We worried about rain all week long, e-mailing back and forth about a tentative Plan B. But on the day of, as the dark clouds passed above, we completely and totally lucked out and thanked our lucky stars… because my favorite part about The Old Mill is the amazing grounds to shoot on! Halle & Dave had a gorgeous gray & blush wedding with amazing details planned and carefully crafted by Halle. Oh yea, and let’s not forget one of my favorite “first kiss” moments ever.

Enjoy the images! xo.

As Father Sam said in his homily at their ceremony, Lisa & Juan’s tale could truly be a Lifetime movie. So, please bear with me as I attempt to recount the details. And, though this might be text-heavy, I assure you that you will want to read the whole thing. The story begins about 2.5 decades ago, when Lisa was a child. At age 10, she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. After a year of chemo, radiation, and an eventual bone marrow transplant, she miraculously survived. Nine years later, she was in nursing school at West Chester University when she was diagnosed again. This time with osteosarcoma of the right leg; it had to be removed. As Lisa said herself, “Friday nights, while most students went out to parties, [she] would receive [her] own cocktail of chemo in the dorms.”

After recovering and staying in school, she went on a trip with her church group to volunteer at an orphanage in Mexico. And while she was there, she just so happened to meet the love of her life, Juan. He had been a former orphan at the home and, as an adult, returned there to help mentor the orphan boys still in the program. It’s no surprise she was able to steal his heart with her stunning blue eyes and eventually convince him to move to Philadelphia. Despite all the roadblocks, Lisa stayed in school and went on to graduate  - committed to dedicating her life to children of cancer. She went on to become a pediatric nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) – the same place she was treated as a child.

Several years later, at age 32, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer from the TBI (or total body radiation) she received when she was 10. Again, she survives. Somewhere in there (I’m not sure of the year), she finds out she’s PREGNANT, though she was told that she was not physically capable of becoming pregnant from all the radiation she’s received over the years. Their joy over the miracle of their child doesn’t last long, however, when she is rushed to the emergency room finding out her uterus has burst. Their son, Rylan Cruz, didn’t make it.

Today, at age 38, she was diagnosed with either metastatic pancreatic cancer or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma (doctors still aren’t sure which). After 15 years together, and since it was always in their plans to eventually wed, Juan decided to move things up and asked her soon thereafter to be his wife (she said yes, by the way!). And so, in two weeks, they planned one of the sweetest, most thoughtful days I’ve been lucky enough to capture. Make sure to read the text between the images for explanation of all the little details from the day.

Lisa & Juan, thank you for allowing and trusting me to capture such a special day in your lives together and to share your story. No words can describe what an honor it has been!

This blanket is a family heirloom from Lisa’s grandmother’s wedding. They traveled by boat to the US many years ago and, allowed only 2 pieces of luggage, she brought this along as one of their pieces. So, it only made sense that Lisa & Juan have some images in front of it as well. Don’t you love the colors? By complete coincidence it matched their wedding colors perfectly!

And then it was on to the Waterworks!

After portraits, we headed to the nearby (stunning!) St. Francis Xavier Church.

During their vows, Lisa surprised Juan and said hers in Spanish as a tribute to his heritage and where they met. So thoughtful!

Oh yea, did I forget to mention that they had a GOSPEL CHOIR? So cool!

Lisa’s bridesmaids were her four sisters. I loved how intimate and special this made it.

Lisa also surprised Juan with the adorable cans-on-car attachment. I think we were all quite impressed by the noise they made AND how well they held up across town. Such a cute little detail.

And then it was party time – we headed over to the reception at Tequilas Restaurant, to be greeted by a MARIACHI BAND. See, I told you this day was full of amazing details!

Please go see Lisa’s blog for yourself – Little Lisa Lollipop – for more about her story, her journey, and her updates. Also, I’d be remiss not to point out the “tip jar” in the upper right of her blog page. She is tithing 10% to Father Sam (the officiant who married her and who has been a major influence in her life) and giving 25% right back to CHOP.

