Philadelphia Engagement Photography | Julia & Tom's Longwood Garden Engagement Portrait

• Posted by Matt •

Tom and Julia's engagement photos at Longwood Gardens last weekend were so much fun, even though it was quite cold outside. They braved the cold admirably! From a personal standpoint, we have always wanted to do Longwood Gardens engagement photos because of all the different structures and flowers they have to offer. Beautiful flowers in winter always draw photographers, like the class of photographers we stumbled upon halfway through.

Winter engagement photos can be tricky, so we started outdoors to try and monopolize on the warmth we walked in with. After tracing our way through the Peony Garden and Wisteria Garden we stopped at the Whispering Bench for a quick photo before heading indoors to the Conservatory for some warmth and floral photos.

The outdoor winter scenes and indoor florals really made for a great mix of photos.

Tom and Julia, thanks so much for braving the cold to meet us! We're looking forward to your wedding in just a few short months!

Lehigh Valley Wedding Photography | Gina & Bryan's Bear Creek Wedding

•  Posted by Natalie  •

Gina & Bryan's summer wedding at Bear Creek Mountain Resort last June, was one we had been looking forward to for a long time.  I've known Gina and her family since grade school, where her mother ran our school lunch program, so it's safe to say we go way back. Gina is the kind of person who knows exactly what she wants, so it was wonderful to see all of her ideas come to life at her wedding. It was such a detail-oriented and fun-filled wedding, it really suited them as a couple!

They opted to start off the weekend with rehearsal dinner coverage, which I thought was great because it gave me a chance to get to know her bridal party as well as Bryan's family and catch up with her family in a much more relaxed setting. It also gave me a chance to get a photo of Gina with her wedding binder, which was one of the most impressive ones I've seen.  All of her planning and organization paid off though, because they had a wonderful wedding day and everyone there had an awesome time.

Bear Creek is one of our favorite Lehigh Valley wedding venues. We've had the pleasure of photographing weddings at Bear Creek in June, July, August, October and November, and it is always beautiful. Not to mention that the venue wedding planners are top notch and the food is delicious, which is always a plus. For this one we were also able to take advantage of the variety of outdoor settings around the resort.  Gina and Bryan had a lot of formal portraits they wanted, but they were adamant about not seeing each other before the ceremony.  We were able to set up on opposite sides of the outdoor space and have the bridal party move back and forth between the bride and groom to keep them from seeing each other.  That meant that after their outdoor ceremony, all we had to take were a few family portraits and the rest of cocktail hour could be used for bride and groom portraits and greeting their guests.

This was our first time photographing a wedding in the Mountain Ballroom, which is the largest reception room at Bear Creek.  Gina and Bryan added to the fun with a photobooth and a candy buffet—both are consistant big hits.

Gina and Bryan, Kudos to you for creating a wedding day that was perfectly yours.  I'm so glad we were able to reconnect after all these years so Matt and I could document it for you!

Delaware Wedding Photography: Paul & Emily's Wilmington Country Club Wedding

• Posted by Matt •

We met Emily and Paul through a previous wedding in Wilmington, Delaware, we did back in 2011 (Jen and Jay...remember that rusted train car photo?). Paul and his friends were dancing like maniacs at that wedding, so we were naturally taking pictures of them all night. A few weeks later they got in touch with us, and we had the pleasure of photographing their wedding this past summer.

They decided to keep things pretty simple logistically, with everything —  from where they both got ready, to their ceremony location, to the country club — being mere minutes from each other. For this one our good friend Melissa Kelly (whose work you've seen here before) joined the team.

Now, just as a precursor, we were warned about a big surprise happening during the reception, so we were kind of on guard for more surprises throughout the day.

Emily and the girls got ready at her parents house in Wilmington before heading over to the church. She picked a really vivid shade of purple as her wedding color, which was really awesome. Purple wedding shoes and a purple handbag really made things pop. While there, we met our first surprise of the day: their dogs dressed in doggy tuxedos!

After she made her grand entrance down the staircase, showing off her dress for the first time, her father then serenaded her with a song on the piano. Tears ensued.

Paul and his groomsmen got ready not too far away at his and Emily's house. There we found a literal ball and chain that his coworkers made for him as a wedding present, plus surprise number 2: matching bride and groom Chuck Taylor sneakers embroidered with the wedding date on the side (hers were in purple, obviously.)

They held their ceremony at St. Mary Magdalene in Wilmington and then ventured outside on the grounds for some bridal party portraits. Paul had some pretty priceless facial expressions. While the girls were being very cooperative and posing how we asked them to, the guys were off to the side just kind of doing their own thing. This was definitely our first groomsmen portrait involving pullups. After this we went back to the Catalano household for some more portraits before heading to the reception. At one point we had to ask Paul for some help with a portrait of his beautiful new bride. As you can see from his face he was pretty scared. But the picture came out great (once he got out of the frame)!Then we were off to the Wilmington Country Club for some partying! This was a really great venue with plenty of space for people to hang out and not be on top of each other. The temperature was a little bit hot but the cocktail hour was split between a nice, private outdoor space and an air conditioned indoor space, so people could cool off if needed.

Surprise Number 3 (for us, at least) was the Paul and Emily bobblehead cake topper they had made for the wedding.

