Fall Wedding near Pittsburgh PA

“He was just the poor sucker holding the clipboard.” Those are Elle’s words, describing the first time the two of them met at their alma mater, Geneva College. Elle was signing as up as a freshman to audition for the college choir, The Genevans. Through choir, theater, local pizza dates, and much more, the two slowly grew together over the years, and it all started with Ben holding a clipboard.

For those who don’t know, Geneva College is also my alma mater! The drive to Ben and Elle’s wedding near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a flood of nostalgia for me as I made the familiar five hour drive. I was fortunate to meet Ben’s family early on in my college career and since then have been able to photograph two of his siblings weddings. With his family and other familiar college faces, this felt like a mini reunion (as much as 2020 could allow for such a thing).

For Ben and Elle, they could not have been more ready and relived to have arrived at their wedding day, for that meant there was a very slim chance anything could get in the way of them getting married. COVID altered their plans many times over, forcing them to change venues, shorten their guest list, and find other vendors. It was a relief to know we were all finally here to celebrate them!

I was excited as I walked into the church that morning. This was a beautiful old church built in the mid 1800s. Soft light streamed in through stained glass windows and dark interior wood gave us plenty of dramatic spaces to use. Having photographed so many outdoor weddings and mountain elopements lately, it was a fun change for me creatively.

Their day was absolutely filled with emotional moments. From a first look with Elle and her Dad, to a heartfelt ceremony, to Ben simply hugging his grandmother, it was a day full of beautiful, meaningful images. We also made sure to get out and enjoy one of the last beautiful days of fall. Clear, sunny skies (a luxury in western PA) gave us light that brilliantly illuminated what was left of the fall colors. One of my favorite images is the one you first saw on this page. I loved being able to frame them perfectly between the branches of one last bright red tree.

After an evening of speeches, dancing and a truckload of cookies (a western PA tradition), Ben and Elle walked out of their reception and were met with having to unwrap their car! Out of all 150+ weddings I’ve been to over the years, I have never seen a wrapped car and it made for some fun last photos on their day. But that wasn’t quite it, Ben and Elle made sure to make the most of their wedding, making a stop at Bruster’s Ice Cream (a favorite local date spot) on their way to the honeymoon.

Take a look at their photo story below and if you enjoyed it see more recent weddings here!