Choosing and planning your wedding decor elements like linens, centerpieces, signage and favors can seem like an overwhelming task if you don’t start early and start with a mood or vision board, but luckily there is tons of inspiration out there and tons of venues that can match your theme!

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Abbey and Jake had a beautiful National Park Themed Wedding at Tuck’d Inn Farm - a gorgeous venue that felt like a nature destination in itself. Tucked away in the Cook’s Forest just northeast of Pittsburgh, it lends itself perfectly to a wedding designed to celebrate the beauty of love and of nature.

There were many ways in which the couple incorporated the theme into the day:

Venue Location

Starting with the actual venue itself, Tuck’d Inn Farm is a spacious venue that was built with such intention for events. It’s more like a “barn-shaped” elegant event hall than “farm.” With plenty of parking, beautiful views and privacy, it truly feels like a luxury escape. The couple shared with me that they were camping at the nearby state park and happened to drive past the wedding venue. After a quick internet search and an initial tour, they knew it was exactly what they were dreaming of.

How can you choose a venue that fits your wedding theme? I would suggest starting with how you want you and your guests to FEEL when they spend time there. Consider what’s around, what the guest accommodations are, and what your non-negotiables are.

TableScape

Opting for farm-style long tables created a more relaxed family-style feel, as opposed to round tables which are often used in ballrooms. The runners in the middle of the table let the natural wood become a part of the design as well, lending to a rustic “camp” style feel. Top it off with handkerchief napkins and speckled enamel coffee mugs (custom printed) and it created a whimsical and delightful nod at having a picnic in the mountains. Don’t be deterred by “rustic” though, the bud vases of colorful fresh flowers and crystal water glasses made the whole tablescape feel both elevated and refined.

Signage

If all the other decor doesn’t give your guests the idea of the theme, you can really make your point with signage and other printed decor. The couple turned their guestbook into postcards they collected at every park they visited, where guests could write their will wishes on the back for them. The tables and seating chart were bespoke as well, the chart showing a map with every significant destination the couple has enjoyed together, with the tables named after them. Guests could then enjoy being at the “Smoky Mountain National Park” table instead of being at “Table 13.”

Ceremony

One other sweet way the theme was incorporated was in the actual vows themselves. Not exactly planned by the couple, the officiant (the Bride’s grandma!) wove in beautiful well-wishes that were themed to the couple’s favorite places (“May your love by as vast as the Grand Canyon” - I made this one up because my memory is terrible, but hers were even MORE beautiful!)

If your officiant doesn’t know you and your partner before hand, try reaching out to a poetic friend or even ChatGPT for some inspiration on how to incorporate your theme into wedding vows. Also if you NEED an officiant still, check this out!

I hope this gives you some inspiration and some boldness to try out some of the ways mentioned to truly make your wedding unforgettable, and most importantly, YOURS. Enjoy some beautiful wedding photos at the Tuck’d Inn Farm.

I have photographed many weddings at the Roost Event Center in the few years they have been operating in Mahaffey, PA and it is a very popular venue for a reason! This July, Christine + Ryan pulled off an epic wedding that felt like sweet slow summertime romance meets life in the fast lane IYKYK! Both of these wonderful people are astonishingly talented and fearless, as anyone at this stunning wedding can attest to. So much decor and details were hand-made, and the unique color scheme was equal parts romantic and whimsical.

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Unique Wedding colors

As a lover of color and anything bespoke when it comes to weddings, I absolutely adored the color palette dreamed up by the bride, all the way back to when she first got engaged. The butter yellow bridesmaid dresses were a part of the theme and vision far before they started to trend this wedding season. The florals followed suit (literally), matching the yellow dresses from Revelry and the groom’s LAVENDER suit from Men’s Wearhouse! The colors were carried throughout the details of the day as well! I was blown away by all of the clever places the yellow and lavender were used:

Wedding color decor ideas

• linens

• candlesticks

• cookie icing

• cake icing

• welcome sign

• seating chart

• escort cards (she used screen printed chiffon that matched the dresses!)

