Melody and Matt's wedding featured!

Just found out about this cool little feature on Melody and Matt's wedding, which we photographed in March at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts!

Melody & Matt

We were beyond happy last summer when Melody, one of our favorite coordinators from Philadelphia's Sofitel Hotel, asked if we would photograph her wedding at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)! Melody is gorgeous and hilarious and we knew she would be a wonderful bride.

She chose one of Philadelphia's most beautiful venues for her event. Her charming fiance Matt works for Jimmy Duffy's which we are told is one of Philadelphia's oldest, well-known caterers!

Melody did her preparations at the Sofitel and was actually early getting ready!

We had plenty of time for some bridal portraits and then we documented Melody and Matt's first time seeing each other on their wedding day. After we took their family portraits we headed over to PAFA for a few more images before the ceremony.

The setup at PAFA was beautiful and Melody and Matt's family and friends watched from above as they said their vows on the beautiful marble staircase. Afterwards the cocktail hour was brilliantly presented by Jimmy Duffy's among stunning paintings and sculpture. After Melody and Matt danced to I Love You More Today than Yesterday, dinner was served and everyone enjoyed the toasts and ambiance of the gallery.

There was lots of dancing as well as a popcorn and candy bar! Matt encouraged me to help myself and so I was sure to bring along some chocolate and popcorn for the drive home. It was a fantastic day. Check out the slideshow below for more preview images!

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.

Natalie & Jordan

We're soooo busy with editing right now. We've just completed our post processing work on a fantastic Philadelphia wedding at the Sofitel. Natalie and Jordan throw a great party!
After getting ready just next door at Ursula's About Phace, Jordan and Natalie had a dramatic "reveal" (a blindfold was involved) at the base of the stairs in the Sofitel lobby.
We headed out to walk around for a few casual portraits with some key Philadelphia landmarks. We saw someone get mugged during our travels, which was a little surreal... Let's just say I was a little paranoid about my gear after seeing that. We made a stop at DiBruno Brothers, one of Natalie and Jordan's favorite hangouts.
We headed back to the Sofitel for a brief break before the festivities. The ceremony had some hilarious moments, including a quick go at rock-paper-scissors to see who would repeat their wedding vows first.
A raucous party followed soon after, complete with toasts, special songs, a New Orleans second line, people holding up hand written signs speculating on the state of mind of their friends, and the grand finale of napkins flying through the air. I laughed. A lot.
If you'd like to see some of our favorite images, check out the slideshow. Hit the fullscreen button for the best overall egomedia experience!