I am a hopeless romantic.
Ask my husband, family, or any of my friends and they'll tell you I love a good romance novel, movie, or story of any kind! I love being in love and watching people be in love. So it makes sense why I love romance photography so much! Capturing the love two people have for each other is so special. It's an honor every time a couple chooses me to preserve their story.
As the title suggests, this post is about Joel and Sierra Brelo's love story! Joel and I have been friends since we were Sophomores in college. I loved watching as he and Sierra fell in love and was thrilled when they asked me to photograph their engagement session and wedding! These two are so sweet and in love. They are best friends and their love story is one worth sharing.
Friendship
Joel and Sierra met in college at the University of Valley Forge in Joel's Junior year and Sierra's Sophomore year. When they met, Sierra was majoring in Psychology and Joel was just adding the same major! The two had classes together but rarely spoke because both of them consider themselves to be quite introverted.
Their "official meeting" was during the University's Community Service Day (CSD). Joel and Sierra had a mutual friend leading one of the CSD teams who's group they tried to join. Ironically, they both ended up in the same group but their friend ended up somewhere entirely different!
While serving together the two got to chatting and hit it off! Over the next few months they got to know each other, started dating, and fell in love...
Engagement
Joel proposed two days before Valentine's day the year after they met. He took her on a Valentine's date to their favorite restaurant and Boba shop. After that the weather was so nice that they decided to go to a park that happened to be the same park where they met. Joel had scratched "will you marry me" onto a picnic table while they were playing cards together and asked her to try reading it. He said that while she was reading it he got on one knee and asked her aloud to marry him! In Joel's words, "Naturally her answer was a yes. At least, that's what I assumed the tears and tight hug meant."
Isn't that the sweetest? I'm not gonna lie, the first time I heard the story I teared up a bit!
A couple months later, Joel and Sierra elected to take their engagement photos in the town where they met and got engaged. We wandered through the streets of Phoenixville using backgrounds like bridges, murals, bricks, and wildlife. The goal of their session was to show their love and friendship.
My favorite location during this shoot was at a hiking trail by the Schuylkill river. I love how the light fell through the trees and lent itself to such a romantic atmosphere!
Wedding
The two love birds planned their wedding for August in Delaware. The wedding was small and intimate with a black and white theme. The size of the wedding made it that much sweeter! Everyone there was just ecstatic for the couple and thrilled to be celebrating them.
I took both color and black and white photos to compliment the theme. I usually only shoot color across the board but sometimes a moment has just enough melancholy to warrant the change. In the case of this wedding, sweet moments and the excuse of their color theme definitely gave me a reason to edit a few without color!
Before the ceremony, the couple got ready separately with their bridal party and had many laughs. The ceremony was beautiful and went off without a hitch! The two exchanged vows, tied a cross together as a unity symbol, and shared communion. Post ceremony the couple, bridal party, and family went outside to take portraits. Despite the bright sun and heat we still got some beautiful photos!
At the reception there was food, dancing, and the traditional cake in the face! Joel and Sierra had cupcakes instead of a cake to cut. When they went to share a bite Sierra smashed her piece into Joel's face with a quick retaliation! The night ended with cornhole and a send off to
their honeymoon.
At risk of overstating it, I loved capturing the Brelo's love story. It was an honor to preserve the excitement from being engaged and the joy of getting married. I cannot wait to see them grow as a family in the years to come!
