Erin + Brent, The Best of What’s Around

After being together for 10 years, Brent and Erin made it official and tied the knot surrounded by family and friends this past summer. A fun loving couple, they planned an action-packed celebration for their loved ones starting with a rooftop ceremony at The Cosmopolitan followed by a colorful reception just down the street at The Barrister’s Club.

The Cosmopolitan in Allentown. DeLorenzo Photography

  

Early in the ceremony creating process, I asked Brent what emotion or vision, he wanted his guests to take away from their wedding ceremony. Brent said, “I would like them to leave the ceremony with the understanding that Erin and I were truly meant to be together, and that this love, this marriage, will not only last forever, but last forever with the utmost happiness.”

Brent can't help but give Erin a kiss at the start of the ceremony.

 

 

Love Story
Erin and Brent met at a party at the start of fall semester 2004 at the West Virginia University. She was 19 and he had just turned 20 years old.

 

 

 

 

Erin honored her two Dads by asking them both to bring her down the aisle.

Brent says that he can still “remember exactly what Erin looked like and what she was wearing, like it was yesterday.” He crossed the room to introduce himself and “distinctly remembers feeling completely comfortable, as if he had known Erin forever.”

 

 

 

That night you could not pull Erin and Brent apart, on the few rare moments when they were not completely enthralled with the other, laughing and talking all night, Erin and Brent found themselves smiling at each other from across the room, or stealing glances through doorways.

When Brent woke up the next morning, Erin was his first thought. He says, “If you would have asked me the day before I met Erin, I would have told you that I was young, in my second year of college, living with friends, I did not want a girlfriend.” Everything changed however, the moment he met Erin. 

From that point forward, Erin spent almost all of her free time with Brent. She quickly endeared herself to Brent’s housemates and because of her kind and caring nature, she became the known as the “house mom” to their group of friends. The early days of their romance involved, a lot of silliness, a shared dedication to demonstrating their Mountaineer pride, date nights to Buffalo Wild Wings for 25-cent wing night, and helping Brent cope from the recent loss of his father to cancer.

One day Brent caught Erin just looking at him, smiling. When he asked what she was doing, Erin said with a smile, “I finally met my match.”

“Erin, the man whose hands you hold loves you very much. He’s appreciative, accepting and selfless, and confident enough to be vulnerable with you. He finds joy in filling others’ days with laughter and has the most beautiful outlook on life. He absolutely cherishes and adores you. This is the man who makes you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. A determined man who “could not wait to propose”, he drove 300 miles in a snowstorm so he could surprise you early in the morning, on your porch, to ask you to marry him.”—Alisa Tongg, Celebrant

“Brent, the woman whose hands you hold loves you very much. She’s thoughtful, generous, affectionate, intelligent, kind-hearted and compassionate. She brings out the best in you, makes your world bigger and fills it with possibility. Her blue eyes and infections smile stay with you even when you’re apart. These are the hands that leave you love notes around the house and can always figure out what’s for dinner...”—Alisa Tongg, Celebrant 

Ring Blessing, Erin and Brent’s wedding rings are infused with the love of their family and friends before they exchange them in the service.

The past 10 years have seen a lot of changes for Erin and Brent. They’ve experienced the stressors of living in different cities, the uncertainty of starting careers and the joy that comes from pursuing their passions.

One thing that has not changed for these two, is how much they love each other and always can find a way to laugh together. Early on in their relationship Brent says he realized that “making Erin laugh, making her smile, making her feel safe, actually made ME happy!

Wine Box & Love Letters Brent + Erin decided to create a tradition of reminiscing and reliving the highlights of their shared lives as they start their married life together, they wrote each other a letter and sealed it in a box with a wine bottle to be enjoyed and replenished every year on their anniversary.

Brent and Erin are grateful to have found a partner to grow with, someone who lovingly encourages the other to become the best version of themselves. Erin says, “we eventually learned to put each other first…We’ve given each other the chance to grow together…I can’t imagine having shared all of my moments with anyone other than Brent…Brent has already been my family for years.”

An affectionate couple, for their big finale, Erin and Brent figured out how to get three kisses in to their wedding ceremony by ending with Seven Steps Into The Sunset. Seven blessings for their marriage were read by Erin’s brother John and sister Sarah Kate.

An enthusiastic crafter, Erin had made the ribbon wands with bells for her guests to wave throughout the day, as well as her entire stationery suite. She has her own stationery shop Two Sisters Creations and can be found on Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/twosisterscre as well as Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TwoSistersCreations

This amazing day and colorful celebration was captured by one of my favorite photographers, Jessica DeLorenzo. You can find more of her work at DeLorenzo Photography

Brittany + Kyle, To Live An Adventure

Brittany and Kyle were married in the lush colorful gardens of Skytop Lodge this past summer. Friends and family came from all over the country to experience a Travel-Adventure themed destination wedding which celebrated their love story while incorporating traditions from their Christian and Jewish heritages as well as starting a new one--A Love Map to document their journey of a lifetime.

