Zeb & Emilie / Boston Spectrum Wedding in Irwin, PA

Bride & Groom Portraits at White Oak Park in Irwin, PA Once upon a time, I was the only “kid” in the Eichelberger family. I was the first grandchild to be born. Not long after I came onto the scene, my Uncle Paul began dating a smiley, friendly, red-head (who soon became my Aunt Dawn). I adored them as a couple. And they paid special attention to me (even after 2 additional sisters of mine came onto the scene). They took me to Disney-on-Ice shows in Pittsburgh, we’d sit around the fire & cook s’mores together, and sit at the end of the dock, toes chilling in the cool water, while tossing billions of stones into Deep Creek Lake together.

And then, Zeb came along. And ruined everything.

Not really. This new little red-headed baby cousin was an absolute joy. And the best part was: he didn’t belong to my family! So, I could hold him and snuggle him and kiss his soft little head, and when he got whiney or needed a diaper change, I could just hand him back to Aunt Dawn or Uncle Paul (unlike when one of my baby sisters got unhappy).

Zeb grew up to love all things trucks, backhoes, “diggers”, and vacuum cleaners. He’d swim in the lake until his lips turned blue & shivers wracked his body – and still want to keep on swimming. He and my sister Amy formed a special, best-friend bond, at a level that only cousins can achieve. They built forts and climbed trees and got into all sorts of mischief as a pair.

But then, this weird time-travel thing happened and suddenly, Zeb wasn’t a little boy anymore. He grew sideburns and a beard and bought a truck (that came in handy one late Christmas Eve Eve – but that’s a whole other story). And then, he found a hair in his food at a local diner.

This past January, my sister Ellen got married. As we all danced together at her wedding, we teased Zeb: when was he going to propose to Emilie, so we could have another Eichelberger wedding? Little did we know, he already had a plan in the works!

The following Sunday, after church & lunch with his family, Zeb asked Emilie if she’d go for a walk with him. A little confused because it was January and cold out, she reluctantly agreed. Anything for a romantic walk with the man she loved (even if it was freezing). Unknown to Emilie, Zeb’s sister Lydia, my sister Amy, and I were in place at Twin Lakes Park & trying so so hard to keep it together. We were able to see him arrive and suddenly the world slowed to a crawl. Zeb & Emilie walked hand-in-hand, “strategically” pausing every so often to let other (crazy) people out walking go around & get ahead of them.

At one point, Zeb stopped and bent down to tie his (already tied) shoe. He looked up at Emilie and said, “Wow, this would be such a pretty place to propose. Too bad I didn’t bring your ring with us!” Emilie, who was already unsuspecting, was completely thrown off of any idea of a proposal happening. And it made her a little angry at him. Why would he even bring that up? They had already talked about it & marriage was in the future. He knew she was anxiously awaiting a proposal – why tease her?

As they rounded the bend and walked down a straight part of the path, Zeb “stumbled” upon a small box in the middle of the path. Zeb may have not brought the engagement ring he’d picked out for Emilie with him, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t strategically sent it ahead, with 3 super giggly and excited girls! (If you’d like to go back & see the images I took of their proposal, hop over to that blog post here!)

Somehow, time did that crazy time-travel thing again, as we blinked and suddenly it was Zeb & Emilie’s wedding day. This past Saturday arrived so quickly and with much anticipation. Zeb is the oldest of his siblings, so the excitement level in Aunt Dawn & Uncle Paul’s house Saturday morning reached peak levels. The common theme was, “We can’t believe today is already here!”

Zeb & Emilie: when I say it was an honor to photograph your wedding day – I mean that it was the highlight of my year. Obviously, I’ve known you, Zeb, for your entire life, but it has been so special to meet Emilie & see how she lights up your life. Emilie: with your huge smile & your infections laugh, you fit right into this Eichelberger family and we are thrilled beyond words to have you! I tell all of my KAP Couples to “keep in touch”, but I don’t have to tell y’all that, because you have no choice! I can’t wait to continue on this journey through life with y’all and continue making memories together. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that my vacuum-cleaner-loving-red-headed cousin is a married man. I love y’all!!

Speaking of that crazy cousin of mine: I started out Saturday morning at his house! Meaning, I got to hug the groom before almost anyone else did.

Getting Ready for a Family-Oriented Elegantly Simple Wedding in Irwin, PA

Emilie got ready at her Grandma’s house. It was perfect.

