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Gigi and Geoff’s engagement shoot at the Paxson Hill Farm in New Hope, PA. Sandi and I had a great time hanging out with these two hanging out in the Paxson farmhouse and then exploring the property a little. Definitely one of the coolest places we’ve shot at which made for an awesome way to knock the rust off from not shooting a wedding or engagement in a while. The property looked much bigger in person than it did on the AirBnB site and had a lot more cool little areas to shoot than I would have ever imagined had I seen it in person. There were log bridges, greenhouses, little gnome like houses, and a lot more than what we got to see in the two hours that Sandi and I were there. We love when we get to spend time like this with our clients and we had a lot of fun getting to shoot inside and out like we did with them. Really looking forward to their wedding now!
[3 BIG Reasons To Get Engagement Photos]
The Old Mill at Rose Valley wedding venue is a beautifully secluded property that sits back in the woods of Rose Valley, alongside Ridley Creek and a 12-acre wildlife and bird sanctuary. We hadn’t shot a wedding there until a couple of years ago and now that we’ve done a few, it’s quickly become one of our favorite PA venues. Amy and Mike, a couple that we immediately hit it off with got married there on October 14th of last year, and it was easily one of our favorite weddings of the year. There’s nothing better than having awesome clients having their wedding and reception at one of our favorite places to shoot and this wedding was an excellent example of why. Not only was it a fun day, from beginning to end, but we were able to capture some awesome photos for them.
Sandi had met Amy and Mike at our old studio in Somerdale, NJ and she came home to tell me how much she really hoped that they would decide to go with us. She explained them as a very adventurous couple who loved to travel together and were extremely laid back. We heard from them a few days later, they signed the contract and we started planning their engagement shoot. I got to meet the two of them at the engagement shoot and it only took a few minutes to see what Sandi loved about them so much: they reminded her of us when we were dating and engaged. They were a lot of fun to be around and we spent over an hour at Bartram Gardens capturing the two of them being in love and goofy together.
[Flashback: Amy & Mike’s Engagement Session]
Amy and Mike’s wedding went exactly how we had expected and we really wanted to deliver some of our best work as we captured their day. They had given us the green light to be as creative as possible with a good mix of documentary and editorial shooting styles. Mike has a pretty goofy personality and you’ll see in the photos that after demonstrating his Sumo wrestling moves, he split his pants right down the old crack. Luckily, there was a sewing kit and a groomsman who did a pretty impressive stitching job that turned a big deal into absolutely nothing more than a funny story to tell later on. After their emotional ceremony, we decided to go explore a little more of the property than we had before. This wouldn’t have been possible if Amy had decided she wanted to keep her wedding gown clean and spotless. There was a good amount of hiking, climbing, and even though her dress didn’t get too dirty, it sure wasn’t spotless once we got back (my favorite kind of bride). Once back to the Old Mill we joined in on celebrating with two of them til late in the evening and we couldn’t have been more thankful to everyone for making us feel like family.
We wish these two nothing but the best and hopefully, we’ll see again soon as they reach other milestones in their life.
[Jay & Sandi’s Best of 2018 Photos]
OTHER VENDORS:
BRIDE PREP: The Inn at Swarthmore – Queen Suite
GROOM PREP: The Inn at Swarthmore – King Suite
CEREMONY: The Old Mill at Rose Valley
RECEPTION: The Old Mill at Rose Valley
BRIDE’S GOWN: Watters
BRIDE’S SHOES: Badgley Mischka
GROOM’S TUX: Indochino
GROOM’S SHOES: Aston Grey
FLORIST: Wisot Designs
PLANNER: Forever Love Events – Andi Schilawski
VIDEOGRAPHER: Well Spun Weddings
HMU: Make Me Sparkle
CAKE: The Master’s Baker
DJ: M3 Crew
Melanie and Joe’s Campground wedding was easily one of the most unique weddings that we photographed this year, but completely our style. The two of them decided to keep their wedding low key, nothing over the top, and at a place that had a lot of meaning to them, Camp Dark Waters. For a campground wedding, we had the perfect weather to take full advantage of everything that a photographer would hope for.
We had canoes, which we took out down the river to a tree that had been knocked down across the water. A perfect spot for them to paddle over to the shore and climb out. In their bare feet, they walked out onto the fallen tree for some really cool portraits of the two of them simply enjoying the most of their wedding day. Exactly the way that they had wanted it to go. No one telling them what to do or how to do it. As a result, we were able to capture some great shots of them all throughout the day.
The ceremony was held down at the camp’s outdoor chapel which was right up against the river creating a beautiful backdrop for them to exchange their vows. Melanie looked stunning in her boho style dress and looked even better with her new hubby as we walked around the camp capturing some fun and candid moments between the two of them. This was actually our first campground wedding, and to be honest, it really was everything that we had expected it to be. Now we just hope that we can book a few of these each year. Low key yet still a blast once the party started. No stress throughout the day, just a bride and groom with their friends and family enjoying the day without a hoopla of the bigger city weddings that we spent a good amount of the 2018 wedding season photographing.