Brittany and Kyle practice their ceremony kiss in front of their loved ones at their rehearsal dinner. I took this picture using the Hipstamatic App and I love how it is reminiscent of a Monet painting.

Love Story:
"In the fall of 2010, Kyle and Brittany were both in the middle of serious life transitions. Brittany had just moved to Nashville from her home in Colorado to attend Tennessee State University. Kyle, just having returned from two deployments in Kuwait and Iraq, was preparing rigorously his application for dental school. During this exciting time, they found themselves both enrolled in Microbiology, a class neither of them “needed”, but as it turns out, a class they were both meant to take.

Week after week, after stimulating lectures on viruses, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, Kyle would wave on the street corner as Brittany headed to her car. Smiles became wider and glances between them got longer. After Veteran’s Day, patriotic Brittany approached Kyle to thank him for his service to the country. Finally, taking advantage of the face-to-face interaction, Kyle suggested that they prepare for the midterm together.

They hit it off on their study date, conversation came easily and time flew by, before they knew it, the restaurant they were eating at was closing. Kyle and Brittany say they both knew that this was the start of something special.

Everyone knows that Brittany and Kyle both failed that microbiology exam, but that’s the only test this couple has not passed since they’ve been together. “My love for Kyle continued to grow,” Brittany says "especially when I saw how much my cat Mischa trusted and loved him.” When Brittany was going to be out of town for training, she asked Kyle to take care of her cat. Kyle says, “Mischa means more than the world to her and it meant a great deal to me that I found someone who could trust me that completely.” When Kyle passed the Mischa Test, without even trying, Brittany says, Kyle found his way deep into her heart.

Over the past three years, this couple has passed the Travel-Adventure Test, discovering their strengths as partners as they’ve explored Key West, Jamaica, South Dakota and so many other new places together. And last year, Kyle surprised Brittany by simultaneously acing the dental boards and the Rubik’s Cube Test when he surprised Brittany with a proposal.

Through it all they’ve figured out how to become each other’s support and cheerleader as they pursue their passions and dreams together. Brittany shares her desire is to witness and do “everything possible to help Kyle’s dreams come true.” For Brittany and Kyle, a deep sense of mutual admiration, respect for the other’s well-being, and a complete trust in each other’s character are the key ingredients to their fairytale. Today they are promising to be by each other’s side as they prepare for the biggest exam yet -- The Happily Ever After."

The couple stood under a floral chuppah, created by Skytop’s Flower Shop, as a way of honoring the concept of family and home in their marriage.

Brittany leans in to kiss Kyle during the vows. "Brittany, the man whose hands you hold loves you very much. He's disciplined and determined, adventurous, genuine and protective. He's your hero."--Alisa Tongg, Celebrant

Brittany shares, “The most memorable part of the ceremony was hearing and sharing OUR story with everyone. It was our love story that was being shared. It was about us, our love, and our journey together. It wasn't a cookie cutter ceremony, it was ours.”


Brittany and Kyle used my new Love's Adventure Map to remember and share their most memorable moments traveling together, shared experiences that became pivotal in their relationship.

“One of my strongest memories of the wedding was painting our previous travels as well as our first journey as a married couple," Kyle remembers. "It was really exciting.  We have so much to discover together over the rest of our lives. Not just physical destinations, but shared life experiences along the way.”

"Key West, Florida- Their first trip and first long car ride together. Brittany and Kyle “spoiled themselves” in a brand new white Camaro as they drove from Miami to Key West, they watched the sunrise and sunset, went sailing and wine tasting, explored their first art gallery and never ran out of things to talk about. It was on this road trip that Kyle and Brittany made their relationship official."--Alisa Tongg, Celebrant

"As you venture out on this adventure of a lifetime, may you find deep satisfaction as you pursue your dreams side-by-side and may your compass always be centered in the love you have for one another."--Alisa Tongg, Celebrant. Love's Adventure Map

Brittany's peacock-inspired color palette and travel-themed details made for a visually exciting experience. Here are just a few glimpses of my favorite details:

 The guests all cheered "Mazel Tov" as Kyle broke the glass, a moment that stands out in his memory, "I had always wanted to do that! It was fun and something you only get to experience once, so I want to hold on to it.”

Brittany + Kyle kiss, this time, surrounded by friends and family.

Kyle and Brittany knew they wanted their friends Richard and Elizabeth Suter of Richard Suter Photography to capture these most important moments. Richard and Elizabeth traveled up from Nashville, TN to join in as well as document this colorful and meaningful celebration.

