Private Estate Summer Wedding

A stunning private estate summer wedding that was brought together seamlessly! Incorporating fun All-American touches this beautiful celebration wasn’t without a few curve balls from mother nature but with an amazing team it was conquered & this elegant & fun wedding day prevailed!

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? “Christian and Samantha met in high school. Samantha thought Christian was funny and Christian thought she was “cute”. Samantha and Christian thought of each other as best friends for all four years of high school, dating other people, until Christian later confessed his love for Samantha in college. The rest was history!”

Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! “Samantha was having some issues with her dress in the back of the church before the ceremony and kept Christian waiting at the altar for 15 minutes. The music was playing, and he said it felt as if he was waiting forever. He started to wonder if she was going to show up!”

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? “Samantha’s oldest sister, Christine, sing the Beyonce version of “Hallelujah” to us during our church ceremony. As she was singing, she was holding her four year old daughter, our niece, Parker. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church, including us. It was so magical, emotional, and so utterly beautiful!”

“The bride and groom wanted a wedding their whole family (dad has 9 siblings) could attend and what better location than the family’s own private estate? They had lovely All-American touches such as a horse and buggy, their private estate, and coca-cola and french fries for the reception party snack. It was an elegant, fun, and family-oriented event.

And while it was seemingly perfect, it didn’t escape a few hiccups thrown in by Mother Nature both prior to and on the wedding day. Less than one week before the wedding torrential downpours left the estate property completely flooded (I have video). The couple scrambled to find an alternate location while the family simultaneously worked around the clock to repair the grounds. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, Samantha and Christian were able to have their wedding on the family’s beautiful estate. But on the wedding day Mother Nature once again decided to throw us a curveball with lots of rain, but also lots of sunshine. They were overjoyed that it all worked out and completely embraced the weather. Luckily the planning and tent crews were able to keep the structures dry and safe and the couple’s wedding reception was flawless!” – Valorie Darling

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? “The best part of our wedding day was when we pulled up to my parents estate property after the ceremony to see a horse and buggy waiting for us. Christian and I hopped on the horse and buggy and took a stroll around the beautiful country roads of Pennsylvania. We were able separate from the chaos for a little bit to soak in our first moment alone as husband and wife. Everything seemed to be going to fast that day, so that moment was important to us. It felt as if we stopped time for a little bit that day. We will always remember how special that was.”

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. “Our wedding venue was on Samantha’s parents estate property in an outdoor tent. A few days before our wedding day, we had a flash flood and my parents property and backyard was under water. We were devastated, anxiously looking for other properties in our area to possibly host our wedding in the matter for a few days. With the help and love from family members, friends, a landscape crew, and a whole team, we were able to get the property where it needed to be for our wedding day. Overcoming this hurdle made our wedding day even more memorable!”

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? “We’ve learned so much from each other. Christian is so easy going and has a sense of humor, while I take life a little more seriously. He has taught me to not sweat the small things and reminds me to breathe during the hurdles that life throws at our way.

Sam is compassionate, adventurous and a empathic. I’ve opened my heart more for others because of her, I value family more and love traveling the world with her. She has the biggest heart and I’ve learned so much from that part of her. We balance each other in so many ways and we are both truly grateful for that part of our relationship.”

What is your favorite thing about each other?

“Christian is so funny. I love his sense of humor. He can make me laugh on my worst day, and I absolutely adore that.

My favorite part of Samantha is her empathy. She is empathetic towards family and complete strangers. I adore that part of her.”

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? “Our favorite part about planning our wedding was being able to add our personalities to our big day in all of the details. For example, Christian loves beer and burgers and I love tacos and patron. As appetizer choices, we had mini burgers paired with mini beer glasses and small tacos paired with small patron bottles. We loved being creative and implementing details that mean so much to us in our daily lives. That part was so much fun, and made the day even more special. Our guests were able to see our personalities through our big day.”

What is the most honest thing you can say about love? “We are lovers but we are the best of friends. We started our love with a solid friendship, and that has been the foundation of our love from day one. Going on ten years together, and almost three years married, friendship is the part of our love that gets us through every obstacle in life. Love is important, but true and loyal friendship never fails. Fall in love with your best friend. You won’t regret it!”

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? “Focus on you, as a couple and keep going back to what that day is really supposed to be about. It’s easy to lose focus that day, since there may be so much going on around you. Don’t focus on your guests, family, the vendors, or what small things may not go as planned (that most likely nobody will notice). But rather focus on the most important part of that day that is not going to change, which is your love with your significant other. That is permanent and that’s the best detail and accessory of your whole day. Spend that day cherishing your love, get a moment to step away together that day as husband and wife. Look around, feel grateful, soak it in and have fun!”