Posts tagged Armstrong
Matt + Daisy | Lenape Heights Golf Resort Wedding
Matt + Daisy | Lenape Heights Golf Resort Wedding
Lenape Heights Wedding

Lenape Heights Golf Resort is an amazing venue with surprising views, and at about an hour from Pittsburgh, it provides the perfect destination if you want a peaceful, quiet, low-stress wedding day. The views at this location are absolutely stunning, and booking a stay at the Inn ensures that you’ll get to enjoy it from beautiful sunrise to stunning sunset.

When we first arrived at Lenape, I was completely floored by the beautiful and modern build of the Inn. The grand staircase opens up to a wall of glass, showcasing the beautiful countryside. The rooms are just as stunning - each with a beautiful balcony and lots of natural light, high ceilings, and modern furniture. There’s a lot of space to spread out while still not feeling like you’re crowded in! This made for simple, clean getting ready photos on wedding morning. Not to mention Daisy and her crew were already all ready when we arrived! We were able to get some great detail shots showing off her beautiful invitations, shoes, and jewelry. There was even time for the bridal party to enjoy a visit from the Pastor to do communion right there in the hotel room!

Matt and the guys were also ready in a flash, spending most of the morning helping to set up the outdoor ceremony area at the adjoining patio to the Inn. The ceremony was the perfect length, very sentimental, and ended with an epic kiss, just as everyone anticipates! Even though it was very windy because we were at such a high elevation, we were able to utilize the beautiful glass staircase inside to avoid blowing hair and harsh sun for family portraits afterwards.

Bridal party portraits took place on the golf resort’s course - my assistant Ben was so excited to finally drive a golf cart at a wedding! The friendly staff led us through the countryside and helped pick the best spots - he even knew we needed shade and directed us to holes with lots of tree cover! After a quick 45 minutes of portraits with both the bridal party and wedding couple, we headed back to the meticulously decorated ballroom.

Daisy and Matt designed a breathtaking reception area, with pink chair bows, pink centerpieces, and a gorgeous 3ft. high cake that echoed the pink floral theme. There was even a table for the kids with fun toys and props, and guests enjoyed a table covered with favors from the Pittsburgh Popcorn Company!

This reception started out particularly fun, with the couple running around table to table to complete the “Table Photo Challenge. “ The DJ played “Ballroom Blitz” as we sprinted from setting to setting, getting over 20 group shots taken during the course of the song. It was a great way to get guests in a picture and get them excited about the reception!

We ended the night with some epic golden hour photos by the pond and on the hillside, and sealed the evening off with a fun sparkler exit with the most die-hard wedding guests that stayed until the end.

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite moments from Matt and Daisy’s beautiful, picture-esque day!

 
 
 
 
WeddingsJill StifflerLenape Heights Golf ResortArmstrong, Lenape Heights
Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve Wedding | Alyssa + Jason
Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve Wedding | Alyssa + Jason
Barn Wedding Venue in Western PA

The Westminster Preserve location at Armstrong Farms is a great choice if you’re looking for a beautiful barn wedding venue for your ceremony and reception. I was blessed to be a wedding photographer at Armstrong Farms twice last year, and can’t wait to go back!

Alyssa and Jason had a beautiful, sunny day at the farm, complete with deep blue skies, gorgeous flowers blooming all around the venue, and appearances from the famous geese that run the show at the ceremony pavilion!

The couple met on Tinder about 6 years ago, next came a house and a puppy! When I asked about the proposal story, Alyssa shared that on her birthday, Jason hid a camera in the living room and had her open up a present with a new collar they just got their new puppy, Ranger. Jason then sang happy birthday to her, handed her a birthday cake, and told her to close her eyes and make a wish by blowing out the birthday candle. When she opened her eyes Jason was on one knee asking her to marry him! She put the birthday cake on the table to give her new fiancé some hugs and kisses, but when they looked over at the table, Ranger was eating the birthday cake!

The couple honored Ranger and his brother Dante with some cute signature cocktails named for their pups, and had many other special details and moments incorporated throughout their day! Alyssa shared the special significance of some of her accessories:

“On my flower bouquet I had a blue butterfly brooch that was from my grandmother. She is 91 years old and lives in Florida with y grandfather. I always dreamed of my grandparents being there on my wedding day but with my grandmother Alice being 91 years old and my grandfather Melvin being 93 years old and COVID we decided it was not safe for them to travel that far. They have been married 73 years and seeing the love they have for each other is so inspiring to Jason and I. For anyone that has met my grandmother Alice she is always wearing a brooch but butterflies are her favorite to wear. By having that with me on my bouquet it gave me hope and inspiration for Jason and I to be married for just as many years.”

Be sure to check out all the beautiful shots of these meaningful details in the highlights of their perfect day below! And of course, we couldn’t have pulled this amazing wedding off without some incredible vendors:

 
 
WeddingsJill StifflerArmstrong, Armstrong Farms
Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve Wedding | Monica + Jack
Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve Wedding | Monica + Jack
Summer Wedding Sunset Photo at Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve

Monica and Jack had an absolutely perfect summer wedding at the Armstrong Farms Westminster Preserve wedding venue. Even though it was a SCORCHER (seriously, we drank all the water they had by 9pm!), these two managed to be cool, calm, and cheerful the entire day. I just love a wedding party that’s happy to be there - which is not always the case!