• lawn games (custom connect 4 game pieces! What?!?!)

• table signs

• playing cards as a guest book (guests sign each card in a deck!)

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I hope this inspires you to think outside the black and white box that weddings usually live in and incorporate some COLOR into your big day! If you’re looking for a photographer that will edit those colors like you intended, lets talk! And of course this day could not have been as seamless without the help from this stellar team:

Hair: LadyDi Creates

Makeup: @thespaandstudioatmds

Invites: the BRIDE!!

Florals: Flower and Balloon Gallery

Catering: @oldcarolinabbqofficial

DJ: Royal Heir Professional DJ Services

Video: Capture Life Films, LLC

Coordinator: Events by Emily

Donut Truck: Sinkers & Suds Food Truck

Second Photographer: Jon Blanchard Photography

Looking to be efficient with your wedding photography budget and weighing if 6 hours of photography coverage is enough? In this post I’ll walk you through a 6 hour wedding day timeline and outline things that must be considered in order to have everything on your wedding day captured in 6 hours without feeling rushed!

If you are planning a wedding, make sure to check out other helpful blogs in our Wedding Planning Guide!

Example 6 Hour Wedding Timeline Template

Venue: SanaView Farms

3:00 - photographer arrives and captures detail photos
3:30 - bride gets dressed / bridal portraits

3:50 - first look with family
4:00 - groom gets dressed / groom portraits
4:30 - ceremony
4:45 - family photos/ cocktail hour
5:15 - bridal party photos
5:30 - bride and groom photos
6:00 - grand entrance
First dance
Parent dances
Cake cutting
Toasts
6:30 - dinner
7:15 - dancing
8:45 - sunset photos
9:00 - photographer departs / sparkler photo

This timeline was from a mid-July wedding that I photographed by myself - yes, it can be done! There are obviously some trade-offs and concessions that have to be made in order to have everything work. Things like having a small bridal party and not minding about having minimal prep photos were definitely helpful. I tell couples that when they are planning their coverage, we can either pair it down by taking time off of the beginning prep shots or the end dancing photos. Luckily this couple was happy to work with just a few of the important prep shots to save time for the fun at the end of the day!

It’s also very helpful having a smaller bridal for that small window for prep shots. Hair and makeup must be done ad gone by the time the photographer arrives and everyone ready to jump into their wedding outfits!

Perhaps the three most crucial elements, however, for having a 6 hour timeline are the following:

All - inclusive venue

If you’re doing shorter photography coverage, an all-inclusive venue, meaning a place where you can have both the ceremony and reception, is a MUST. Not only does travel time take up valuable time, but getting everyone packed up and out the door takes much more time than you think, which invites lots of opportunities to run late or have to hold things up because you’re waiting on one person in the wedding party to arrive. If you want to include prep shots in your 6 hours as well, having EVERYONE in the bridal party getting ready at the venue is also a must. If you’re shopping for a venue, it’s is a BIG selling point if they can accommodate both sides of the wedding party, the ceremony, and the reception all in the same walkable location.

Later ceremony time

Venues that shut down at 9pm because of residential noise ordinances will often push couples to have ceremonies that start at 2 or 3pm in order to still have a 4 hour reception, but if you’re looking for the most complete photography coverage that will include prep photos, you have to push your ceremony later to 4 or even 5pm. This gives the photographer enough time to get in the prep and detail shots before the wedding, and also have coverage extend past dinner into dancing!

consider the season for outdoor portraits

If you are having your ceremony outdoors or want your photos outdoors, you have to consider the season and when the sun goes down. The example timeline above was from a wedding in mid-July when the days were at their longest and the sun was up until past 8:30pm. If you’re having a fall wedding and the sun sets around 7, you’ll have to accept doing a first-look to get your outdoor portraits done before the ceremony (and thus lose dancing coverage).

