Summer Bridgeville Pennsylvania Wedding

HAPPY FRIDAY!  We’re winding down on the end of summer but we still have 10 (that’s TEN) Hannah Barlow Photography weddings to go after this one!  I’m pretty excited about this summer Bridgeville, Pennsylvania wedding you’re about to see though because it’s my 50th wedding I’ve photographed to date! AHHHH!!!!  I’m not even sure how that happened so quickly but it did and I’m ever so excited to celebrate with you AND this bride and groom.  Everyone, please give Jill and Joe a HUGE congrats on their marriage!  They’re now Mr. & Mrs. Burek!  Enjoy!

Seriously, I was pretty excited about this wedding for SO many reasons and we also haven’t had a wedding toward Pittsburgh in a while so it was a nice change of pace!  I snagged Kari from her house and off we went (if you saw my IG story…she had her shirt on inside out so we weren’t off to a great start…HA!)!  We first met up with the ladies at Jill’s friends’ home where they were getting makeup done and finishing getting all dolled up!  I could NOT wait to see the Surrena girls again (I did Jill’s sister’s wedding last year).  So….Yea.  I was REALLY pumped to see Jill again and Joe again and to see Susan and Chad and to see their mom and their Dad and Dee Dee and the rest of the crew AND to have a vendor reunion with DJ Kool Breeze!! More on that later!! EEKK!  But really…I was EXCITED!  Jill’s details were so beautiful too!! Rose gold and blush details for the win!

There were seriously details for Jill and Joe’s big day EVERYWHERE!  So, we photographed them, of course!

The Surrena gals LOVE their bling and I love them all the more for it!

I texted Jill about a week before her wedding and asked her to pick out some of her favorite verses and to bring her Bible.  Jill and Joe make it no secret how big of a part their faith plays in their day to day lives so I wanted to be sure to incorporate that into some of their detail shots!  The Priest who married them is a friend and he even mentioned during their mass how they follow him where ever he goes!  They’re the BEST!  Jill was unsure if she liked the fact that she’d highlighted some important parts but I loved it all the more!! It shows how REAL this is to them and how important and I think it makes the photo all the more special.

The beginning of the day flew by so quickly though!  We were running a wee bit behind so we snapped some of these amazing portraits of Jill getting ready before Kari and I took off for the church!  This is a great mix of my photos and Kari’s photos!! I LOVE seeing these two beautiful ladies in front of my camera again! AHHH!

Then, I got to the church with just 15 minutes to spare and got some photos of Joe and his Dad putting on the finishing touches!  That watch photo had NOTHING to do with the time crunch we were experiencing but I’m sitting here giggling over the irony now! HA!

Seriously though, you all know Pittsburgh weddings can stress me out with the timelines…because of that that traffic! ACK!  This wedding was actually in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania but it’s all the same to me.  I knew when I FINALLY hit the door of the church at 2:45 (after a 45 minute commute) and had a 3:00 ceremony start time looming…the bride wasn’t going to make it!  No one was stressed though which was a blessing!  I ran into Jill’s dad who I knew from her sister’s wedding (he’s the best) and he was tracking both his daughters on his phone.  I thought that was the sweetest thing!! I hope when my kids are grown they still love me enough to let me track them! HA!  He kept us up to date on their arrival and we started only 15-20 minutes late! Whewww!  Jill and Joe made it no secret how excited they were to become man and wife so this moment for them (and me) and everyone else was VERY special!

This Catholic Church in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania is beautiful and everyone was so welcoming and friendly!  Check it out!

I absolutely LOVE when couples have a little moment to themselves and whisper things.  I always wonder what they say though!! Do tell!

It was a traditional Catholic mass with a quick first kiss and then some other traditional things!  Kari and I were creeping from all angles possible while still remaining respectful!

Then, they were announced as officially being man and wife and showed everyone how excited they were to be Mr. & Mrs. Burek FINALLY!  Look at the joy! AHHH!! I love these moments!

Seriously, can’t you just feel the joy!?  You’re about to feel a lot more here in a second too! You just wait! AHH!

Get ready…you’re about to get a WHOLE BUNCH of bride and groom formal photo goodness coming your way!  I look back and think about how FAST we shot all these photos but how many we ended up with!! It was PERFECT!  I told Kari early in the day that Jill had the most beautiful, big eyes and I couldn’t wait to photograph her again!  Kari agreed she didn’t have a bad angle and I think you’ll see that here! Is she not STUNNING?!

