Ashley and Matt | Heinz History Center Wedding

There was a calm and zen-like state in the atmosphere as I walk in to the getting ready room and prepare to start photographing this beautiful day. The ladies were getting ready in two adjoining rooms- on the left hand side, there was the faint sound of top 40 music playing, while all of the bridesmaids were gathered near Ashley, either drinking mimosas or finishing their final hair and makeup touches before they got dressed. Ashley is coolly sipping on her mimosa and soaking in the beginning stages of her day while her hair and makeup are being completed. As quickly as I arrived, Ashley’s hair and makeup were finished, and she had slipped into her gorgeous lace wedding gown, ready for her father to come into the room for her reveal to him. When he arrives, there was a pause- the sight of Ashley literally took his breath away- and then a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes. Ashley starts to tear up, and says in a faint whisper to me “I’ve only seen my father cry one other time.” And then I started to tear up.

And the beautiful emotion of the day didn’t stop there. Watching Matt watch Ashley walk down the aisle, his smile was wide, and for a moment he looks up to the sky as if to catch himself from tearing up. One of my favorite parts of every wedding day isn’t just when the groom sees the bride walking down the aisle, it is the expression on the groom’s face when his bride is handed off to him, after she hugs her father. Matt’s smile couldn’t have been bigger as he took Ashley by the hand and stepped forward on the alter. Matt was literally beaming the entire day- I honestly don’t think that he stopped smiling even once. You could see that he was on the top of the world, marrying the love of his life.

One of my other favorite moments that day was on the dance floor. The guests were playing spin the bottle, and whoever the bottle landed on had to take center stage and break it down! So many of the guests had great moves, and at one point the bottle spun to me, and the entire crowd coaxed me onto the dance floor, camera in hand. What else is a girl to do? I broke it down! Take a look below to see some of these moments!
Heinz History Center Wedding Lavender Leigh Photography-6