Nate & Sara // Edgewood Country Club in Drums, PA Wedding

Nate & Sara love to laugh. They love to pull jokes & pranks on each other. So, you can imagine, April Fool’s Day is a pretty red-letter day on the calendar every year. Every year, the pranks get bigger & more elaborate and they have to one-up the year before. And since Sara pulled off the prank of a lifetime in 2016, she knew she was in for it when April 1, 2017, rolled around.

Just a few months earlier, they had bought their house together. They had talked about getting married & Sara knew that a proposal would be coming in the near future. As April 1st neared, she grew terrified that Nate was going to “fake propose” to her on April Fool’s Day, in an attempt to get back at her for the year before. Sara laid down the law: “If you fake propose to me on April Fool’s Day, I swear I will break up with you & leave you on the spot.”

Properly put in his place (and just a little bit terrified), April 1, 2017, dawned. Nate had a plan for the day – and it did not include any pranks, jokes, or break-ups.

After a lovely afternoon together, Nate suggested that they head over to his Grandparent’s property & take a walk. It wasn’t a terribly out-of-the-ordinary proposal as his Grandparents own a lot of land & they loved to go for long walks there. Nate wanted to make it even more special than usual though and teased that he was going to take Sara somewhere she had never been before.

As they hiked back through the property, Nate led Sara to a stream & waterfall that is hidden deep in the woods of his Grandparent’s land. Thanks to a snowstorm that had dropped several feet of snow less than a month before, the water was raging. The waterfall was swollen & huge. They climbed out onto a rock at the bottom of the waterfall and sat in awe of it’s beauty.

It was there, slightly shaking & mostly terrified that he was going to drop the ring & have it disappear forever, Nate turned to Sara. Since they were both balancing on the same rock together, he couldn’t exactly get down on one knee, but with a death-grip on the ring, he asked Sara if he would marry him (for real, no joke).

Having a wedding in April is always a bit of a risk (I should know! Derrick & I got married in April & it rained all day), but this past Saturday was the quintessential spring day! It was warm & the sun was shining – it was perfect.

Sara & Nate: I know we joked about it, but you guys are seriously the best! You were the most gracious hosts, your friends obviously adore you, and you could just see the kindness that makes up your character in your every move & action on Saturday. Thank you so much for inviting Derrick & I in to celebrate with you guys – we had the best time!

Nate & Sara got married at the Shavertown United Methodist Church, which is the church Sara grew up attending. Getting married there was simply the icing on the cake for her.

As Sara was getting ready for the wedding, her bridesmaids asked her: “Do you think Nate is going to cry when he sees you?” Sara responded, “No, he’s not an overly emotional guy. He won’t cry.”
Well, it’s been my experience that when the bride expects her emotional guy to cry at the altar – he never does. But when the bride is expecting a smiling, serious, dry-eyed groom, he almost always breaks down & loses it.
And that’s exactly what happened on Saturday. As the doors opened & Sara walked into the sanctuary, escorted by her Mom & Dad, Nate broke down & cried great big alligator tears. Which in turn, caused the entire church filled with guests to break down & cry. I don’t think there was a dry eye or a non-sniffly-nose for the first few minutes of the ceremony.

We left the church & headed over to the Edgewood Country Club where we were allowed to head out onto the course to take portraits. Edgewood was absolutely gorgeous!

During cocktail hour, Sara had a group of Irish Step Dancers perform. Nate’s Grandparent’s have dual citizenship between their homeland of Ireland & the United States, and Sara danced in an Irish Step Dancing group for almost her entire life, so their performance  at Nate & Sara’s wedding had more than one meaning.

And look who I found! Recognize Liz & Mike? As it turns out, Mike & Nate teach in classrooms right across the hall from one another (and coach wrestling together), so when Nate & Sara got engaged, Mike showed off a bunch of his & Liz’s wedding photos & said, “You have to hire Kara,” (and I’m just over here eternally grateful that they did)!

Huge shout-out and thank you to the amazing team of vendors, as well as friends & family, who helped make Nate & Sara’s wedding day absolutely perfect!

Ceremony Venue: Shavertown United Methodist Church in Shavertown, PA
Reception Venue: Edgewood Country Club by Sand Springs in Drums, PA
Reception Coordinator: Samantha Perkowski of the Edgewood Country Club
Catering: Edgewood Country Club by Sand Springs in Drums, PA
Bridal Gown Retailer: Bridal Chateau in Berwick, PA
Bridesmaids Gown Retailer: Bridal Chateau in Berwick, PA
Hair: Bri Majikes from Top Knots Salon in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Makeup: Ellie Laffey in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Florist: DIY by the bride
Cake & desserts: Provided by the family of the bride & groom
Invitations: DIY by the bride
Bride & Groom’s Ring Designer: Kinley Jewelers in Williamsport, PA
DJ: Sounds by Shane in Canton, PA
Photographer: Kara Abbey Photography in Irwin, PA