It’s no secret these two can NOT get enough of each other so we let Joe sneak in for a second!

Then, we kicked Jill out for some good ole’ groom photos and Joe NAILED IT!

Then, we got the bridal party in on the fun!

They were a great group!!

AND THEN…we got right down to it. *cue drum roll*  I seriously don’t know HOW we managed to get this many keepers in such a short amount of time but it was amazing and these photos are amazing and it had EVERYTHING to do with this couple.  I barely posed them.  They made it their own and I was squealing and cheering them on and just knew I was going to love these…SO MUCH!  I could NOT decide which ones to post so here you go…wedding photo eye candy and lots of it!

If I haven’t made it clear…these two love each other SO MUCH!

Kari and I were snap, snap, snapping from all angles!

When I set this one up, I knew Kari would be in the grass!  She did not disappoint!

Jill gets the award for best hair (even though Joe really gives all grooms a run for their money)!  No joke though.  Most hair by now is falling flat and hers (and his) lasted not just through this part of the day but the WHOLE day AND night!  Crazy!

Look at them!  Can’t you just feel their enthusiasm over being married?!

Then, some sun popped out from behind the clouds and I wanted to take FULL advantage before we headed off to the reception!  Kari’s always good for a great close up!

…ANDDDDD the grand finale!  Snap…snap…snap….we’re done!! Let’s party!  I think I actually said those words too…HA!

…and we were off to the reception!  We didn’t beat the guests there but we were able to capture so much of the reception details anyway!! Most of these photos are Kari’s photos.  I was busy getting set with the coordinator and the DJ!

ANDDDDDD here he is again!! DJ Kool Breeze was in the house! AHH!! I was so excited to see him again!! I have only done one other wedding with him (the same wedding I met Jill and Joe).  He is unlike any DJ I’ve ever worked with and I was so pumped up to be able to experience one of his receptions again.  Despite having only spent a couple of hours together last fall, it was like reuniting with an old friend!  He’s an entertainer and let’s face it…he dresses nice too!  I prepared Kari and told her he’d be on the dance floor more than behind the booth.  He’s just like I remember and I was prepared this time for all the moving around.  He makes sure that EVERYONE is able to see him and hear him and paying attention to what’s about to happen!  You’ll see!! It’s amazing!

He welcomed the parents and the bridal party into the hall and then announced the NEW Mr. & Mrs. Burek!

They didn’t just come in…they came in with a POW and entertained us all with their moves!  You can’t get much happier than this, I tell ya!  Those flowers too….SO PRETTY!  AHHH!

They went into their first dance and all the lovey feels just kept on flowing!  He even spun and dipped her at the end!! AHHHHH! *mic drop*  My night was complete!

Kari ALWAYS picks the best angles for cake!  Look at this cake cutting mirror shot!! AHHHHH!! I was editing and took a screen shot to show her how much I loved it!  It’s perfect!

Then, we did the traditional dances with father and daughter and then mother and son.  I always get the good feels watching these and these parents were some of the most sweet and supportive groups I’ve met yet!

Then, Jill had a little surprise for her mom.  I haven’t mentioned it but Jill is very much a miracle baby.  Her parents were together 16 years before she was born!  Can you imagine?!  So, Jill asked her mom to come up so they could also have a dance together and it was the sweetest thing!  There were lots of emotions and tears flowing at this point!

Then, after that was all done, DJ Kool Breeze did what he does best.  He got EVERY.SINGLE.GUEST out on the dance floor.  He talks it up and pumps them up and then BOOM…we’re got a group photo opportunity and he leads the whole thing!  It’s amazing!  We did a standard shot  below).  Then, he had them make funny faces AND THEN…he asked them to show all the love with lots of hugging and kissing!  I’m telling you.  His receptions aren’t like anyone else’s receptions!

