I never cry when I'm photographing a wedding, but during Lauren and John's first look, for the first time, I came close. Their unrestricted admiration for each other shone through as John kept saying "I am the luckiest man in the world", just loud enough for Lauren to hear. It was especially refreshing to work with these two because of their relaxed attitude, and their grounded nature. They truly celebrated their love for one another which was reinforced by the full hearts of family and friends.

Lauren and John shared the bond of friendship for a few years. They had an exceptional first date that lasted 3 days due to the historic snowstorm of 2010. When it came to the proposal, John had planned three separate romantic trips, intending to pop the question, but was delayed by the antique ring's late delivery. In the end, John planned out an evening at home. The two of them were enjoying a bottle of wine, next to the fire pit, with Van Morrison on the stereo. Then, in Lauren's words, "Into the Mystic ( my all time FAVORITE song) came on and the next thing I knew....John was on one knee saying a whole lot of stuff I couldn't hear because I was crying. Apparently he had to ask me twice because I didn't respond the first time."

As an interior designer, Lauren knows that, "design is in the details. Definitely making our day reflective of who we are. We're not the 'wedding factory' type and decided against a lot of expected wedding details. I had more than a few odd looks when describing our pie bar. Also, we wanted to bring our friends and family together for a night they'd never forget.....it probably won't ever happen again - having all of those people gathered in one place to celebrate and have fun. We wanted to make it count."

Lauren explained, "The venue was so pretty that I didn't have to add much but I love Dutch still Life paintings from the 1600's and wanted that vibe for my flowers. I also wanted them to be seasonal and local. Enter Ellen Frost. I showed her a few pics I found on a blog, and we recreated those centerpieces using dahlias, coxcomb, gourds, succulents and other seasonal items." "We're music junkies and that played a huge role in the day.....the table numbers, the music trivia on the backs of the menus were all meant to reinforce the importance that music plays in our lives and a big part of what originally brought us together." They also had an excellent DJ, Neal Beacon, was behind the turn tables, spinning exclusively LPs.

When I asked her what was her favorite part of the day, Lauren explained, "There were so many amazing moments! Seeing John for the first time and having a few moments to ourselves before the ceremony. Walking into the ceremony on my father's arm and seeing all of those faces there smiling and happy to celebrate the day with us. Also, the speeches! Each one was funny, heart-warming and incredibly special to us......oh, and I suppose seeing my Aunt do her Tina Turner impression on the dance floor during Proud Mary. Loved that!" Check out the extended gallery for more. Special thanks to Kristian for his help!

Vendors who helped bring this day together:

Flowers: Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers 
Day of Coordination: Rachel Shaw of Plan it Perfect Weddings 
Venue: Historic London Town and Gardens 
DJ: Neal Becton
Caterer: Jamie Kupstas of Ken's Creative Kitchen
Dress: Watters and Watters, purchased from Betsy Robinson's

I am very excited to feature this lovely waterfront wedding with Marc and Erica. Their ceremony and reception were held at the 79th St. Boat Basin in New York City and there is only one way to describe the beautiful weather we had, perfect. We started at their Upper West Side apartment with the first look, then headed out on foot to the boat basin, a short walk away.  As we mosied down the waterfront, we stopped at various locations for portraits, eventually making our way to the venue.  Erica wore a Monique Lhuillier gown while Marc wore a suit composed of various pieces from Valentino. The waterfront ceremony was timed perfectly with the setting sun.  Marc is owner of OnTheMarc Events, a fabulous caterer specializing in sophisticated bites.  He pulled out all of the stops for his wedding with an impressive line up of hors d'oeuvres and family style plates. Take a look at the extended gallery for additional wedding coverage and pictures of Marc's food. 

Amanda and Joey with the help of the talented people at Styled Creative and Peche, created a gorgeous October wedding in Philadelphia.  Jacqueline and I started out with preparation photos at Amanda's parents' house tucked away in the beautiful green hills of West Chester, PA.  After photographing the preparation we headed to the church for the ceremony, then returned to her parents for portraits. We walked a short distance from the house into a nearby field that provided us with a fabulous backdrop, not to mention a set of train tracks and a beautiful rustic wood fence to work with.  We had a ton of fun making portraits and it was really tough to pulll ourselves away to head to the reception at Peche.

When I was first talking with Amanda and Joey, their vision for the day was to blend the rustic with the contemporary.  Amanda said,  "Our look and feel is very high/low...casual but elegant...very much like ourselves.  We like unpretentious style. Joey works as a carpenter and I work in fashion."   The overall design combined elegant purples and silver with the industrial feel of Peche.  They opted to have the room professionally lit, adding extra dimension and ambiance to the space. You can view an extended gallery of images here. 

Event designer/planner: Beka Rendell, Styled Creative
Venue: Peche Sherman Mills, Philadelphia
Catering: Peach Tree Catering
Band: Soulpatch
Flowers: Evantine
Wedding Cake: Bakers of Buffington's
Videographer: Friend of the Bride

This couple has such a positive energy, and being around them during their engagement shoot was really refreshing. Erin's creativity and giddy excitement about her wedding at the Phoenixville Foundry made me look forward to this day since we first met in the chill of winter.

I love hearing the bride's perspective looking back, so I asked Erin to say a little bit about the day.  A couple of her favorite moments were, "Watching my Dad take in "small doses" of me while I was getting ready the morning of the wedding. and watching Mike's reaction as the doors to the church opened and him whispering, "I love you, you are beautiful" when my dad gave me away."

"We just wanted to throw a great party! We wanted all our friends and family to have an experience they would never forget! The Foundry offered flexibility in that it allowed us to bring in our own design.  The Foundry offers an industrial yet modern open space.  We really wanted to work with a 'blank canvas.' We wanted every last detail to be our own. I so lucky to work with such amazingly talented people that were able to make my visions come to life! And I had a lot of them: detail, details, details…it's all about the little things that really make a big impression."

Erin's advice for future brides, "Continue to remind yourselves that it's not just a wedding, its a marriage.  Confide in your friends. Have trust in the people who you hired for your event. The last two weeks are crazy, but the wedding day makes it all worth it! "

Erin and Mike's Vendors included:

Band: The Hudson Project

Caterer: Robert Ryan

Dress: Jenny Lee

Flowers: Sommerfield Design

Venue: Phoenixville Foundry

Church: St. Agnes Parish
Photobooth: Shutterbooth
Wedding Cake: Bakers of Buffington
Videographer: Bryan Cordero at Jezreel Entertainment
Invitations: Argus Printing