It was my first time at the Independence Seaport Museum and I couldnt think of a better venue for the happy couple. The stunning views and top notch staff from Culinary Concepts (helmed by the incomparable Nancy) did everything possible to make the day go smoothly. Rich and his crew from Cutting Edge DJ’s kept the dance floor packed well into the night.

Congrats Jenell + Thomas!

Jim’s a pretty laid back guy and it takes a lot to get him to show extremes of emotion. Chamonix is one of this things that just causes him to explode from his zen-like state into that of a giddy schoolgirl. It was obvious whenever he talked about her that he loved her more than just about anything.

And who could blame him. Chamonix is the personification of that amazing dress – beautiful, elegant, unique, a little offbeat, and completely awesome.

Their day was the personification of the two of them – photos in various parts of New York City, a wonderfully intimate venue, and the most amazing cookies I’ve ever had in my life (and trust me when I say I’m a connoisseur). I was thrilled and honored to be there and couldnt be happier for them.

It all started when they lived in the same apartment building. One of those large apartment buildings where you can go years without meeting all of your neighbors. They both lived there, unaware that within those walls was the person they would marry.

One day, Payal was in the process of moving out. Nate saw her and took a chance at fate. He asked her out in the last minutes on the last day of her living in the same building. The rest, as they say, is history.

Their wedding day was a reflection of them. Two beautiful ceremonies (and a seemingly endless string of outfit changes, makeup touchups, and hair styling, reflected their culture and backgrounds). Two groups of families and friends coming together to celebrate a couple that fate had smiled upon. Two people I’m honored to know.

Oh, and the staff at Springfield Country Club did a great job the entire time – no small feat given the length and complexity of the day.

Check out the slideshow below, or click here for the bigger version…

We did their engagement session around the Art Museum on a sweltering day last summer. They had a natural chemistry that is palpable and we had a lot of fun, despite the heat. Towards the end of the shoot, I jokingly said they should jump in the fountain. I never thought they would, given it was rush hour, they had to drive home to Maryland, they were wearing nice clothes, were half a mile from their car, and had no towels. I was wrong. It might have been the heat, but I think it was the playful spontaneity and willingness to just have fun with each other that got them to do it.

That ability to just enjoy each other translated over to their wedding day. It was a beautiful day and Manufacturer’s Golf and Country Club was a great venue and Purple Reign kept the party going well into the night. Even though nobody jumped into a fountain, the day was as fun and as real as I hoped it would.

You can see the slideshow directly below or click here for a larger version…

Kate + Mike got married in May at the Drexelbrook. When I got to the hotel to photograph them getting ready, it was pouring. They had originally planned an outside ceremony and sadly it looked like it would have to be moved indoors. That’s always a risk when you have something planned outside, and even though they didn’t let it bother them I could tell that they were both a little disappointed.

About 45 minutes before the ceremony started the skies cleared and it became a beautiful spring day. The venue went into overdrive and got everything set up and dried just in time, and Kate + Mike got their outdoor ceremony.

The rest of the day was equally great. Touché did a great job keeping the party going (the killer lady gaga medley helped) and the crowd took full advantage of their talent.

Anyway, back to the second half of the photography experience…

My goal with my clients is twofold – to create great photographs that truly tell the story of their day, and to make the entire experience – from booking to album delivery – as easy and stress free as possible. Everyone has stories about someone they know that had a horrible wedding photography experience, and I’m determined to make my client’s experience as good as possible. Weddings are historic events, and need to be treated with the appropriate respect.

Here’s how Kate + Mike’s post-wedding experience went…

They went to Italy for two weeks. While they were enjoying themselves (and a seemingly inordinate amount of pizza) I was working hard on their images. I sorted, edited, and did their preliminary album layout. They live in Chicago, and only had a day when they were in Philadelphia between their honeymoon and going back to the windy city, so I needed to make sure everything was ready for their return.

A note about albums – I predesign the album, ignoring the page count and choosing the photos that I feel tell the story in the best way. My clients then have the option of purchasing the extra pages, cutting them, rearranging, etc. I’ve found (and my clients would agree) that this method is far superior to leaving it up to them to choose all the images. To be honest, unless you are used to looking through hundreds of images and choosing the ones that tell a story, it’s an overwhelming task. This is where the talent and experience of a pro comes into play. There’s far more to a wedding than showing up with a fancy camera.

