This outdoor, Christmas-themed Stone Mill Inn Wedding brought trees, ornaments, bells, lights– even the Grinch made an appearance!
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Emily shares, “Rhinehart Photography was recommended by a fellow photographer and family friend. When he shared that Lisa was ‘the only photographer he would hire for a wedding’ I knew I had to research Lisa’s content and see why. I was immediately in awe at the crisp photos full of color and life! I knew Lisa was the perfect photographer to capture our classic Christmas wedding!”
She adds, “I really enjoyed our time working together pre-wedding, specifically working on building a timeline for our Stone Mill Inn Wedding. Talking through all of the details that I was envisioning with an expert in the wedding industry really helped me make realistic decisions and determine what I wanted to prioritize. From there, the rest of my wedding planning process wasn’t so intimidating anymore!”
Rhinehart Photography brought Kindness, Communication, and Calm
Emily shares, “It was so great working with you on the wedding day! I am so appreciative of how attentive you were to the lighting, details, and emotional moments that were happening all around you! Also, I really appreciated your calmness through the many moments of potential panic that occur for any bride on their wedding day. I so appreciated how you were able to adapt to catch us up time-wise to keep the ceremony starting promptly as intended!”
She adds, “I really appreciated how you paid attention to my insecurities and made sure to use the best angles to get photos that I will feel confident about for a lifetime! For me, that was probably the most important aspect of your photography abilities: being able to communicate with us, ensuring that we would love the shot!”
She laughs, “Your honesty and communication throughout were immensely appreciated! You even cared enough to be honest with me and share that my red fur did not match the shade of red in the bridal party dresses. This was huge because it saved me from looking back in regret! Luckily my mom, who is the best, shared hers with me and it looked so good!”
Christmas Stone Mill Inn Wedding: Why Christmas?
Emily smiles, “I was watching a Hallmark movie with my parents and started imagining the magic behind a vintage Christmas wedding. I could not resist the love and joy that comes with the season so I suggested it to Andrew and he loved the idea!”
Andrew adds, “I love the outdoors, and winter is my favorite season, so having the chance to get married outside was exciting for me. I was hoping we would get a light dusting of snow but that did not happen. People were worried about it, but we had the option to move inside last minute if the weather was going to be bad.”
Getting Creative:
Emily shares, “I am extremely excited to see the chandelier photos! I was definitely not envisioning any getting ready shots like that and I think it is going to be a magical tie between the venue, my wedding dress, and my handmade pjs (sewn by my Grammy).”
Christmas Wedding Details
From Christmas colors to Grinchy details for this Stone Mill Inn Wedding…
Emily smiles, “The Grinch is my all-time favorite movie and I often like to listen to it in the background while I am working or doing other tasks. Because of that, I actually have the Jim Carrey version of The Grinch memorized. Naturally, I needed to incorporate the Grinch into our Christmas wedding. I found some PJs that I really liked for my bridesmaids to wear while we were getting ready. However, I could not find a white pair for myself and I needed white as the bride. Fortunately, my Grammy is a great sewer and she was able to hand-sew a pair of white Grinch pjs for me!”
She continues, “I purchased my wedding dress from Renaissance Bridals in York, PA. It was my first time trying on wedding dresses and I ended up falling in love with the second dress I tried on. Each dress I tried on after my dress just wasn’t nearly as perfect as the second dress I tried on!”
Emily adds, “I chose my jewelry based on what would look best with my dress. Originally I was going to wear white gold and diamonds, specifically my mom’s necklace and custom earrings that my parents had made for me from my mom’s original engagement ring from my dad. However, when I had it all on together, I could just sense that gold and pearls would be more of the dress’s vibe! So, I found my jewelry at Kate Spade!”
Meet Emily:
Andrew shares, “Emily and I fell in love rather quickly when we first met. She was straightforward from the start with what she was looking for and didn’t want to waste time if our values, personalities, and goals didn’t align.”
He smiles, “On our first date, we had planned to go get dinner and drinks but instead ended up sitting on the couch talking for hours. We talked about our lives, our families, and what we wanted out of life. Emily is passionate when it comes to teaching and protecting her students. I know this drive will only grow when we have children of our own.”
