I’ve been photographing weddings for the last 13 years and a month ago It was my turn to walk down the aisle to the love of my life Wesley. The day was absolutely beyond what I could have dreamed up for our wedding. It was perfect in every way!

Some of my favorite moments were so simple and silly. Like during our ceremony we were doing a family unity candle and James came up with us and brought his suitcase of toys with him. He set them down politely next to the alter, lit his candle, and then pick it back up and went back to his seat so sweetly. I also laughed so hard when our confetti poppers didn’t go as planned and my brother in law got a face full of confetti… (Sorry Ben!). I’m not quite sure everyone got that my niece and nephew were dressed up in costume as a ring “bear” and a “flower” girl, but it made me giggle and they were so stinking cute!!

Other fun highlights were carrying the same bible my grandma carried on her wedding day and recreating her bridal portrait, having my brother perform our wedding ceremony and pronounce us as husband and wife, using an exact replica of my parents cake topper as our topper, and changing into light up sneakers for the dance party!

But my favorite moments during the day were a little more sentimental. I loved hearing Wesley’s insanely romantic vows to me and to James. Seriously I’m so glad we have a video of that because I forgot how incredible they were until I watched the video!! I also loved sharing a private car ride with my dad before we walked down the aisle. We got to chat about the journey that brought us to this day and how thankful we both were for Wesley. Our entrance into the reception still gives me chills, and looking out and all of our friends and family during dinner still bring tears to my eyes.

I loved our wedding day so so so much!!

Planning the wedding on the other hand was a much different experience. To be honest I don’t know how wedding planners do it!!! I swear they have the most stressful job in the world!! Planning the wedding I didn’t enjoy...I did, however, thoroughly enjoy seeing our vision for the day come to life. And We have so many people to thank for that.

First, I want to thank Finch Jewelers for creating such special and meaningful rings for Wesley and Me. Jess custom designed everything for us and incorporated diamonds from both Wesley and my grandmothers. Together, we created the most incredibly beautiful engagement ring and wedding band! I am so proud to show off my jewels wherever I go!!

Second,I want to thank Petals with style for bringing our royal vision to life!!! Without skipping a beat Stacia knew exactly what I wanted our wedding to look like in the design session and then brought me to tears when I walked into the room seeing it come together exactly how I envisioned. I can’t thank her enough for her hard work, creativity, and her professionalism.

Next, I’d like to thank House of Clarendon for creating the most incredible wedding cake I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of gorgeous wedding cakes in my time!! During our design sessions I told Martine that I wanted the cake to be obnoxiously over the top while still being elegant. I emphasized “over the top” a ton and thankfully he totally understood it all because when I walked into the room and saw it magnificently standing there, my jaw hit the floor!!! Not only did the cake look amazing but it also tasted so incredible!

Next I’d like to thank special occasions for adding the perfect amount of texture and elegance to the room with their linens. I never thought dressing a table could be so much fun, but watching Claudia passionately mix and coordinate patterns and textures to create a romantic and royal setting was so special! I’m so so so glad we upgraded to special linens!

Next I’d like to thank Dj Andy M for literally going above and beyond to make our day perfect. This guy not only had everyone on the dance floor the entire night partying hard, but he also created the most perfect lighting in the room. Everyone couldn’t stop raving about the party!! Andy listened to my vision and figured out how to give me the party of a lifetime.

I also need to give a special shout out to Touch Here Photobooth for adding to the party because a party isn’t a party without a photobooth IMO. My guests were entertained by music and photos all night long!!!

People asked how I chose where to have my wedding reception and I told them it was such a hard decision because there are so many incredibly unique and beautiful wedding Venues in Lancaster Pennsylvania. We ended up choosing the Grade Imperial ballroom because I wanted a new ballroom that I’ve never photographed in before. I wanted my wedding to feel like it was my own! I was so incredibly happy with my decision. The staff was so friendly, helpful, and fun!! The coordinators made sure my dreams came to life!! I can’t thank Francisco, Ray, and Badonna enough for their hard work and professionalism!

Next, I need to thank my friends Sean and Dawn for creating the perfect ceremony music a girl could ask for. About 3 weeks before the wedding Wesley and I decided we wanted to have live musicians perform during the ceremony and somehow we made it happen. Thanks to Sean and Dawn everyone felt the power of music!! I think back to the music when I walked down the aisle and well up with tears... it was so beautiful.

I also need to thank Shawn fisher productions for his incredible talent. I’ve worked many weddings with Shawn and I knew whenever I got married I wanted him to do my video. Thankfully we made that happen!!! His whole team was incredible and I’m so thankful for their calming presence they brought to our day! I just got the video back from Shawn and I was speechless. It was beyond perfect!!!

And last but certainly not least I need to give all the praise and gratitude to my LFP girls Val Stoltzfus and Holly Snyder. It can be quite intimidating photographing your boss’s wedding. To be honest, If it were me, I wouldn’t want to do that 🤣 but they not only stepped up to the plate, they hit a freaking home run. They worked their freaking butts off the entire day and I’m pretty sure I owe them a month off from work after my wedding!

I’m all seriousness thank you Val and Holly for making our day so special. It meant the world to me to have my amazing friends and talented co workers by my side all day long capturing my wedding day. I love you both so much and I could cry just thinking about how perfectly you photographed our day!!!

Quick shout outs to my amazing friends who helped make our day so special! Shelbi Harmes for doing my hair and make up so flawlessly, Kelsey Rutt for the water color paintings of both Otterbein church and the Imperial ballroom. Ana Ingles for designing the incredible invitations, Ashely Schwartz at otterbein church for coordinating the flawless ceremony. Janel at posh bridal for the perfect dress alterations and the last minute blushed veil addition. My previous LFP bride Janelle ward for letting me borrow her gorgeous veil!

-Lauren Fisher Landsem