MaryBeth & Eric's Allentown Brew Works Wedding

• Posted by Natalie •

MaryBeth & Eric discovered us two Aprils ago at Liz & Brian's wedding in Ocean City, NJ—and we're so glad they did!  They had their fingers crossed that even though they met us at the Jersey Shore, we'd be willing to travel to the Lehigh Valley for their wedding this past June.  They were thrilled to find out that we actually had an office in Bethlehem, and as we got to know each other, we found numerous other connections along the way.  We have had so much fun with these two from their epic engagement session where we criss-crossed Philadelphia to get portraits at over 20 Philadelphia landmarks through to their summer wedding at the Allentown Brew Works. MaryBeth told me recently in an e-mail that it looks like we are stuck being their photographers for life, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Their wedding was our first time photographing the Allentown Brew Works, which is located in the historic downtown area of Allentown. Jeff, the event coordinator extraordinaire at the Brew Works, was juggling multiple celebrations that day, but still managed to accomodate everything MaryBeth and Eric wanted.  We were able to do a First Look on the High Gravity level, including some dramatic portraits with the giant beer casks on that floor, then we went up to FIVE, which is the top floor, for more bridal party portraits. We used the outdoor patio off the first floor for a few more portraits before heading down the the Silk Lounge to regroup (and play some pool and arcade games) before the ceremony.

MaryBeth & Eric had hopes of getting wedding portraits in front of the iconic PPL building where Eric works, and capturing some of the beautiful architecture in this historic part of the city, but just a week before their wedding they found out there would be a jazz festival the day of their wedding covering the two blocks between PPL and the Brew Works. But as one door closes, another one opens. Through a series of happy coincidences and the generosity of the man who owns the building next to the Brew Works, we were able to bring MaryBeth & Eric up to a helicopter pad on that building for some truly unique bridal portraits with panoramic views of Allentown and the Lehigh Valley.

And that was all before the ceremony! We were back in the High Gravity room for the wedding ceremony, which featured personalized vows from MaryBeth & Eric that brought tears to both the bride's and groom's eyes.  After that it was time to party! The reception was in the FIVE room, where their design theme of red & black circles showed up all over the place.  I love how they were able to incorporate this theme in subtle ways throughout the reception.

MB & E, we had so much fun with you and all your friends & family!  We're so glad to be "stuck with you for life", and we look forward to making all your fun and crazy photos ideas come to life in the future!

Red wedding shoes?  Yes, please!  And how awesome is MaryBeth's crystal necklace, which was her grandmother's?  The necklace really completed MaryBeth's look of classic elegance.

You may recognize some of these lovely ladies from Liz & Brian's wedding photos (including Liz herself!)  I love how these girls are up for anything, including picking up hot dogs from street vendors on the way to the wedding.

From up here, Allentown is pretty beautiful...

We probably could make a whole blog post featuring our former groom Brian's dance moves (bottom left corner of this group.)  We love catching up with previous clients at their friends' weddings :)

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Kelly & Shamus's Monmouth Beach Wedding

• Posted by Matt •

Shamus and Kelly gave us one last opportunity to celebrate the summer last month with their beach wedding at Merri-Makers in Sea Bright, New Jersey. While the weather wasn't completely cooperative, these two and their guests were not going to let that stop them from having a good time. We met Kelly through her brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Shannon, whose unorthodox wedding we photographed back in 2010.

Both Kelly and Shamus were extremely relaxed throughout the day, and it showed in everything they did, especially when a downpour began just as they tried to leave the house for the ceremony and it became clear they wouldn't be getting married on the beach as they originally planned. In order to make things easier on everyone, they rented a villa just a short distance from their wedding venue and everyone — bridal party, family, etc. — all got ready there. The place was so big that they didn't even run the risk of seeing each other. Plus it provided us with a great backdrop for their first look and bridal portraits.

Kelly accented her A-line ivory gown with a pair of deep blue high-heels and nice, simple pearls around her neck. She really was breathtaking.Kelly and Shamus were disappointed not to be able to have a beach wedding, but Merri-Makers has a great big window that allowed the ceremony to have an ocean backdrop without having to worry about the wind and rain.

They incorporated a wine mixing ceremony, which was new to us. They each poured separate wines into a single cup and then drank from the cup. It was really a unique wedding addition that we hadn't seen before.

Their reception was filled with unique personal touches. Kelly surprised Shamus with a scrabble-themed groom's cake. We love how she even personalized with their names and wedding date filled into the squares. Kelly's youngest brother, Troy, and her niece, Alyssa, serenaded the newlyweds right after the first dance. Later, during the bridal party dance, Troy took his time in the limelight a step farther, stealing a kiss from Alyssa when the cameras were on him.

To cap it all off, when Kelly's brother Kevin caught the garter, his fiancee reminded him that he wasn't exactly a single man. So he gallantly lead her to the chair and put on a show for the crowd. (You'll be seeing photos from their wedding soon!)

To add to the unexpected surprises of the day, Brian (from the Running Of The Santas wedding) challenged his older brother Kevin to an impromptu dance-off in front of everyone.

Shamus and Kelly, we could not be happier that you included us as a part of your festivities. You did a wonderful job of really making it unique and not letting anything get in the way of your celebration. You guys are really a great fit for each other. Thanks for choosing us to be your wedding photographer!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Steve & Lara's Fairmount Park Wedding

• Posted by Matt •

Just a few weekends ago we had the honor of photographing Lara and Steve's Fairmount Park wedding at Valley Green Inn. While not our first Valley Green Inn wedding — we were there a few times in the past — this was our first time doing a First Look there so that was pretty cool.