Andrew continues, “In some cases, Emily and I are very similar and, in some instances, we differ drastically, one of our differences is that Emily is a big planner and I am more go with the flow. I knew on the day of the wedding Emily would be stressed about the small details that, honestly, I probably never would have noticed. It was a huge help for her to have the timeline meeting with Lisa & have Lisa by her side keeping on top of the photography end. We are also thankful for Stone Mill Inn and their team, who eased her stress and allowed her to focus on enjoying the day.”
First First Looks 😉
Emily says, “My parents have always been my biggest fans and strongest supporters! They really pushed me to become the best version of myself and worked really hard to provide for my sister and I growing up. It meant the world to me to have everyone incorporated into our wedding in some special way.”
She continues, “I had anticipated lots of emotions surrounding special moments with my parents because we are such a close family and the tears started flowing during many of those special moments with them!”
Christmas Wedding Detail Inspo
Emily & Andrew had stunning Christmas details from bells to cookies to ornaments and more!
- Grinch PJs: Emily and her bridesmaids wore Grinch PJs as they got ready the morning of the wedding.
- Red, Green, Gold Bridesmaid Dresses: Emily requested that they all choose unique dresses that they felt confident in! She had an idea that she wanted everyone in different shades of red, green, and gold!
- Fur Shawls: Everyone in the wedding party had fur shawls to keep warm during this outdoor Christmas wedding ceremony.
- Christmas Music: Emily’s bridesmaids walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of “Where Are You Christmas?” Andrew and Emily recessed down the aisle to “Christmas of Love” – Emily’s favorite track in the movie, “The Grinch”!
- Christmas Centerpieces and Florals: Pine greenery was the perfect foundation for much of the decor at the wedding– it not only smelled like Christmas, but perfectly grounded the red berries and roses, the baby’s breath was a beautiful addition, and reminded me of snowflakes!
- Jingle Bells: Emily’s dad, Bill, came up with the idea for the Jingle Bells to be placed at the tables for guests to jingle when they wanted to prompt Andrew and Emily to kiss.
- Christmas Cookie Table: The couple wanted everyone to enjoy Christmas cookies for dessert and as a treat once they were home! Shout out to Susan, Nichole, Sheila, Teresa, Alyssa, Mary, Sam, Blaine, and anyone who assisted in assembling the beautiful cookie display!
- Ornaments: The ornaments were a fun holiday touch to give guests something to do during cocktail hour if they chose! Emily and Andrew loved going through all of the ornaments and reading the personalized messages to them after the wedding!
- Christmas Wedding Favors: Andrew and his dad made cranberry and cranberry clementine wine as favors for all of the guests to take a bottle home with them to share and enjoy during the holidays.
Emily shares, “Some smaller details that incorporated family into our Stone Mill Inn wedding are having a locket with a photo of my late Uncle in it tied around my flowers, I carried a hankie from my great-grandmother, Doilies from my other great-grandmother were used in the centerpieces, and Andrew’s choice in the signature drink was Carmell’s Manhattan– his grandmother’s favorite drink named after her. We also had a table that included photos of our family members married before us – the love that built us. Finally, my dad and I both really enjoy the song Love Shack so we heard it twice, once at dinner and once during dancing!”
Meet Andrew: Irish Gentlemen 😉
Emily recalls, “Andrew and I were so mesmerized in conversation during our first date that we never even ended up going out to dinner like we had planned. Right from the beginning we began getting to know each other and offered our authentic selves understanding that it would be okay if we weren’t compatible. Ultimately it didn’t take long for me to know and feel that he was the one – ‘when you know, you know’ and we knew.”
She smiles, “Andrew is so helpful and generous – his love language is acts of service. He is always willing to extend himself for the benefit of me, his family, his friends, and his colleagues – so caring and gracious. Along with these sweet qualities, Andrew is a silly goofball who’s full of energy and excitement. He can get the party started and keep it going wherever he is. I can always rely on Andrew to challenge me with perspectives that differ from my own and to help me grow into a better version of myself.”
Irish Details:
Andrew shares, “Emily and I have a holiday theme to our relationship, we started dating on Valentine’s Day, we got engaged on Halloween weekend, and we got married two days before Christmas. Being Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays and as such, I bought a shamrock suit several years ago. Emily and I, on Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day for the last couple of years, have dressed up, me in my shamrock suit, and her as my pot of gold. We were dressed like this when we got engaged, haha!”