If you’re considering a 6 hour wedding photography timeline for your big day, it is definitely achievable by following the septs outlined above. This wedding described in the post was easily one of the most relaxed, enjoyable weddings of my career, and not because of any plan we created, but because the couple CHOSE to be relaxed, trusting, and fully present for their friends and family.

If you want a rustic wedding, chances are you are looking at a barn venue for your reception, and there’s no other season like fall to have a wedding with a rustic feel! Carissa and Gary incorporated all of the most beautiful aspects of fall, rustic barns, antiques, and country life into their October wedding at the Barn at Rayne Run in Marion Center. This venue is always great this time of year - especially because of the vibrant trees that run along the creek in the back of the property - and with the addition of the antique teal blue truck this year that was stuffed with mums and pumpkins for fall, it truly can’t get anymore beautiful.

It sounds strange to say this, but not all couples are as outwardly happy and excited as Carissa and Gary on their wedding day. Right before the first look, Carissa was literally bouncing up and down with excitement and she had a HUGE smile on the entire day - even during the “getting ready” phase which can be stressful for a lot of brides. I met these friends two years ago (she’s on the ball, seriously) and couldn’t wait for this day to come almost as much as them! I learned that they have been together for 6 years, and the proposal story was incredibly sweet with a very “Carissa” response! She tells it like this:

“Gary's proposal was the most perfect idea and complete surprise at the Fireworks on July 1, 2017. I really thought he wanted to get a "new profile picture for his Facebook page" when actually he had it set up so that my sister was getting pictures of the whole thing!! Considering I truly thought he was trying to have my sister take a profile picture, I told him to "shhhheeeeh! Kee is trying to get a picture!" when he started talking to me and telling me his proposal speech. He kept talking all while thinking "Is she serious?" and eventually just got down on his knee so I would realize what was going on... then I squealed, jumped, ran away (only about 3ft away), came back, and fell to my knees in front of him with complete and utter shock and excitement! Needless to say, a solid success!!”

All of that happiness, excitement, and kindness just radiates from them, and I especially love how family is so important to them. Carissa shared her “old, new, borrowed and blue” with her family members in a way to honor them and make them a special part of her day. She planned that “Something Blue is a sweet little hanky with adorable poem from my Mom that has a tiny blue bow and blue printed poem. Something Borrowed is my Granny Smith's pearl necklace. Something Old will be lent to me by my Gram Conrad but she tells me it is from my Pap Conrad who will be watching from Heaven. Something New is my veil which Gary's mother and my Mother - In - Law To Be, Theresa, bought for me.” Not only did she plan these sentimental details, but we captured photos of each family member sharing the item and a sweet moment with Carissa.

Admittedly, I anticipated the day to be a lot more hectic than it was, but with such sweet family and bridal party members, the convenience of everything being at the same location, a fantastic second shooter, and a couple willing to do a first look, the day went flaw.less.ly. Since we had a limited amount of time between the ceremony and the reception, and because we had a big family to honor with photo combinations, Carissa and Gary opted for a first look 2 hours before the ceremony start time. We were able to knock out the first look, nearly 50 family photos, bridal party photos, and couple portraits in an hour and a half! Once the ceremony ended and the receiving line was done, we grabbed a few more portraits with plenty of time to spare for bustling the dress, restroom breaks, and getting everyone placed for the DJ to announce them in!

We danced the night away in the elegant barn with its twinkle lights and chandeliers, and even snuck outside to a neighboring hillside for some sunset portraits. Needless to say, it was pretty much a perfect, stress free wedding day for all parties involved! This wedding’s sneak peeks are breaking the internet over on facebook, so you definitely want to scroll down to see a HUGE preview of their day below!

