Maggie and Jordan’s Pennsylvania farm wedding was one that we had been waiting all year for. They had their actual wedding ceremony a year prior, but had saved the vows they had written for each other. They wanted to read their vows to each other in more of an intimate setting on Jordan’s family farm. On June 4th, that’s exactly what they did, and Sandi and I were lucky enough to be there to photograph it for them. Jordan’s family farm over looks a beautiful stream, a stunning landscape, and was the perfect setting for the two to exchange their vows. After getting into her gown, Maggie walked across the street to Jordan’s parent’s farm, where he was waiting to see his beautiful wife. They exchanged vows, a few tears and smiles, and we were off to take some photos and celebrate with family and friends at a private farm in Phoenixville, PA.

To tell you a little more about these two, Maggie and Jordan’s families are neighbors. Jordan’s family bought the farm across the street from Maggie when he was 18. He and his brothers quickly became good friends with Maggie’s brother, Ben, who you will see in the shorts giving his speech below. A few years later, Jordan went to hang out with Ben for some beers at the Blind Tiger and Maggie decided to come along. Well, for the first time since becoming neighbors, the two hit it off. They then decided to go out on a date, for fish tacos, and they fell in love. As Maggie likes to say, the two of them basically fell in love over fish tacos 🙂

When Maggie and Jordan booked us to shoot their sharing of vows and reception, Sandi and I couldn’t have been more excited. They loved our style of photography and told us to be as creative as possible. The phrase that I absolutely love hearing from clients! After having them over the house, we found out that the 4 of us had a lot in common, and we really hit it off. We talked about our sons, food trucks, and a number of others things that I won’t get into. Their wedding will go down as one of the hottest we have shot, as well as one of our favorites. The beautiful private farm that they held the reception couldn’t have been more perfect, and once the wood fired pizza and beer truck pulled up… we were pretty much in heaven. I can’t stress how happy Sandi and I are that Maggie and Jordan asked us to photograph this day for them. I put a lot of pressure on us to capture amazing images for them, and I really think they will love what we got!

On May 27th, Mark and Mackenzie were married at the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, and celebrated with friends and family at the Talamore Country Club in Ambler, PA.When you’re a Yankees fan, and going to college where everyone roots for the Phillies, the odds of finding a girlfriend usually wouldn’t be that good. Luckily for Mark, there happened to be one other Yankees fan on campus, and she was a beautiful blonde named Mackenzie. The two were introduced, started dating, and on a hot steamy day in May, got married. Luckily for them, the Phillies stink, so Sandi and I didn’t mind shooting the wedding of two diehard Yankees fans. We knew there would be plenty of Phillies fans at the wedding to back us up if needed 🙂

This has been the best year for us since we started shooting weddings 4 years ago, and it’s because of the amazing clients we have had. Mark and Mackenzie both made us feel like family and we have two new friends now that we know we will be seeing more of very soon. They are two amazing people, that although root for the Yankees, made us appreciate once again why we fell in love with photographing weddings. We are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for them, as well as being there for more of it. Congratulations again you guys, hope that you like your wedding photos as much as we do!

Vendors for Mark & Mackenzie’s Talamore Country Club Wedding

Wedding Dress: Galia Lahav

Bride’s Shoes: BCBG

Makeup: Blume Salon (hair: Amina; make-up: Angie)

Florist: Flowers by Elizabeth

Wedding Cake: Anne’s Cake Pan

Ceremony/Reception: Talamore Country Club

DJ: Anthony V from East Coast Event Group

Alicia and Matt’s HollyHedge Estate wedding is one that we have been looking forward to showing off. There’s really no hiding the fact that Sandi and I love weddings out in the country, surrounded by mountains. We got married in the Poconos, 10 years ago, just around the time when Alicia and Matt first started dating. 10 years later, we found ourselves heading back out to rural Pennsylvania to photograph their wedding. The HollyHedge Estate is a beautiful venue, hands down one of our favorites, and we had beautiful weather. The sun was out all day, just how we like it.

Knowing how much Alicia and Matt loved our work and couldn’t wait for us to see the HollyHedge Estate, Sandi and I put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Not only to deliver the creative and artistic shots that we knew they wanted, but to also capture those special moments throughout the day that would help tell the story of their big day. I think we were just as excited when we pulled up that morning as they were, when we seen how beautiful everything looked. We were just as excited by the end of the night feeling pretty confident that we had captured the day just as they had wanted. It was awesome wedding, an awesome party led by one of the best bands we have seen, and we were treated like family all day long. We couldn’t be happier for these two, and look forward to seeing them again soon!

I shot a lot of film throughout the day, which is mixed in here along with the digital shots. The film was all Fuji400H shot on the Pentax645, and the digital is a mix of Canon, Nikon, and Leica. With the sun being extremely bright all day, I was able to use it to my advantage and get a few really artistic flare shots. We also got to work with one of our favorite video teams, VIP Video Productions, which made the day even better.

