Fetscher-Smith Wedding 09.12.2020

Jordan

Sep 23, 20204 min read

Let me start by saying that Christine and Andrew are two of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege to work with. When we shot their engagement session back in February, it was about 20 degrees outside and everything was covered in snow, but they were up for anything! Their September twelfth wedding was absolutely perfect.

I've said before how much I love going to family farms for photos -- you can feel their connection to the land. Going to a family farm for wedding day formals is just so special. But first, let's start at the beginning of the day!

We arrived at Hello Gorgeous Salon, which was a beautiful place for some getting ready shots, even under construction. The girls were wearing adorable matching print outfits to hang out in, so we made sure to grab a few shots in those! Everyone was just about done with hair and makeup, but still not dressed, which is the perfect time to have your photographer arrive.

And just like that, it's time to get ready and head to the ceremony! We were about 30 seconds down the road from the church, which was so nice. Also, I just have to comment on the beautiful color of the girls' dresses. Such a pretty color for a late summer/early fall wedding! Also, we had to make sure to grab a photo with Christine's llama socks before the boots went on. ;)

And then we arrived at the church! As we pulled in, I noticed they had left a sweet message on the announcement board out front, so we made sure to grab a photo of that. If you've been following us for a while, you might remember this church from John and Tiffany Stover's wedding, which was just about a year ago. The Pastor even remembered us-- #smalltown.

The guys were already at the church hanging out, so we sneaked the girls downstairs, where Christine was waiting to have a first-look with her dad. I've met Christine's family a few times before for family photos, and we also attended the same high school. I can say the Smith family is genuinely one of the nicest, closest families I know. I went to grab Dale, and he finally got to see his oldest daughter in her wedding dress. (Cue the tears.)

And just that fast, it was time to say their vows! My second shooter and I headed upstairs to get set up, and Christine and Andrew were anxiously waiting to see each other. While we were watching people be seated, I realized Christine's Aunt Terri had been appointed as organizer upstairs. To figure out how to seat people in the church and still maintain social distancing guidelines, they'd come up with a seating chart to keep everyone spaced out. I thought this was a great way to keep everything organized and flowing. The groomsmen helped escort everyone to their seats and kept it moving.

Christine and Andrew were together around eight years before tying the knot, and you could just feel how happy everyone was for them. Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Fetscher!

We grabbed a few formals in the church with family members who wouldn't be coming to the farm or the reception, and just a few of Christine and Andrew, and then we headed to the farm. There are so many picture-perfect locations to take photos on their property, so we moved around a little bit, but we started at the barn. Christine and Andrew both have pretty large families, so we ran off of a shot list. This is something I ask for before your wedding day to help the family photos move quickly and efficiently, without forgetting anything or anyone. We ran down a checklist of all the combinations of people Christine and Andrew wanted, and then we were onto the next location: the gate.

We did a lot of Andrew and Christine's engagement photos in front of this gate, and some of their family photos last year! I love this spot because you can see the house she grew up in behind them and their barn (plus some cows, if you're lucky). I thought this would be the perfect place to do a lot of their photos together, especially with the beautiful light coming in behind them.

Then, we had one final place to go on the property. We wanted to add in a few more family photos and some bridal party here, but we were juuust running out of time (right as golden hour started to creep in behind us). So we took the last few minutes we had left and ran with it! Here's some of what we got.

Then we had one last photo to grab before heading to the reception. Andrew and his friends had their trucks in the field and ready to go for this photo!

We then headed over to Whispering Dreams at Star Lakes Farm, a new wedding reception venue in Burgettstown! We didn't check out the property aside from the barn where the reception was, but it was so cool to see another new wedding venue pop up in such a small town. The rest of the night was perfect -- dances, toasts, and laughter. But let's start with introductions.

Now for tons of photos from the rest of the night: cake cutting, dancing, all of it!

The rest of the night was just dancing and having fun!! What a wonderful way to welcome a new marriage. Thanks so much for having us! I'll leave you guys with one last image from the day. We were able to sneak outside right as golden hour transitioned into blue hour for five minutes to grab a few more photos.