The amazing team over at FireRock Productions, made this my first-ever wedding ceremony shot with a drone, here's the highlight film they created of Brittany + Kyle's amazing start.

Kyle & Brittany Sharow (Wedding Preview) from FireRock Productions on Vimeo.

Ex-Voto Personal Storytelling With A Wedding Cake Portrait

In the early part of 2008, still in the trenches planning the Delaware River Food + Wine Festival for that fall, I had heard of an artist who had gained some notoriety for creating a series of sainted kitchen appliances and aprons…the exact subject matter this Julia Child-admiring, vintage-apron-collecting, recent-Kitchen-Aid-owner was interested in. I knew I had to meet her.

When I stepped into Jennie Traill Schaeffer’s gallery and studio I discovered that she was full of colorful surprises--the kind of surprises that make you feel really good on the inside. The day I met her to talk about her larger-than-life coffee makers, Kitchen-Aids, egg beaters and striped aprons, I saw that she was in the middle of working on a portrait of a wedding cake. Before I left her gallery that afternoon, I had made arrangements for my own commission, for the most thoughtful, amazingly unexpected anniversary present, a portrait of my own wedding cake.

In the initial planning stages Jennie and I talked about composition and concept. I remember being kind of proud that every layer of our cake was a different flavor and the frosting was made of marzipan (not fondant) because we wanted every bite to be delicious and I wanted that to be reflected. The other element I wanted incorporated in the painting was the maile lei I wore during a surprise wedding hula, but I was comfortable with Jennie using her own creative license to figure out exactly how it all came together.  (You can see exactly just what she created at the bottom of this post).

Several years have passed and I am no longer married, Jennie has since moved her studio closer to the Atlantic than the Delaware, she now paints and teaches private lessons in West Orange, NJ. This month her Wedding Cake Portraits just launched a brand new website and to celebrate, I asked her to share a few of the stories behind a few of her favorite commissions.

A preliminary sketch

JTS: This painting depicts the wedding cake of a collector who I’ve come to know very well. Jill commissioned this as a Christmas gift for her husband in 2011. Jill’s son had been a long-time art student of mine and she had been interested in having me paint her wedding cake for awhile. In 2011, their home was devastated in a fire. After the fire, she commissioned the painting and once it was complete, it was one of the first new pieces of art added to her rebuilt home. They are a special family to me and I’m honored that this painting held so much significance for them as they rebuilt their home, but had an heirloom to remind them of their beginnings when they were married in 1994. 

JTS: This is an unusual painting because it is not glorious or refined, and some of it is hard to make out. But this was commissioned by my former hair stylist (who also happened to be very creative) for her daughter and son-in-law. She was a no-fuss bride that wanted everything simple and in lieu of a wedding cake wanted chocolate covered strawberries and cupcakes that were decorated as brides and grooms, made by the former Cheddar Alley in Newton. The wedding I believe was in Essex County and during delivery, the decorations on the cupcakes shifted. While most brides would be upset, she was not and so my hair stylist wanted to commemorate the day as it was, less than perfect, but filled with love.

JTS: Your cake is of course, one of my favorites. I was happy to work with such a vibrantly colored cake as subject matter, and have the openness from you to incorporate the date of your wedding, referencing the ex-voto element of the scroll used by Frida Kahlo. In spite of the parameters that you wanted for your portrait, I had a lot of creative freedom which made for a painting that was not only interesting upon completion, but that I also really enjoyed creating.

This past fall, I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico City with AFAR Magazine for one of their curated Experiences.  There were many different occasions when I was up close and personal with the work of Frida Kahlo--and it had a profound affect on me. The art of Mexico, vibrant in color and rich in symbolism, was something I knew I wanted more of in my life. The “ex-voto” I've come to learn, is a tradition of personal storytelling through images to tell narratives of gratefulness and appreciation for when a miracle takes place or a wish is granted. When I look at this portrait now, I love it even more! This portrait, is more than the sum of it's parts, it's definitely more than the sugar and flour that I had such fond feelings for at the beginning, over time it's come to represent so much more.

For a catwalk of cake fashion, head over to www.weddingcakeportraits.com
And on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WeddingCakePortraits 

On a personal note, I loved Jennie’s lens from which she sees the world so much, that I signed up for a series of lessons with her too. In our lessons, I learned how to build and stretch a canvas (totally got blisters that day) and learned to paint with a knife. I love painting landscapes, sugarcane fields, the Delaware Water Gap and farm lands. To learn more about Jennie’s work as an award-winning artist and teacher visit TraillWorks.

Robin + Alex, Changed Forever By Love

My first conversation with Robin lasted close to two hours. She was completing her degree in psychology and had become fascinated in the science of love—what makes two particular people fall in love and how that bond forever changes us. She wanted her wedding to feel relaxed, fun and intimate while communicating the powerful connection that she and Alex had to their family and friends.

