Hello blogging friends! I am so excited to share with you some highlights from my wedding day. I got married this past July on the 28th and it was an absolutely magical whirlwind of an experience.

I thought it would be best to split this post into two sections to really give the full picture of the venue and day. I got married at Drumore Mill, which is an old mill that has been renovated into an event venue space in Lancaster, PA. Lancaster was a great halfway location between Curtis and myself and offered some really great wedding venues that were (a little) more affordable. Drumore Mill really jumped out to us because of how unique the space is. The ceremony was located in a covered yet open pavillion-style building overlooking a waterfall and creek setting. From the moment C (Curtis) and I saw that waterfall, we knew this would be the perfect setting.

Technically speaking, we had a “micro” wedding—which basically means we rented the venue for less time and invited less people than a full-scale wedding. This was a great option for us because we did not want a very large wedding and were okay with the entire event being a little more low-key overall.

Below are some of my favorite pictures from the bridal suite of the wedding party getting ready before the ceremony!

bridal portraits

As you can see above, the creek adds such a romantic and whimsical touch to the entire scene. We loved being able to step out onto the balcony and take in the water view or listen to the crashing of the waterfall before the ceremony while we were getting ready!

You will notice each of the bridesmaids are wearing their own shade of purple. Purple is my favorite color and I loved the idea of varying shades being represented. I also wanted my bridesmaids to be able to pick something that they liked and would want to wear again, so I gave them free reign (nearly) to pick the style and shade of purple dress that they wanted as long as it was appropriate. The groomsmen also wore ties in varying shades of purple.

The Ceremony

Our ceremony was short, sweet and profound…though we may have had some hiccups in there. For those who did not know, C’s contact was irritating him the entire ceremony so while it looked like maybe he was getting weepy and emotional, he was really just trying to fix his contact! It was also quite hot and stuffy in the ceremony space so we were a little sweaty—but that is okay! We chose to have a smaller wedding party so I had my sister, now step-daughter, and two of my closest friends stand up there with me.

It was important to us that our vows were straightforward and that there was some mention of the gospel and Jesus in our ceremony. We wanted the ceremony to be glorifying to God but also not terribly long or rambling or sermon-like. Despite the heat, it really was incredible to share that sacred moment with our closest friends and family.

photoshoots

After the ceremony and while the guests were enjoying their cocktails in the waterfall lounge by the water, we explored the grounds to take a variety of pictures.

The neat thing about Drumore mill is the variety of the terrain. Not only are there stunning photo opportunities by the waterfall and creek, but there is a sweet chapel seated on a patch of green grass with a curtain of woods behind it. There really was no bad place to take a photo.

This picture above is probably my favorite one! Hannah (right) and Rose (left) looked so pretty and their purple dresses matched my bouquet so well.

I could look through these photos for hours and hours. Truly everything about the day, venue, colors, weather and the lovely people there made this day so magical. Stay tuned for more photos from the reception and rest of the wedding!