Lastly, so many of these vendors and professionals provided their services at a rush and/or at no charge, and for that I cannot say enough. I couldn’t have been more impressed with every aspect of the day – in particular Tequilas Restaurant (it’s amazing and if you live in the area you simply must go!), Mariachi Flores (these guys were so talented and so full of energy – the perfect way to kick off a party!), and Jeff & Lauren from 55 Pictures (a total pleasure to be around). But truly, each and every one of these people deserve applause for contributing to such a perfect event.

Ceremony Venue: St. Francis Xavier Church
Officiant: Father Sam
Reception Venue: Tequilas Restaurant
Videography: 55 Pictures (Jeff & Lauren)
Wedding Coordinator: Erin Lavelle
Florist: Flowers & Co. (Nadine & Katy)
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful Brides Philly
Nails: Rittenhouse Nails
Tux: Black Tie Philly
Dress: La Bella Moda
Cake: Potitos Bakery
Band: Mariachi Flores
Transportation: Uber Cab

To start, Lucas donned his Valentine’s outfit (check out the hearts on the knees! OMG)!

He even performed his ever-impressive planks while reading some of his favorite literature.

Or how about him chatting with his friends (Laura and Michael saw this idea on Pinterest… Lucas executed it flawlessly, don’t you think?!)?

But my favorites are these next few… who could resist that giggle!?

Many years earlier, these two met working at the Desmond Hotel. So, when they decided to tie the knot, it only made sense to do it at the same place where their love began. So, on one lovely July afternoon, Brittany & Wilton made things official and celebrated with their friends and family into the late hours of the warm summer evening. My wish for every couple is that they could be as happy as these two!

Enjoy the images! xo.

Oh yea, this car? Totally belonged to some random couple driving by who stopped to say “congratulations!” Brittany & Wilton responded with “can we borrow your car?” AND THE COUPLE LET US! So, thank you again, random strangers, for your generosity and trust. We loooooved your car.

Fabulous cork placecard holders by Little Pretty Designs on Etsy! See her shop here.

Absolutely loved the reaction from Brittany’s mom and siblings during the father/daughter dance. Isn’t this so sweet?

And, what’s not to love about a bride who can rock her JELLIES. Seriously, how awesome are these?!

Venue/Catering: Desmond Hotel
Florist: Ami Trost (at Desmond); Mary Moyer (for wedding party)
Hair: Dani at Roseann’s Hair Studio
Cake: Eileen Gray at Cake Art Studio
Band: Flamin’ Caucasions Band

Hooray! Another installment of Hindsight is 20/20. I’m not going to lie… I’m pretty excited about this series and all the things I want to share. In the meantime, enjoy tip #2 and this HILARIOUS picture of me shooting from a wedding last Fall. Apparently sitting on an invisible chair (don’t ask me why I’m standing this way). Hey…. whatever it takes! Image shot by my amazing second shooter, Laura B.

*****

Tip #2: Keep moving.

And by that, of course, I don’t mean getting all fidgety. Picture it in your mind for just a moment. You have a bride and groom looking positively stunning. The sun is shining bright in the sky and you are shooting in the most gorgeous landscaped gardens. You pick out a beautiful tree for them to stand beneath but then, as you stand back to shoot it, you realize something isn’t quite right. It’s the light. Or no, maybe it’s the way they are posed. Hmmm, no, perhaps it’s the angle. You keep looking at the back of your camera…. keep trying to make it work BUT YOU CANNOT FOR-THE-LIFE-OF-YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT ISN’T WORKING.

Any photographer – particularly in their early days – has experienced this phenomenon. It’s this weird moment where you feel like what you are seeing in person isn’t translating just so. You obsess. You keep trying to fix it…. to get that dream shot. The one you see in your mind… you’re so close. STOP. Just stop it.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little tweaking – and it’s absolutely necessary when you step back and see weird shadowing, or awkward hand placement – which sometimes you just can’t see until you see the whole thing. But, there is a fine line between that and forcing something that isn’t working.

I once worked with someone who would set up a group of groomsmen, take the shot, look at the back of her camera, and say “hmmmm no, that doesn’t look right… let’s try this [insert new positioning] instead.” Take 8 nice groomsmen standing in full tuxes, outside, in the middle of August, and do this to them? You end up with 8 very (sweaty) angry groomsmen. So upset, in fact, that they came up to me later and complained about the situation. If she had just kept moving, they wouldn’t have felt like they were wasting their time and she would have easily gotten plenty of other great shots before the sweat was dripping from their faces.

