The best wedding moments of 2014 , summer and fall
This is the second half of my 2014 best-of roundup, the summer and fall weddings. Part one covered the winter and spring side of the year. By this point in 2014 the shoot calendar was full, and looking back, the through line across these summer and fall weddings was light. Long July sun, the gold half hour through October, the kind of light you cannot fake and have to plan a day around. Below are the moments that ended up framed on bookshelves.
How I shoot a wedding day
Most of my weddings run with a second photographer and often a small film team. More cameras, more angles, more frames per minute. The portraits everyone expects, we get. But the photographs in this kind of roundup are usually the candid in-between moments somebody else might have walked right past. That is the part I care most about.
Summer!
Jillian and Dennis wanted to bring their golden retriever with them for a bit of their wedding day.
They don’t like sailing but look amazing with sailboats around them.
They did practice safety while at the Yacht club.
And made some new friends along the way.
Ashley and Rory are always a good time! She had her black lab with her while she was getting her makeup and dress on.
Rory needed to cool down a bit, after seeing Ashley for the first time.
So they checked out the vineyards at the Valenzano winery…
Came close together for a few laughs…
Tested the strength of the bridesmaids…
Shared a beautiful first dance…
And the guests rocked that party all night!
Jessica and Justinas wedding at the Westin in Philadelphia was cool. You can tell just from seeing the groom checking out the view.
He was having trouble with this bowtie so he decided to have a drink.
Jessica was radiant on her special day and as a photographer it is always great seeing past brides in the bridal party.
The guys were super cool hanging out across from the hotel.
They passed by many interesting people…
On their way to the reception.
Some kids can’t handle the dancing and music from EBE’s Rio…
But the bride and groom embraced it!
And some have so much fun it hurts.
Julie & Ryan’s wedding at Cesaphe went nearly perfect except for almost losing a contact lens.
The skies really opened up in Northern Liberties for them to be photographed with my infrared camera.
We met a few new furry friends at the park. *We have no idea who this guy or these dogs are…
They enjoyed a beautiful choreographed dance at Cescaphe.
Matt Damon approved of the band as well. *Not really Matt Damon…
Julie get’s amazed by fire.
Nothing like ending the night checking out Dmitris!
Stephany looked so beautiful that the ring bearer fell right over when he saw her in her dress…
Which had a slightly looooooooong train that looked great at the grounds of the Valenzano winery.
They broke into a serious choreographed dance during the reception.
Lisa & Patrick’s wedding started off with squirting Fireball shots sprayed from a children’s sword…
That moment when you see your daughter for the first time on her wedding day and building the courage to give her away to another man…
Lisa and Patrick drove around Broad Street in their vintage Rolls Royce checking out City Hall in Philadelphia.
One of my favorite bands, Jelly Roll, rocked it!
Lisa was listening tentatively to her father give a speech during the reception with Patrick at their mirrored head table.
Nothing like some guests that love the piano.
Erin & Dan’s wedding at Tendenza was another great wedding. Dan and his brother were testing out the pegs on his BMX bike.
Then wanted to check out Dan’s weight.
Their black lab, Shadow was watching all this craziness unfold.
We got photobombed by some body builders in Northern Liberties.
Found a private moment in the stairway at the front of Tendenza.
Gillian & Ryan’s wedding at the Ocean City Yacht club was another hot hot wedding. But thank goodness for the ocean breeze on the jetty on First Street.
The girls felt comfortable by the beach too.
Don’t blink because Ryan is straight GQ!
The bridesmaids did not think about the oncoming waves.
They had their ceremony on the beach there.
With many beachgoers getting in on the action.
A broken leg did not stop Ryan’s mom from enjoying the beach wedding.
Alison and Mark had a stunning wedding at Renault Winery. She looked beautiful with her veil and makeup set to perfection.
They found a exquisite Tuscan backdrop at their hotel.
Bridesmaids thought it was cool so they hung out and checked the scenery too.
The bridal party gathered together on this amazing hilltop for some great shots.
Mark was slightly happy that he was marrying Alison.
They found so many pinecones in the vineyards!
Lindsey and Michael’s wedding was a hot one. So they thought they would cool off down by the water.
Once it cooled off she wanted to show how long her veil was before removing it for the reception.
Michael just “kicking it” with a few of his friends at the end of the night.
Gina & Ryan’s wedding at the Hotel du Pont kicked off our fall weddings with a shocked expression from Katie at DFW planning. One of my favorite planners in the world.
It is always emotional seeing your daughter for the first time on her wedding day.
The bridesmaids were sassy and fun all day.
They then went on a stroll along one of the local rivers in Delaware that was perfect for my infrared camera.
These girls started crying when they saw Gina & Ryan together!
Gina was also sharing the emotion during the toasts.
Ryan was working the strut with EBE’s Dreamtime.
Tracey & Derick’s wedding at Blue Bell Country Club had lots of laughs and near misses. Any higher on this cornhole shot and Derrick would have had a black eye for the ceremony.
And that would not work well since they took Jager bombs right before they kissed!
The sky and clouds were perfect again for my infrared camera.
This is some serious focus from this bridesmaid to take the fall and not spill her entire drink.
Tara & Paul had a very relaxed and chill wedding at Bonnet Island in LBI. Tara looked stunning as usual. We actually did three shoots together already which is amazing!
They took a little stroll on the docks together.
The bridal party enjoyed the docks as well.
It was such a hot and exciting wedding that one of the groomsmen and the bride fainted during the ceremony.
Tara needed some refreshments before her big father/ daughter 5 minute choreographed dance together.
They tore up the floor and worked up a good sweat as friends and family cheered them on.
They wanted to see what the docks look like at night.
And lastly they checked out the hanging lights on the outside patio at Bonnet Island.
Lisa & Nick’s wedding at The Downtown Club was as unique and fun as they are. The groomsmen were super heroes in their own right.
Even shared laughs during their first look.
And more laughs with the groomsmen.
And finally some more laughs with a complete stranger that had the most amazing mustache and shirt in Philadelphia photobomb history.
The sunlight and beautiful day was perfect for my infrared camera.
They even brought their pooch with them!
Kurt from the Jelly Roll band is always awesome to work with.
You can see what they do to your guests.
And the bride and groom loved it too!
The best man and the groom at the wedding of Denise & Tom’s are identical twins!
I had them walk down this really long windy road for this photograph…
Our last wedding of the fall was Laura & Greg’s at the Merion. Even the dogs loved it.
They were in a rush to get out of the ceremony to photograph at the park.
The groomsmen seemed to take a liking to the sculptures at the park.
At one point he even lost his pants…
But the beautiful weather and environment made for amazing infrared photographs.
There was quite a bit of belly laughing throughout the day.
They even found a single domino where we were shooting that had the number of their wedding date on it.
Planning a Philadelphia or Jersey Shore wedding?
If you are starting to look at venues, I keep a working list of the best Philadelphia wedding venues and the best Jersey Shore wedding venues. Real venues, real notes. Get in touch if you want to talk through your day. I cap at fifteen weddings a year so the calendar fills early.