Emily and John were wed at All Saints Church in Masontown, PA. If I had to only choose one word to describe Emily and John, it would be…FUN! Such a fun couple with a great sense of humor and a down to earth, easygoing attitude that makes you feel like you could hang out with them all day, even if you just met them.
Emily and John had already known each other for 15 years before they tied the knot; the first time they met was in 9th grade biology. Though they were friends through high school, they each went their own way after graduation. A decade later, it took a chance meeting at their 10 year high school reunion to remind them of the amazing connection they had with each other, leaving them with the obvious question, “Why aren’t we together??”
Both knew that they wanted friendship in their marriage, and when they finally came together, there was no doubt they had found the person who could be both friend and lifelong partner. You can feel it in the air when you are around them…they are best friends who are so in tune to each other, so at ease, and the fun they have with each other permeates their surroundings. What a wonderful way to start a marriage!
Doesn’t John look dashing in his Navy uniform?
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Emily was just a vision.
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We went to Emily’s grandparents’ 130 acre farm for some photos. Ahhh, I love the country. At the top of this hill you could see miles of rolling fields and woods in every direction. A storm front was moving in later that night, causing the wind to really pick up, so we had some fun with it!
The bridal party members were a bunch of cards. Miming….need I say more?
Favorite from the day.
Second favorite from the day.
Emily and John’s flower girls, or rather, “flower dogs” made an appearance for photos. Look at that face!
Ok, now let me tell you how I really knew we would get along famously; see that cowbell? Emily and John gave each of their guests one at the reception, and then right before they made their grand entrance, they had the DJ play one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits of all time–the one with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken in “Gotta Have More Cowbell!!” I have never heard such cheering and cowbell clanking as I did when they finally made their entrance. Awesome!
There was popcorn and cotton candy for kids of all ages.
Love the backlighting in this image, courtesy of my trusty radio trigger and off-camera flash.
Emily and John, thank you so much for allowing me to document the love, friendship, and fun that you two share. Best wishes and lots of love! Sandy
Amanda - I LOVE the field pictures! The details of the bell and the smiley cookies are so cool :-) My favs are 2, 11, 12 and 13. And the dogs ! I am so jealous of your ‘through the veil’ shot!
There should be a book – “Ode to a grassy field.”
Emily Chuma - Sandy…I just saw that we are on your blog today! It was SOOO much fun! John will actually be heading home soon…and I will have survived my first deployment…next up for us will hopefully be contacting you for some baby pictures! Thank you again for everything!
Sandy - Emily! So great to hear that you and John are doing well. Thanks so much to you, too–I had an awesome time with you both! I would absolutely love it if you called me for baby pictures!!!
Shannon - I love the cowbell idea!! I totally want to do that!