Danika & Matt's Fall wedding at Valley Green Inn

• Posted by Matt •

Danika & Matt were our third wedding at Valley Green Inn this year, which meant that this quaint Philadelphia wedding venue along the Wissahickon River officially overtook Bear Creek Mountain Resort as our most-visited venue.  You'll hear no complaints from us, though, since this is one of our favorite Philadelphia wedding locations, especially in the fall when the surrounding woods create such a colorful backdrop. (To see more Valley Green Inn weddings, check the links at the end of this post.) Danika & Matt capitalized on the season and wove pops of red, yellow and orange throughout their Fall-themed day. A special thanks to Melissa Kelly who joined me as a second photographer for the day.

This quirky couple brought lots of personality to the day. Danika shared a handful of portrait ideas with us beforehand so we knew going into it that they were going to be a fun couple to photograph. They are both trained fighters (think mixed martial arts, jiu jitsu, etc.) and they met at the gym they where train at so they decided to incorporate that into their day. There were cookies shaped like a bride and groom wearing fighting gloves, their actual gloves they train with were on display and a lot more. The bride and groom even burst through a banner with their gloves on just like they would at the beginning of a fight!

It was also pretty funny to see their friends from the gym, all seated at a table together, with a variety of black eyes and visible bruising from recent matches.

Danika & Matt, Thanks for bringing so many fresh ideas to a familiar place. Your taste and style really made us feel like we were at a venue we had never been to before!

Additional Valley Green Inn weddings: Lindsey & Brad, Steve & Lara (more to come as we catch up on our blogging!)

Emily & Justin's Vintage Engagement Session

• Posted by Natalie •

We've got a couple really unique engagement portrait sessions that we are excited to share with you. First up is Emily & Justin's vintage-styled portraits at ReStore, an architectural salvage clearing house/ treasure trove in the Port Richmond neighborhood in Philadelphia. The many fabulous little details and architectural odds and ends provided a myriad of backdrops for this creative couple, who even brought a few of their own vintage props along to add to the atmosphere.

Of course we had to start with this wonderful lounger tub, just in need of a paint job and some claw feet, for a few intimate poses, before venturing through rows of doors, cabinets, shutters and more on the first floor.  Then we headed upstairs to play among chandeliers, antique mantles and tiles. What a great place for Philly engagement portraits.  And Emily and Justin weren't too bad either. :)

Seriously though, we're so happy this couple found us.  They have so many great ideas, and we love collaborating with our clients to create unique portraits.  Emily & Justin we're so excited for your June 2013 wedding!

After we left ReStore, we headed over to Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown for a couple outdoorsy portraits.

Rich details | Sudha & Andrew's Southern Indian wedding ceremony

* Posted By Natalie and Matt*

It's hard to believe that two years ago (to the day) we photographed our very first Thanksgiving Day wedding when we spent the day with our good friends Sudha and Andrew as they tied the knot in a traditional Indian wedding ceremony in New Jersey. We never got around to blogging about it, though, so we figured 'why not do it now?'

We knew from the beginning that Sudha & Andrew's wedding would be our most unusual event of the year. Partly because it was going to be our first traditional Indian wedding, partly because Sudha had no real interest in wedding planning or being a traditional bride and also because Natalie was going to be one of Sudha's bridesmaids. The very talented Douglas Bovitt, whose work you've seen before, joined us for the day to help document all the amazing details and provide back-up when Natalie had to put her camera down (it was hard to stop taking photos!)

This was an incredibly visual wedding so we won't bore you with too many words. In case you were wondering, the ceremony took place at the Sri Venkateshwara Hindu Temple in Bridgewater, NJ, while the reception was at Westin Governor Morris in Morristown, NJ. Both places were beautiful and really lent themselves to great photos.

And in case these two look familiar, it's because they probably do. This will be their third time on the blog, first time was here (when we had to take Sudha out to learn how to smile in front of the camera!) and second time was their engagement photos.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and happy two year anniversary Sudha and Andrew!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Lynda & Matt's Winter Engagement Portraits

• Posted by Matt • Back in January we went out in the icy cold weather for some winter-themed engagement portraits around Philly with Lynda and Matt. Let me tell you, cold weather and icy conditions could easily temper any enthusiasm but these two were really great! We met at City Hall and walked around town, making sure we got a few pictures at in the courtyard at City Hall, inside Love Park and around the Union League of Philadelphia.  Then we moved down the parkway to do some pictures around the Art Museum. The best part was that they wanted to try and get a different look from these iconic locations, so that made things fun.

This was my first time meeting Matt and I feel like this engagement session was a good way to get to know each other. And here we are, almost ten months later and it's time for these two to tie the knot! Lynda and Matt are getting married in Rose Valley, PA this weekend at the Old Mill.

Congrats Lynda and Matt! We are excited for what you have in store for this weekend!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: TJ & Jenna's Mendenhall Inn Wedding

 • Posted by Matt •

TJ and Jenna tied the knot a few weeks ago in a September wedding at the Mendenhall Inn in Chadds Ford, PA, just outside Philadelphia. Natalie has been friends with these two since college and she was actually invited as a guest, so our good friend Douglas Bovitt stepped in to work with me for this one. We took their engagement photos last fall, so I had the chance to get to know them a bit better, but I was looking forward to seeing how all of Jenna's DIY projects would come together for their big day.

The girls got ready at Currie Hair, Skin & Nails in Kennett Square, PA before heading back to the Mendenhall to get dressed, while TJ and the guys got ready at his house.

Then came the first cool addition to their day —a unique First Look that almost didn't happen. TJ was resistant to the idea of First Look photos, but, with some gentle urging from his bride-to-be, he relented just a few days before the wedding. We were thrilled because that meant the whole bridal party would be there for portraits at Nemours Mansion & Gardens, which grants very limited access for photos. Since Jenna works at Nemours Hospital she was able to get permission for portraits of the bride and her bridesmaids, but the addition of the whole bridal party made things so much better. The mansion overlooks a massive garden area with a fountain, a stone entrance-way and a large stone staircase down to a second level garden area.

We set TJ up in front of the giant fountain and his bride-to-be descended the stone staircase for a picture-perfect first look to start things off! I swear we could have spent the whole day there taking pictures, but since we had to return the bride & groom for their ceremony, an hour later we were headed back to the Mendenhall Inn.

They had a warm and sunny outdoor ceremony in the Inn's courtyard. Jenna's handiwork started things off as TJ's trio of nephews carried flags announcing the arrival of the bride.  They were followed by Jenna's nieces in dresses with fall-colored tu-tus that Jenna also made. The guests were all handed little bride & groom bottles of bubbles, so after they exchanged vows, TJ & Jenna exited the courtyard through cheers and bubbles. After family portraits, we found a set of old train tracks right next to the courtyard. Jenna was excited to use them as a backdrop for more portraits, and we were more than happy to oblige her. I really enjoyed having Douglas's fresh perspective throughout the day, and he really created some beautiful portraits for Jenna & TJ.

Back inside the Mendenhall, a few more of Jenna's DIY projects greeted guests. She created a frame filled with wine corks to hold all the place cards, which went along with their wedding favor of homemade wine. This newlyweds set the tone for the evening by entering the reception to the song Apache by the Sugar Hill Gang, and the whole bridal party joined in once they reached the dance floor.

TJ and Jenna, thank you so much for making us a part of your day! The Mendenhall Inn was a great venue, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to take your portraits at the Nemours Mansion. We are so happy for you guys and proud to say we were a part it all!