Vendor Team:

Photographer: Jill Stiffler | Jill Gearhart Photography

Second Photographer: Karen Plate | Karen Plate Photography

Venue: The Barn at Rayne Run, Marion Center, Pa

Gown: Stella York bought from White Lace Bridal, Indiana, Pa

Hair: Shear Stylin', Elderton, Pa

Bridesmaids Dresses: Morilee by Madeline Gardner bought from Rusted Rose Bridal, Kittanning, Pa

Florals: Flower Gallery, Indiana, Pa

Cake: Cheri's Cakes & Cruffles by Cheri from Brush Valley, Pa

Caterer: Flair of Country Catering and Event Planning, Corey and Mindi Crocco from Johnsontown, Pa

Favors: Homemade Apple Butter made and donated by Carissa's Grandmothers

DJ: Royal Heir DJ Services

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The Indiana Country Club in Indiana PA is a great venue for an upscale wedding with both indoor and outdoor options for your ceremony. I’ve photographed weddings with the ceremony outdoors in the dedicated grove of trees near the golf course for ceremonies, with ceremonies outdoors but under their covered clubhouse patio, and also indoors in the ballroom with a quick room flip for the reception. It’s truly a versatile place for your wedding no matter the weather or room set up.

Most couples that get married at Indiana Country Club will rent a room at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn and use that for a more aesthetic space for getting ready. The Country Club offers to locker rooms for the same purpose, but they are also still open to the public. The groomsmen can opt for getting ready in the Cigar Lounge if the smoke doesn’t bother them.

The country club would honestly be my choice for a wedding reception if I could do my wedding all over again, even after seeing hundreds of venues. You don’t have to worry about parking, guest accommodations, bartenders, wait staff, finding a caterer, decor, coordinators, tables linens and chairs, and weather options. The food is consistently some of the best wedding food I’ve had and the food and drink package is on-par with, if not cheaper than, most caterers. Not to mention it’s beautiful inside and out!

Natalie and Ben had a beautiful and modern black and white outdoor wedding at the Indiana Country Club this past July. The ceremony was outdoors in the grove, which made for a very romantic atmosphere among the tall grasses and shady trees. Confetti exits were popular this year, which always means some amazing photos right at the happiest part of the day - when your smile is the biggest and most genuine.

Their bridal party looked amazing in all black, keeping to the classy black and white theme even with their decor. The country club offers black table linens which is unique and looks so elegant with the white napkins and white floral centerpieces.

Another unique touch to this wedding was the light up letters, rented from a local company. The staff set these up and tore them down at the end of the night, and it made for a big impact and a way to decorate the adjoining patio space off of the reception ballroom.

If you’re looking for a money-smart but still upscale choice for a wedding venue that can accommodate both indoor and outdoor ceremonies, the Indiana County Club is definitely a wonderful choice!

Thinking of having a small, affordable wedding and looking to elope at the Allegheny County Courthouse? What could be better than a Christmas time elopement in a beautiful city like Pittsburgh full of magical holiday events and pop ups? Make it even more magical with a couple that’s only seen snow once, are huge Pittsburgh sports fans, and have the best weekend ever planned for their holiday wedding vacay!

With me being a photographer and my husband being a pastor, the courthouse is always a favorite for both of us for low-stress but still beautiful wedding ceremonies and photos. The Christmas decor at the grand staircase makes it even more special! This sweet couple flew in from Texas for their Pittsburgh nuptials, and I’m thrilled to have worked with them to help their day so easy and memorable.

Preparing for your ELOPEMENT

Applying for a license is a pretty easy and straightforward process on the Courthouse’s website. They will schedule a zoom call with you to go over specifics. The morning of the wedding the bride and groom picked up their bouquet at a local florist, picked up their marriage license, and walked right next door to the courthouse grand staircase to make it official! To prepare for photos and officiating with us, we do a zoom call too to meet you and discuss photo location options and to talk about any personal touches you want in your ceremony message and vows.

There’s never a ton of people around so your ceremony will still feel private. After the sweet and meaningful ceremony we did some photos in the beautiful courthouse, outside in the courtyard, then at some elegant and very Pittsburgh-y locations to really capture the magic of the city!

With traditional wedding costs on the rise, its becoming more and more popular to elope and have a more casual party with friends and family at another time. The Allegheny County Courthouse definitely makes it easy and elegant, not to mention finding a photographer/officiant team to help tie it all together!