He continues, “I knew I wanted to buy a new suit for our wedding. While I was talking to different people about custom suits, someone told me they could customize the liner of my suit to anything I wanted; so, I decided to have it match the shamrock suit I wore when we got engaged to continue on with the Irish theme. Then, since I was wearing a green suit I got a new set of shamrock cufflinks. Emily and I worked hard to incorporate subtle details of my Irish heritage which is significant to me.”
Emily adds, “Andrew wore his Winnie socks for the wedding day. On our first Christmas together with Winnie, I found a pair of socks with a small dog wearing Santa hats and the dog looked just like our dog Winnie! When Andrew asked me what socks he should wear, I knew it had to be them!”
Stone Mill Inn Wedding: First Look
Andrew shares, “Prior to our first look, I was definitely getting anxious, not so much nervous but excited to see Emily. We had been planning so much (mostly Emily) prior to the wedding that this moment was when it all came together. The moment I saw her I felt a surge of happiness and love and I could not wait to hold her in my arms.”
Emily beams, “I was SO excited to see Andrew at our first look. I was ready to start spending time together on our wedding day rather than time apart! It meant so much to me to have a special time, just the two of us, before the ceremony started!”
Andrew says, “It seems a little weird thinking back about it now but I had a strange almost euphoric feeling most of the day and through the next week as we spent time together on our mini-moon. And, though it was the happiest day of my life (so far) not all the tears were those of happiness. There were a number of loved ones that had passed away in recent years and part of me couldn’t help but miss them, wish they were there, and wonder what advice they would have to give to us.”
Andrew!!! I love that!!! ((hugs))
Why a Stone Mill Inn Wedding?
Andrew shares, “From the moment we walked through the Moongate on our initial visit I knew this would be our number 1 choice. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with Stone Mill Inn and when we discovered the event fees were in line with other venues we were touring, we were so excited.”
Emily says, “Ken and Karen, the owners of Stone Mill Inn hosted our tour of the property. We started in their home by going over information and initial questions. Ken and Karen really welcomed us in and made us trust that they would execute the ideal Christmas wedding for us (which they totally did!). So, after our tour of the beautiful property, it really felt like a no-brainer – plus our Christmas date was available!”
Andrew shares, “Ken, Karen, and the Stone Mill Inn staff strived to make our day as relaxed as possible; along with this our family and friends did not have to worry about any of the details the day of. Ken talked a big game during our initial tour, and he delivered– hands down the best catering/wedding food I’ve ever eaten. Additionally, Stone Mill Inn allowed us to be flexible with ceremony locations. Emily and I wanted to get married in the outdoor Abbey but with a December wedding and the possibility of bad weather, it was important to us to be able to make a last-minute change if needed. We were thankful that we could hold the ceremony outside.”
Emily says, “I have to give credit to my amazing wedding planner and day of coordinator, Olivia. Olivia and her team decorated using my various decorations and turned Stone Mill Inn into a magical Christmas wonderland! Ken was prepared with several Christmas trees strung, lit, and ready for us, a great addition to the Hallmark feel!”
Behind The Scenes: What I See…
On a wedding day, I am so incredibly present in the moment. I am feeling the emotions, noticing the light, picking up on all the beautiful little details, and really just bringing my eyes into the space. There is generally at least one time during the day when couples are like what are you getting a photo of right now, haha? This was one of those points… I’m pretty sure the chandelier was another 🙂
Stone Mill Inn: Wedding Party
Emily smiles, “Julie, the Sister of the Bride, was given a unique role in my wedding because I wanted her to be viewed as a VIP in the bridal party, obviously since she is my sister; but I also wanted her to enjoy the day without feeling overwhelmed with tasks. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress!”
She shares, “My Maid of Honor, Alyssa, has been my best friend since high school. We have known each other for what feels like forever because our families were involved in the same community slow-pitch softball league. Alyssa is the type of friend who is 100% real with me 100% of the time. Alyssa and I have another close friend, Jen. We really got to know Jen during Mini-THON our senior year! From there, the three of us became inseparable…until college and adulting happened! Now we just get together as often as possible and text consistently to keep up with each other!
Emily continues, “I met my friend Angel at work; we started working at the same time and our classrooms are almost across the hall from each other! Our personalities clicked and there is no one else I would have rather taught through COVID with! We met Valerie our second year teaching, Val’s first! Val moved into the classroom right next door to me, across from Angel, and the three of us really enjoy spending time together in and outside of work!”
