Intimate Wedding Inspiration | Love Wins

Destination WeddingAssociate WeddingDay AfterWeddingAdventure Elopement
Written By Nina Lily
 
83ninalilyphotography-microwedding2020.jpg

It is painfully clear that our 2020 wedding season may not return to the normalcy that we had anticipated at the beginning of the current health crisis. As spring transitions into summer, client after client is faced with a new reality in relation to their wedding events and expectations are shifting daily.

In the words of Fanny Jackson Coppin, “Love wins when everything else will fail.” While our hearts break for our clients negatively affected by COVID-19, we trust that love wins. We are inspired by the grace and kindness that we have experienced as couples transition their plans. There is beauty in the bravery we witness as couples make difficult choices to keep their loved ones and each other safe. After all, love wins. 

Here at Nina Lily, we continue to strive to help make difficult transitions as smooth as possible. While we hope to join you on packed dance floors in the future, we also look forward to documenting increasingly more intimate events. The wedding industry is changing and we are ready to adapt, document and celebrate in whatever capacity we can, with open hearts and lots of love!

We’ve been brainstorming what the future holds for our industry and realize that downsizing has been happening all along! Intimate events, destination elopements and microweddings, have been a part of our story since we began documenting weddings over ten years ago. Smaller celebrations are just as emotional, special and joyful as their larger counterparts. Of course, everyone’s vision is different for their wedding, and even as you may be mourning your big event, I encourage you to expand your view and think smaller. 

To help with this transition, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite big wedding alternatives. From photography studios to local breweries and mountain vistas to creekside views, there are so many creative options for your more intimate event. 

I firmly believe that the most important aspect of any wedding is that the result is your marriage to your best friend. You’ve already committed to this and no matter what happens, you and your partner are going to start this next awesome chapter together. You’ve got this! 

Wishing you peace, health, safety and joy as we navigate these strange times. 

Love, Christina.

Adventure Session | County Park

Commemorate your original wedding date with an adventure session! Depending on the phased re-opening of your county, local parks are open. Here in eastern PA, we hope to be able to legally begin photographing in-person, socially distant sessions after June 4th. There is something so special about celebrating your love in nature, just the two of you… and Nina Lily Photography. We hope to adventure with you soon!

Premier Microwedding Venue | The Living Wall at Promise Ridge

We can’t say enough wonderful things about Promise Ridge. This mountain vista was made for intimate events. From the website: Promise Ridge is the most sought after venue of it’s kind here in eastern PA and is the special ceremony space Celebrant, Alisa Tongg has cultivated at her home in the Pocono Mountains for those wishing to have a small casual wedding ceremony in a beautiful natural setting—in the woods of the Pocono Mountains overlooking the Appalachian Trail ridge. The Promise Ridge ceremony experience is designed to be easy and non-stressful for couples and their families, Alisa takes care of everything else that matters---a heartfelt ceremony, a visually inspiring setting and option for family-style dinner with seating up to 20 afterward. Magic and Living Wall included. Click here for frequently asked questions.

Local Restaurants | The Love, Philadelphia & Bolete, Bethlehem

Nina Lily Photography got it’s start in the Philadelphia Restaurant Industry and we encourage you to spread the Love to your favorite local establishments. Many restaurants will begin to open their doors in the coming weeks under this “new normal”. Establishments with private dining areas have always been the perfect venues for intimate wedding celebrations. This will continue to be the case as gathering sizes are limited. By hosting your intimate event at a restaurant, you will be enjoying the undivided attention of Chef and staff and will be investing in your community as well. Win Win!

City Hall | Elopements

We have ALWAYS loved documenting a City Hall wedding. The anticipation, excitement, intimacy and civil engagement is something that we look forward to year after year. With social distancing measures in place, the days of sitting in courtrooms with other couples waiting their turn with the judge may be a thing of the past, but we anticipate towns everywhere welcoming the community to unite over marriage as soon as mandates allow. A civil ceremony at City Hall is an efficient and memorable way to get married and celebrate any way that you can dream up afterwards.

Rooftop Ceremony | BOK

A rooftop ceremony overlooking your city… need we say more? Intimacy, stunning views, hometown pride. We can’t get enough. Building BOK is an actual wedding venue and will have to adhere with current restrictions. However, just about any rooftop with a view will give you this feeling. Perhaps you’ve got your own rooftop view? We’ve enjoyed documenting skylines in Philly, Baltimore and NYC. Let us know where you will be hosting your ceremony and we will be there!

City Park | Bogert Covered Bridge

Another great option for your microwedding is your favorite local park. Once the phased re-opening begins, local municipalities will be back in business issuing permits for socially appropriate gatherings. Consider supporting your community by getting married in your home town. Permits for park ceremonies are fairly inexpensive and the investment goes towards the stewardship of the parks we love.

