Creative Images Photography

Reflections

2011-12-29T18:21:00.001-08:00

The last week of December. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I love to sit back during this week and think about all the year has brought me and where the next year will take me. As I reflect on my professional/business life I want to be sure to say thank you to all of you, our Creative Images family. I really do think of all of you as an extension of my family. All of you at some point in time walked into our office/our home as strangers. Our paths somehow were meant to cross. We meet, we talk, and the relationship begins. It’s really amazing how many people cross our paths in a year and what each were meant to bring into our lives. Most of you start out as strangers to us but somehow leave as friends. Life lessons learned and shared all of our lives altered by our meeting. For all of that, I say thank you. I really have enjoyed meeting all of you and your families. We feel honored that you chose us to capture the memories of such a special time in your life.

2011 was a good year for us. A little slower than we would have liked but all in all a good year! 35 weddings photographed, numerous engagement sessions, family portraits, maternity portraits for former wedding couples, baby sessions and hockey pictures. We traveled to Maine and thank Carrie and Michael for a wonderful three days. We photographed the first wedding that was held at Tendenza, traveled to Stone Harbor, and photographed wedding pictures on an airplane landing strip. We'd like to thank the Manor House at Commonwealth, Talamore Country Club, PineCrest Country Club, Holly Hedge Estates, and North Hills Country Club for all the referrals they've sent our way. Thanks for all the trust you have in us! All in all, we've had a lot of fun, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

I have to say that I have been totally captivated by Facebook and social networking for the ability to keep in touch with so many of you. It’s exciting to see you moving into your new homes, getting puppies and kittens, having babies or 2 or 3 or even 4. Yes, there are a couple of you who now have 4 children. We really enjoy keeping up with you and your families as they begin and continue to grow. If you are not a Creative Images fan on FB, please join us. Paula and I are happy to have you as friends on our personal pages as well.

There are several people that helped us throughout the year and I want to express your deepest thanks for all that you have done for us. We are grateful for all the amazing talent that surrounds us. A few of you were lucky enough to have Eric photograph your wedding. Eric is a talented photographer, and we are so happy to have him as part of our team! His talent, creative eye and fun personality has been invaluable. Everyone has been thrilled with the images that he has created. Donna was gracious enough to work with both Paula and me on several weddings. Donna has been a colleague of ours for many years. We have always been impressed with her photographic talent, and we are very thankful for all of the help she gave us. It was a lot of fun to work with her throughout the year. Your quick wit never ceases to amaze me. I feel truly blessed that a colleague that I have admired for so many years has turned into a true friend. Last, but by all means, not least, we are very thankful to Christine. She really helps us keep things moving here in the office. She has been a very loyal and trust-worthy co-worker and friend. We are very grateful for everything that she does for CI, and we appreciate her friendship. We are delighted at all the people that Creative Images has brought to our lives.

May 2012 be a wonderful year for you. Remember to sit back and take the time to really enjoy all that is happening around you. Take the challenges and turn them into opportunities, and never forget to count all of your belssings. Thank you for allowing us into your life if only for a short time. I hope that the images that we have created for you bring you joy for many years to come. The moments of today will turn into the memories of tomorrow. I'm thankful and humbled to have been a small part of that.

Be well and blessed in 2012. May it be all that you want it to be.

Aleen

Lisa and Michael's engagement session

2011-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, we met Lisa and Michael, who came up from Alabama for the holiday weekend. Lisa's parents, Diane and Vince, had come in to meet with us before, but we were excited to get to meet Lisa and Michael to hear about their wedding that will be in April of next year at Northampton Valley CC. It was great to get to know Lisa and Michael a little bit, and we also knew we were shooting their engagement session on the same day because we probably won't see them again until the wedding. So it was a busy morning for all of us!

Leanne and Kevin's wedding 11/26/11

2011-11-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

Well, if we have to photograph a wedding on Thanksgiving weekend, let it be a fun one! And that it sure was this past Saturday with Leanne and Kevin! We really enjoyed the day with them and their family and friends.

We started at the Joseph Ambler Inn with pictures of Leanne and her girls. They were getting ready in the beautiful new building - John Roberts House. We hadn't been in there before, and that was a really nice building. Leanne was very excited to get her gown on that she started without us being there, lol! Leanne was a little bit emotional when her dad saw her for the first time. I think there was a bet going for the day that she wouldn't cry, but I think it was lost in the first few moments!!