Truly though, put yourself in the shoes of your client. How do you think handling this situation makes them feel? Suddenly, your comfortable, happy couple is sitting here thinking – are we doing something wrong? Should we move? Should we not move? WHAT IS GOING ON?

So, my best advice for these moments? Just keep moving. If it isn’t working, just snap a couple and move on to something else. Don’t waste your time making your subject feel inadequate and frustrating yourself. And – for the love of all things – do not EVER look at the back of your camera and say “hmmmm, no” after you take the shot. Don’t even THINK it. Just trust me on this. You can thank me later. And, rest assured, that these “!?&%#@*” moments will become much less frequent (even eventually stopping altogether) the more you shoot and more comfortable you get working in different lighting/environment situations. Happy shooting, my friends!

For full explanation of the Hindsight is 20/20 series, please check the archives and see this post.

If I could take pictures of newborns every day, I think I would.

Kaitlin was perhaps one of the calmest, most collected brides I’ve ever worked with and I think it really shows in the images with how happy but peaceful she looks. But of course, don’t let that deceive you – their party still entertained quite the PACKED dance floor (and you know I love nothing more than a good party – makes my job so easy). Kaitlin and Paul, you were so easy to work with and it was such a pleasure capturing such a wonderful day for you two. To a lifetime of wedded bliss!

Enjoy the images! xo.

Wedding Coordinator: Ambiance Event Planning, Kelly Moore
Videographer: Tom Moore
Caterer: Plymouth Country Club
Florist: Kelly Moore
Hair & Make-up: Roseann’s Hair Studio
Cake: Bredenbeck’s Bakery
DJ: Richie Abrams – Cutting Edge Entertainment

Enjoy the images! xo.

As a sidenote, sadly, it is my understanding that this venue has since been destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. Can I just say how weird it is prepping a post about a place that doesn’t exist anymore? But, Merri-Makers as a whole runs several venues around the area and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Is this not the sweetest groom reaction ever (see bottom left)? It made EVERYONE get emotional.

Alyse & Justin are very close with their siblings, so they surprised them mid-reception with a SIBLING DANCE. And, I thought this was just the sweetest idea. And, as you can tell, their siblings loved it too.

And then, at the end of the very last song, Justin ran up, grabbed Alyse, and spun her around up in the air. What a way to end a reception! Plus, how great is her reaction on the left (below) when he went to lift her. Cracks me up!

Wedding Coordinator: Christina Havens
Caterer/Venue: Merri-Makers
Florist: Something Nice Floral Designs
Hair/Makeup: Shear Innovations
Band/DJ: Elite DJ

Thus, I was pretty pumped that Brett & Liz had their maternity session scheduled for Sunday. And, Prophecy Park proved to be the perfect rustic backdrop for their images. Brett, Liz, and I wandered the area and I attempted to capture the overwhelming joy they have for their future child. And, as I drove home that evening, I thought yet again how I might just be the luckiest person in the world to get to capture these kind of incredible moments in people’s lives.

Enjoy the images! xo.

Their gorgeous wedding had every little touch you can think of and was all tied together with one of my favorite color schemes – shades of pinks and black. The intense heat of the day broke mid-afternoon, however, and as I was shooting details outside before their ceremony (which was to be outside as well), I looked up to a massive, ominous cloud from out of no where just looming past the site. I ran in to tell the coordinator and we got the ceremony started immediately. And, how THANKFUL I am for that – literally 2 minutes after Katie & Justin walked back down the aisle after being wed, the sky opened up and it absolutely POURED. Now if that doesn’t say something about how LUCKY Katie & Justin are then I don’t know what does. And to them, I felt incredibly lucky to be their photographer and be able to capture such a gorgeous day and the love and marriage of two sweet, wonderful people.

Enjoy the images! xo.

One of the best “dances” into the reception I’ve ever seen. Loved how fun this was!

And loved seeing all the guests looking on from the balcony during their first dance…