Weddings are an exciting event that is a special part of a couples venture into the next stage of their relationship, furthering their commitment as they continue their journey together in life. This includes the selection of  special venue to hold their big day. This is true for this couple and the Penn Oaks Golf Club Wedding photo shoot that was captured recently by award-winning photographer, John Ryan of J&J Studios of Philadelphia.

Some background on the Penn Oaks Gulf Club. The historic Penn Oaks Golf Club in West Chester, Pa., has been acquired by Concert Golf Partners from an ownership group led by brothers John and Steve DiMarco.
Located on 130 acres of land granted by King Charles II to Pennsylvania founder William Penn during the pre-Colonial era, Penn Oaks is the 37th upscale private club to join the Concert Golf portfolio, and the fourth in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region, following White Manor Country Club (Malvern, Pa.), Philmont Country Club (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.), and TPC Jasna Polana (Princeton, N.J.).

Concert Golf Partners is a boutique club hospitality company that invests its own capital to fund projects and build new amenities. Based near Orlando, Concert Golf is highly regarded as the industry’s “go-to” private club experts. Concert sets the standard for impeccable quality by continually elevating the stature of both its existing clubs and acquisitions, so that its members can access the finest private clubs and enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences.

Penn Oaks was honored in recent years by both The Knot “Best of Weddings” and Wedding Wire’s “Couples Choice Awards” as a 5-star setting for brides and grooms. With crystal chandeliers, a large dance floor, white fireplace and a scenic view of the golf course, the club’s signature William Penn Ballroom is elegant and spacious. The club’s covered patio features a bar corner and an open deck for cocktails, with a trail to a gazebo that sets the scene for a highly elegant wedding venue, one of the most coveted along the Main Line. In addition to Penn Oaks and TPC Jasna Polana, other recent acquisitions by Concert Golf include: The Georgia Club (Athens, Ga.), Golf Club of the Everglades (Naples, Fla.), and The Club at Pasadera (Monterey, Calif.).

There was a concentrated capture of the groom’s preparations as he readied himself for what was about to take place. All the planning and preparation that took place prior to this point has now reached a climax. The Groom has taken steps to gather his friends as they follow through with getting themselves dressed and prepped. In this case it included the company of his trusted companion, his dog! He was a great comfort as it understandably can start to get stressful for the Groom and his Groomsmen in the anticipation about what is about to be undertaken.

A bit of last minute grooming for the Groom!

Of course it helps to have help from someone special as the Groom begins to put the finishing touches on his handsome tuxedo.

Below captures the groom, and he cuts a stunning figure, exuding confidence and comfort as he moves on to the next phase of the wedding day.

The next several photographs captures the Groom along with the chosen friends that will support him as he professes his love and commitment to his Bride-to-be. These gentlemen are obviously close to the Groom for what is most likely a number of years, and have formed a trusted relationship that has been valued and appreciated by the Groom himself.

There is quite an impressive site when members of the wedding party arrive in a fabulous vehicle such as classic white Rolls Royce. These cars have a beauty and style all unto themselves, and offer a certain air of elegance to the event. It was certainly one of the highlights of the Penn Oaks Golf Club Wedding photo shoot.

The photographs below begin to capture the ceremony of the Bride and Groom. The Bride has taken her time to get ready for her big day as the Groom has done, and now it’s time for them to join each other and move towards the heart of the day’s events, the ceremony.

As the Bride approaches emotion takes hold of her loving husband-to-be. It is certainly understandable. Despite the fact that they have known each other for some time this is  a major step in both their lives, and a flood of feelings can surface at any point during the course of the day. The photographs capture that tenderness and love between the two of them.

The good thing is realizing that the Groom is crying tears of joy, not sorrow, and a sweet reaction to his lovely Bride-to-be.

The Groom has a chance to pose with the lovely Bridesmaids that his Bride-to-be has chosen to help and support her as his Groomsmen are supporting him during the big day.

The below shows a rather novel idea of securing and keeping an eye on an important part of the wedding ceremony, the rings. The rings are an important symbol for the wedding, and dates back to Roman times. The Romans believed that the ring with it’s circular shape has no beginning and no end, symbolizing eternity. Additionally, the Romans also believed that the ring should be worn on the left hand finger of both the Bride and Groom. The belief was that the left hand finger had a vein that ran directly to the heart, signifying the couples love by way of their hearts.

The Groom and his Best Man share some casual but simple gestures indicating the genuine excitement of what is about to happen, and that the two will stand side by side as the marriage is finalized and his Best Man, along with the Maid of Honor, serve as witnesses to this union.

The touching moment when the Father of the Bride walks his daughter up the aisle towards the Officiant, as prepares to “give” his daughter away to her new Husband and a new life as a married adult. Symbolically he is saying goodbye to the little girl he raised and sending her forward towards her new life she will be creating for herself and her spouse.

And finally, the ceremony has been completed, and it’s time for the Bride and Groom to congratulate each other and accept the warm wishes of the select family and friends that were fortunate enough to be invited to share in the joy of this special event.

Now that the ceremony has been completed, it naturally is time for everyone to celebrate the big event via the reception. This couple has chosen a great venue to hold their gathering, the Penn Oak Golfing Club, and begin what is sure to be a fun filled evening.

The event will start with the Bridal party making their grand entrances, choosing individual styles of entry. This all precedes the entrance of the stars of the evening, the Bride and Groom. Once seated, the Bride and Groom are treated to speeches from friends and family. Those speeches may poke some fun by sharing childhood and teenage adventures mutually shared, but then eventually tend to switch over to more meaningful thoughts of hopes and good wishes for the new couple as they begin to build their new lives together.

The evening really begins to take form with a great display of celebrating – dancing! There is a great deal of dancing for this group, and they are feeling the specialness of the event through the music and through their free-form movements. The beauty of dance is there is no right way or wrong was to do it – you just do what you feel and go where the music takes you. And the dance between the Father and his Bride daughter, and the Mother and her Groom Son are special moments for both, sharing love and special wishes for a wonderful life with their new spouse.

The evening begins to wind down with one final traditional task – the cutting of the cake. The tradition of cutting the wedding cake symbolizes the couple’s first shared task as a married couple. representing their unity, cooperation, and commitment to each other. Its origins date back to ancient Rome, where a loaf of bread was broken over the bride’s head for good fortune, and guests would collect the crumbs for luck. Today, the ceremony typically includes the couple symbolically cutting a slice and feeding each other a bite as a pledge to provide for one another. 

All of the phases share here in the Penn Oaks Golf Club Wedding photo shoot captures the day’s events, and will serve as a great memory for this couple to look at an enjoy for many many years to come.