A Pennsylvania Farm Wedding – Ericka and Tom

April 19, 2020

When I first started my business, Ericka was one of the first brides to book with me. She has been planning her wedding for two years! I had a very small portfolio and she still trusted me to capture her Wedding Day. I couldn’t be more thankful for her. Building trust with people in the beginning of something new is hard.

Ericka and Tom have spent a lot of time apart. Tom is a United States Marine and spent most of the past four years stationed in North Carolina with a tour to Japan. Ericka stayed in Pennsylvania to finish her college degree and become a teacher. They would spend weeks apart but made it a priority to visit each other on the weekends when possible.

Finally, with the completion of Tom’s active duty service – Thank You for serving our country Tom – he is back home with Ericka and ready to build a life together. I am so happy to have been able to spend the day by their side last weekend.

Ericka and Tom planned a very traditional church wedding with a beautiful outdoor, rustic reception on their own farm. Ericka’s wedding gown belonged to her mother. I just love that. Weddings bring out such sentimental value in things and this one really touched my heart.

Although most of the day was planned for an outdoor event, the weather was less than ideal for any party. It seemed like every time we stepped outside for portraits the clouds would open up. I don’t mean normal, just use an umbrella rain, I mean sideways blow you to the ground rain. At one point during their portraits we heard a guest yell from across the field, “Here it comes!” I turned to my second photographer Diana and said, “Here what comes?” Then the rain poured down on us as if someone turned a switch on. We heard it hitting the ground behind us before we even saw it coming. It was honestly the most bizarre storm I have ever seen. We all ran and took cover under the closest roof, which happened to be their hay barn. Although I am pretty sure it was never on Ericka’s wish list to photograph part of her wedding portraits in a hay barn, she never let her spirits down. She just turned to me and said , “This is my Grandpa visiting our wedding day.”

After spending the day with Ericka and Tom I can see how loved they are by not only their family, but also by their many friends. They enjoyed every part of their wedding and even ended their fourth of July weekend wedding with a firework show and a Notebook style kiss in the rain. Why not embrace it, right?

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Budine.