When Katie and I first started discussing the possibility of me doing her wedding photography, she mentioned that personality was extremely important to her in a photographer because her wedding would be such a small, intimate affair and she wanted someone who would be able to mingle with her guests, instead of essentially just being in their faces with a camera while they were eating.

Now having experienced Katie’s unique wedding for myself, I totally get everything she was saying. From the tiny chapel where Katie and Darren got married, the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, to the little city restaurant where they had their dinner-party-theme reception, Noble: An American Cookery, some of the spaces were so small and intimate there was no way to NOT be noticed in them, and if I’m going to be noticed, I might as well be making a good impression!

Anyway, onto the story telling… Katie, Darren and I started off with these grand plans to immediately do a first look as soon as I arrived and then do photos at three separate locations in Philadelphia. However, as weddings tend to do, Katie’s day got off to a late start and we went from three locations, to two, to just our number-one choice, City Hall (I’ll get to those in a bit). In the meantime, we just took some shots of Katie finishing up getting ready, and you know how the old saying goes, “things may not always work out how you plan, but they sometimes work out anyway…” In fact, I’m so happy with these shots, I actually think this worked out BETTER!

The Morris House Hotel, where Katie and Darren were staying, provided a great backdrop not just for our getting-ready photos, but for the first-look as well. The garden behind the hotel was quite perfect for our purposes.

Resigned to the fact we only had time left for one location in the city, Katie chose Philadalphia’s City Hall. We called ahead to make sure we’d have access to the awesome staircase just inside, and funny story, as we were taking some photos of the couple, I noticed someone standing waiting to come down, I stopped shooting and told the person to go ahead, and who was it but Michael Nutter, the Mayor of Philadelphia himself! As he passed the couple on the way down, he even wished them a quick congratulations!

We stopped and took the family formals and bridal party at another cute garden just outside of the church just before the ceremony.

The ceremony was beautiful and emotional in an adorable little chapel that fit Katie and Darren’s wedding perfectly.

The couple’s reception was at an American Cookery, and Angelito Jusay, who was my second shooter for the day, did an awesome job capturing these details along with a couple of other photos on this blog. Thanks Angel!

The highlight of the reception was when Katie’s Dad gave an amazing speech that had her guests laughing and crying the whole way through.

To Katie and Darren: It was so great to finally meet you! I can tell by your wedding that the two of you are just perfect for each other. I think Katie’s dad said it best when he said you both really seem to know what is important in life – you share a perspective that’s wise beyond your years – and it’s not about how many people you can cram in a giant reception hall, or doing things according to tradition, but about loving one another and appreciating each new day together. Thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer; it was a pleasure being part of such a special and unique day!