The setting was easy to choose. There is a beautiful stone bridge just a few paces from the Inn that seems like it was made for portraits. We got Steve into place atop the bridge and brought Lara up to see her soon-to-be-husband! Now, Lara and Steve are both fun people. They couldn't stop laughing around each other in their engagement session a few months back so we knew we could get some fun bridal party portraits. After the first look we set them up across the bridge for a serious bridal party portrait but they all started laughing!

Steve and his groomsmen — who were also his three brothers — wore sharp gray suits with purple ties that matched the purple bridesmaids dresses. Lara donned a beautiful white dress with a very simple white flower in her hair to cap it all off. The result? Beautiful bridal party pictures in the park.

They definitely made the day their own, though, with all the littler personal touches they wanted. They had wine flown in from Italy, a chalkboard seating chart and much more. All of that added up to a unique wedding set in Fairmount Park.

That's enough of me talking, enjoy the photos!

Big news and Thank you from Fairmount Photo

• Posted by Natalie •

We've had quite a year at Fairmount Photography, and as we gear up for our busiest October ever, I wanted to take a couple minutes to fill everyone in on what's been happening.

First up: We owe all of our clients and fans a huge "Thank You. " All your votes helped us secure the #5 spot on the PHL Philly Hot List out of over 250 Philadelphia Wedding photographers!  You all are the best! Matt and I love what we do, and we're so thankful to have met so many wonderful people since we joined forces to create Fairmount Photography five years ago.  I could go on and on, but there's so much more to say!

Since 2012 has been such a busy year, we've added a couple of interns to our team.  Fran and Luis both hail from our alma mater Temple University, and you'll see some of their handiwork popping up on the blog and around our site over the next couple months. They are helping us with some exciting projects that have been on our to-do list for way too long, so hopefully we'll have a few more announcements coming soon!

As many of you already know, I've had my share of personal changes in the past year too. In January, my husband Ben and I welcomed our daughter Kaya into the world. We think she's pretty cute, and she's turned me into a total sap. My camera is getting plenty of extra use documenting every adorable thing she does. Someday when she is planning her own wedding, she'll probably have to take out a restraining order on me.

Last winter my husband landed his dream job, which, unfortunately for me, is located in Boston, MA.  While I am a officially a Massachusetts resident, I'm still spending plenty of time in PA, and covering as many Philly weddings as possible. Matt and I are 100% committed to making sure that every one of you still gets the same level of quality and attention to detail that you'd be getting if I was still in PA.  And that has made us better managers and so much more organized.

Which means we're ready to take on another new challenge: We are now booking weddings in Boston and the New England area in 2013!  Someday, when I have some free time, we'll build a separate website for all our Boston brides, but for now, we'll keep everything right here and be one big, happy Northeast Corridor family. So if you know anyone from New Hampshire through Delaware planning a wedding, send them our way!  The majority of our work will still be Philly-based, but we're excited to be able to book a limited amount of weddings in this new territory.

I think that's plenty of news for one day, so thank you again to everyone who has supported us and helped Fairmount Photography double, and then triple, in productivity in the past couple years. As I mentioned before, you are the best!

Since I hate to make a post without a photo, here's a couple shots from our last trip to PA.

This is the reason my to-do list is taking a bit longer to get through these days...

Amy & Mike's Tom's River Wedding

• Posted by Natalie •

I was so thrilled when Amy got in touch with me last year to talk about photographing her wedding. She and I had gone to high school together, but besides a Facebook update here or there, we had mostly lost touch.  When I think back to high school Amy, I remember a happy and hard-working classmate, who you knew was a just a good person to the core.  It seems that present-day Amy is just as kind and thoughtful, and she found a great match in Mike, whom she met at college.  One of my favorite parts about being a wedding photographer is to be a witness to the celebration of two much-loved people joining their lives.  And it's even more special when there are so many familiar faces at the event!

You never know what sort of weather you'll get when you're planning a wedding on the Jersey Shore.  Thankfully Amy and Mike had an indoor ceremony at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Seaside Park, NJ, since their early May wedding felt more like a blustery March day. They braved the elements for some portraits on the beach before heading over the the Toms River Yacht Club for the reception.  Amy and Mike are both Penn State grads, so we knew the reception would be great.  (We've had a few PSU brides and grooms so we've learned that Penn Staters know how to throw a good party-- just ask my step-sister and her husband who, over a decade later, are still getting compliments on how much fun their wedding was!) Amy & Mike's reception photos may be some of my favorite dancing shots we've ever gotten.  Everybody was on the dance floor and having a great time right from the start.

They also had one of the most detailed cake displays I've ever seen. They followed the trend of trading in a traditional wedding cake for cupcakes, but then Mike's very talented sister-in-law took it a step further and created a whole beach-scape complete with driftwood, and hanging cupcakes and even a set of cupcake-sized adirondack chairs. It was so creative!

Amy and Mike, I'm so glad the warmth and happiness of your wedding day completely negated the blustery weather! I wish I could bottle the love that just permeated every aspect of the day.  You both have such kind families and friends, and it was an added bonus for me to be able to catch up with a few of my favorite people from high school. It was such a joy to be your wedding photographers and document such a wonderful day.  Thank you so much for choosing us!

I just love the photo on the left below of Amy and her sisters helping their niece put on her dress.  In my mind I fast-forward to this little flower girl's own wedding day when undoubtably her aunts will all be doting on her as she puts on a different white dress. 

Special thanks to Sarah Fry, our assistant extraordinaire, for coordinating the "groom blowing away"  photo below and for helping to keep us and (more importantly) our gear dry during these rainy portaits!

Check out this cupcake display, courtesy of Mike's sister-in-law Jean Marie.  

We had to include Amy's photo of us. I'd love to make a trend out of this: Portraits of Matt and I by the bride and groom!