These two have been together for over a decade (!) and when you see the two of them interact you can instantly tell how comfortable they are around each other. I asked Monica about how they met, and she said, “We were high school sweethearts. We met way back in 2007 - our jr. year of high school in science class. On our first date we went to Chili’s and saw “I am Legend” at the movies. Jack claims I ran a red light while driving there but I still deny it to this day!”

We started the wedding day off photographing the beautiful details, including Monica’s super unique GREY diamond from Alexia Russel Jewelry, and the Sola wood flowers hand dyed by the bride! The dusty blue color palette is certainly popular this summer, but Monica added her own twist by choosing differing shades of the blue for the bridesmaid dresses.

Jack and his groomsmen kept me laughing all day long - you can see just how much personality they have by some of the hilarious groomsmen pictures! After shots of whiskey and Miller lite cheers, we knocked out the groomsmen photos pre-ceremony, to everyone’s delight. The tree-lined driveway gave us the perfect amount of shade and scenery. There’s even an old wagon on the property and the groomsmen were quick to recreate some movie scenes and other silly poses using it.

The lakeside pergola was the perfect spot for the couple to complete their wedding ceremony - Monica’s stepdad even officiated! The famous geese were there too to bring smiles to the guests as we all enjoyed the beautiful moments by the water. I took bets how long it would take for me to step in goose poop - I lasted a few hours, hahaha!

As is standard for most weddings, we did family photos immediately after the ceremony, and since it was a very hot and sunny day we took refuge for shade and photos under the beautiful trees surrounding the pond. “Avoid the sun” was the goal for Jack and Monica’s wedding portraits as well, and luckily the venue provided some beautiful spots among flowering bushes and under shady trees overlooking the scenic barn.

Since the guest list was large and the barn is best suited for dancing, Monica and Jack had their first dance and dinner under the large, beautiful tent beside the barn. Aly, the venue coordinator, was a huge help at orchestrating all the moving parts between three close-but-separate spots for the days festivities. After we all had our fill on some amazing Medure’s catering, guests walked over to the historic barn to get their dance on.

Royal Heir DJ had guests dancing all night - seriously, it was wild!, and I got to experience my first “thunderstruck” at a wedding. All of the vendors worked super hard to make the day amazing, and everything went so smoothly because of the awesome team Monica and Jack put together! Check out the vendors below and enjoy the highlights from Jack and Monica’s amazing wedding. Till death do us party!

Vendor List:

 
 
WeddingsJill StifflerArmstrong FarmsArmstrong, Armstrong Farms
Lingrow Farm Wedding | Steph + Brandyn
Lingrow Farm Wedding | Steph + Brandyn
Lingrow Farm Wedding Review

Having your wedding at Lingrow Farm is the perfect choice for an easy and romantic wedding day! With a charming farmhouse to get ready in, its gorgeous gazebo for your ceremony, and a romantically lit barn for your reception, it’s an easy choice to have a stress free day with a luxury feel. The only thing “rustic” about this lovely location is the actual barn, and the surrounding property offers plenty of amazing portrait spots. I was pretty excited when I found out that there was a row boat, and luckily, these two were happy to indulge my need for creative portraits and climb in!

The staff at Lingrow is truly what sets them apart - when the ceremony was over and we were done with family portraits, the staff delivered appetizers and drinks to the entire bridal party during pictures, right where we were! Then, the staff helped me get Steph and Brandyn into and out of the rowboat. Later during the reception, not only were the vendors served the same delicious food as everyone else, but we were permitted to go through the line first! We even had our own private table downstairs, and the DJ’s had a pitcher of ice water at their table in the loft (which, was accessible with safe, normal stairs - no scary ladders!)

It was helpful that the service was perfect, because Steph and Brandyn deserved nothing but the best on their day. These two met when they attended college at IUP and actually had a long distance relationship for two years before being able to be together in Indiana. Their adorable pup Moe lives happily with them, and you can often see him working out with his mom Steph in her instagram stories! In fact, both Steph and Brandyn work in the physical fitness industry, and though they are beautiful on the outside, they are just as lovely on the inside. Steph and I have grown close over the last year, sharing life stories and encouraging each other several times a week. It’s been exciting for me to see every piece of this wedding come together just as she dreamed, and I couldn’t be happier for the both of them!

The Vendor Team:

Venue: Lingrow Farm

Lead Photographer: Jill Gearhart Photography,

Assistant Photographer: J.Jae Photography

Gown: Sorelle Bridal Salon (Designer: Maggie Sottero)

Hair: Jesse Pirollo

Makeup: Mary Jo Martin

Bridesmaids Dresses: Lulu's

Tuxes: Combatant Gentlemen

Rings: Blue Nile

Invitations: Minted
Florals: The Farmer's Daughter Flowers

Cake: Bethel Bakery
Caterer: The Twisted Thistle
Favors: Donation to the American Cancer Society
DJ: Royal Heir DJ Services
Videographer: Dylan White

WeddingsJill StifflerLingrow FarmsArmstrong, Lingrow Farm