Alexa & Matt’s New Hope Send-Off Party Before Their Italy Elopement

Aug 4

Alexa & Matt are heading to Italy to elope, but first, they threw the kind of send-off party you don’t forget.

They hosted it at a barn tucked away in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The space itself has a story - it used to be a nightclub in the 1970s, and that playful, retro energy still lingers. It set the perfect tone for an untraditional, low-key celebration that felt personal without trying too hard.

There were food trucks serving dinner, a live band playing under string lights, and a tent set up outside where everyone gathered to eat. Just before the party started, a quick summer storm rolled through — dark clouds, umbrellas, all of it. But minutes later, the skies cleared into bright sun and a warm golden hour that couldn’t have been timed better.

There was no formal program or wedding-day pressure. Just good drinks, summer style, and the kind of energy that fills a space when everyone’s truly present. People moved between the tent, the barn, and the firepit outside. Some caught up over cocktails, others danced barefoot under a disco ball. Kids ran around. Parents laughed. And it all ended with dancing that lasted well into the night.

I photographed the whole thing - the big-picture energy and the in-between moments: clinking glasses, spontaneous hugs, layered textures and glowing tables. These are the kinds of events made for candids - the side conversations, the expressions, the fleeting details you don’t even realize you’ll want to remember until you see them frozen in time.