Mini-Destination | Glasbern Inn

The Glasbern Inn will always be one of my favorite Lehigh Valley destinations. This property is a working sustainable farm and the setting is stunning. It is a Historic Hotel of America and combines the luxury of a fine hotel with an elegantly rustic setting. We have photographed large weddings in the designated venue areas and have explored the property with couples who have chosen to wed with just the two of them and myself as witness. The Glasbern Inn is the perfect place to transition large wedding dreams to a more intimate experience without sacrificing setting and service.

Heirloom Farm | Rising Sun Farm & Events

Rising Sun Farm provides a charming rustic setting for wedding events. The open space and rolling fields deliver a blank canvas to create the most breathtaking scene that is right for you and your event. With over 10 years working in the event industry, Rising Sun can provide expert guidance and attention to detail throughout the entire process. This is an heirloom family farm and the owners treat everyone who steps onto their property like family. This is just what we all need during these difficult times!

Family Farm

We can’t think of a better intimate wedding venue than your own family farm. For many years now, couples have been rethinking their personal properties as venues for their weddings. Transitioning large wedding plans to small wedding plans can be seamless with the family property vision. We love the nostalgia and sentimentality of saying your vows in a place with history. Getting married on the land that you own speaks to love and legacy. Do it.

Private Property

Getting married (with permission) on private property gives our couples a blank canvas to craft a unique ceremony that speaks specifically to them. This is part adventure session and part elopement. Possibilities are endless depending on your personal aesthetic and vision. If you need location ideas, ask your vendors. Your vendors been to a lot of events and as photographers, part of our job is location scouting; please use us as a planning resource. Here, Kiera of Lehigh Valley Celebrants helped put together the perfect 5 year anniversary vow renewal in the woods.

Local Brewery |Bonn Place Brewing Co.

We love when clients think outside the box because there are so many spaces that can be re-envisioned as the perfect spot to say your vows. We hope that Bonn will be able to open their tasting room soon, but in the meantime, what would the space look like as a ceremony venue? Renting space from your local brewer is a way to support a business you love. In this case, following their intimate ceremony at Bonn, we commemorated this couples’ renewal with a portrait session in the neighborhood where they fell in love.

Self Uniting | Sand Island Park

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that offers couples the option of a self-uniting marriage license. The custom is rooted in the Quaker faith and is actually part of a formal wedding ceremony. Even prior to the pandemic and ensuing mandates, our couples were opting to self-unite. This very personal ceremony can be done anywhere as this interpretation may not beholden to some of the restrictions that are effecting larger events. We suggest commemorating your commitment to each other by creating a unique experience that speaks to the two of you. As soon as we are back in business… we will be right there with you documenting the moment!

Photography Studio | Fox & Finch Studio

We love love Fox & Finch and couldn’t have said it any better.

“Small gatherings are unique and special at Fox and Finch. We offer 1,500 sq. feet of space for you and your creativity to flourish. The furniture and props that are currently in-house are available to you to make your gathering or event just the way you want it! We allow up to 50 of your closest family and friends to enjoy the space with you on your day. There is plenty of room for a small ceremony, cocktails, sit down eating and dancing. Upon booking your event we set aside 5 farm tables and 50 vintage wooden folding chairs for you free of charge, just let us know you want them! Fox and Finch furniture that is on the premises is included free of charge!”

Commemorative Session | National Museum of Industrial History | Hoover Mason Trestle

We anticipate that some couples will simply not be able to have the kind of documentation that they were hoping for during their wedding event. A commemorative session is the perfect excuse to put on your wedding attire and celebrate your love all over again. Use photography as a tool to slow down time, be present together and make new memories with your partner through an experience curated by our team.

National Park Elopement | Joshua Tree National Park

Lastly, this is our shameless plug for a destination elopement! We can’t think of a better way to combat the disappointment of having to postpone your wedding than to get away from it all and elope on your original wedding date. Of course this won’t be an option for some couples, but as gathering size continues to be limited and couples are postponing their weddings sometimes years out from their OG dates, eloping is a wonderful option. National Parks, State Parks and County Parks will be opening soon. Support these beautiful resources by safely supporting the local community when travel opens up again. We are always up for a destination adventure!

Life is changing, plans are changing. Some of our couples simply will not be able to have the wedding of their dreams. We encourage our couples to document this time in their lives despite disappointment, because there is also hope. In the future, we hope to look back on these times as a turning point where positivity and love prevailed. Be kind to each other, take care of each other, love one another.

“Love wins when everything else will fail.” - Fanny Jackson Coppin

 
Nina Lily
Previous

Steph + David | Glasbern Inn Wedding
Next

Kristie + Mike | Heirloom Family Farm Wedding