The weather couldn't have been more spectacular for them, and we were able to get a lot of photographs outside before the ceremony of the girls at Joseph Ambler and then the guys once we were at St. Jude Catholic Church in Chalfont. Kevin and his guys were all ready for pictures when we arrived. I thought it was great that Leanne had her sister as maid of honor, 2 girls were from high school, and two girls were from college; and Kevin has his brother as best man, 2 guys from high school, and two guys from college. Oh, and the high school was the same - Lansdale Catholic - where Leanne and Kevin first started seeing each other.

After the ceremony, we rushed, and I mean rushed over to the Commonwealth Manor House in Horsham so that we could take some photographs before we were out of light. We made it over there with about 20 minutes to spare and we were able to capture many great images of them and their bridal party. And then came the magnificent, pink sunset!!! Wow, what an ending to our pictures. It's what makes a photographer drool, lol!! Aleen and I were in heaven taking those photos.

This was our last wedding of the year, and we sure went out with a memorable wedding. The guests were some of the most dancing guests of all year long - good job, everybody - we'll take you along on every wedding! Well, it could have been a little bit to do with DJ Mike Rossi, from East Coast Event Group! He did an awesome job as always with mixing music. We were so happy we were finishing our year by being at one of our most fave places too. All in all, a pretty perfect day for Leanne and Kevin and for us too!

Stephanie and Andrew

2011-11-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Stephanie and Andrew met us at Fairmount Park near Valley Green Inn right after we photographed Kristen, Dan and Noah on Saturday! We are sooooo excited about their upcoming wedding next year as it's in Connecticut at an incredible setting with some amazing architecture - I'm already thinking about it!! Road trip!!!

We photographed Andrew's sister's wedding years ago (hey, Ashley & Marshall!) Thanks to mom, Wendy, we'll be a part of this wedding too - we are so looking forward to being with you all again for another special day. Hopefully June gets here fast.

Paula and Aleen

Kristen, Dan and Noah

2011-11-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were excited to see this cute family again! We photographed them last year, and they just keep getting cuter!! Especially that precious, little Noah. He was a tough smiling customer though - more interested in the dogs, ducks, and the horses than having his photo taken. When he did smile, you just had to keep on clicking and get them while he was handing them out. He was excited to have the horses come up to him in the park, but as soon as they did, he said, "bye, bye, horsies"! Very funny as we all laughed over that one.

See you guys soon - can't wait for you to see all of the pictures - you guys look awesome together!!
Paula

Daniele and Joe's Wedding 11/11/11

2011-11-18T14:15:00.001-08:00

Last Friday was a magical number - 11/11/11, and our lucky couple to have their wedding was Daniele and Joe! It sure was a cold and windy day though, but hey, it is November after all.

We arrived at Daniele's parent's home for the getting ready pictures, and what an incredible home they had! There certainly was plenty of room for photos inside, and good thing as it was so cold outside.

Daniele looked awesome in her dress, and Joe was sure happy to see her when they had their first meeting by the fireplace. She came down the gorgeous stairs to meet her emotional Joe. There were definitely some tears going on.

Daniele has two of the cutest kids, as you can see. They were great all day and very cooperative for photos! They look like little models.

When we did go outside, they had an awesome yard with a huge pond which made for a great backdrop in our photos. We did manage to have Daniele come outside for a few pictures. Even Daniele's cat was getting in some pictures as he was busy climbing all over the trees (and Daniele's gown!). At least the guys had jackets on, so they were fine out there. We tried to get Daniele back in the house as soon as possible before she was too cold. Hey, we had coats on, and we were freezing!! We had fun with everybody doing all the pictures.

Then it was off to Occasions for a lovely ceremony and a great reception. Daniele's son, Liam, let loose on the dance floor all night. In fact, there was a lot of great dancing going on. Good job to all of you! Everybody had a great night. I'm wondering how Daniele and Joe were able to get up so early the next morning to go on their honeymoon?! I guess when you are going somewhere like Punta Cana, it's easy to get up. Hope they are having a great time there!

Paula and Aleen

Mom and Rich

2011-11-17T17:29:00.001-08:00

On Monday, my mom came down from Allentown with her friend, Rich, and Rich's family. Rich has two sons, Keith and Kevin. And then there's little Darius who has us sweating by the end of the session. He was a tough cookie to get to smile. Whenever he walked off of the backdrop, he would flash a great smile at us. Thanks mom and Rich for bringing everybody for pictures!! We'll see you soon!

