Favorite Spots Around The Old Bag Factory

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CK Photo

Happy Spring! This winter seemed to drag on, yet it's also hard to believe that it's already the middle of March! To celebrate the arrival of spring, we thought that we should share with you some of our favorite spots around the Old Bag Factory area to take pictures. We are often asked where spots are outside to take pictures, so here are a few of our favorites... no matter what time of year! For more, feel free to check out our Pinterest page dedicated to great spots around the building for pictures.

The red bridge across from the Old Bag Factory on Indiana Avenue is iconic! Photo by Hey Sisters! Photography.

There are a few secret hidden areas around the Old Bag Factory that are covered with with beautiful greenery! Photo by Bekah Taylor Photography.

Right in front of the entire building. Photo by The Photography of Olivia G.

The fire escape. Photo by Lindsey Marie Photography.

The old smoke stack! Photo by Grant Beachy Photography.

The side of the building. Photo by Ashley Dru. 

The green space across the road. Photo by Abigail Edwards. 

Of course, right in front of the building right on Chicago Avenue. If you love Goshen as much as we do, make sure to get that in the picture! Photo by Indigo Lace Collective.

The flower gardens. Photo by SnapSchatz Photography.

The brick pathway. Photo by Shelby Chari Photography.

The corner window. Photo by Grant Beachy Photography.

The quilt blocks. Photo by Abigail Edwards Photography.

Tips For Having The Best Cocktail Hour

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Ashley Dru

Isn't it every couple's dream to tell them that their wedding was the best ever? Cocktail hour is a great way for your guests to mingle and enjoy each other’s company before sitting down to dinner and the variety of wedding formalities that follow. However, we have seen cocktail hour be the time of the evening where your guests can be the most irritated, which isn't a great start to your reception. When planning the cocktail hour portion of your wedding, please keep the following in mind to keep your guests happy!

TIMING

There’s a reason why we like to call it cocktail hour, as it's only supposed to be an hour! We’ve noticed that guests are most unhappy at weddings when the cocktail hour is longer than 1 hour. Your guests will get antsy and bored after that hour mark. We know that photos are important but trust us, you will want to keep your guests happy since you've spent so much time and money on the big day… and keeping cocktail hour to just an hour will certainly help!

Sj2 Photography

FOOD

It’s likely that most of your guests haven’t eaten for a while and will probably be hungry. If you plan on having a full hour for cocktails and mingling, please have hors d’oeuvres available for your guests to eat. Nobody wants to drink on an empty stomach and it will give your guests something to do. 

Cory & Jackie Wedding Photographers

MINGLING SPACE

Cocktail tables are a great addition to cocktail hour as it allows guests to mingle and also have a place to set down their drinks and plates. We often get clients who wish to keep the doors between the bar room and the dining room completely closed until after cocktail hour. We understand that you want your guests to truly be wowed when they enter the room; however, not only do our doors have windows so they can all see in, but allowing guests to enter into the dining room during cocktail hour can very uncomfortable for some who eagerly need to sit down. Allowing your guests to mingle in both rooms will also help ease and quicken the transition between cocktail hour and dinner as guests can go ahead and find where their seats are right away.

We are all for keeping the doors closed for the beginning portion of cocktail hour so that your photographer can sneak in there and get pictures of the entire room without any guests in there; however, keep your guests comfort in mind. While the bar room may seem large, it fills up quite quickly when you get 100+ guests in there so that extra space will be appreciated as well.

Devin Hendrick Photography

JOIN IT! 

If you find that you've finished your family photos a bit early, don't be afraid to join your own cocktail hour! You will get to make the most of your reception time and spend more time with the people you love and care about the most. You can still have your grand entrance once everyone has been seated but this will still allow you to mingle a bit more with your guests. Your actual wedding will seem so short, make the most of every minute! 

OMG Photography

Real Wedding: Lydia & Josh

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We knew that Lydia and Josh's wedding day would be incredible because they were so genuinely excited to be married that they weren't worried about anything else. We always love receiving photos from weddings and it was definitely no different than when Abigail Edwards sent us Lydia and Josh's album. We smiled through the entire album because Lydia and Josh have the biggest, most amazing smiles in every single picture! Seriously, they radiate happiness! We also loved that they had a packed dance floor all night and by the looks of things, their guests had some pretty sweet dance moves.

A big thank you to Abigail Edwards Photography for capturing their love story and sharing with us! Also, a shout out to EA Pro Music for keeping the party going.

"Thank you for all of the effort you made to help us celebrate our special day! We had the best time and a huge part of that is thanks to you. The food was very good and Jessica was very helpful during the planning process. We appreciate you all!" - Lydia & Josh