When they got back they came to my studio and saw their images for the first time in their preliminary album layout. They were quite happy to say the least, and after a little time cutting and rearranging the layout, they landed up ordering a beautiful 72 page 12×12 album with a metal cover. By the time they got home, their web gallery was online and their photos were on Facebook.

I sent the album out for production and somehow the stars aligned and it was completed in record time. It’s normally about 6 weeks for production but they got theirs back in 2. I have no idea how it happened so quickly but I won’t complain. After checking the quality and snapping a few quick pics I shipped it out to them.

The end result of all this was that they had their completed album in their hands one month and one day after their wedding.

The point of all this is that your wedding photography is a big deal, and your relationship with your photographer is the only relationship with a wedding professional that continues long after the wedding. You need to choose someone you can trust, who’s work you love, and who you get along with. This isn’t an area I would suggest cutting corners in because as cliched as it is, you really do get what you pay for.

You can see some of favorite shots below, along with some really quick photos of their finished album (the album shots were done with my cell phone so please forgive the poor quality). And of course you can check out the slideshow here…

fancy pretty packaging

Metal cover. It looks killer in person

Detail of the cover

Where the leather meets the metal. Perfectly done

All of my albums only have a small crease. It allows for a lot more creative possibilities when you can design full spread.

Crease detail

Accent leather detail

Back of the album

Sheryl + Steve understand this and their wedding was a beautifully intimate affair. They had at the historic Powell House in center city on stunning spring day. They were surrounded by their closest family and friends, had one of their friends perform the ceremony, and focused on the love that they palpably share.

They also had some pretty awesome pink shoes.

Check out the slideshow here…

This was the case for Sarah + Jason’s wedding at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Sarah + Jason are both PhD candidates in Penn’s classical studies department, so I’m really not kidding when I say the Penn Museum was the perfect venue.

They were surrounded by antiquity during the intimate ceremony in the lower Egyptian gallery, and continued the festivities in the upper Egyptian gallery and rotunda.

In honor of their backgrounds and the general feel of the day, I decided to make their slideshow exclusively black & white. Some of my favorites are below, and you can check out the slideshow here..

To say their day was fun would be an understatement. Penn’s Peak was the perfect venue to host the festivities – festivities that included American and Syrian traditions and music and dancing (and some crowd surfing).

Rather than showing individual images from the wedding I’ve decided to post the album layout. Those of you that know me know that the album is the most important thing for me. It’s the heirloom – the thing that lasts generations, the thing that keeps the memory of the day going long after it’s over.

Below are a few spreads from the album, and you can see the whole design on the slideshow by clicking here…

2009 was such a special season for me. I worked with some truly amazing people, some of which have become lifelong friends. I pushed myself creatively and refined my vision. I experienced things that I never expected. I never felt more grateful for being lucky enough to do what I do.

To all my wonderful clients – thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your day and your future family’s cherished heirlooms. Thank you for letting me into your lives and into your hearts. Thank you for your unwavering belief in my vision and your tenacious support of my goals. I do what I do because of you, because I believe in your love and the importance of your memories. You all give me the gift of being able to follow my dreams, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

With that said, I am proud to present the Best of 2009 slideshow. These are my favorite images from the year, not necessarily because of any artistic merit, but because they are special to me. It’s about 15 minutes long, so get comfortable!

You can view the slideshow by clicking here…

Erin + Waiel’s wedding was a perfect opportunity to try out some new ideas. Waiel is the Director of Events at Turbine Hall – a new and extremely unique venue located in Chester. It was the perfect venue for them to tie the knot, and the fact that Waiel knew all the right people made it an obvious choice.

Such a unique venue calls for a unique photographic approach. Always willing to push his own creative boundaries, Waiel thought it would be a good idea to propose having the Philly8 photograph the wedding with me as the lead photographer and the others as secondary photographers. After discussing it with the group we thought it was a perfect chance to work together and push ourselves both individually and as a group. Mark, Erik, Craig, and Julian happened to be available and we combined forces to document their special day.

In addition to our normal photographic coverage, we decided to try out some new ideas. One of the ideas was to do a stop-motion video of the day. Mark and I discussed the logistics and decided that he would set up and operate the camera and I would do the editing and post production. This was an experiment and a surprise for Erin + Waiel. I have to say I’m rather pleased with the results!

Thanks to Erin, Waiel, and my fellow Philly8 members for making this such a memorable day!

Click here for the slideshow, and look below for the stop-motion video of the day.

Erin + Waiel from David Zaveloff on Vimeo.