Katie and Max’s wedding day was one for the BOOKS! I’m not going to lie… whenever I sit down to write out blog post recaps from my couple’s wedding days, I’m usually met with a huge case of writer’s block. I mean… how do I sum up such an incredible wedding day with words?! (Thank goodness I’m a photographer!) These two are as fun as they are organized, as kind as they are in love, and as thoughtful as they are excited to spend life together. I actually know Katie from my time teaching FlyBarre in DC and met Max for the first time during their engagement session at the Lincoln Memorial last spring!
I always remembered Katie having a smile on her face during class, but immediately saw just how much brighter her smile was with Max by her side! I knew their Excelsior Lancaster wedding day was one to look forward to… but nothing could have prepared me for just how incredible it would be!
Katie and Max actually met on Bumble! They realized they grew up in the same hometown, knew a ton of the same people, went to the same undergrad, and lived just a few blocks from each other in DC! How had they never met before?! They meshed almost immediately, and the rest was history! They were engaged on Thanksgiving in 2020. Max says he knew he wanted to marry Katie when they were in Europe in early 2020 (Which just so happened to be the week of the travel-ban! If you can survive a vacation like that as a couple, you can say it’s meant to be!). Max was hoping to propose later in the year when they could visit Seattle, a city these two visited together and absolutely loved, but 2020 had other plans!
Max decided to propose at Thanksgiving with both of their immediate families there to celebrate! Katie and Max were hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, and Katie was so nervous! She was cooking all morning with Max’s mom and refused to leave the kitchen, hoping to get dinner together perfectly. Max’s dad insisted on making a toast, and Max took over about halfway and proposed to Katie! Max jokes that he didn’t even feel nervous because Katie was so adamant that they start the wedding planning process soon!
Katie and Max’s Excelsior Lancaster wedding day was as beautiful as it was FUN! These two surround themselves with the best kind of people and worked so hard to plan a wedding day that felt as beautiful as it looked to celebrate with their favorite people!
When I showed up to Katie’s bridal suite, I found hair and makeup in full swing. They were cheers-ing champagne and jamming to Taylor Swift, and right away, I knew we were in for a fun day! Katie had worked so hard with Danielle of Your Sweetest Day Events to plan such a beautiful celebration, and her day was finally HERE! As I was photographing her wedding dress, I pulled it out of its bag and my jaw DROPPED! It was absolutely stunning, but WOW the story it has too is so crazy! This was actually Katie’s second dress— she placed the order for it when her original dress wasn’t feeling quite right. Her dress was actually in Ukraine in February 2022 and miraculously made its way across the world in time for her celebration. It was absolutely meant to be and was the PERFECT dress for such a gorgeous bride!
We all held it together until Katie’s first look with her dad where the excitement of the day really kicked in! His reaction was so incredibly sweet, and when I looked behind my shoulder, I saw her mom with tears in her eyes! It is always so humbling to be invited into such special moments for the families that I have the opportunity to work with on wedding day. From there, it was time for Katie and Max’s first look on the observation deck! Max was with my second photographer, Marie, for most of the morning, and when I saw him for the first time, he was nothing but excited to see his bride! Excelsior has so many incredible spots for portraits, but I especially loved just how private this space was for their first look. Katie and Max had the time to take a beat before their day really got into full swing.
After their first look, it was a whirlwind of portraits, wedding party portraits, and family photos! They had a wedding party full of friends, family, and FUN! They were so helpful, so kind, and an absolute blast to work with. Katie’s bridesmaids wore beautiful sage green, dusty mauve, and gold mixed dresses which were absolutely stunning against the fluffy bouquets of Katie’s dreams! The guys wore black tuxes, and their mixed boutonnières gave everyone a unique touch! We powered our way through a pretty hefty chunk of portraits and actually finished EARLY! (It’s rare that this happens!) This gave Katie, Max, and their wedding party time to freshen up before ceremony time… and allowed the Taylor Swift jam session to continue!
Katie and Max were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony surrounded by their family and friends and were SO excited to celebrate once they said I Do! Their dinner and dancing spaces were decked out in stunning florals, greenery, and twinkle lights (I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!)— it truly felt like you were walking into one charming garden party! With pops of gold, creams, dusty mauve, and sage sprinkled throughout, their design came together in such a stunning way!
Their guests were READY to party! One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing just how BIG both Katie and Max’s smiles were out on the dance floor. It was such a joy to see just how much fun they were having celebrating with their favorite people. I could go on and on about just how beautiful their wedding day was, but I think it’s time we get to the pretty!
Congratulations, Katie and Max! It was such a joy to photograph such a special day for you two! Thank you so much for having me along as your wedding photographer.
These two are set to honeymoon in South Africa later this year! I know their counting down ’til the trip of a lifetime (And I’m counting down until I can Instagram stalk their adventures!)! In the meantime, let’s dive into a recap from their incredible Excelsior Lancaster wedding day! I can’t WAIT for you to see each and every detail… plus the sweet way they look at each other!
DANG GIRL! Katie… you make such a beautiful bride!
First looks with dad are always worth it 💕
First look in the sky! I LOVE how private this first look location was and so appreciate how many unique vignettes Excelsior has for photos!
We headed upstairs for some super pretty portraits in Excelsior’s industrial space!
Katie and Max’s wedding party was SO much fun!
OBSESSED with these mixed bridesmaids dresses!
Time to get these two married!
MARRIED!
When you have a reception space that is THIS beautiful, some just married portraits in the room are an absolute must!
Katie decided to add florals to her greenery banister at the last minute, and WOW I think we were all so happy that she did!
I LOVE how they had their signature cocktails displayed during cocktail hour! Katie and Max had a table full of each of their three cocktails for guests to grab during cocktail hour. I LOVE that this gave guests a chance to try the drink they were hoping to try without having to order it at the bar.
Will never get over this space!
Katie and Max had a grand re-entrance down this stunning staircase!
While the party got started inside, we headed outside for some sunset portraits out front!
This crew knew how to party! Katie and Max’s friends are SO much fun!
Thank you, Katie and Max! Photographing your beautiful wedding day was such an honor!
THANK YOU to Katie and Max’s rockstar wedding vendor team:
Ceremony and Reception Venue + Catering: Excelsior Lancaster | Wedding Planner: Your Sweetest Day Events | Bridal Gown Boutique: Garnish Boutique | Bridal Gown Designer: Alena Leena Bridal | Bride’s Shoes: Dolce Vita | Groom’s Attire: SuitSupply | Bridesmaid’s Attire: Revelry | Hair and Makeup: MKUP The Beauty Studio | Floral Design: Petals with Style | Dessert: Krysten’s Sweet Designs | Stationery: Minted | Rentals: Caroline’s Rentals | Installations and Lighting: Shumaker PDT | Reception Entertainment: Bachelor Boys Band
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KATIE AND MAX | A SUNRISE ENGAGEMENT SESSION AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
A DOWNINGTOWN COUNTRY CLUB WEDDING | KATIE AND CHRIS
4 BENEFITS OF WEDDING DAY SUNSET PORTRAITS | WEDDING PLANNING