Getting Ready for a Family-Oriented Elegantly Simple Wedding in Irwin, PA - Bridal Details

Emilie, I love your gigantic-smiley face, but I had no idea you could so easily pull off the serious model face too! GORGEOUS!!

Emilie wanted to do a First Look moment with her Dad. As if the emotions weren’t already raging and leaking out of my eyes – this definitely set them off!

Omigoodnes Emilie, SO amazingly stunning!

Emilie just kept saying all morning: “I have the most beautiful bridesmaids & flower girls!” And I have to agree – everyone was pretty top notch.

I know every little girl has a special relationship with her Mama, but Emilie & her Mom have something extra special. They were so much fun to watch!

Meanwhile, on the other side of town – my sister Ellen was hanging out with the guys. Ellen & Zeb have always had a special kind of friendship and so when we talked about Emilie & Zeb’s wedding day & who wanted to take what part, Ellen was quick to say that she wanted to hang with the guys Saturday morning!

Check out these handsome dudes!!

Emilie’s Grandma didn’t have a full length mirror at her house, so after arriving to the church & sneaking back to the nursery (the bridal hideout), Emilie was able to see herself for the first time that day as a bride!

Zeb & Emilie’s wedding day was filled with so many special moments. The two of them had decided that they wanted to hold hands & pray with one another before the ceremony began (also known as, an Invisible First Look). Ellen & I found a corner and set up the moment. It was so beautiful.

And then it was back upstairs to the nursery to hideaway again.

I spot a wild Ellen!

So, as if seeing my cousin standing at the altar, waiting for his gorgeous bride wasn’t enough to send tears rolling down my face, this happened:

As soon as she rounded the corner & began walking down the aisle though – it was all gigantic smiles again. The tears were gone, she was with her man, and the world was perfect.

Another super special & unique moment of Zeb & Emilie’s day was that they wanted to wash each other’s feet during their ceremony. As a sign of immense love and humility, it was a beautiful moment.

Okay okay, so, since both wedding photographers for the day were part of Zeb’s family, we were presented with the challenge of how to take a family picture. Thankfully, we have some really cool gadgets and while Ellen photographed Zeb & Emilie’s receiving line, I got a tripod & remote set up (and couldn’t resist having a little fun with it).

But that enabled us to get THIS new Eichelberger family portrait – in less than 30 seconds and without any running back & forth setting camera timers!

We left the church and went to White Oak Park for portraits!

Model faces.

Their reception was held at The Boston Spectrum in McKeesport, PA.

One of my favorite parts of the entire reception (okay, I have a few, but this was a really good one) was the Best Man Toast. Zeb’s brother Malachi was the Best Man & he absolutely slayed his toast. Both Ellen & I have heard so many Best Man speeches, but this one definitely takes the cake as one of the best. The entire place was roaring with laughter.

Emilie’s sister Courtney was the Maid of Honor and she stated off by saying, “I asked to give my toast after Malachi and clearly, that was a mistake.” She gave a beautiful toast though and knocked it out of the park as well!

So, if you don’t know, my cousin Zeb is a renowned Michael Jackson dancer. At every single wedding he’s at, someone will request Michael Jackson be played & Zeb tears up the dance floor. He’s the best I’ve ever seen! So, they went from their First Dance, straight into a Michael Jackson song.

And then, to everyone’s surprise, Emilie joined Zeb on the dance floor & they crushed a choreographed mash-up of Michael Jackson songs! Everyone was in a mixture of awe, amazement, and utter delight! It was so so good!

From there, they moved into the Father/Daughter dance. While Emilie was dancing with her Dad, I looked over to see Zeb’s youngest siblings (twin girls) all snuggled up to him.

And then, during the Mother/Son dance, the girls went over & snuggled up to Emilie! It was so precious!

Remember these two cuties from earlier this summer?

Remember how I said my sister Amy & Zeb have that special best-friend-cousin bond? This is them.

We didn’t have any fun at all.
Seriously though, SO much fun!

I love when, after the traditional money dance, the crowd circles around the bride & her Mom & the groom has to break into the circle to rescue his bride. A lot of weddings do a money dance, but not a lot of weddings finish off the tradition. It’s so much fun when they do though!

Even though the party was amazing, we were able to sneak away for just a few moments of “savoring” photos. I love when I can pull a bride & groom out of their wedding, and give them a few quiet moments to simply take it all in. To be in the moment. And to enjoy the fact that it’s their wedding day.