day seemed to fly by! Because we already technically were married, it seemed less stressful than it could have been. We were free to enjoy the day without the stress of newly getting married. It was so wonderful to have our loved ones together again after nearly 2 long years. We couldn’t have had a better day, and we both had so much fun and experienced so much joy!”
Light my Fire!
Sarah & Matt share, “The end of the night was a blast. We loved the fire pit, and we were so happy to have been able to spend time with our family and friends! We were so sad to see it end, but we will have such special memories forever!”
I love playing with light and here, my second photographer, Jim is holding a light for me and in the second one I’m allowing the natural firelight to rim-light the couple.
Linwood Estate Wedding Vendors:
- Venue: Linwood Estate, Melissa Rau helped us a lot!
- Florist: Everlasting Love Florist
- Makeup: Beauty by Khara
- Dress: Taylored For You, Taylor
- DJ: 3West Productions, Jeff
- Pianist: 3West Productions, Cliff
- Caterer: JDK, Emma
- Cake/Cupcakes: Frosted, Holly
- Videography: Brennan Peirson Videography, Bryce Mentzer
Hungry for More?
- See more of my Linwood Estate weddings here
- Check out Sarah & Matt’s engagement photos here
- Click here to contact me to photograph your wedding