The Barn at Madison is a unique wedding venue just a short 45 minute drive from Pittsburgh PA, offering a memorable and beautiful setting for smaller weddings. Lovingly restored from near ruins, this barn-turned-restaurant-turned-venue will definitely be something your guests remember!

If you’re looking for a unique venue that’s a little bit rustic, can accommodate overnight guests (aka bridal party), has an outdoor ceremony spot, and has excellent staff, this is your venue! I’ve had the pleasure of working at the Barn at Madison several times now and the weddings are always very smooth running, even in the case of rainy weather like the wedding below! Luckily we were still able to have the ceremony outdoors under a black pergola on the lawn at the back of the venue. Even though this “barn” is located right in a suburban area, it feels secluded with the ample tree cover and landscaping on the property.

It’s important to have great staff and vendors who will communicate and work with each other in case the timing of things need to change, like it did for Kelsey and Mike. We had planned on taking family photos and bridal portraits after the ceremony, but the rain made an appearance and we had to push the plan back a bit. Because the Barn at Madison has a separate space for cocktail hour (downstairs) and dinner (upstairs), guests could easily mingle indoors for cocktail hour, joined by the bride and groom.

Because this venue was once a restaurant and owned by an antique-loving family, there are many unique treasures in every corner, and the architecture makes for very unique wedding photos as well. Couples should keep in mind, though, that the downstairs ceilings are very low and the upstairs dining room can be tight with many tables - this venue definitely works best with a guest list closer to 100!

The Roost in Mahaffey is a newer outdoor wedding venue just a short 1.5 hour drive from State College and 2 hours from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The Roost is an excellent venue choice for your wedding if you’re looking for a location that’s easy for family from either side of Pennsylvania to travel to, not to mention that it’s absolutely gorgeous and very thoughtfully designed.

Each year the owners of the Roost seem to make improvements to the venue, the most recent being a major upgrade to the ceremony location! Guests can now enjoy easier access to and from the ceremony spot with the addition of new cement work in the seating area. Also new this year are the addition of white benches for guests to sit - both a functional and aesthetic upgrade for your ceremony!

Justine and Tyler said “I do” here at the Roost in May of 2024, enjoying these new upgrades to the ceremony spot as seen in the photos below. As always, the Roost offers two beautiful rooms for your bridal party to get ready in, a covered patio for cocktail hour or a rain plan for your ceremony, and the show-stopping reception area that can accommodate huge weddings or small weddings without looking like an empty warehouse.

Some of the greatest wedding venues are the ones that can accommodate bad weather and pivot while still looking beautiful in every corner of the property. For Justine and Tyler’s wedding, the thunder was rolling during the vows and we raced against the clock to finish the family photos - happily there is a roof over a very large pavilion for the ceremony so we were covered both literally and figuratively. Even doing photos under the covered patio off of the main building turned out beautifully as the rain started to drizzle down.

While the remoteness of the venue can make lodging for your guests a little tricky (the closest major hotel is a 45 minute drive in Indiana, PA), the stunning views more than make up for the travel.

Johnstown’s newest wedding venue, the Willow, is everything were all hoping for in a luxury wedding venue that feels rural yet upscale. With the ability to accommodate a huge number of guests (up to 350 wedding guests to be exact!) its the large-scale venue Johnstown needed. Even though it is located right by the Johnstown airport, there was minimal noise or interruptions, and the beautiful wide-open landscape gives the venue that “barn venue” feel without being too rustic.

Tana started her day in the upstairs bridal suite, which has plenty of seating, vanity mirrors, changing rooms, a kitchenette, and a beautiful nook for those essential “getting ready” shots. What photographers love most about the Willow is it’s openness and natural light. From the loft you’re even able to see the entire reception space, which makes for some very creative perspectives for photos!

The ceremony is held just right outside the main building either under it’s covered porch or in the adjacent lawn with the beautiful fields and open sky as the backdrop. For this particular wedding we did photos off-site with the bridal party, there are pockets of shade and greenery that can accommodate a large bridal party.

