Matt & Kristen’s Wedding- Vereinigung Erzgebirge – 5.30.09

Back in May I had the pleasure of photographing Matt & Kristen’s wedding in Southampton, PA. They decided to have their ceremony at the Old Southampton Baptist Church. It is the oldest Baptist Church in Bucks County, PA built in 1814. As you will see it has a lot of character compared to some of the newer churches in the area so it was a great choice.

We had quite a bit of time before the ceremony started so we were able to get both of them outside around the grounds for some portraits.

Then it was time for the ceremony…

After the ceremony we headed over to the Churchville Nature Center with the bridal party for a while to get some photos in their beautiful landscaped gardens…

After the Nature Center we were off to the reception which was held at the Vereinigung Erzgebirge German Club also located in Southampton, PA.

The groom had an awesome sushi cake. The bride actually made the decorations on top out of cupcakes and other handmade items.

Matt & Kristen were such a fun couple to work with! I wish them the best of luck in their new adventures as husband and wife!

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.

Holl Kids – Blue Bell, Pa – 4.26.09

Waaaay back in April I took the girls out to Gwynedd Mercy to do a photo shoot. The three of us used to spend quite a bit of time there for cross country practice when I was their coach so the trails seemed like a natural place to go. Despite the fact that it was only April it was extremely hot out so I am thankful they were good sports about letting me drag them around in the hot sun.

Marcelis Kids – Blue Bell, PA – 4.26.09

So to make up for not posting in weeks you are getting two posts in one night. This is a shoot I did with the Marcelis kids at their home in Blue Bell, Pa. I used to coach the 2nd oldest Lucas in cross country at Amber Olympic Club so I have gotten to know their family quite well. They were kind enough to let me come out and do a shoot with them to help me advertise for children’s photography. I must say I learned one thing during this shoot…one trampoline + one fisheye lens + 4 kids = AWESOME! Check em out.

Ettinger Family

Last month I did a family shoot for my friend Nova and her husbands family. Since it was early march we pretty much assumed we would be stuck inside for the whole thing but we got lucky and were able to go outside for some of the photos. The shoot was done at Elm Terrace Garden Retirement Community so we had to get a little creative with our backdrops but it all worked out in the end and we ended up with some very candid and cute pictures.

Liz & Dan 11.8.08 St. Dorothy Church & Spring Haven Country Club

Liz and Dan got married back in November at the absolutely gorgeous St. Dorothy Parish in Drexel Hill, PA. The eggshell blue wall and brown and teal tiles behind the alter were so colorful and made a great backdrop for pictures during the ceremony. The day started at Liz’s parents house just a few minutes down the street from the church. I was able to get lots of detail pictures while the girls hung out down stairs having drinks and relaxing before it was time to get ready.

Finally it was time for Liz to start getting ready. I teary eyed mom helped lace her into her dress and get her garter belt on. Liz’s jewlery came from her grandmom who was unable to attend the wedding due to an illness.

Finally it was time for the ceremony…

These two could not stop giggling through the entire ceremony…it was so cute!!

Thankfully the rain stopped and the sun started to come out just as the ceremony ended..

Bubbles are always a good alternative to throwing bird seed at the bride and groom…

After the ceremony we headed over to the Spring Haven Country Club for some group photos before the reception. Even though the rain had stopped there were still quite a few very large black clouds looming overhead. We were only able to take Liz & Dan out on the golf course for a few quick shots by the fountain before it started to rain again. Thankfully they had a large patio with nice landscaping to use as a backdrop for the group and family photos.

After the family photos we hopped on the Trolley they rented from Philadelphia Trolley Works to make a very special trip. As I mentioned Liz’s grandmother was unable to attend the wedding due to illness so since she couldn’t come to the wedding we brought the wedding to her!! It was a very proud day for her grandmom getting to parade Liz around the nursing home dining room in her wedding gown. I’m pretty sure she was the envy of all the residents that day! We headed into the little chapel they had there to do a few family photos with grandmom who couldn’t resist checking out the jewelry Liz was wearing that once belonged to her.

After our visit to see grandmom it was back to the country club to celebrate. Many wedding cakes you see now a days are covered in fondant that is colored to look like chocolate…not this cake!!! Everything you see is pure chocolate. It smelled absolutely amazing!

Another unique thing I noticed at the reception were the table numbers. Instead of doing your run of the mill card with a number on it every table had a sign with a year on it. Under the year was a picture of both the bride and groom from that year. They started with baby pictures and worked all the way up to photos from that summer. I don’t know about the guests by I certainly enjoyed going from table to table to check each one out.

And now for the party…

Liz & Dan you were such a pleasure to work with! I hope to have the opportunity to work with you on future projects!!

Christie & Dave – Trash the Dress – Pittsburgh, PA

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to blog but now that my long to do list is winding down and albums are off at the lab printing I am going to do some catching up.

For at least a year Christie and I were discussing how she wanted to do a Trash the Dress session. Like many people I know Christie was not satisfied with the very traditional style photos they ended up with from their wedding day. She wanted a way to get the more artistic style photos that can be created with a Trash the Dress session…and I think getting to wear the dress again for the weekend made her pretty happy too! Christie and I know each other from college where we were in the art department together so I knew they would be up for trying out pretty much anything. Rather than actually trashing her dress, we used this shoot as a chance to get some nice elegant and artistic photos which serves as a good example for all you brides out there who want to get creative but not ruin your dress. Now more about the shoot…

Christie and her husband Dave live in Pittsburgh which is conveniently where my sister lives as well so I was able to head out for both their photo shoot and my sisters birthday all in one trip. The weather that weekend was less than ideal with heavy rain rolling through every few hours but we made the most of the few hours a day we did have dry skies. I guess we should have just been thankful it wasn’t snowing after all it was October in Pittsburgh.

The first day it rained the entire morning and afternoon but finally let up in just enough time for us to get ready and head over to this amazing overlook called the West End Overlook. We were able to get some really great pictures.

By the time we were done at the overlook the sun had fully come out so we headed down to an area known as the Mexican War Streets. I’m not sure if the name is any indication of the reputation of the neighborhood but they had some really great doorways, stoops and fun colored walls to shoot in front of.

After the Mexican War Streets we headed off to the local laundry mat. I have always thought it would be a neat idea to do a photo shoot in an old school laundry mat for some reason with a bride sitting in the laundry cart. This was the result…

Since we got rained out for the majority of the day Saturday we wanted to make up for it on Sunday before I had to head to the airport. We headed out to McConnells Mill State Park. It was obviously not a place accustomed to seeing someone walk around in a wedding dress because we got quite a few stares! I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the 3 of us camera bag, wedding dress, high heels and all climbed down the side of a steep drop off to get to the rocks and rivers edge below. The park had some really neat roadways and trails most of which have tall rocks on either side of them and were a pleasant change to the suburban backdrops I am used to. If you are ever in the area it is worth checking out!

Christie LOVE’S her shoes!!!

Thank you both for a fun filled weekend!!

On a random side note on the flight home I had the chance to fly past Citizen’s Bank Park right in the middle of game 4 of the World Series. The score was 1-0 in the top of the 2nd when we had to board the plane so needless to say it was a long 45 minutes until we landed and could check the score on our cell phones. We couldn’t quite make out the score board on the way by but It was very reassuring to see the huge Liberty Bell flashing as we passed. The picture is not the best due to those pesky no electronics while landing rules and being a point and shoot but hey the Phillies were in the World Series could you blame me for snapping a quick picture???

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.

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!!