Real Wedding: Kelli + Jason 10.8.11

(Imagine this being said by the guy who does all the movie trailer voice-overs)

On a beautiful autumn afternoon... 

In and around the Independence Seaport Museum...

At the Philadelphia waterfront known as Penn's Landing...

2 families blended as Kelli and Jason said "I Do". 

My first meeting with Kelli and Jason actually took place on a park bench at Rittenhouse Square. I later found out that Kelli purposely had us sit where she and Jason met for the first time. They are an adorable couple. Although Kelli is a doctor, she doesn't carry herself with a sense of superiority. She is very earthy and bohemian. Jason is also a casual, laid back guy. The most important aspects of this wedding were food and fun.  

I was hired to help with the design and day of wedding coordination. Kelli and Jason found the venue and most of the professionals on her own. Based on Kelli's style and personality, I recommended Necoh at Royal Design Flowers & Events. It turned out that Kelli and Necoh share an affinity for Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, like Chococat. Necoh surprised Kelli on her wedding day with a bonus bouquet. 

The ceremony was set to take place on the museum's outdoor rotunda which overlooks the river. To take advantage of the circular structure, we created an intimate seating area with the wedding party and minister in the center. 

Kelli wanted to use a lot of fall colors for her wedding: chocolate, green apple, wine, burnt orange, and ivory. The bridesmaids wore chocolate brown dresses. We dressed the outdoor cocktail tables and food stations in apple green. The reception tables were set with chocolate brown table linens and apple green napkins. We used ivory chairs to keep the space from appearing too dark. Necoh created centerpieces which incorporated flowers in orange and wine, plus an essential feature in the wedding decor, green apples. (The apples represented Jason. His nieces and nephews call him "Uncle Apple".) She also carried this concept over to the cake. 

The DJ made sure there was fun. Brulee Catering (the exclusive caterer for Independence Seaport Museum)  made sure there were plenty of tasty morsels for Kelli and Jason's family and friends. I even heard one of the guests say "There's still more food coming?" 

During one of our meetings with the catering sales staff, Kelli and Jason mentioned that they wanted to get funnel cake before they left Penn's Landing. Unfortunately, they didn't find any. On the wedding day, we made sure they found the truck. 

The mother/daughter photography team of Joyce & Jess at Casual Candids Photography did an amazing job capturing the details and fun of this wedding. 

From jumping the broom...

... to boys being boys

(I love that picture.)

We wish Kelli and Jason a long and FABULOUS marriage. 

To see more photos from this wedding, visit the gallery on our website. 

Muchos Smooches!

Wedding Trends for 2012

As the real world approaches the end of 2011, the wonderful world of weddings is already into 2012 and onward. Just to make sure we are all on the same page, I decided to talk about Wedding Trends we are seeing for 2012.

DRESSES

• Illusion Necklines have been seen at Carolina Herrera, Alfred Angelo, and Monique Lhuillier. Their interpretations of this fashion style are completely different. My favorite is this one by Monique Lhuillier.

photo source

• Two-Tiered Skirts are a great way to hide larger hips and thighs.
• Lace Sleeves. All thanks due to Kate Middleton. (Warning: If you try this trend and your arms look like they are stuffed in sausage casing, then it is not the right trend for you.)
• Blush is an acceptable alternative to the traditional white or ivory.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Engagement Shoots have become increasingly popular. It not only helps you get to know your photographer. It also helps you become comfortable having your photos taken together and you learn how to pose for a flattering shot. By the time your wedding day rolls around, you will feel like a professional model. 

FOOD

• Stations are making a permanent home as wedding reception dining options. Frankly, they are much more interesting than a standard buffet. Setting up stations around the room allows for traffic control and eliminates the long wait holding a plate. 
• Dessert Tables are HUGE! It will include your wedding cake plus so much more. One of our recent wedding couples even had a gelato cart wheeled in to serve the frozen treats they shared on their first date. 
• Groom's Cake... yes, its back. Since most of the wedding day is about the bride, this is a way for her to surprise him with a little reflection of his interests. 

DECOR

• Full-Blown Themes... not just color schemes. I'm talking about the other elements that make up ideas like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Alice in Wonderland".
• Non-Floral Accents. Brides are taking notes from fashion and incorporating things like feathers, fabrics, and metals into the wedding decor. Jeweled accents never seem to go out of style. Bling is sticking around a little while longer. 
• Personalization does not have to mean DIY (do it yourself). We're seeing lots of personal touches that are created by professionals. You can have a monogram created by a graphic designer to be strategically displayed from your stationery to your wedding cake decorations and dance floor lighting. You can name the tables after all of your favorite songs and have your invitation designer print them for you with the same font and paper stock as your invitations, programs, and menu cards. You can even hire a writer to help you create the perfect vows.

