Two gorgeous, emotionally present artists with incredible style and an extraordinary support network of fun-loving family and friends— what a treat for me as a Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer!

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Eleanor shares, “When Sam and I got engaged, I knew that I wanted to choose a photographer first because that was the most important vendor to me. Having photographers in the family (my dad and his mother before him), I generally know what I do and don’t like to see in pictures. I knew that I didn’t want anything that was overwhelmingly stylized in terms of editing. I didn’t want our wedding pictures to look like they’d had the same process or filter universally applied. I wanted our pictures to be timeless and classic, and most importantly, I wanted them to be high-quality. I also wanted to work with someone who would make me feel comfortable, both in front of the camera and not.”

She continues, “I asked my dad for a recommendation, since he stays active in the local artist community, and he had one recommendation: Lisa. As soon as I looked at her work, I didn’t need any more recommendations. Once I met with her, I knew I had made the right choice, even over a video call. Lisa was so much fun from start to finish. Everyone loved her and had a fantastic time working with her. Even our guests raved about how great she was and were emphatic about how excited they were to see the pictures.

Sam adds, “It’s no question that our wedding revolved around photography, and y’all kept us in top shape. I liked that you and your assistant got all of the “normal wedding photos”, but were also super down to go out of the box.”

Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Preparations

Eleanor says, “We each had a nice time getting ready in the Wedding Suite and the Billiards Suite, too, and having those spaces to get ready in (and get pictures in!) was important to us when looking for a venue. We really couldn’t be happier with our choice.”

Meet Eleanor

Sam smiles, “I fell in love with Eleanor the first time I saw her. Her beauty, her critical thinking, her progressiveness, and her want to be the best, while also helping the people she was with excel in their own abilities, even myself.  We went from friends to coworkers, to eventually being married!  Eleanor is the kind of person I want to be.”

He continues, “When she said she was leaving Pittsburgh to go back home and start her own shop, my first words were that I thought we had more time together. We kissed and I told her I would come with her, the same thing I always said. After our first kiss, she was the one and only person I told my mother I was going to marry, almost 4 years ago. She is the only person I want to work with. Her poise, her critical thinking, and especially that she looks the look and talks the talk, I get the ability to be there for her and learn how to grow myself.”

Sam adds, “We used to lay in the pool and talk about our dreams, and though it took a while, we both knew what we wanted. Nothing compares to Eleanor, I got more than I could have even imagined. I commuted from Pittsburgh to Carlisle for almost a year every week, sometimes twice, sometimes three times a week! When I was driving with the sunset behind me, I knew that I was going home. When Eleanor and I got engaged it was the most spectacular sunset right in the middle of summer. I proposed to her right in front of our new home. I had the ring for 6 months always waiting for the opportunity but that night I  knew I couldn’t let one more second, one more sunset go by. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together, it’s the best decision I have ever made.”

Meanwhile, the Gentleman…

While I was with Elanor, My second photographer, Kelly, was with Sam.  I just love her work!

Sam shares, “The groomsman and I got some traditional pictures and mostly a lot of great candids of just us in our element.”

Meet Sam

Eleanor smiles, “Our love story is a long one if you ask for the whole thing. I usually leave the long version to Sam. To be extremely brief, falling in love was easy, just like they say. Sam and I were friends, and then coworkers, and finally, after a few years, we both found ourselves in a position to be more. It seems so obvious now that we would end up together, but it took us time to get here.”

She continues, “I have always appreciated Sam’s sense of humor and his intelligence. I think I most admire his devotion, though, and not just to me. He is so devoted to everything that he does and cares about. I have never seen him half-ass anything as long as I’ve known him, haha!”

A Legacy of Photographers & Grandma’s Vintage Wedding Dress

Eleanor shares, “I wanted to include my dad’s mother’s cameras in the day for a few reasons. I wore the same grandmother’s dress, and I wanted to have another homage to her to help pull the dress into the wedding. My dad didn’t know that I was going to be wearing her dress until he saw me just before walking me down the aisle, so I wanted to make sure there were some hints. I framed a picture of her in the dress, as well, in case the cameras didn’t get the message across.”

She continues, “I also thought that the cameras being vintage played well off of the venue. I knew I wanted to use them for my bouquet preservation afterward, too, although only one of them ended up being suitable. I gave it back to my dad as a birthday present. Funnily enough, that same camera is tattooed on my foot with a film roll that has “DAD” printed across it, and I surprised him with that tattoo over 10 years ago.” 

Wow such serendipity!

Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Ceremony

Eleanor says, “I knew that I wanted both my dad and my stepdad to walk me down the aisle. They are both so important to Sam and I, that it only felt right that they both give me away. When we scheduled our wedding for Father’s Day, it was just a no-brainer that they both had to do it!” 

She adds, “It was such a whirlwind but in the best way. I would say I felt essentially the entire spectrum of human emotion that day, honestly!”

Personalized Vows

Sam shares, “On our wedding day I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, my best friends and family were all there, and it was obvious to everyone, I only have eyes for her. She is a strong woman, just like her name, she is thoughtful, and she is caring in the same way I am. We share a love of sentimentalities. She is of the utmost character and is the most empathetic, trusting, and respectful person I have ever met. Everyone who has spent any time with her would tell you the same thing. I knew we fit together in every way, thankfully she knew it too.”

Calling All Supermodels!

Dark room?  No Problem, this Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer has your back!

Eleanor says, “We were obsessed with the “Vogue/Vanity Fair” style shoots that Lisa had done in the recent past. When she asked if we wanted to take pictures in that style, we jumped at it. I grew up flipping through the Vanity Fair magazines on my grandmother’s coffee table, and I was always mesmerized by those big, two-page spreads. You know the ones. Sometimes they even folded out to reveal more beautifully posed celebrities!” 

