Kelley & Tyler

We met with Kelley for the first time last year to talk about her Philadelphia wedding. She and Tyler married at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in downtown Philadelphia. The reception was held at the beautiful and modern Sofitel Hotel. Melody Lapp coordinated the Sofitel event and not only is she a brilliant coordinator but she is also one of our clients. We'll photograph her wedding in March 2009! :)

Kelley got ready in a beautiful suite at the Sofitel which yielded some gorgeous getting ready images - she had a very Breakfast at Tiffany's look for her wedding day style.

We all hopped in the limo (well to be honest I kind of fell into the limo which is what happens when you're carrying your camera and shoulder bag - I travel very light but for some reason limos are so hard to get in an out of!). Anyway Kelley and her bridesmaids were more graceful than I and we headed off to the Basilica.

The Basilica itself is beautiful and the staff was gracious enough to allow us a lot of freedom of movement during the ceremony. I was with Kelley until she walked through the doors and down the aisle. After an emotional few moments of seeing each other as Kelley made her way to Tyler, the couple took their seats on the altar for the ceremony. The beauty of the church and the obvious love and commitment as they took their vows made for a touching ceremony.

After the ceremony we had instructions to leave the church right away (a peculiarity of this particular basilica) and of course that didn't happen. One thing I can say from experience - it's nearly impossible to quickly leave the ceremony and disperse the excited family and friends! The day is so meaningful and emotional that it takes on a life of its own.

I got in the limo with Kelley and Tyler and a few bridal party members and took one of my favorite images of the day.

It's one of those images that makes me so happy to be a wedding photojournalist. Generations of Kelley and Tyler's family will get to see this image and others like it and get a sense of what their wedding day was like and how they felt on that day.

The reception was a lot of fun - after a couple of heartfelt toasts from their matron of honor and best man Kelley and Tyler danced the night away with their guests. Kelley's background is in dance and she didn't fail to impress us! You can check out our favorites gallery below in full screen by clicking --- or to see the entire gallery you can click here.