Mandy + Tommy, an Elegant Wedding at the Mansion at Valley Country Club

Mandy and Tommy celebrated their wedding on November 18 at the Mansion at Valley Country Club in Towson, Maryland. These two met as undergraduate students at Gettysburg College, and now, eight years later, Mandy and Tommy are husband and wife!

I first met Mandy and Tommy at Julie and Brian’s wedding in 2015! Mandy and Julie grew up on the same street and have been friends for years; Mandy was a bridesmaid in Julie’s wedding and now, Julie is a bridesmaid in Mandy’s wedding! I love that these two have been friends for so many years (and they both have the sweetest families and such an incredible neighborhood community). When Mandy contacted me to photograph her wedding, I was SO excited; Mandy and Tommy are two of the nicest people you could ever meet, and I was so excited to be part of their day.

Mandy and Tommy have been pretty busy while planning their wedding. Mandy recently completed graduate school and is now a Physician Assistant and Tommy is a high school English teacher at the school Mandy attended for high school. These two are so accomplished (and I think it is so cool that Tommy teaches at Mandy’s alma mater! That is pretty incredible!).

Mandy started the day at her childhood home, where she got ready with her family and bridal party. It was so sweet to see Mandy walk down her front staircase and share a first look with her father. Tommy got ready at a hotel near the church with his groomsmen, and then everyone headed to the church for the ceremony. The church is the same church where Mandy and Tommy’s parents were married, which is so incredibly special! After the ceremony, everyone headed to the Mansion at Valley Country Club for Mandy and Tommy’s reception.

In the ten days before every wedding, I check the weather constantly – and for Mandy and Tommy’s wedding, the weather looked good – until the day before! The forecast changed on the day before their wedding to call for rain all day, so we were so grateful that it didn’t start raining until just before the ceremony. After the ceremony, we headed to Valley Country Club, which has SO many covered locations for a rainy day! We were so lucky (and you would NEVER guess it was raining in these pictures!). And thankfully, not long after we photographed the wedding party, it stopped raining and Mandy and Tommy were able to get some beautiful outdoor photos (just wait until you see Mandy’s spectacular veil! It photographed SO beautifully!). It was pretty chilly, but Mandy and Tommy didn’t complain about the cold weather once (seriously!). These two are so upbeat, optimistic, and sweet, and it is easy to see that they fit together so well. Both Mandy and Tommy were joking throughout the day, and they both have such a great sense of humor. Mandy and Tommy’s families are also very close with each other, and it is clear that Mandy and Tommy got their sense of humor from them! During the speeches, there were many jokes about the rivalries between the various teams everyone supports – the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Steelers. And that laughter, fun, and joy continued throughout the night; everyone had so much fun on the dance floor. Mandy, Tommy, and all of their Gettysburg College friends gathered on the dance floor for a Gettysburg College photo – followed by a dance to “Some Nights” by Fun. Mandy and Tommy stepped outside for some gorgeous night pictures (just wait until you see these!), and then guests were gifted Fischer’s popcorn as a thank you at the end of the evening. It was such a fun night, and it is clear everyone had a great time!

Mandy and Tommy had such a nice wedding party, and I loved seeing some familiar faces. Julie and Brian joked that it felt like deja vu seeing me again (and at Valley Country Club!); I first met Julie and Brian through Ashley and Tom, whose wedding I photographed in 2014. Then I photographed Julie and Brian’s Towson wedding in 2015, then Julie’s maid of honor, Zarena’s wedding to Elrid at Valley Country Club in 2016, and now Julie’s bridesmaid, Mandy’s wedding at Valley Country Club – with Julie as a bridesmaid! Mandy and Julie grew up together; they live just a few houses over on the same street, and it is so sweet that they have stayed so close over the years. Mandy even got a fun group photo with neighbors! :) I felt like I knew the group because Julie did a neighbors photo at her wedding in 2015! Throughout the night I kept seeing people that I recognized from photographing them! I feel so honored to be part of so many weddings from the same group, and I am so thankful to have met so many wonderful couples!

Mandy and Tommy, you two are so sweet; Kelsey, Justin, and I just adore you both – and your families and friends! Congratulations on your beautiful wedding, and enjoy some favorites from your day!

Isn’t Mandy’s jewelry so pretty?

Mandy, you are an absolutely stunning bride!! We did some quick photos right beside Mandy’s childhood home, and we were so lucky to find these beautiful fall colors in late November!

Time for the wedding ceremony – at the same church where Mandy’s parents got married!

Yay! Married!! We headed to the Mansion at Valley Country Club for Mandy and Tommy’s reception, and although it started to rain a little bit, you would NEVER guess it from the smiles on their faces. These two are so easy-going and happy!

I love both of these too!

I love this one!! The black and white theme is SO elegant too!

Mandy’s dress is STUNNING on her!! I just love the open back!

These two link pinkies together, so I am so glad they suggested we get a photo of that!

Yay!!

I love the one on the left!!

I love both of these! These two get a lot of credit too for walking up a wet, slippery hill while holding hands and smiling at each other – they make it look easy!

Mandy’s veil is SPECTACULAR, and these two are seriously experts at the dip!

Mandy and Tommy, you two are adorable together :)

Cheers!! This is Mandy and Tommy’s signature drink, the Bender Breeze :)

Reception time!!

Mandy and her dad danced to “My Song” by Elton John, a song she plays on the piano! All three of Mandy and Tommy’s dances were to very special songs. Mandy is an accomplished and very talented piano player, and the song, “My Song,” by Elton John that Mandy and her father, Bob, danced to is one that she loves to play on the piano. Tommy and his mom danced to a song that is special to them, “Sweet Child of Mine,” and Mandy and Tommy danced to “I love you, always forever” by Donna Lewis.

Look who it is!! I love seeing these two – always at weddings! I photographed Julie and Brian’s wedding in 2015 :) Love these two!

The Gettysburg College crew! After their photo, everyone from Gettysburg sang and danced to “Some Nights” by Fun.



These two won for the most years married and were the last two on the dance floor during the anniversary dance :)

We stepped outside for some iconic Valley Country Club night pictures :)

Congratulations, Mandy and Tommy!!