Oglebay West Spa Patio and Pine Room Elegant Purple Wedding

Happy Thursday, everyone!  I can’t WAIT to show you this wedding…but really the people at this wedding are what deserve the attention the most!  The healthy, happy energy that came out of this wedding was exactly what I needed to end the month of September.  Emily and I smiled from ear to ear all day.  We couldn’t help it considering the people surrounding us.  Rain clouds and dreary day made these colors pop and look like a painting and all this wedding goodness at Oglebay’s West Spa Patio and Pine Room is coming at you RIGHT Now.  GAH! Sit back and enjoy this one!  Andrea and Brandon are live right now!  Give me all the purple!

Last Saturday morning, Emily and I took a peek at the Pine Room, met up with DJ Brian Oliver and then we were off to find the ladies getting ready!  Andrea, as expected, was all smiles, laughs and laid back “morning of the wedding” energy.

Give me that pop of color and ALL the PURPLE!  Emily snagged those petals and florals from the Pine Room.  I am so thankful!  It made everything tie in JUST right!  The Hannah Barlow Photography team always has my back and knows what I need (even when I don’t know what I need).

It all happened so fast for us since it was an early ceremony on the West Spa Patio!  Mom, sisters, and friends all took part in helping Andrea get ready!

Mom and bride needed just one second to compose themselves so they didn’t ruin their makeup!  I told them to let it ALL out!

Then, we ran over to Oglebay’s lodge and found the gentlemen dressed and ready to go.  We pinned their flowers to their tuxes and then took some last minute “getting ready shots” of the groom before we took them out to the West Spa Patio for the ceremony!

They looked like the FBI coming down this hallway, right?!  It was at this point I had sent Emily down the hall to make sure Andrea wasn’t present (can’t have the bride and groom seeing each other just minutes before the ceremony, right?).  Well, Andrea was just coming through the door and it was at that moment I had to YELL at the bride to STOPPPPPPPPPPP!  Whoops.  I apologized…but I mean…I could NOT have them see each other.  Close call…whewww!  It was definitely a Hannah panic moment!

After that close call, Emily and I took a deep breath and switched our gear over for ceremony time!  I looked over and saw the men having a moment and I mean…THIS is the stuff that gets me excited.  Little things.  You know that “vibe” we always talk about?  Well, we got GREAT vibes from the ladies.  They were so helpful and friendly and just chatty.  These guys?  You could tell they were close and not afraid to show it and support their friend right before he said “I do”…ALL the people were just giving off an energy that I was 100% here for! Yep! Let’s do this!

Rain clouds…RAIN CLOUDS…WHAT?!  The forecast did NOT call for rain.  Future couples…this is why you don’t trust the forecast.  I looked at the radar and it was coming RIGHT at us…OOO boy.  I looked at Brian (DJ) and Cassie (Oglebay’s Coordinator) and we all kid of had the big “panicked” eyes but you gotta do what you gotta do…let’s move right along!  I did tell Emily that if it started to pour her ONLY job was to get the gear to dryness and under cover…I planned to grab Andrea and run (sorry, Brandon…you were on your own…HA!).

But it didn’t rain, after all…and when Andrea came down the aisle is was SO worth it.  Brandon was doing his VERY best it hold it together!  This look in his eyes when she made it to the front says.it.all.  AHHHHH!! My job is the best ever, I swear!

Those may be rain clouds but they made this wedding look like a painting!  I’ll never stop saying it!

The noun for this wedding is officially “energy”…look at this happy “we just got married” energy coming off them during their recessional!

Then, after family formals, Andrea requested we go to the pillars and we JUST made it before anyone else.  It was homecoming AND another bridal party had arrived!  Beautiful bridal shots in 3.2.1…GO!

Brandon got his time to shine too!

Then, Emily and I tag teamed these bride and groom formals!

Then, we grabbed the bridal party.  They had a few drinks and off we went to the next location!

What you can’t see is that we literally had to “fight” for some space for photos.  SO.MANY.PEOPLE!  Homecoming moms be crazy…and I’m not afraid to say it here!  But I wanted the little purple flowers behind them to compliment their wedding colors so we made it work and played nice!  This bridal party?  SO FUN!

Ooo yea.  And these photos below will show just what kind of people Andrea and Brandon are…because they requested all their friends who were in the bridal party go get their significant others (who they also had ride in the limo with them) and took time out of their day to let them get their own formal photos.  And we just didn’t do the “smile and say cheese”.  Nope.  We also had them do foreheads together and kissing photos so they’ll all get copies.  Make sure you all email me at info@hannahbarlowphoto.com and I’ll send you the copies (and help me with names because I’m the WORST).