With a beautiful built in bar and plenty of room for dozens of tables, cookie displays, the main reception area is staggering with its enormous ceilings and wide-open floor plan. To fully maximize it’s beauty I would highly recommend using a decorator, as Little Details by Reese did an incredible job transforming the expansive space into a dazzling and cozy experience for guests.

At sunset, The Willow’s gorgeous clean white exterior comes alive reflecting the vibrant golden hour colors - these were my favorite shots of the day!

If you’re looking to throw a massive party at a venue that’s upscale and gorgeous but at the same time very serene and peaceful, The Willow is for you!

Thanks to this amazing vendor team for creating the perfect day for the Leech’s!

Photographer: Jill Gearhart Photography

Videography: Isaac Born Videography

Makeup: Beauty by Joette

Hair: Shades Hair Salon

Suits: Doris Smith

Florals, Signage, Cookie Table decor and Set-Up: Little Details by Reese

Coordinator: Morgan at The Willow

Catering: Flair of Country

Live Music: The Evergreens

DJ and photobooth: DJ Dancin’ Dan

Maddy and Mitch had such a beautiful day full of memorable moments and all of their favorite people and friends! This particular wedding, too, shows that you CAN in fact get married at the location that’s important to you and find time to travel on your wedding day to the reception venue of your dreams. The 9 hour timeline ensured that there was enough time to get all of the things on the wishlist, including prep shots, a “first touch”, a full Catholic mass, 45 minutes of travel, family photos, portraits, detail shots, large group shots, table shots, sunset photos, dancing photos, and a sparkler exit!

wedding timeline with travel

If you are wanting to create your best day ever around a bit of travel, the best way to approach it is with a convo with your photographer and adding on some extra time to the photo package JUST for the travel portion. A typical wedding timeline needs about 2 hours before the ceremony to get prep shots, and 2 hours after the ceremony for family photos, bridal party portraits, bride and groom portraits, a quick restroom break, and bustling the dress before grand introductions. Having time APART from all of that for travel ensures the smoothest possible day and adequate time to fit in everything photo-wise.

Many other things can affect the timeline as well including having a second photographer, doing a first look where you and your fiance see each other and get photos before the ceremony, the time of year for sunset and sparkler photos, and so much more. This is why an experienced photographer is invaluable - we’ve seen it all and can shift the pieces to make YOUR timeline exactly what you want it to be!

I started the day at Maddy’s beautiful house when hair and makeup were finishing up and snapped some sweet moments with the bridesmaids in their matching robes, then headed over to the church to see Mitch arrive in his beautifully restored classic car! After a sweet “first touch” in the stairwell to help calm some nerves, the beautiful Catholic mass started, complete with the most well-timed thunder and rain that was nice enough to finish before we had to leave!

I love doing family photos in beautiful churches, and St. Barbara’s was as stunning of a backdrop as anything else! After the family photos we got more beautiful shots with the bride and groom and the classic car, even recreating a photo from their grandparents’ wedding day!

Once we all arrive at the gorgeous Lingrow I got some lightening-fast detail shots as guests arrived for cocktail hour downstairs. Soon the bridal party was ready to go and we did a few fun group photos, individual photos, and beautiful bride and groom portraits that showcased the best features and view of the gorgeous venue.

Guests were dazzled by a dance completely choreographed by the bride, and we were able to get a massive group photo of all 175+ guests packing the dance floor to kick off the party! Even though the day was hot and humid, Maddy and Mitch were so incredibly sweet and kind enough to go back outside at sunset to get one last epic shot with a cotton-candy sky and, of course, the car!

We wrapped up the full day with a beautiful sparkler exit and some more expert twirls to cap off Mitch and Maddy’s happily ever after!

Thank you to these wonderful vendors who truly were a force on this very full day!

Venue: Lingrow Farm

Coordinator: Leah Frey

DJ: Royal Heir DJ

Cake: The BRIDE!!!

Florals: Bride and mom!

HMUA: Sanctus Spa and Salon