Sam adds, “We both grew up reading vanity fair, and you would see these spreads of different weddings and beautiful bride and groom pictures. We both knew exactly what we wanted and were on the same page from the start.”

Parking Lot Romance

As a Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer, they trusted me which is everything.  Yes, I did scout out a cool terracotta wall in a parking lot and they completely trusted me, even when I nearly stepped on the foulest thing ever, lol!!

Sam smiles, “We know that professionals are professionals, we were always down to follow your lead the whole time!”

It’s Electric: Professional Piercers

After the sunset, I wanted something a bit more edgy and unique and tried my hand at working with these electric boxes.  It was kind of the perfect place for Eleanor to have a real-life Cinderella moment, the shoe fit, haha!

Eleanor smiles, “We just can’t emphasize enough how much fun it was to be photographed by you! We really had so much fun with it and we loved your direction. Those electrical boxes were such a fun little prop to stumble upon. We’re soooo excited to see how your (and our) vision turned out!”

All you Need is L-O-V-E!! (& Piercings)

Eleanor shares, “Sam and I met several years ago when I had a piercing done by my former mentor that over-swelled and required a jewelry size we didn’t carry at the studio where I was working. I went to another studio, and Sam was working and helped me change the jewelry. We remained friends from that time forward, and eventually, I ended up taking a job alongside Sam.

Sam continues, “The stakes were high for Eleanor at that point. Being one of the first females working at a shop that historically only hired men. When I asked my boss to interview, her, he said what was the point, I’m not going to hire her. They walked out and Eleanor had a job, haha!”

Eleanor adds, “This was in Pittsburgh, though, and I was born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania. I always wanted to move back home and open a studio there. The timing was just never right until a few years ago, around the same time that Sam and I began officially dating. Now, we have a very cute studio together called Golden Laurel Piercing in the cozy, little town of Mt. Holly Springs.”

Sam shares, “There were ups and downs, but we loved each other and even through the fire and the flames we faced, we faced them head on together, and together we came out to this beautiful life I have now, and every day is more beautiful with her in it.“ 

A few more creative shots (by this Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer) before we headed in for the reception…

Behind the Scenes

I know, we already showed the toilet brush (haha), but here is me playing with a window. And the wedding party relaxing a bit before everything gets amped up…

Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Reception

Eleanor shares, “We really liked the Cork Factory Hotel as soon as we found it online. It stood out from other venues because it allowed our out-of-town guests to stay on-site, and their wedding package was very comprehensive. Looking at pictures on the website and on social media, where the Ballroom is mostly featured, we weren’t sure if it was going to fit our ‘vibe’ or not. Seeing the Warehouse space when we toured the venue was really what sold us. The Warehouse is such a cool space, we really couldn’t wait to see it transformed for our wedding. And when we did, we were absolutely blown away. Our coordinator, Mary, and all of our vendors did such a phenomenal job of making sure the day was everything we had hoped it would be.”

Father of the Bride/wedding photographer

Father of the bride, Jeb is a photographer himself, and while he spent most of the day relaxing and enjoying the guests, he also caught a few moments of his own, this was the most surprising one, lol!!

Jeb made sure to talk to me about bringing his camera before Elanor and Sam booked me.  He’s been following my work for years and comments on my work online, so it was cool to meet him in person.  It also meant a lot to me that as a professional wedding photographer, he trusted me to capture his own daughter’s wedding, and told her I was THE one, just check out my work. 

Size wise we were comical next to each other… I’m 5’1″ and 120 lbs, he’s 6’5” and 350 lbs, he joked that he can be my bodyguard.  And that he’d be as unobtrusive a a 65’5” person can be, haha!

Kids will be Kids

As a Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer, I captured more than just the couple that day, I captured guests just being themselves too.

Photographing this kid was one of the highlights of my day, he was always doing his own thing and just so much fun!

Party Time!!

This group was so much freaking fun on the dance floor!  I could tell that they would be right from the start of the day, then had that confirmed again at the ceremony, and totally hit home at the reception.  What more can a Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer ask for?

At the End of the Night…

Eleanor smiles, “I was feeling great at the end of the night, actually. My bridal party took amazing care of me and made sure I was fed and hydrated throughout the day, and we had so much fun taking pictures and dancing that I didn’t really spend a lot of time at the bar, so I felt good physically, too.”

She continues, “The day exceeded my expectations in almost every arena as far as the wedding itself went, and several guests stopped me to compliment how beautifully everything turned out, which left me feeling very positive. And of course, Sam and I got to spend the whole day celebrating our love with the people that we love the most, which left me feeling just… so warm and loved.”

Sam adds, “We felt great! We felt we got over a hill together, but mostly we just felt loved. I got to wake up to my beautiful wife the next day. It makes every day worth it!“ 

As for me, a Cork Factory Hotel Wedding Photographer, I could not have been happier, with the people, the venue, the vibe for the day– I seriously loved every minute of it!

Vendors:

• Venue: Cork Factory Hotel
• Coordinator: Mary Reachard
• Florist: Woodland Floral Design Co.
• DJ: Ross Productions
• Hair: Kaity Parma 
• Makeup: Janelle Lynn Makeup Artistry 
• Bride’s Dress: Vintage Mary Sachs
• Alterations: Rob Paluso at Prim & Perverse
• Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Azazie 
• Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Suits: Jos. A. Bank
• Jewelry – Golden Laurel Piercing & Fine Jewelry

Hungry for More?

• Other Lancaster Weddings
• Recent Weddings

Contact Me!

Are you or someone you know looking for a photographer for their weddings, portraits, business branding, etc?  I’m your girl! Contact me here, I’d love to hear all about it!