We wish these two nothing but the best and congratulate them for having the best cake smash that Sandi and I have seen since our own wedding 14 years ago! Well done you two, and we’re looking forward to capturing a lot more of your important life moments as they come along. Congrats!
If you haven’t seen the new website, I’ve given the Jaycassario.com site a facelift and have a lot planned for it in 2019. The next month has a lot of really good content in the works, so if you haven’t already, subscribe to the newsletter. I’ll be starting to send that out very soon.
After we just recently announced partnering up with Stinsman Photography for maternity and newborn shoots, here we are posting a lifestyle family shoot with twins that are only a few months old. Well, as you can see, we’ll still be doing lifestyle shoots like this one which are in fact very different than studio newborn photos. This also isn’t your typical lifestyle family photo shoot. This is easily one of the most special photoshoots that we’ve done in a long time and I really hope that you continue reading to find out why. The photoshoot was for our friends, Marc and Jamie Iuliucci, and knowing what they went through to get to the point at which we were at their home taking these is enough to make these special. Being able to show them the photos, well, it was a good reminder of what makes this job of ours so important.
Almost 20 years ago, possibly more now, Marc and I became good friends. We had both experienced some rough times in our lives growing up and had always been there for each other. Marc, now the father of three beautiful young girls, was not only a groomsman in my wedding but one of those friends who are honestly more like a brother than a friend. Just as brothers do, we would go extended periods of time where we wouldn’t see or talk to each other for extended periods of time, sometimes years, but whenever we did it was as if no time had passed and things just picked up where they had left off.
A couple of months ago, I received a call from Marc telling me that he and Jamie had just had twin baby girls. He already had one girl so the first thing that came to mind was how badly out-numbered he was now, especially with both family dogs being girls as well. As the phone call continued, his voice began to change and he started to describe the very scary and emotional experience that both he and Jamie had gone through during the delivery and the two months that followed. It was a tough story to sit there and listen to him tell me, but as he continued on, I was extremely happy to hear him explain how everything worked out after almost two months and both girls are healthy and doing excellent. I offered to come and take some photos of the twins. I could immediately tell he was hesitant and didn’t really seem interested. A few weeks went by and I received a text letting me know that he spoke to Jamie and that they were interested. Since I explained that the shoot was for the twins, he definitely wasn’t expecting Sandi and me to walk in and ask him to go upstairs to get changed out of the sweat pants he was wearing. I could tell he wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea of being in the photos, but now that he’s seen the pics I have no doubts that he’s happy I talked him into it. Rather than just sharing these photos on social media or in a blog post, I wanted to share their story. A story best told by the mother of these three beautiful young girls, so I asked Jamie to write the rest.
“Our first daughter Lia was our princess but we wanted to give her a forever friend and decided to try again. We got pregnant quickly and received the surprise of our lives at the first ultrasound. Two heartbeats flickered on the screen, it was twins! With no twins in the family, we were both shocked and excited, while also feeling incredibly lucky. However, the pregnancy was difficult, to say the least, and much different from the first.
Nine weeks early, after a flurry of complications, I went into spontaneous labor.
Myla was born first and taken to the NICU and I was rushed to an emergency C-section. Everyone was rushing so much that we knew something was wrong. Adeline was next and born completely lifeless. We don’t know how, but she came back to us after only a short time. So many ups and downs, tears that seemed to never stop, and tons of tests. 49 extraordinarily long days later, Myla and Adeline came home with us to be with their big sister and two dog sisters. We declined NICU newborn photos when they were offered because it was a time we did not want to commemorate.
When Jay offered to take photos while hanging out with Marc at this season’s Fantasy Football draft, we decided to take him up on it. On the day that Jay and Sandy took these photos, all three girls were having a day. You know the one, all three were sleepy and grumpy. Seeing the results of their art brought me to tears because the beauty of my girls being together and our family being whole means more to me than anything. These photos are beautiful reminders of this magical time that I am in awe of. A time I’ll cherish forever, just as I will these incredible photos.”
~ Jamie Iuliucci
“Lisa and Daniel are the KINDEST SOULS who have ever gotten married”, was a direct quote from associate photographer Cecilia who with Eric, did a phenomenal job capturing this new bride and groom’s amazing day at the beautiful Glen Island Harbour Club. It was an absolutely stunning day in every way. The bond this family has is certainly very special, and the bride even had a special FUN dance planned with her father, which was a huge surprise to everyone. You will see the genuine emotion and love pour out of these photos, and it is truly beautiful. Congrats again to the newlyweds.
Bride/Groom Prep Location: Hyatt Place New York/Yonkers
Ceremony Location: Korean Presbyterian Church of Westchester
Reception Location: Glen Island Harbour Club
Bridal Gown: Alexandra Grecco
Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Groom’s Tux: Calvin Klein
Groom’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo
Hair/Make-Up: VickyC5
Florist: Arcadia Floral Company
Videographer: Eric Aumen of Shutter and Sound
DJ/Band: Stolen Moments