UPDATE: One of Matt and Alicia’s photos were chosen out of 10,000 submissions to win a Fearless Photographer Award. Check it out – FEARLESS AWARD

For Photographers: A few of the images in this blog were used in a recent article I published on SLR Lounge about how I get beautiful lens flare in some of my images. Here is the link to the article: [REAL LENS FLARE – DONE THE RIGHT WAY]

Vendors for Alicia and Matt’s HollyHedge Estate Wedding 

Wedding Dress: Mori Lee

Bride’s Shoes: Nina

Groom’s Tux: Perry Ellis

Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan

Hair/Makeup: Ashley Mulligan

Florist: Twisted Willow Flowers

Caterer: HollyHedge Estate

Ceremony: St. Martin of Tours

Reception: HollyHedge Estate

Videographer: VIP Video- Darren Leary

Band: Masquerade

There are many reasons that Sandi and I love what we do, and love shooting weddings. The thing about being a wedding photographer, there is a lot more to just taking photos and being creative. In order for us to truly capture a wedding for our clients, we invest ourselves emotionally. From beginning to end, we get to know our clients to the point that we feel part of their wedding. Not only like a guest, but more like a close friend in the wedding party. When we take the time to get to know our clients on a closer level that we start to see all the little moments. Moments, like puzzle pieces, that when pieced together make a wedding day much more than just a marriage ceremony and a party. Moments that we might have missed had we not known where to look for them.

Rachael and Jon’s wedding, at the Pen Ryn Mansion, was one of those weddings that had tons of memorable moments. Funny moments, happy moments, and moments that made our eyes look like we had been chopping onions. The good thing is, it’s easy for us to hold the camera up to our eyes to hide the tears. The main reason I am taking the time to mention moments in this wedding blog, is because there was an extremely powerful moment that Sandi and I will remember for a long time to come. Being parents now to our 2 year old son Luke, we often find ourselves trying to imagine him getting married one day. As Rachael’s father walked her down the aisle, the officiant stopped him just before placing her hand in Jon’s. Having already known the strong relationship between Rachael and her father, I knew that this was an emotional moment for the both of them. As the officiant began to talk, it quickly became an emotional one for us as well.

The officiant looked directly at Rachael’s father, noticeably standing there tall and proud of his daughter. “I want you to look at your beautiful daughter, and realize that she is the woman she is today, standing before you, because of the way you raised her,” she said. Struggling to look into Rachael’s tear filled eyes, he simply grabbed her hand and smiled. It was a moment that I won’t soon forget.

The good thing about emotional ceremonies, they are usually followed by awesome parties. Racheal and Jon’s wedding was no different. With a few emotional speeches mixed in, the rest of the night was a great party. While Jon did his best to let Rachael do all the dancing, she managed to drag him out a few times. When she did, we were there making sure to capture every moment of it 🙂

Vendors for Rachael & Jon’s Pen Ryn Mansion wedding

Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo

Bride’s Shoes: audrey brooke

Groom’s Tux: Jos a banks

Groom’s Shoes: Chris Cole

Makeup: Ingrid’s Salon, Cinnaminson NJ

Florist: London Flower and Variety Inc

Caterer: Pen Ryn Mansion

Cake: Isgros Bakery

DJ: DJ Perry Angelozzi

Although Marra’s wedding wasn’t held at a castle in Scotland, like she had mentioned in her very first conversation with Dan when they met, it was just as beautiful as she had always dreamt it would be. On a sunny Spring day in April, Marra and Dan got married at the beautiful Willow Creek Winery and Farm in Cape May, NJ. The forecast had called for thunderstorms, but the rain stopped just in time for their outdoor ceremony. The sun even peeked through the storm clouds just as Marra walked out to meet her waiting father, where he would walk her down the aisle to be married.

Earlier that day, Marra got ready at the historic 1885 Victorian King’s Landing, in Cape May. In the dress she designed herself, her and Dan then shared a few minutes together at The Abbey, another historic gem, seeing each other for the first time. It had been raining off and on, but as the wedding party made their way over to the Willow Creek Winery and Farm, the rain completely stopped and never started back up. The sun stayed out as Marra and Dan tied the knot, and the remaining storm clouds only added to the beautiful view as the sun set down behind the Willow Creek vineyard.

It was an absolutely beautiful wedding that we couldn’t have been more thankful to be part of. Marra looked absolutely stunning in the wedding gown she designed herself. She also wore her grandmother’s Sweet 16 brooch, her mother’s diamond bracelet, and a pair of Jimmy Choo high heels that complimented her dress perfectly. Marra also designed and sewed the dresses worn by the flower girls. We couldn’t be happier for these two newlyweds, and although I was fighting a 102 fever and a bad cough all day, the images we captured for them made it all worth it.

Vendors for Marra & Dan’s Willow Creek Winery & Farm Wedding

Wedding Dress: Designed by Marra

Groom’s Tux: Calvin Klein

Makeup: Your Day Your Way 

Florist: Coventry Crossing Florist 

Caterer: Southern Mansion

Ceremony/Reception: Willow Creek Winery & Farm

DJ: Posh Entertainment