Amanda and Jeff

2011-11-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just am sad we have to wait all the way until next August to photograph Amanda and Jeff's wedding. They are such a fun couple!! We really enjoyed our time with them this past Saturday at Peace Valley Park. That Jeff is quite the character and kept us laughing the whole time. Even though it was very, very cold and windy, they were quite the troopers! They were very playful together which made our job easy to get some great shots. Of course at the end they had to don their fave hats - Penn State and the Flyers. Thanks for a great day, and enjoy the photos!

Jess and Steve's wedding 11/6/11

2011-11-12T15:27:00.001-08:00

Sunday was Jess and Steve's wedding day at the wonderful Holly Hedge Estate in New Hope. Definitely one of our fave places for photographs! The grounds there give you so many possibilities for some great shots.

When I arrived, Jess was just about to get ready - hair and make-up. Then her mom and her girls helped her into her gown. The back of the gown was quite a project with the lacing up, but they all did a great job!

It was a beautiful, sunny day, although it was a little chilly during the outdoor ceremony. I'm sure Jess and Steve were warm inside though as they shared their vows with each other. They've been together since college, and you could tell they were excited about their big day. The ceremony spot at Holly Hedge is very picturesque too as I'm sure all their guests enjoyed.

After the ceremony, we photographed most of our pictures. We went over by the pond and the fountain to get some great shots of Jess and Steve. The colors of the trees were awesome - always our favorite time of the year.

Synergetic Sound DJ's welcomed everybody into the reception room where Jess and Steve had their first dance. In the background, they had a very nice slideshow of their lives! Then we went into some great toasts by our maid of honor and best man before everyone enjoyed a great brunch buffet. Aleen stayed to photograph the reception and she loved the french toast! It was a very nice afternoon for Jess and Steve and all of their guests!

Wes and Leah's wedding 11/5/11

2011-11-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

We sure had a great day last Saturday with Wes and Leah! They were a lot of fun; they were really into pictures; and we had some great places for photographs!

This day was truly a family affair. Leah's three sisters were her bridesmaids, and Wes' three brothers were the groomsmen. That was quite unique, I must say. And not to mention, the five flower girls (yes, I did say five!) were Leah's nieces. All five did a great job, but it was hard to get them all looking and smiling at the same time. And believe it or not, they all came up the church aisle.

We started out at Leah's sister's house in Perkasie where all of her sisters and her mom had a fun time helping Leah into her gown. They did a lot of giggling, and they were having a special time with Leah's wedding. You could tell they were all very close. As we found out later, Leah is known for her "infectuous laugh" and yes, it was infectuous!

After the house photos, we caught up with Wes at St. Rose of Lima in North Wales where he was anxiously awaiting his bride. We were able to spend some time with Wes and his family before Leah arrived by limo. Father Kelly led the ceremony at this very picturesque church. I love the blue lighting from the window, and the reflections on the floor were spectacular! Leah and Wes had some emotional moments up on the altar, and then of course came some nervous giggling - very cute. We always love to see that.

We actually couldn't wait until the ceremony was over so we could get over to Byer's Choice for the photographs. I hadn't been there for a while, and I knew the colors of the trees were going to be awesome! I know Aleen was there a few weeks ago, but it had been a little while for me. We had plenty of time to get some amazing shots. The bridal party was a lot of fun - they did a pretty good jump shot without jumping. There was lots of carrying on and having fun. What a beautiful day we had, and we can't wait to share all of the photos with everybody. But right now all you'll have to enjoy are these images! Be patient - we'll let you know when the web site is up.

Once we finished up the photos, we buzzed on over to PineCrest Country Club. Leah and Wes wanted to go out near the sand in the back of PineCrest so we did that - always great for photos out there. That was the best "I DO" on the sand that I've ever seen. Great job to Sherry and Debbie who always run a great reception and this night was no exception.

DJ Joe from Steve and Company created a great night for the guests - he kept them dancing all night long. Lots of great music! During the announcing, a big group of people were carried into the reception on a couch - that was a first for us! The food was excellent as always, and they had a great dessert table of home-made desserts. I must say, whoever made that pumpkin roll, I have to give a shout out - we sure enjoyed that!! Leah and Wes actually had a chocolate-icing cake, and sure enough, they smashed each other. The crowds were cheering them on! A great way to end the great day!

