Matt & Tara / Burgundy & Navy Spring Wedding / Irwin, PA Photographer

Burgundy & Navy Spring Wedding Inspiration - Bride & Groom Portraits

Matt & Tara were married this past Saturday on a picture-perfect piece of private property along the Susquehanna River. The day might have dawned cold & rainy, but just in time, the sun came out & made the day absolutely dreamy. Of course, that’s not where the story truly begins though:

It was the week of Valentine’s Day. Matt & Tara were getting dressed up to go out to a lovely formal dinner at the Shoresbrook Inn. A bunch of their friends were meeting them there for dinner & it was going to be a fabulous evening.

Fabulous for more than just one reason though: Matt had secretly planned to propose to Tara that evening. He had the ring and he had a plan: sometime during dinner, surrounded by their closest friends, he would get down on one knee & pop the question.

There was just one problem: he was nervous. And as he sat on the bed, looking down at the diamond ring he had bought for Tara, he started to panic. What if something went wrong? What if he fell over or knocked something over or Tara misunderstood what was happening & was distracted? Suddenly, his perfectly planned out proposal began unraveling. He hastily formed a new plan.

Tara was completely oblivious that all of this was going on in the other room. She had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed for the dinner. Hair still wet & up in a towel, she heard Matt come in.

She turned to see what he needed & to her surprise, he was down on one knee with a gorgeous diamond ring in his fingers, asking her to marry him. She was utterly shocked. Speechless, in fact. She was so surprised! After a moment, the shock wore off, and of course, she said yes.

Matt & Tara – thank you so much for inviting me in to be a part of your incredible wedding day! Your friends & family were a blast to hang out with & y’all are so so loved. You guys are seriously, the best & I wish y’all every bit of happiness in the world.

Burgundy & Navy Spring Wedding Inspiration - Bridal Details

Tara is so amazing – when I asked where she planned on getting dressed, she shrugged & said: “How about outside?” To a wedding photographer who usually has to work around messy & dark getting-ready rooms, the notion of getting ready outside was music to my ears!

These girls were literally the most gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!

As beautiful as all the bridesmaids were though, Tara stole the show! She was simply radiant!

You might remember Matt & Tara’s little girl, Charlee, from when we did their engagement pictures! She was sleeping when I arrived & while Tara got ready, but as we came back to the house, there she was, sitting at the door, waiting for her Mama to come back!

Matt & his groomsmen didn’t turn out too shabby! I loved their navy tuxes!

If you noticed, while Tara was getting ready, the sky was dark & grey, threatening rain. But shortly after, the clouds broke & they had brilliant sunshine for the rest of the day!

Matt & Tara! Y’all could be models! Seriously!

This one is definitely a new favorite!

After portraits, it was on to the party!

And look who I found! Two of my favorite past KAP Couples were at Tara & Matt’s wedding – I loved seeing them & being able to catch up with each of them!

So, toward the end of the evening, I did something that I’ve never done before. I love scheduling 5-10 minutes of sunset portraits with my brides & grooms – it gives them a chance to step away from their party & breathe a little bit. But this time, instead of walking them thru a series of poses, I gave Matt & Tara a set of different instructions:

I told them that I wasn’t going to pose them. I simply wanted them to stand back, hold on to each other, and soak it all in. It was their wedding day after all & I wanted them to have some time to savor the moment. We had walked far enough away from the reception that there were no guests around, and I told them to just take as much time as they wanted to enjoy the moment.

Then, I stepped back & simply captured them together. What follows are some of my favorite completely organic & candid moments!