LOVE IN Avalon Country Club WINE CELLAR!

How much more romantic can you get? A Bride and Groom having a special moment in a wine cellar!

This wedding reception took place at Avalon Golf and Country Club in Warren, Pennsylvania. What a beautiful club. The grounds were amazing. The inside of the club was just as beautiful as the outside. Right upon entering, Neal and I took a quick walk around the main building, while the reception room was getting its final details. We came upon a small wine cellar. We definitely needed to do something here with the Bride and Groom! Before even attempting anything, we asked the staff if it would be ok. No problems there!

Toward the end of the reception, we took the Bride and Groom away for an end of the night photo shoot. We went right to the wine cellar. Instead of placing them in front of the wine rack, Neal wanted to get fancy. So, we placed them in a corner of the room. We asked the Groom to go in for a kiss or to whisper in his Bride's ear and see what happened. He must have told a joke because the Bride started laughing right away. We asked them to keep doing the same thing, but had the Bride close her eyes. Their interaction continued to be great.

Now all we needed was to brighten up the corner a bit. We needed more light on the couple and we wanted to brighten up the wine rack as well. We set up multiple flashes to help with that. Neal got his camera lens really close to the side wine rack and shot straight on at the couple. This helped to get the side wine rack in the shot. Even though it is out of focus (purposely), you can still see it in the foreground. 

This is a romantic and fun shot all in one! The Groom is trying to have a nice sensual moment with his new wife and she is laughing! It is all tied together in a romantic setting!

-Danielle

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - High Street Community Church, Conneaut Lake PA

Photo Session and Pittsburgh Wedding Reception - Avalon Golf and Country Club

WEDDING REFLECTIONS AT HAWKESDENE HOUSE

We love working with reflections. They can add such beauty to a photo. So, why not see it in double!

We traveled to the Hawkesdene House in Andrews, North Carlolina for this wedding. What an amazing private mountain estate, located near the Nantahala National Forest. They can accommodate small weddings and guests can stay right on the grounds in either the main building, or small cottages. 

This image was taken in one of the suites. There were huge doors that lead to a balcony off the room. We originally weren't paying attention to the giant mirror on the wall when we started. We wanted to take advantage of the doorway and drapery with the light coming through. Our first thought, was it could be a great silhouette shot. As Neal was taking those shots, I was looking for another angle and noticed the Bride and Groom in the mirror. I told Neal to stand where I was and see if we could do something with the reflection. He loved it. It is so great to find different shots within the same areas or poses. We could keep the couple exactly in the same pose as we did for the silhouette. We just needed for them to take a few steps over.

Now, the tricky part. We wanted them to stay naturally backlit from the doorway. However, this made the front of them a bit dark. It looked really nice though. We did try to add in some light on their faces, but it was super hard for me to not be in the mirror. We took a quick look in the camera to see the difference between the two. Neal and I both agreed on liking the first image without extra light better. We also loved that in the reflection, you can see light rays coming in behind the Bride! That definitely brought a more magical feel to the image!

When Neal first took this image he knew right away that the final result was going to be in black and white but the purple hue from the curtains gave this image a very unique tint so he thought it was best to leave it in color!

Stay tuned in the next few days for another image from the grounds at the Hawkesdene House! 

-Danielle

Destination North Carolina Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Andrews, NC  Wedding Ceremony & Reception - Hawkesdene House, Andrews, NC

Videography - Heart Stone Films

The MOMENTS BEFORE...

Taking us back to Miromar Lakes in Florida for today’s image. We photographed this wedding two years ago at Miromar Lakes Golf and Beach Club. 

For most weddings, if Neal and I are working together, I stay with the Bride right before the ceremony, while Neal is up front with the Groom. I love this time with the Bride, her Bridesmaids, her Father, or whomever is walking her down the aisle. There is always laughing, crying, and nervous jitters behind the scenes. If the Bride is super nervous, I try to throw out some jokes to help calm her down. I can’t say they are good, but it seems to do the job!

This shot was taken on my walk over to the ceremony with the Bride and her father. There were no nerves from this Bride. She and her father were cracking jokes and laughing the whole time. I couldn’t help but laugh too. It made for great photos.

We were standing in main entrance to the Club waiting for the wedding planner to ok us to continue walking over. The sun was starting to set and I was in luck that it was happening right behind them. The light was coming right through the top of the doors creating a beautiful glow around them. I always do simple basic portraits right before the Bride walks down the aisle. With this lighting and cool looking doors, I knew I could do something really beautiful. I asked the Bride and her father to have a final moment between each other before “Go time!” They were already standing where I needed them, so they didn’t really need to do much.

My favorite part of this image is the Bride is still laughing at something her father said to her. It was great they were still having a conversation and being themselves. This is surely a moment they will always remember!

 -Danielle

Desination Fort Myers, FL Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony, Photo Session & Reception - Miromar Lakes

Destination Wedding Planner - Jet Set Wed