Tracey & Drew Engagement Session – Fonthill Museum – 5.23.09

Tracey & Drew live almost across the street from the Fonthill Museum and The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works built by Henry Mercer in Doylestown so it was a perfect place to go do their engagement session. I have driven through the area before but this was my first time on the Fonthill section of the property.

If you are unfamiliar with Henry Mercer, he was a historian and archeologist who was alive in the mid 1800′s to early 1900′s. He collected and preserved items that were used in daily life prior to the industrial revolution that became extinct with the new machines and technologies. He collected almost 30,000 items for which he built a 6 story castle to store them in now known as the Mercer Museum. If you live in the area it is an awesome museum and well worth checking out.

Fonthill, Mercer’s home, is a very unique building unlike anything you see today. It is covered in oddly shaped windows and unusual arches making it a very artistic backdrop for a photo shoot.

First we headed down to a small area in the lawn where there was a concrete pond and some trails leading into the woods.

After that we headed back up to the building to do some exploring.

Next we decided to venture down the trails to see what we could find. There was another house way back in the woods that had some beautiful tiles and sayings on it that appeared to have been a guest house. Unfortunately it has been destroyed by kids with spray paint and is full of broken windows. Normally something like this would make a cool back drop but we decided to keep walking due to the massive amount of broken glass on the ground. Flip flips + Dirty Broken Glass = Bad idea! Back into the trails it was to head towards the Tile Works.

Here you can see a very small sampling of the tiles that can be found in the buildings all over the property.

Last but not least we stopped by the Tile Works to do some photos in the archways that surround the courtyard of the building.

I had a great time with Tracey & Drew and can’t wait for their wedding next May at the Holly Hedge Estate.

Matt & Kristen’s Engagement Session

Matt, Kristen and I met at Washington’s Crossing for their engagement session. This is where they had their first date, where they got engaged and where they jumped a fence to have their engagement picture taken with sheep! As we found out the sheep weren’t as happy to have their picture taken with Matt and Kristen and Matt and Kristen were to have their picture taken with the sheep. Washington’s crossing is an enormous park and has so many trails and paths to explore that we could have spent the entire day there! Be sure to check back next year for pictures from their wedding!

Bryan & Kelly’s Engagement Session

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of doing Bryan & Kelly’s engagement session at Hotel Fiesole in Skippack Village which is where they will be getting married in about a week. Bryan & Kelly are a very fun and energetic couple that I am looking forward to spending their wedding day with! If you are ever in Skippack head over to the Parc Bistro they have amazing food and even better entertainment at the bar!! Check back in a few weeks for their wedding photos.

Jon & Anna’s Engagement Session

It seems like every year I go to Cape May on vacation I end up starting the week off with a photo shoot…why should this year be any different. Jon & Anna both have a lot of love for Cape May, they have family there, they got engaged there so why not do their engagement photos there too. First we headed over to Cape May Winery & Vinyard where we sampled a few wines and started our photo session.

After stopping for a dinner break we were off to one of my favorite hotels in Cape May…Congress Hall where we now had that fabulous golden light from the setting sun.

What would an engagement session at the beach be without a few pictures in the sand.

To our amusement as we were walking down the beach towards our car we saw not one, not two but THREE different families with THREE different photographers all lined up doing their “Family Beach Portraits”. I won’t deny that the white sandy beach, vibrant green dunes with the bright blue sky in the background looks gorgeous at sunset (why do you think we were out there) but you can’t help but giggle at the sight of 3 families all dressed alike in their matching white, khakki & navy outfits lined up down the beach getting their yearly family beach portrait done!!

Finally, Cape May is unique from the other beaches that run along the Jersey coast because it has Sunset Beach which is on the edge of the Delaware Bay and faces the west which means beautiful sunsets!!

Tom & Katie’s Engagement Session

Sunday Tom, Katie & I traveled out to Washington’s Crossing Historic Park along the Delaware River to do their engagement session. I haven’t been to Washington’s Crossing for quite a few years now and last time I was there it was for a very long run up the canal path, through the botanical nature preserve and to the top of the hill/mountain (not really sure what it is called) where Bowman’s Hill Tower sits and back. Now that I was not delirious from running I was able to appreciate how beautiful an area Washington’s Crossing is. All of the original houses that George Washington and his men built when they crossed the Delaware back in 1776 still stand undisturbed. Thankfully though the sound of Cannon’s firing has been replaced with the sound of cars passing over the metal bridge to NJ and kids laughing as they kick on their brightly colored tubes down the river to stay cool. I would hate to have to dodge cannon balls to take engagement photos! For more information on Washington’s Crossing Historic Park go HERE. Scroll below for Tom & Katie’s engagement photos.

And finally…I’m not really sure what was so funny but they were cracking up!!

Anthony & Jeanette’s Engagement Session

This past Saturday Anthony, Jeanette and I went and did a walk through of the beautiful Bear Creek Mountain Resort (formerly Doe Mountain) where they will be getting married in September. They have an amazing new banquet room with views out across the ski slopes which are obviously a bit lacking in the snow department right now. After our tour of the new banquet area we were off to check out the grounds and do some engagement photos which can be found below. Be sure to check back in a few months for pictures from their wedding day. If you magically see snow falling in September I didn’t touch the snow maker…I swear…it was that kid over there!!

Julie & Dan’s Engagement Session

After being postponed due to heavy rain we finally got to do Julie & Dan’s engagement session today! We headed up to New Hope to wander around some of the back streets and the canal walkway. Check back later this summer for pictures from their wedding day!

Liz & Dan’s Engagement Session

Liz & Dan’s engagement session was the end to a very long but exciting weekend for me. We headed down the shore Sunday to Ocean City but due to an unexpected beach dredging project we had to come up with a plan B. After a little Mack & Manco’s we were off to Cape May. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Mindie & George’s Engagement Session

Here are a few photos from Mindie & George’s engagement session a few weeks ago. Due to severe rain that weekend we had to move our shoot from the park over to Byers’ Choice in Chalfont but it all worked out in the end. We got some cute pictures and the boys had fun running around through the gardens. Check back soon for pictures from their big day coming up on Saturday already!!