If any of you read the blog last year, he made me REAL nervous back on that day. HA!  He’s always out there on the dance floor but he’s also always breaking up the crowd and doing different things.  Again, he’s not like any other DJ I work with and if you know me, you KNOW I’m not a creature of change! AHHH!  But he kills it and he did it again at this wedding!  A little note about him though and how much he cares about his couples.  He didn’t want this wedding to be like Jill’s sisters.  He wanted it to be unique to THIS couple.  He came over to me and asked if I remembered how he had started out the night after the group photo last year.  I couldn’t remember for sure so I whipped out my phone and we pulled up the old gallery.  So, if any of you saw us in the corner on my phone, that’s what we were doing!  He wanted to be sure he did something unique to get their reception party started and I thought that was the sweetest thing!  So, we confirmed what he did before and he got a new plan and it was AMMMAAAZING to watch!! He split the guys and the gals up with a good line in the center.  He got out there and got the women dancing to the beat.  Then, he had the men dancing to the beat….three step and two step…if I remember correctly.  I have two left feet so I just know it was a good thing I wasn’t out there.  So, they were basically competing and I loved it!  Then, he had the women do a little shimmy and the men countered with a little bum wiggle and I could not stop laughing and smiling and it was JUST SO GREAT!  Give them ALL a hand!

Then, he got the soul train line going and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE when this happens at weddings!

Guests were eating it up!  AHHHH!! Look at the fun being had!

Then, he dropped some great beats and people were getting DOWN!  You know it’s a party when the father of the bride has his tie tucked in his shirt!! Gosh!  I love these families SO MUCH!  Jill’s dad even came up to me and said, “Well, I’m out of daughters now!” and while I was so happy…I was really sad too!! I could spend days and days with this group!

Then, DJ Kool Breeze and this fine lady (who I believe is an aunt) had to have their dance together again!  Last year, they got so into it they about knocked each other down but this year…they ROCKED IT!  Look at them go!

Then, I caught these two getting down behind the booth!! You know what I say…never trust a DJ who doesn’t dance!  If they’re feeling the music at the booth, you KNOW you’ve got a good one!

The songs just kept coming and the moves just kept happening!

We took the dancing out to the gazebo!  I had been having so much fun inside I forgot to change my batteries out! Whoops!! So, we had to take these REAL slow so my lights could recharge and link together!  I love how these turned out though and they were some of the last ones I took for the night which was SO fitting!

…and before we took off…we had to get a photo with the most entertaining DJ around!  If you want a one of a kind experience, call 2nd II None Productions and ask for DJ Kool Breeze!! I’d photograph a wedding reception of his ANY day!

I’ve been following Jill and Joe on their honeymoon experience and they appear to be living their BEST life!  They deserve it!! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a couple be so open with their lives and love for one another and it brings me serious (ridiculous) joy to watch them…not just now…but leading up to their wedding!! I’m SO happy I got to see the Surrena family again AND meet the Burek family finally and I’m soooooooooooo happy and pumped they asked me to be their wedding photographer!  I remember joking with them last year when I took their photo.  We took about three photos of just them and they were so into each other then too!  I had told them to “remember this pose for your wedding photographer” and here we are!  I got to be their weding photographer! AHHHH!! It was seriously  an amazing experience from start to finish.  I know I talked a lot about them in their engagement blog too (HERE).  They’re a one of a kind couple and so are their families AND their vendor team made the experience all the more great! YAY!! This was a GREAT wedding to be my 50th!  We’ll be at 60 by the end of the year too!  Let’s do this!

CONGRATS ONE MORE TIME TO THE BUREKS!

---

Vendor Shoutouts

Bride’s Gown – White by Vera Wang from David’s Bridal

Bridesmaids’ Dresses – Birdy Grey

Men’s Attire – Men’s Wearhouse

Shoes – Badgley Mischka

Rings –  Jared Galleria of Jewelry (Engagement Ring & Groom’s Ring), Macy’s (Bride’s Wedding Band)

Hair – Kreations Hair Salon, Cranberry Twp, PA

Makeup – Jennifer Albertini, Mary Kay Cosmetics

Florist – Schweiger Designs

Videographer – Elite Film Productions

Cake – FENOGLIETTO’S Ultimate Wedding Cakes

DJ – 2nd II None Productions – DJ Kool Breeze

Catering – The Hampton Banquet Hall

Limo – Star Limousine

Officiant – Father Joseph Freedy

Favors – Sarris Chocolates <—- MmmMmmm MmmMmmmm MmmMmm 🙂

Other – Starbuck’s Coffee <— She’s speaking to me all on levels!

Travel Agent – Sarah Barlow