Paula and Aleen

Colleen and James' wedding 10/22/11

2011-10-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

As you can tell from the photos, we did a lot of laughing on this day - always good for the soul! We started off at Colleen's parent's home with some getting ready shots of Colleen with her mom and twin sisters helping her. She sure was a happy bride! She was anxious to get over to Talamore Country Club to wait for James to arrive.

It was a perfect afternoon for pictures down on the bridge with the beautiful pond and weeping willow tree for our backdrop. Weather was just right too (it did get quite cold for their ceremony, but at least it was great for the pix). We had just the right amount of time with the bridal party and the families. Pat, from Bucks County Roses, did the flowers again - worked with her two days in a row! Again the colors were magnificent and they sure added a lot of sparkle to our pictures.

We were trying to do some romantic shots with Colleen and James, but Colleen kept getting the giggles - it was quite cute. As you can imagine, we have many fun shots for sure. The grounds at Talamore were very pretty and very colorful too with many different places to photograph. After the photos, we got our bride tucked away before the guests started to arrive.

It was great to see two of their guests, Christina and Dan, again - we photographed their wedding many years ago, and it's hard to believe they have three kids already! We were able to talk to them for a bit before the ceremony started. Boy, did it ever get cold for that ceremony. How many of you had shivers??! Father St. George led them in a very nice ceremony where Colleen and James wrote their own vows to each other.

Don't worry, we all warmed up inside during a wonderful cocktail hour and then on the dance floor. It was a rockin' party with DJ Danny, from East Coast Entertainment, who was jammin' all night. What a fun way to end the day.

Colleen and James are enjoying a Bermuda honeymoon - hope it's awesome just like your wedding day was! Thanks for letting us be a part of it.
Paula and Aleen

Ashley and Carmelo's wedding 10/21/11

2011-10-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Friday was Ashley and Carmelo's big day! I should say a "grand" day as everything was top-notch for them! Ashley's mom, Robyn, works at Bucks County Roses, so need I say more how magnificent all the flowers were all day long in every setting? Pat, from Bucks County Roses, sure had her work cut out for her as it was quite the display! Great job, Pat!

We started out at the Omni Hotel with the getting-ready shots of Ashley and her girls before we met up with Carmelo in the lobby. Ashley and Carmelo had a tearful first meeting together. They have been together since high school, so they were so happy their special day had finally come.

We all hopped on the limo bus to drive over to the Art Museum. We sure were happy to be on the bus so we didn't have to deal with all of that crazy traffic. Aleen and I, along with videographer Tim Sudall, sure appreciated being on there! It was great to work with Tim again - it had been way too long since we had seen him.

Even though it was quite chilly outside, the girls all managed to get through the pictures okay - I tried to work fast so they could get back on the bus! We helped them out by having the guys give them their jackets. I heard they all stopped at the hot dog stand anyway on their way down to the bus, so it must not have been too bad to be out there! Ashley was a real trooper staying outside with Carmelo - hey, it was worth it because we certainly captured some amazing photographs for them! They are gonna love them. We also stopped at Broad Street to get some exciting shots in front of William Penn. We even held up traffic by getting the bridal party to walk up the road -that sure was fun! Nobody even honked, and in rush hour on Friday night, that's pretty good.

Then it was back on the bus to get on over to the Curtis Center for their ceremony and reception. The room was decorated beautifully, of course, as all of their guests awaited anxiously for their ceremony. They had a very nice ceremony, and they were all smiles coming up the aisle as newlyweds. Everybody was thrilled for them.

The guests surely enjoyed their amazing cocktail hour (90 minutes, I should say) of unbelievable amounts of tasty food! Once the reception room was ready to go, an incredible party began with the band, Heartbeats, who were nothing short of spectacular! The dance floor was busy all night long. During Ashley and Carmelo's first dance, flower petals and confetti filled the air around them as they celebrated together. Later in the evening, Carmelo and his mother treated us all to one of the most amazing mother/son dances I've ever seen in the 20 years I've been photographing weddings. They did a salsa together that was just unbelievable!! Two thumbs up on that one! The rest of the night was just one crazy party out there - lots of fun for everyone.

For those guests that had room for dessert, they had quite the dessert feast to choose from. That was a great ending for a wonderful day for everybody!

Katie and Joel's evening of fun!

2011-10-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

It was back to beautiful Peace Valley Park on Tuesday night for Katie and Joel's engagement session. This is a wonderful time of the year for engagement photos, so call us to schedule your's if you haven't done so already!