After the majority of the formalities were taken care of, then it was time for that BIG SURPRISE we were told about. After the cake cutting everyone was told to head out to the patio for a large group picture. With help from the DJ and the coordinator from the country club, we were able to usher everyone outside, setup a photo and then...BAM: FIREWORKS!

The parents of the bride and groom organized the whole thing. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

From that point on it was just dancing and having a good time.

Emily and Paul, thanks so much for dancing like crazy people during Jen and Jay's wedding. We're so glad we had the chance to witness all the fun surprises you had in store for your own wedding.

Destination Wedding Photography | Courtney & Bob's Sanibel Island Wedding

• Posted by Natalie •

Courtney and Bob's gorgeous Sanibel Island wedding had Matt and I rethinking our decision to be based in Philadelphia. Then we realized that the thermometer was pushing 90 degrees before noon in early May, and decided we'd settle for being destination wedding photographers every now and then.

In all seriousness though, we were so honored and excited when this Philadelphia couple asked us to tag along for their destination wedding in one of the most beautiful parts of Florida last spring.  Courtney and her family have rented a home in neighboring Captiva for years, so the location had the feeling of home, except with lush greenery and pure white sand leading to the ocean. Everything looked like a postcard, and having a sweet couple that could just not stop smiling at each other didn't hurt either!

They kicked everything off with a first look on the beach at Captiva before heading over to Sanibel Island for their ceremony on the beach at Casa Ybel Resort. After the ceremony we took a few more wedding portraits on the beach and among the palm trees before joining the wedding guests inside for the reception.

Another bonus for the wedding was the opportunity to catch up with our first couple of 2012, Zack and Nikki, who is Bob's cousin. We always love having the opportunity to catch up with a couple after their wedding. It was just a wonderful day from start to finish, and you'll never find us hesitating to ditch the snowy northeast for any tropical destination weddings!

Courtney & Bob,  It was such a pleasure getting to know you guys and being part of the exclusive crowd witnessing your beautiful wedding.  Thank you so much for bringing us along for the experience!

This is probably the most beautiful setting we've ever had for a first look. 

Even the path to the beach was gorgeous.

I love when we're obviously taking portraits and someone just ambles into the photo.

Our future competition?  This little guy was using a camera, iPhone and iPad at once to take photos.

Philadelphia Wedding Photography | Ari & Val's Traditional Jewish Wedding at Crane Arts Center

• Written by Natalie • 

Ari & Valerie seamlessly blended tradition with innovation during their late fall wedding at Crane Arts in the Olde Kensington neighborhood of North Philadelphia. They were able to incorporate a large number of Jewish wedding customs that we had never witnessed before, while still infusing the whole day with their own fresh style. The whole day was jam-packed with awesome, and it was the perfect way for us to wrap up another amazing year.

I met up with Valerie, her mother, sister and friend Beth at Salon Blush in Fishtown.  This salon also houses a photography studio upstairs, so we have a perfect ready-made backdrop for getting ready photos and portraits without even needing to leave the building!

Val's wedding dress was a simple ivory vintage gown with cap sleeves. She paired it perfectly with a bouquet of tied lavender stems and a floor-length antique veil, and all these simple pieces added up to a simply dazzling bride.  There was no bridal party for this wedding, which actually added a special sort of intimacy to the getting ready process.  The love radiating between her mother, sister and friend was so wonderful, and truly a microcosm for general atmosphere for the day.

We met up Ari & Matt at Race Street Pier for their First Look.  I love the long shadows and intense sun in early afternoon during the fall. They added an extra layer of magic to this special part of the day when the bride and groom get to see each other for the first time.

We also made a stop at a graffiti wall in North Philly for a couple more portraits before heading to Crane Arts for the festivities. Crane Arts is a refurbished warehouse and manufacturing building just north of Girard Ave, which now functions as a venue for art installations and events.  Val and Ari held their reception in the Ice Box room, a huge open space they filled with elegant long tables with white linens, a burlap runner and highlighted with with white orchids and tea light candles.

Before the actual wedding ceremony, Val and Ari included many traditional jewish rituals, which invited their to become active participants, and after the ceremony all the guests signed the Ketubah, a wedding contract, as witnesses to the day.  Then the reception started with a lively Hora, which is always one of my favorite parts of a jewish wedding.  There is so much joy and energy, and of course plenty of excitement when the newly married couple is lifted into the air on chairs!  They wrapped up the festivities with one more unique idea—instead of cutting a wedding cake, they smashed a cake-shaped pinata!

Ari & Val,  We're so glad you found us!  Your wedding day was truly an event to remember and a wonderful note for us to end the year on.

In addition to making a simply lovely bouquet, Valerie pointed out that the lavender is also very calming, which is always an added benefit for any bride!

Ari & Val had a marathon list of family portraits, but everyone was so cooperative and helpful that we were able to fly through them.  A special thank you to all our wranglers!

The pre-wedding rituals started with the Tish, where the bride and groom attempt to deliver a lesson from the Torah while friends and family interrupt, heckle and break into song.

Then the mothers of the bride and groom break a plate as a symbol of the permanence of the marriage.

Next, during the Bedeken, in the Gray Space of Crane Arts, the groom lowers the bride's veil and the bride helps the groom into a traditional linen robe. Then they each receive a blessing from their parents.

Finally, the marriage contract, called a Ketubah, is signed by the bride, groom and witnesses.  Then it was time for the actual marriage ceremony!

The bride and groom entered the ceremony space together and processed to the chuppah with their parents.