When two architects hire me as their Philadelphia wedding photographer you better believe it’s a good match! Designers with a touch of my home town? I’m in. Having values in common with your photographer is key to a solid event partnership. Architects and photographers often see the world in a very similar way. I place value on how I see moments happen and designers can see a moment before it even comes together! We can share the appreciation. The environment that naturally occurs around a wedding day will reflect who you are. This can be through friends, family and even the details you chose with your wedding planner to decorate your space.

Now let’s step back a beat and recount the day that was Laura and Jose’s wedding. Laura, Jose and I actually met for the first time in Los Angeles. It so happened that friends connected us while we were all still living out there. Right off the bat we got excited because 1) they had picked a Philadelphia wedding venue that I had already shot at ( Knowlton Mansion)  and 2) they wanted to eventually move to the east coast — immediate connections! Combine those connections with how much we laughed while drinking Boba tea in Koreatown and you get a solid match. Once we solidified all the wedding photographer contract details, we decided to do a little impromptu engagement session in Burbank, because why not?

When it came to shooting their actual wedding day, a few things were consistently in the back of my mind. I knew Laura was an only child, so the relationship with her dad was going to be particularly important. All eyes on Laura, yet with the humble spirit that makes Laura the sweetheart that she is.  Father-daughter moments on a wedding day are truly in their own category.

Additionally, it is not often that Jose and his crew are in the same room. His family traveled from all over. Any chance we could get to document his friends and brothers would matter a great deal. Travel wedding photography, here we come!

Naturally, while we had a perfect wedding timeline with buffer room for everything, the rain did not stop on our account.  It would downpour then break, downpour then break. We just kept watching for the 5 minute breaks to grab group shots for the wedding day photography. Rain happens though guys, you can’t let it ruin your day! In fact, if I may remind you, a rainy day is what will bring out all the most amazing colors. Everything is richer; greens are more lush which adds contrast to everything around it. Even buildings! Embrace a rainy wedding day with open arms. Let it be your lucky charm!

That said, all were on board to think a bit more outside the box. We took the bridal party up to the top floor suite at Knowlton Mansion and messed with window light portraits. These two certainly turned on their game faces!

It’s crucial to keep in touch with your wedding venue coordinator and Philadelphia wedding photographer as you make a wedding day-of timeline. Wedding planners are god sends. If you cannot afford a wedding planner in the beginning of planning plus on the day of, or vice versa, (or just not at all) talk to your Philadelphia venue coordinator! Get them on board with a bi-monthly call that includes your Pennsylvania wedding photographer. Let them be a resource for you as they know the venue the best and will be your new best friend when that big day arrives.  If we hadn’t planned accordingly for buffer room to do bridal party photos in between the ceremony and reception we wouldn’t have caught the 15 minutes when the rain stopped!

Not to mention, it put us all in a great mood having caught that. It made waiting for the entrances to the reception a well deserved breather. Perfect time to refuel with the first served cocktail apps! Speaking of the reception, Laura and Jose chose details to bring the most perfect pop of color to everything. Bright pink and orange roses, yellow accents and a constant primary green kept a lively vibe to the reception venue all evening. These two were smart and had their bridal parties wear lighter, more pastel ensembles. This certainly preserved the magic of the brighter colors.  Having such a primary color palette made room for more dramatic black and white portraits to complement their full wedding gallery photoshoot. It was a summer wedding at a mansion in Philadelphia done quite elegantly.

Did I mention the amazing first dance these two did? It was as if Dancing with the Stars sent someone to train them. Laura and Jose channeled all their inner rhythm and wowed us all. They literally ended sitting and hugging at the same time, right on beat. Movement is everything; I firmly believe this is one of our biggest drivers of emotion. I highly advise brides and grooms to learn a new dance together. It makes for such a great first accomplishment together, and awesome newlywed photos from the photographer!

Despite the weather and wet high heels sinking in to the mud, it was a smooth day with positive personalities all around. Laura and I still keep in touch and look for every chance for our paths to cross. Her and Jose have a genuine, thoughtful approach to any conversation. I guarantee Jose will have you laughing! It is particularly exciting that they live on the east coast now— I hope to see a lot more of them. I will always take their advice and time as friends to heart!

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