She adds, “My newest friend in the bridal party is also now my sister-in-law, Kiera! Kiera and I met for the first time on July 4th 2020! She immediately welcomed me into the family and we have recently bonded over being daughter-in-laws to the O’Gormans!”
Flower Grannies
Emily beams, “Rather than having a flower girl, we asked our grandmothers to be our flower grannies, scattering red rose petals as they walked down the aisle!” Such a sweet touch!
Outdoor Winter Wedding Ceremony:
Emily smiles, “While I was walking down the aisle, I was overwhelmed by the number of family and friends who came to support Andrew and I’s commitment to one another. Seeing everyone’s smiling faces and seeing Andrew waiting for me felt so picturesic – a moment I had dreamed about forever happening right before my eyes. Doug tied together such a fabulous ceremony and I was so excited to share my vows to Andrew.”
Emily laughs, “Also for inquiring minds… The reason why the ceremony was stopped seconds prior to me walking down the aisle was that I forgot my flowers! I was so amazed by the decor that I forgot to look for my flowers in the tent. Before I knew it, the ceremony started and people were walking down the aisle. Fortunately, my dad acted fast and stopped the ceremony while Olivia ran and retrieved my flowers from the house. I thought it was really funny that my dad had to go out and stop the ceremony, I thought for sure Andrew would have been anxious or worried, I mean it was rather dramatic, but yet Andrew claims he was calm and unconcerned the whole time!”
Stonemill Inn Wedding Vows
The couple shares, “We wrote our vows together because they were something that we both wanted to agree upon and understand upfront with each other prior to making that commitment publically. We rehearsed our vows and still occasionally say them to each other.”
Authentic Moments and Portraits
Emily smiles, “So far I have to say my favorite photo is the one of Andrew kissing me on the cheek because it so beautifully captures the authenticity of our love for and happiness towards each other.”
The couple shares, “We are intrigued to see what your vision was with the treeline and the sky despite not having a super ‘golden’ sunset to work with – plus you must have had a great vision to be willing to lay on the cold ground just to bring it to life!”
Check out those photos here:
Stone Mill Inn Wedding Cocktail Hour
Emily laughs, “Of course after the ceremony Andrew was mainly focused on the food since we hadn’t eaten much, so I was thankful for the kind cocktail waiter who brought us delicious appetizers and hors d’oeuvres! At that point in the day, I was feeling very light, fun, and stress-free. Andrew and I really got to just enjoy each other’s company through photos, dinner, and dancing!”
She adds, “The traditional guest book that was signed by guests was passed from my parent’s wedding and we hope to pass it along for guests to sign at future family weddings!”
Stone Mill Inn Wedding: Introductions in Neon 😉
These folks were so much fun to be with! They had such fantastic all-in energy and were completely ready to celebrate!! I loved the neon sign that just added to the electricity in the room!
All the Moments: Speeches
Emily laughs, “I have to start with Freaky Rique, AKA Enrique… When he started saying Andrew’s quest for a best man was a ‘series of unfortunate events’ I was so puzzled… he continued by saying ‘his funniest friend, declined his offer; his most clever friend also said no; on the third attempt, he asked his most handsome friend, only to face rejection again; then my phone rang . While Enrique was saying all of this, I was looking at my parents, my maid of honor, and even Andrew so confused thinking ‘Why is he lying?’… Then he says ‘Hearing the desperation in Andrew’s voice, I couldn’t turn him down for a fourth time.’ Everyone erupted in laughter! He got me good with that one!”
Andrew adds, “I thought Enrique’s speech was fun even though I was a little confused at first. I liked how he said he had to be careful what stories he told because they would surely incriminate himself as well.”
Emily continues, “Alyssa did such a beautiful job capturing the essence of our friendship and its evolution. We compliment each other so well as best friends and it makes me so happy to know that she is supportive of my relationship with Andrew. I am so blessed to have a best friend and husband who get along so well and enjoy spending time together with me. I love that they have a fun, joke-filled friendship that leads to them arguing about purple plates and who loves me more.”
Andrew Laughs, “I enjoyed the speeches and knew Alyssa was going to say something about being Emily’s best friend even though I am totally her best friend.”
Emily smiles, “And my dad – My dad totally nailed his speech, I know he worked hard on it and he did such a great job toasting Andrew and I’s commitment to each other. It was so sweet for my dad to share details about my excitement coming home from my first date with Andrew. He wonderfully wove together sweet details and memories with funny jokes like ‘deer camp/beer camp.’ I am so appreciative of the kind words my dad shared about me, Andrew, and Andrew’s family. It was such an honorable toast and I wouldn’t have expected anything else coming from my dad!”
