Their Wedding Day: Glen Foerd Wedding, PA
Tori & Ryan’s Glen Foerd wedding, was an incredibly special one. Tori has been a dear friend for years, and we’ve photographed countless weddings together. To see Tori as a BRIDE and get to photograph HER on her big day is something that will always mean the world to me.
When we first talked about the big day, Tori described her vision, “I want it to feel like a relaxed, elegant, backyard wedding where our guests can come and just have fun! As far as style, I’m thinking classic, slightly European-inspired, garden vibes. I’m envisioning long farm tables with candlesticks – blues, whites, and muted pinks for colors!” Their wedding day was everything she described and more! The venue couldn’t have been more perfect! Especially, the art gallery space at Glen Foerd was a unique portrait location that I’ll never get over! The historic architecture and waterfront grounds were something out of a dream!
The details were outrageous! The DIY welcome sign came out AMAZING! To end the night, they had a gelato and espresso bar at the reception! In addition, they had a fire pit & smores for guests to enjoy. But ultimately, one of my absolute favorites was the display of wedding dresses that belonged to Tori & Ryan’s moms and grandma on dress forms in the cocktail hour space. How unique and special is that!?
Tori & Ryan are SO much fun to photograph. (Their Princeton engagement session will forever be one of my faves!) Their wedding day was absolutely incredible start to finish, and involved LOTS of photos. It’s actually impossible for me to narrow down my favorites (hence possibly my biggest blog post to date). But I’m so pumped to share all the pics! But first…you know I gotta share Tori & Ryan’s love story.
Their Love Story
When I asked Tori & Ryan to share with me one thing they love about each other, they gave the best answers. Tori said, “Ryan is patient, kind, easy to talk to, and has the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone in the room (a talent I wish that I had!). He’s also incredibly smart and watching him research, write, and piece information together throughout the years both in law school and as a lawyer has been impressive!”
Ryan said, “Tori is passionate, whether it’s friends, loved ones, or interests. She cares about people deeply and will do literally anything for the people she cares about. And if she finds a new interest, she becomes invested and learns all that she can about that topic. She can hear about something one day and the next have a stack of books on the subject. I’ve always admired that about her. She’s creative. I’m constantly impressed when I see things she’s drawn or painted (I can barely hold a pencil). She also makes me feel comfortable whenever I’m around her. No matter what we’re doing, it always feels normal.”
How They Met
If you love love stories like I do, then you’ll be obsessed with Tori & Ryan’s story of how they met! Tori told me, “I casually knew who Ryan was about a year before we met, haha! The whole story began at TCNJ where Ryan and my best friend Alex went to college together. Alex’s roommate, Jen, and Ryan’s friend, Adam, had a class together and they would all hang out from time to time. One night as I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw a picture of the four of them pop up on my newsfeed. I thought Ryan was adorable, clicked on his Facebook page, and proceeded to scroll through all of his profile photos (as one does).”
“Fast forward to a year later (September of our junior year of college) and Alex hosted a “welcome back” party at her townhouse on campus. A group of us went out to dinner in downtown Princeton before everyone came over that night. I overheard someone mention that Ryan was going to be there, and my ears perked up! Sure enough, later that night he walked in the door. I can’t remember what we talked about, but we spent the whole night sitting next to each other and laughing on the couch!”
“A few weeks later, Alex invited everyone over to the townhouse again to watch “How I Met Your Mother.” I had never watched this show before (and honestly haven’t watched it since!) but I was very excited to see Ryan again. After watching the show, he asked if I wanted to get breakfast with him at iHop the next morning after his class. I was so nervous that I barely touched anything on my plate, but it was the best first date ever!”
“Ryan came up to my house a couple of weeks later, took me out to dinner, and asked me to be his girlfriend 🙂 We’ve been together ever since!”
The Proposal
And even better, their proposal story is absolutely PERFECT!! Tori tells the story best, “A little backstory – I had an engagement session that I was photographing on Governors Island in late October. My dad is actually the best and volunteered to drop me off and pick me up. When I got to the Island, I noticed that Ryan had texted me twice asking if I had gotten there. I thought this was a little odd, seeing that the session was in the middle of the day, but I honestly didn’t think much of it!”
“Later that week, my mom had asked me to FaceTime one of her friends on her phone. When I opened up FaceTime, I saw that Ryan was in her call history. When I asked her about it, her eyes opened as wide as saucers – but at that very moment, someone called her and she took her phone into the other room. I texted Ryan asking why they had FaceTimed, and he said that he pocket dialed her. I totally bought it. I’d later learn that he texted me asking if I had gotten to Governor’s Island so that he could call my parents and ask for their blessing while I wasn’t around – so sweet!”
“The one thing about Ryan and I is that we don’t plan many things in advance. I’m the type of person who will wake up on a day off and suggest doing X, Y, or Z on a whim. Once in a blue moon we’ll make concrete weekend plans, but most of the time, we just wait and see what we feel like doing. The week before he proposed, Ryan suggested going to Hacklebarney State Park twice to see the waterfall. Again, I thought this was odd – but not enough to convince me that a proposal was about to happen!”
“We ended up going to Hacklebarney State Park, and he led me down onto a rock in the middle of the river. I was taking pictures of the sunset (facing away from Ryan) and all of a sudden got the STRANGEST feeling. My heart started racing for no reason at all and when I turned around Ryan was on one knee. I can’t remember anything he said, but my answer was most definitely YES!!!”
“We stopped at Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill to pick up cider and donuts on the way back home 🙂 And then we got burritos for dinner! It was the perfect proposal!!!”
To the Newlyweds
Tori & Ryan, where do I even begin!? I’m so honored to have gotten to be part of your wedding day at Glen Foerd. Ryan and I love you guys so much and it was beyond special to capture all the memories of your day, and be there alongside you to experience all the joy. I’m so excited for you guys to start this next chapter, and can’t wait for all that’s in store! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! Congrats newlyweds!!!!! Sending the biggest hug! xoxoxo
Vendors | Glen Foerd Wedding, PA
2nd Photographer – Ryan Hardin
Photo Assistant – Barbara Marcella
Venue – Glen Foerd & Jamie Hollander Gourmet
HMUA – The Beauty Room
Florist – Camellia Faire Studio
Decor – Maggpie Rentals
DJ – Baseline Productions
Invitation Suite – Empress Stationery
Dress Designer – Rosa Clara (Ellen style)
Dress Boutique – Vera’s Bridal
Bride’s Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Earrings – Acquisitions Fine Jewelry
Hair Piece – Compass Rose
Perfume – Chanel “Chance”
Bride’s Rings – Heidi Gibson Designs
Bridal Getting Ready Robe – Anthropologie
Bridesmaid Slippers – Natural Succulents
Bridesmaids Pajamas – Mari Collective Gifts
Groom’s Wedding Band – Manly Bands
Groom & Groomsmen Attire – Indochino
Groom’s Shoes – Johnston & Murphy
Cake – Nutmeg Cake Design
Bridesmaid Dresses – David’s Bridal, Dusty Blue
Bridesmaid Gifts – JK Designs
Officiant – Alisa Tongg
Espresso Bar – Top Hat Espresso
Guestbook – Luna Paper Co
Card Box – NCYP Garden
Welcome Sign – DIY by the Bride & her dad
Seating Chart – LaserworxSigns
Table Numbers – Toaste Shop
Napkins with Willow – Canterbury Paperie
Napkins with “Tori & Ryan” – Rubi and Lib
Cake Topper – Cake Topz
