Julie & Nate- West Chester Oakbourne Mansion Wedding

This past year, I got to photograph not one, but two totally outdoor weddings. I might be biased, because I’m planning my very own outdoor wedding, but if you have can do it, it’s totally worth it!

Julie and Nate are the sweetest, most laid back couple ever. Their wedding took place at an amazing venue in West Chester called the Oakbourne Mansion. Julie says “We wanted a place that was naturally beautiful that we didn’t have to dress up too much. Oakbourne has a beautiful outside area with the water tower, the historical mansion and the surrounding forest.  Also, they let us choose our own caterer which helped us to stay within our budget.”

These two kept their wedding super low key and decided to not have a wedding party, which meant we had so much time for photos of the two of them together. Julie and Nate decided to do a first look so that they could enjoy the entire cocktail hour! They both said that they truly loved doing a first look, it was a perfect time for them to be able to have alone time and be with each other before the craziness of the day unfolded.

Julie’s amazing dress was from BHLDN and was just the perfect dress for her! “I knew I wanted lace and I loved BHLDN’s general aesthetic and price points so I just went there and tried on every lace dress that was in my budget. The one I ended up with had this really cool Victorian vibe that ended up matching the mansion pretty well and it fit perfectly without any alterations so I knew it was the dress for me! ”

Nate’s suit was custom made by Indochino and his favorite color is green so having those little touches of it in his look was just perfect for him!

Julie and Nate’s ceremony location was so beautiful. The enormous trees that they stood under while reading vows to one another was the perfect backdrop. I love how much they just wanted to venue to shine on it’s own without tons of decor to overpower it’s beauty!

When it comes to decor, I feel like that is where your true style really shows through for the wedding day! Like I said, these two are so laid back that I knew their decor was going to be simple yet perfect for the venue they chose. ”I just wanted decor that wasn’t too stylized that just emphasized the natural understated beauty of things. I feel like weddings can really get over the top with decor these days where people end up spending a ton of money or time on assembling this disposable stuff that in the end people just don’t remember. We went with wildflower centerpieces in bud vases, twinkle lights to light up the dance floor and otherwise just let the trees and the night sky bring all the ambiance we needed.”

These two danced the night away under twinkle lights with their closest family and friends! Photographing weddings is such a bittersweet job, because at the end of the night I know I won’t be able to photograph their beautiful wedding again, but at the same time I’m forever grateful that I get to work with such amazing couples who trust me to capture their beautiful weddings!