Nicole & Dan’s Spring Trump National Golf Club Wedding of Philadelphia was easily one of our best of the year. I absolutely love working with this couple as you can see from their GTKY in South Philadelphia. Their day was filled with laughs, fun, and emotion. I am thankful that they asked me to capture it all for them.
Ceremony & Reception: Trump National Golf Club
Florist: Jennifer Designs
Hair: Happily Ever After Hair (Jenn Macrina)
Makeup: Underground Artistry (Tara Pinto)
DJ: Bob Morgan Entertainment
Bride’s Dress: Oleg Cassini
Wedding Cake: Stella Baking Company
About Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia
Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia sits in Pine Hill, New Jersey, about fourteen miles east of Center City, and the location is the entire reason this venue photographs the way it does. The course occupies a 220-foot ridge that happens to be the highest point in southern New Jersey, which means the Philadelphia skyline lines up across the western horizon like a painted backdrop. Tom Fazio routed the original course in 1999 to take advantage of that ridge, and when the property became a wedding venue years later the team kept the same outdoor ceremony lawn so couples could stand with the city behind them. On a clear evening you can see all the way to Boathouse Row.
Trump National Golf Club bridal preps
One of my favorite parts of Trump National Golf Club weddings is there is a ton of natural light everywhere! The bridal suite is not huge there but plenty space for 5-6 people. There is absolutely no flash on any of her preps as there is always ample light in that room. Nicole looked stunning on her wedding day. She didn’t even mess up her makeup after reading Dan’s letter to her.
Bride and Groom First look
All the couples I capture at Trump National Golf Club of Philadelphia typically do a first look of prior to the ceremony. First, I always find a quiet spot for them to meet. It should be a private moment between the couple. This allows them to be more emotional seeing each other for the first time on the wedding day. I love seeing tears and laughter for the first look. That really screams how much love there is for each other.
For Nicole and Dan we picked a stretch of the cart path behind the clubhouse that nobody else was using yet. It is one of my favorite spots at Trump National because the light bounces off the white siding and softens everything, and you get the fairway opening up behind the couple without any of the staff carts in the frame. We worked it for maybe six minutes before the bridal party showed up, but that was enough.
Bridal portraits
Their bridal party was one of a kind! The guys were super cool and fun. The girls were laid back and loved to laugh and have fun too. We had so much fun together and they were very cooperative and I was able to photograph them in about 20 minutes. Their day was beautiful and you could see the Philadelphia skyline in the background of their photographs.
Outdoor Ceremony at Trump National Golf Club of Philadelphia
First I love outdoor ceremonies. They are short, heartfelt and very natural. Nicole and Dan had one of their good friends officiate the wedding and damn was he funny. This helped to lighten the mood because it was getting very emotional. The backdrop behind the Trump National golf club wedding ceremonies of Philadelphia are gorgeous. It looks like a painting!
The ceremony lawn at Trump National sits on the western edge of the property where the ridge drops off, and that is where the Philadelphia skyline sneaks into the background of every wide shot. For a spring wedding like Nicole and Dan’s the timing matters. Late afternoon hits the city light just right, the haze burns off the river, and you get a backdrop that costs nothing extra and shows up in every gallery I deliver from this venue.
Trump National Golf Club Wedding Reception
Nicole and Dan’s reception was absolute fun and it did not disappoint. The Stella Baking Company’s gold wedding cake was incredible along with all Nicole’s homemade details. Bob Morgan Entertainment rocked the event and people went crazy for the music! We finished their evening with a small 5-10 minutes session under the moonlit night in front of the fountain. What an awesome wedding for an awesome couple. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.
The reception room at Trump National opens up to a tall fireplace and big windows on three sides, which means even after the sun drops you keep getting clean ambient light pouring across the dance floor. We finished Nicole and Dan’s night with a few quiet frames out by the fountain, just the two of them, the kind of break most couples need around eleven before they head back in for the last hour.