Parent Dances
Andrew this is the sweetest…
Andrew shares, “I grew up in a tight-knit family. My mom’s family lives in Massachusetts and the New England area so we generally saw them 1 or 2 times a year growing up but my dad’s family was local. Being the youngest I get the honor of always being my mom’s baby boy and during our dance, I was trying to crack jokes to make her laugh rather than cry – which she promptly pointed out was exactly what I did as a child and that made her smile and cry while we were dancing together.”
Emily shares, “My dad and I took a while to choose the song we danced to because each time he played a song as a suggestion I would just start crying as I processed the lyrics – darn country songs about dads and their little girls!”
She continues, “Ultimately we landed on I Loved Her First by Heartland. The song seemed fitting as I remember listening to it in the car growing up and thinking about how one day my dad would experience those feelings about me. Naturally, the anticipation and emotion caught up to me and my dad as we danced together before my first dance with Andrew!”
Stone Mill Inn Wedding First Dance:
Emily smiles, “Andrew and I choreographed and practiced our first dance to Ophelia by The Lumineers. I really enjoy listening to The Lumineers, and Andrew and I had planned to see them at a music festival in 2022 but unfortunately, there was a hurricane and the festival was canceled. Once Andrew found out they were touring, he bought us tickets for their show. During the concert, we danced at our seats to Ophelia, our favorite song to sing together as a couple.”
She adds, “It was so fun to dance a non-traditional first dance together and really embrace a song that we both love. While I was a little nervous to dance in front of everyone, I was mainly just so happy to once again be with Andrew enjoying more moments of our wedding day together.”
Andrew shares, “We were a little nervous about our dance because during all our practicing she was never wearing anything nearly as fluffy as her dress. We did a little practice spin shortly after our first look to test it out.”
Capturing How It Feels
Emily shares, “We so loved that you and Kelly were fully embracing the craziness and shenanigans that occurred on the dance floor! We are so glad you were able to stay for the entirety of the party!”
What a Party!!!
One of my favorite things to capture at a wedding is energy on the dancefloor, and OMG did this group deliver!!!
Andrew laughs, “If there is one thing my friends know how to do it’s have a good time and party.”
Happily Ever After: Private Last Dance
Andrew shares, “Emily had been stressing about the last dance and I told her I had an idea and would take care of it. Honestly, I don’t know if that made her feel better or worry about it more but I wanted it to be a surprise. I picked each song for different reasons and they all were something meaningful to us.”
He continues, “The first song was Big Balls by AC/DC, this was probably the one I was most excited about because I knew she would never have guessed it. The first time she heard this song, we were at my parent’s house and my dad and I were working on wine stuff and listening to music. Big Balls came on and Emily couldn’t get over it. We have listened to the song several times and now whenever we hear it, we think back to one of the first times she and my dad bonded over music.
He says, “The next song was Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish, this is one of Emily’s favorite songs and the first concert we went to together was a Billie Eilish concert. The next song was So Good by Dove Cameron, this song became one of our summer hits the first year we started dating and was a song that we both liked and fit us. The last one was 5 More Hours by Deorro, this song was more for me than Emily but I wanted something more upbeat because I knew Ocean Eyes was going to make her cry. Also, since we had an after-party to go to I thought it was perfect. In fact, I believe we went to bed just over 5 hours after the last dance.”
Emily says, “From the beginning of the wedding planning process, Andrew had been insistent on wanting to plan our private last dance. I was pretty certain about the song he was going to choose for the dance and considered the possibility of a mash-up but I was not at all expecting the song combination that Andrew chose!”
Stone Mill Inn Wedding: Moongate
Emily smiles, “We loved the Moongate! My favorite Moongate shot is the gold! I love the warm Christmas-y feel from the chandeliers.”
Andrew shares, “For the end of the night shot, I liked them both for different reasons and had trouble deciding which one I liked best. I think if I had to pick though I would go blue.”
Luckily I gave them lots of options!!
Vendors:
- Venue and Planning: Stone Mill Inn
- Hair/Makeup: Beauty by Khara
- Cake: BC Bakery
- DJ: Bring on the Bash
- Flowers: Jeffrey’s Flowers
- Officiant: Sealed with a Kiss Officiants
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