Picture perfect in our own backyard

Like many couples getting married in a Catholic wedding, we have a "Catholic gap" on our hands.  For those of you unfamiliar with this term, let me break it down for you.  Our wedding is slated to begin in the early afternoon (1:00), but our cocktail hour doesn't start until 5:00.  Even with a lengthy ceremony, receiving line, and photos at the church, we still have a decent amount of time on our hands before we can kick off the reception festivities.  Some other couples facing a Catholic gap may utilize that down-time to travel from ceremony to reception site, especially if the two locations are a hefty distance from each other.  That's not really the case for us.

 Map made on Google Maps

Our ceremony site is all of a 4-minute drive from our reception site.  Not really helping us to fill that Catholic gap, now, is it?

Fortunately, having all of this time to fill provides us with ample opportunities to get some nice formal pictures taken between ceremony and reception.  And, best of all, two of Johnstown's most popular wedding photo spots happen to fall pretty much directly in that 4-minute route from the church to the country club!  What could be easier?

Spot #1: The Inclined Plane
Many people probably don't know this, but Johnstown is home to the world's steepest vehicular inclined plane... it's kind of the city's claim to fame. 

Image via Johnstown Area Heritage Association

Johnstown may not be the biggest city in the world, but it is pretty picturesque from an aerial view, making the observation deck at the inclined plane a premium wedding photo spot.

Above 2 images shared by friend Maura / Photos by RB Photography

Given our mutual Johnstown roots, taking some wedding pictures at the inclined plane after the ceremony is a no-brainer, especially because it's about 2 blocks from our church!

Spot #2: Luzerne Street

A substantial part of our drive from ceremony to reception goes along a quaint little street in Johnstown called Luzerne Street.  Here's a description of this gorgeous street:

Many of the outstanding homes in Westmont are located along Luzerne Street, in the area which the Cambria Iron Company originally named  "The Elm Grove ."  Today, there are 195 Elms planted along Luzerne Street, making them the longest continuous stand of American Elms in the country.  It is the last cathedral-arched boulevard left in the United States. - Text from Johnstown Pennsylvania Information Source Online

 Image via Westmont's American Elms & Shade Trees

To add some visual impact, here are some wedding photos taken on this perfect little street:

Photo by Photography by Kevin Leonardis

Photo by Leeann Marie Photography

This photo spot is too perfect to pass up, especially since we'll be scooting down this tree-lined street already!

What local photo spots are you taking advantage of?