A Rainy & Rowdy Wedding at Whispering Trees Manor | Edinboro, Pennsylvania

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Mar 20

Nobody told the rain it wasn't invited. It showed up anyway, completely unbothered, and Jordan and Holly Rae let it stay.

Whispering Trees Manor is a unique and magical outdoor wedding venue nestled on lush countryside of Edinboro, Pennsylvania — the kind of place that on a sunny day looks like a painting and on a rainy day looks like a completely different kind of magic. Two ceremony locations, a sprawling covered pavilion, a charming covered bridge, and endless greenery in every direction — it is, as photographers tend to say, an absolute paradise to work in. Even when it's soaking wet.

Especially when it's soaking wet, as it turns out.

The ceremony was fully, gloriously drenched. Rain coming down, the bridal party soaked and laughing, Jordan and Holly Rae with their arms raised like they just won something — because they did. There is a frame from that moment, the two of them walking back up the aisle with hands raised high, rain falling through the fairy lights glowing in the trees behind them, that is one of the most purely joyful wedding images I have ever made.

But first, the processional. Instead of a flower girl, the bridal party walked the aisle carrying buckets filled with beers and seltzers, handing them out to guests along the way as they made their entrance. It was the kind of detail that sets a tone immediately and gets the whole room on board with exactly what kind of party this is going to be. Everyone was in from that moment forward.

The portraits after the ceremony were exactly what you'd hope for with two people this unafraid to have fun. Holly Rae's lace floral gown billowed in the wind, her hair flying, both of them running through the green lawn in the rain, laughing like it was the best possible version of the day — because it was. Jordan lifted her, spun her, and carried her through puddles without a second thought.

And then the reception opened up under the pavilion, and the night took off.

Holly Rae's father's band took the stage — and I need to acknowledge the father of the bride on drums, playing his daughter's wedding reception with the expression of a man absolutely in his element and loving every second of it. Live music changes everything about a reception. The energy was immediate, and it never let up. The dance floor was packed from the first song, string lights glowing overhead, everyone completely given over to the night.

Jordan and Holly Rae — you took a completely soaked wedding day and turned it into one of the best parties I've ever had the privilege of photographing. The rain didn't stand a chance.

Venue: Whispering Trees Manor | Edinboro, Pennsylvania