I'm sure we'll touch on a lot of these topics in more detail later. For now, please enjoy the holiday season with your friends, family, and loved ones. 

Muchos Smooches!

Burlesque

Last night, I went out with my girlfriends to see the new movie "Burlesque", starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. The movie made me think of the good old days when it was sexy to be sultry, not raunchy. Then I started thinking about a blog post from last year suggesting a Boudoir Photo Shoot as a bachelorette party idea. Great idea if I must say so myself.

Photo from EmpireMovies.com

It also got me thinking about boudoir photos as a wedding gift from the bride to her new husband. Or an anniversary/birthday gift 20 years later. How exciting it would be to see the look on his face as he unwraps your portrait!

Many Philadelphia-area wedding photographers do boudoir photography too.
Kimberly Noel Photography has a boudoir division called KNP Boudoir (Bucks Co). The images are "sexy, sophisticated, and sassy".

Dollface Studio also shoots boudoir portraits. "This is how you ROCK your man's jersey." Hands down, he'll LOVE this!

Another local wedding photographer known for her fabulous wedding images is Kamila Harris. Her boudoir section is called The Swanky Studio.

Its no coincidence that these are all female photographers. It is my personal opinion that women feel more comfortable taking steamy photos with another woman behind the lens.

Go out and be FABULOUS!

Spotlight on FlickFoto

Name: Sarah Wimberley

Occupation: photojournalistic event and environmental portrait photographer

Business Name: FlickFoto

Website/Blog: http://www.flickfoto.com/

Hometown: Saugerties/Kingston NY

Current City: Ambler PA

Relationship Status: married

Favorite local wedding venue: Phillies/Citizens Bank Stadium

Describe your ideal client: detail oriented, budget-conscious artsy bride that doesn't micro-manage her vendors and is truly in love with her fiance (it shows more than you think in the photographs)

What do you wish more people knew about you? I absolutely love being a photographer and I'm not in it for fame or fortune. I love taking photographs and the clients I work with are fabulously inspiring.

Cake & Pictures

Photo by Shea Roggio

Cake and Pictures is an exclusive directory of wedding photographers designed to connect discerning brides with the most talented wedding photographers in the business. The company, based just outside of Philadelphia, is the by-product of the hugely successful Wonderful Machine, a web-marketing portal for commercial photographers.


Unlike other websites, Cake and Pictures presents only a limited number of photographers in each location, allowing the work of all of its members to stand out and making it easy for brides to find what they are looking for. The Cake and Pictures web interface is simple and intuitive, so brides can browse photographers from around the world quickly and without the distraction of banner ads or pop-up windows. Cake and Pictures hand-selects the photographers that appear on the site specifically to appeal to brides for whom photography is a priority.

Cake and Pictures is the new, one-stop shop for high-end wedding photography – baked goods not included. All Cake and Pictures photographers handle their own scheduling and pricing and can be contacted directly for rates and availability.
 
For more information, please contact Jean Murin at (610) 260-0234 or jean@cakeandpictures.com.

Bachelorette Party Idea: Boudoir Photo Shoot

Boudoir Photography is not new but it is a hot trend for bachelorette parties. In most cases, a party for you and about 5 friends is less expensive than doing it alone. Each party attendee will get a personal photo session and then you can do one big group shot at the end of the party.

The cost usually includes hair & makeup plus a few retouched prints for each guest.

Studios that specialize in boudoir parties have a variety of backgrounds and lots of cool props for you to play around with during your session. Some photographers will even come to you.

It's Me!

Picture taken at a corporate event earlier this month. I cut out the other people in the pic to protect the innocent (LOL)

Intimate Wedding for 35 (6/23/2007)

This was the second marriage for both the bride and groom so they were not interested in the grand wedding for 100+. They requested an intimate affair for their closest friends and family. We decided to host the reception at a historic estate built in 1791 (now a country club). The couple chose the upstairs "1791 Room". This is what the room looks like on the venue's website.

The bride's favorite colors are lavender and lilac. Her daugher's favorite color is yellow. So we combined these colors for this wedding. The bride wore a lilac gown with a yellow sash while her daughter (also her bridesmaid) wore a yellow gown.

Here are a few photos to show how this room was transformed for this intimate wedding.

Special thanks to my assistants Crystal & Lacey for the quick set up and clean up. DJ Vex provided great music to dance to once again. He even dressed for the occasion.