Tracey & Andrew - Charter Oak Church & DiSalvo's Station
Andrew and Tracey said their wedding vows on May 20, 2017. Their day couldn't have been more perfect. The weather was amazing, so many loving guests came to shower them with celebration and joy and most of all their love burned brighter than anything that day, including the hot sun. You could see the excitement between them spark with every glance and touch of their hands as they said I DO, posed for countless portraits, visited guests at their reception and danced the night away. Their locations were special as well... their own church, Charter Oak was the perfect place for the ceremony to take place. Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve was a gorgeous stopping point for a few photos to be taken of the bridal party as we arrived into Latrobe, and finally their reception was held at DiSalvo's Station. Andrew's love of trains led them to that location and wouldn't you know it... we had a perfect train appearance at the reception just as we were taking photos on the platform. Check out a glimpse of their day here to see the special touches they incorporated and the great moments that were captured!
Tracey's mother handmade her entire wedding dress from scratch. Some of the remnants of fabric laid on the floor in the sewing room while Tracey took it from the dress form, to her own body the morning of her wedding. I heard her mother say while holding back tears "from all those Easter mornings with homemade dresses hanging next to your Easter basket that I stayed up countless nights to make, to this moment right here!"
Andrew gave Tracey her pearl earrands she put on as one of her finishing touches.
Not too far away, in the hotel Andrew was dressed in a fine suit with his groomsmen and best men by his side. His anticipation was exciting to watch.
Once arrived at Charter Oak Church, Andrew and his groomsmen hung out in the billiard room and relaxed (and checked out the rings) as they anxiously waited for the guests to begin pouring into the seats. We captured a few solitary moments with him though.
In her mother's house in Ligonier, Tracey was simultaneously having a few quiet moments alone as we photographed her throughout the home and front porch before all zipping off to the church.
Andrew's face when he first heard the music that Tracey was coming into the church was extremely emotional, but the second that he saw her face and she smiled to him as she walked down the aisle, he burst into a huge smile. They locked eyes with each other for their entire long moment until she reached the front.
On the way to the reception, we stopped at one of my personal favorite locations in this area which is the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve. It is quiet and gorgeous, in fact we had the entire reserve to ourselves while we were there. I hold a yearly required permit to be a photographer on site there, and shoot portraits there often so I was already aware of a lot of great photo spots.
When we arrived at the venue, we took Andrew and Tracey alone to the platform above the restaurant while guests were having cocktail hour. We photographed a few shots with the railroad tracks when we noticed this Norfolk Southern train coming from afar. It was moving quick so we posed them instantly and within a few seconds this amazing burst of wind came and the train blew by with a loud horn signaling to us. For those wondering about the train safety of these photos, don't worry, we made sure everyone was behind the yellow line the entire time! As a train lover, Andrew was so thrilled we got that shot! (and ME TOO!!!!)
Their vintage train station vibe was all throughout the location and the details.
As Tracey and Andrew danced their first dance together, guests gathered around in a large circle and the energy and love was just beaming from all around.
Inside of DiSalvo's Station is an amazing old train car, which some of the guests actually sit in for dinner. As they looked out their windows they could see the head table and the rest of the guests sitting around the venue listening to the bridal party members give a few toasts.
If you haven't been there, its quite an amazing location and restaurant. A lot of Saturdays are reserved for weddings, but check their schedule and hours for a night that you're free to have dinner there for sure! If able, request to sit inside the Prima Classe car!
Family members actually played live music during the anniversary dance, where many couples revealed that they had been married for over 50 years, several of them even over 60 years!! The final couple was actually a tie between two couples for 62... or 63 years.... (*when the DJ asked the one couple how long they had been married, SHE said 62, HE said 63. lol.... Eh, who's counting anyway!? ---> it was adorable!!!!)
The traditional western Pennsylvanian bridal dance (or "shot" dance) took place, but Andrew jumped in to help Tracey greet all the guests and partake in the dancing fun.
Before the end of the evening I made sure to capture a few shots of just the bride and groom inside the train cars at the venue.
Congratulations to Tracey and Andrew! It was such a pleasure to be a part of your day! I will end with a quote from Andrew that I saw on Facebook a few days after the wedding... when a friend said he looked "so happy" at the wedding, he replied... "I am! I have Tracey as a wife! Of course I'm happy!"
The end. :)