Pennsylvania Backyard Wedding | Taylor + Russell

There is something about getting married at home that you just cannot recreate at a wedding venue.

Taylor and Russell got married at her parents’ home in Pennsylvania, surrounded by gardens, family, friends, and so many little pieces of their actual life. It felt romantic and elevated without losing the part I love most about backyard weddings: it was personal.

And then her dad’s vintage Triumph came out.

Yeah. I was obsessed.

A Garden Wedding at Her Parents’ Home

The entire property was SO lush and green, which made the soft pink, cream, and white florals look ridiculously pretty against it. Add in the bridesmaids in different shades of green and the whole thing felt like it belonged exactly where it was.

But my favorite part wasn’t necessarily one detail or perfectly planned moment.

It was how lived-in everything felt.

This wasn't a wedding happening at a venue they rented for the day. Taylor was getting married at her parents’ home. There was history there before the wedding ever happened, and now there’s another massive memory attached to it.

That is so freaking special.

A Wedding Day That Actually Felt Like Them

I always want to photograph the beautiful details, the florals, the dress, the portraits, all of it.

But I also want the stuff happening five feet away.

Your friends laughing while you're getting ready. Someone fixing something at the last second. The reactions during the ceremony. People squeezing each other a little too hard during hugs. Your wedding party being themselves when they forget I'm standing there.

Taylor and Russell's gallery has so much of that.

There are the romantic portraits and beautiful editorial moments, but they're mixed in with photographs that feel a little imperfect, spontaneous, and alive.

Because that's what a wedding actually feels like.

Her Dad’s Vintage Triumph

And obviously we need to talk about THE CAR.

The black vintage Triumph we used for some of Taylor and Russell's portraits belongs to her dad, which instantly made those photos about so much more than having a cool vintage car in a wedding gallery.

Don't get me wrong, photographically? Freaking incredible.

But twenty or thirty years from now, the fact that it was her dad's car is what is going to matter.

Those are exactly the kinds of details I want to know about before your wedding.

If your grandma made something you're wearing, tell me. If you're getting ready in the bedroom you grew up in, tell me. If your dad has an old car tucked away that means something to your family, PLEASE tell me.

Those details are what make your photos yours.

Backyard Weddings Don’t Have to Feel “Backyard”

I think sometimes people hear "backyard wedding" and picture something super casual.

This is your proof that it absolutely does not have to be.

Taylor and Russell's wedding still felt romantic, intentional, and editorial, but it had something a traditional venue couldn't have given them: home.

The garden became the backdrop. The property became the venue. Their family history became part of the wedding.

And instead of trying to make the day look like it happened somewhere else, we leaned all the way into where they actually were.

I freaking love the result.

Planning a Backyard Wedding in Pennsylvania?

If you're planning a backyard wedding, private estate wedding, garden wedding, or intimate celebration somewhere meaningful to your family, I would LOVE to photograph it.

I'm Jesse, the photographer behind by Jesse Liz. I photograph weddings throughout Pennsylvania, Utah, and wherever the heck you take me, with a mix of candid documentary photography, editorial portraits, digital, and film.

I want the gorgeous portraits.

But I also want your dad's car, your mom crying when she thinks nobody is looking, your friends losing it on the dance floor, and all the tiny weird things you don't even realize you'll want to remember yet.

Because that's your wedding.