The men did NOT disappoint!

I do believe they created a new Hannah Barlow Photography pose called “the album cover”.

Check out these beautiful ladies! AHHHHH!!

…and because I can NEVER help myself, I did just a few more bride and groom formals and gave them another try at the dip.  Nailed it!  If you remember their engagement session (HERE), Brandon ended up with his leg up in the air too at one point. HA!

With lots of time to spare, off to the Pine Room we went!  This was a DREAM timeline for a wedding photographer like me!  Add in a super chill couple with a ton of their friends who are a blast?!  That makes for a happy Hannah, I tell ya!  Ok.  Deep breaths…look what Masterpieces of Old Town (Hey, Brad and Rodney) did to the Pine Room! OooO my goodness ME!  It’s just gorgeous!

Emily and I took entirely took many photos (half of those are hers) but I’m A OK with it.  How could we not!?  We went out to catch the end of cocktail hour.

Then, Brian introduced the new Mr. & Mrs. Stine and they rolled into their reception with that addictive energy again!

Cake Cutting!

First Dance!

I’m like a broken record here…but AGAIN…this is the energy AFTER their first dance!

The best man made a sometimes funny…sometimes heartfelt speech.  It was the perfect combo!

Brian challenged me to do table shots in 1 minute…I KNEW I wouldn’t be able to do it…1 minutes and 15 second though!  NOT BAD, right?!  Especially for an asthmatic like me! HA!

Oooo so you CAN have your cake and eat it too?  Yep!  They were eating cake AND dancing.  Again with all the positive and fun energy!

Let’s get this party STARTED!  This was a super young crowd with lots of couples.  I KNEW it’d be a dance party!

Spin the bottle wedding edition was a must!

…and even though they didn’t do a garter removal, Brian (the clever guy that he is) sneaked “Pony” in there and Brandon didn’t miss a beat!  He didn’t know it was happening and he just rolled with it…and I jumped up and down like a crazy person.  This is my FAVORITE part of a Brian Oliver wedding!

Why is it my favorite part?  Well, because the crowd ALWAYS goes WILD and this group did not disappoint!

Four solid hours of partying and it didn’t let up.  Huge shoutout to the ladies I handed Brian’s Go Pro to.  Brian had handed it to me and then some fun stuff started happening and I needed to take photos…so, in a Hannah panic, I just handed it over to whoever was closest to me.  They totally thought I was asking them to hold a light when Andrea’s mom started dancing.  They didn’t miss a beat and jumped right in there to “light” the dance floor for me.  We had a great laugh when they realized it was just his Go Pro…not mine…but the dedication was there!  I would NEVER ask a guest or bridesmaid to hold a light for me…HA!  We giggled for a good while about it.

I really hate to even end this one.  I could continue to ramble but I won’t.  I know this blog had a lot of photos so I appreciate you all taking the time to see them and read this if you made it this far.  Lots and lots and lots of people asked me to take their photos this evening.  If you’re one of those people, do not hesitate to reach out and ask for copies.  As long as Andrea and Brandon are ok with it (which I know they will be because…they were the ones who requested I take the photos), I’ll send them along AFTER they get to see all their full gallery (which I’ll be sending by the end of the day).  That’s always important to me, of course!  Gosh.  Seriously, where and how do I end this one?  I’m at a loss for words and that’s SO unlike me.  This is one of those weddings that just came out of no where in a great way.  Yes, it’s been on my calendar for a while but Andrea and Brandon have asked absolutely nothing of me.  The few times they’ve reached out they just trusted me to do my thing.  I knew they were sweet and I expected the wedding to definitely be stress free but I got even more greatness out of it after meeting their family and friends AND seeing the beauty that was this wedding theme, style and decor.  GAH!  How to end?  I don’t know.  I’m just sitting here hating that it even has to end.  I guess I’ll just say “thank you” to not only the bride and groom but everyone here.  Weddings can be stressful.  The word “stress” didn’t even exist at this wedding and it should be an example of what EVERY wedding should be.  It was love, laughter, positive energy and simply just one of the best days we’ve had.  THANK YOU for asking us to be a part of it and trusting us to capture the beauty of it!  I’m so happy I was your wedding photography!

One more time…Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Stine!  They’re married! Weeee!  Thanks for reading!

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Vendors

Bride’s Gown – White of Dublin

Bridesmaids’ Attire – Azazie

Men’s Attire – The Black Tux

Hair/Makeup – La Caressa

Venue/Coordinator – Oglebay/Cassie Minder

Florist/Decor/Cake – Masterpieces of Old Town

DJ – DJ Brian Oliver

Officiant – Ceremony Officiants