As a singer-songwriter, Robin found inspiration in authentic language; during the ceremony writing process, she shared with me, more than 50 literary quotes and passages about love she resonated with. I shared with her a set of 10 research-based vows written by Samantha Joel, based on attributes of healthy relationships, that I had come across in The Science of Relationships.

And Robin used this same intense passion when putting together all the details of her wedding celebration. Robin and Alex were married in amazing and thoughtful style at Terrain at Styers in Glen Mills, PA on a perfect spring day.

Here’s an excerpt from their Love Story told in their ceremony:
“In the fall of 2010, Robin and Alex were both in the middle of serious life transitions. During this exciting time, they found themselves working right down the street from each other, Robin at Starbucks and Alex at the Apple Store. Alex would come in 3-4 times a day to order a hot chocolate, he’d hang around the bar to chat with Robin during his breaks. After one and half months, and about 100 cups of hot cocoa, Robin told Alex that she was leaving her job. Determined not to let Robin slip away, Alex wasted no time in securing all of Robin’s contact information.

Not long after Alex’s thorough fact finding expedition, they went out on their first date. They call it their first-date-and-a-half, because they spent over 24 hours together. And it was a night of adventure that set them both apart from any other person they had ever met before. They traversed the entire city, saved a strangers life in the T station, met part of Alex’s family, and…fell in love.

Three days after their first official date, Robin was traveling back home here to Pennsylvania to spend the Christmas holiday with her family. Alex felt the urgency to solidify their relationship. There in the bustle of Boston’s South Station, he asked Robin to be his girlfriend.

Robin says she couldn’t argue, “Despite my doubts about how we hadn’t known each other for very long, he told me that he thought ‘we should take a leap of faith together, and if things weren’t going well down the road, we would figure it out.’”

"He’s brave and courageous, adventurous and kind. He’s intentional and relentless in pursuing the things he knows to be right, the things he believes in. He’s your perfect counterpart--a man who’s animated storytelling and inside jokes can make your cheeks hurt from laughter. This is the man who delights in kissing you every single morning before heading off to work."--Alisa Tongg, Celebrant

Alex and Robin clasped hands and took that leap of faith together. But it wasn’t always easy. Polar opposites in almost every way, Robin and Alex spent a lot of energy in those early days, simultaneously getting to know each other and learning the intricacies of partnership. A few months in, Robin told Alex that she thought they were both meant to be with people more similar. So, they took some time apart.

But Alex refused and went into full wooing mode. Robin says that, “his incredible, seemingly irrational persistence in winning me back, and his commitment to me from literally the first week that we knew each other, is the most comforting and inspiring thing to me…”

It wasn’t long before their undeniable attraction for the other and their best friend-like connection put this couple on a serious track. At the end of that year, they were planning their wedding.

Alex says that, “the two most opposite people can make something beautiful work. We work very well being two completely different people.”

Over the past three years, side-by-side, they’ve experienced moments of grief and loss, broken bones, the accomplishment of completing graduate school, the challenges of unemployment, the uncertainty that comes with starting out in a career, and the joy that comes from planning their future together.

When it came time for Alex to propose, he could hardly contain his excitement. While Robin was at home one day, Alex went to “work” taking the engagement ring on a parade to show it to all of their friends before coming home to surprise Robin.

Through it all, Robin says, “that no matter what comes up in our lives, choosing love will always be a constant, it’s made us stronger.”

"She’s passionate, loving, creative and thoughtful. This is a woman inspires you to be more and accomplish greater things through her unshakable faith in who you are. You can’t imagine a more “perfect mix of beauty and brains” being embodied in one person."--Alisa Tongg, Celebrant

Robin's surprise serenade for Alex during the ceremony, right before they exchanged their vows.

From Robin: “One of my strongest memories from the ceremony was performing the song, and knowing all along while I was practicing that what would really get me choked up was the line, "Like the river flows so surely to the sea, darling, so it goes: Some things are meant to be." This sense of everything in both of our lives leading us to that moment, as though divined by fate, was so profound to me that I could barely finish the song. Seeing the picture taken from behind me, where Alex is watching me perform, never fails to bring me back to that moment.

I had kept this a surprise from Alex, as I did with several things throughout the day; I wanted to show him in as many ways as I could how grateful I was for his total dedication to our relationship since the moment that we met. The song was the culmination of that.”

And in honor of their first Valentine’s Day together, they included the following reading Robin says, ”applies even more now than it did then…”

“Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.”--Louis de Bernieres

These beautiful moments and portraits were captured by Lauren and Matt Morrissey, the husband and wife photography team of The More We See.

If you’d like to see more of photos from their wedding (or if you just need more beauty and lifestyle inspiration in your life), I’d recommend following Robin Y. on Pinterest here.