Katie and Joel looked perfect together for their pictures at the park. It was another cool sunset and a very cooperating evening with colors and a calm lake. This is another very fun and playful couple whose eyes, smiles, and emotions were just beautiful to capture.

We had a great end to the session with an incredible sky - love their reflection image - it was very exciting for us - it's what makes us want to keep on taking pictures!!

Samantha and Jeff's engagement session

2011-10-19T18:01:00.001-07:00

We had a couple of great nights in a row doing engagement photos this week. We were up at Peace Valley Park Monday and Tuesday nights. Check back later for photos from Tuesday's session. Both nights were picture-perfect!

On Monday evening we photographed Samantha (Sam) and Jeff- their wedding is next June. It was quite the fun night with lots of laughing and carrying on. Some choking was going on too, but I won't mention anything further about that! Their dog, Finnegan, got in on the action too as he didn't want to be left out! He sure is a cutie, and even though he would have rather been chasing the geese around the lake, he did cooperate for many shots. Sam's parents, Kay and Bob, came along for support and also took care of Finnegan while we were doing pictures with just Sam and Jeff. From getting to know them, you know it's going to be a great wedding next year!!

Christi and Brad's wedding 10/15/11

2011-10-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

It was off to Peddler's Village for my wedding this past Saturday - just love it there. Okay a million other people love it there too as it was packed for a festival going on! First I had to make a stop at the hotel in New Hope to capture Christi getting ready.

It was just Christi, her mom Sheila, and her sister,Kelli, at the hotel so things were nice and quiet while they were getting ready. After some issues were fixed with the zippers on the dresses not all going up, we were ready to roll. I was wondering if they were going to have their ceremony outside because it was so windy that day, and they decided to make it a go but to move the ceremony inside the gazebo. So that sure helped matters.

Brad and his best man, Mike, were waiting at the gazebo when I arrived, and we continued on with more pictures. Lots of bystanders were getting anxious as the wedding time neared - they were all excited to see the bride! Some of those people were even taking pictures as Christi was escorted up the walkway by her uncle! Their "real" guests were excited too and all sitting around the gazebo to watch the ceremony. Rev. Dr. Susan Montgomery presided over the ceremony, and everybody seemed to be thrilled to be a part of Christi and Brad's special day!

After the ceremony, I enjoyed doing lots of family and bridal party photos around the grounds. It sure is pretty there, lots of flowers and great backgrounds. Also there were many scarecrows decorated, even got Christi and Brad to pose up by the scarecrow bride & groom! Then it was in to the Cock 'N Bull for a wonderful cocktail hour enjoyed by all. DJ Kyle, from Silver Sound, lit up the room with lights and music all night for everybody. The toast speeches were very heartfelt and emotional from both Mike and Kelli, and I know everybody enjoyed their dinners. All the kids sure had a fun night too dancing - we all enjoyed watching them! Christi and Brad sure have a beautiful day to remember.

Christi and Brad are heading to Jamaica to enjoy a fabulous honeymoon! I wish them a great week in the sun having fun!

Paula

Ashley and Chris' wedding 10/8/11

2011-10-13T16:53:00.001-07:00

We had two weddings going on for Saturday, and Aleen and Eric photographed this beautiful couple on their special day.

Once again I cannot start the blog post without talking about the terrific weather. How do some people get this lucky in a year with so much rain? Well, I was thrilled at such a perfect weather day for photos and an outdoor wedding ceremony.
Eric and I were happy to get started. You could feel the excitement at the house, and everyone was busy getting ready and tending to all of the last minute details. We started by photographing Ashley’s gown that was hanging so beautifully. I knew she would look just stunning in the dress, and that she did! It was perfect for her. Eric got some awesome photos of her at the house before we headed over to Byer’s Choice for our formal session.

Chris and Ashley decided to see each other prior to the ceremony to do all of the bridal photographs. Their fist meeting was fun. They were both very excited to see each other, and Chris came over to Ashley with a cute tap on her shoulder. Eric and I had a great time with the pictures. Byer’s Choice has so many beautiful spots to go. Ahhh so many places, only so much time.

After all of our photos were finished we headed over to one of our favorite spots, PineCrest Country Club. As always, the room was beautiful, and the deck was set up for the outdoor ceremony. As 5:30 approached, everything was just perfect for Chris and Ashley to say their “I Do’s”. It was a perfect ceremony, complete with beautiful vows and a wine ceremony. The ceremony was sealed with a kiss and we were off to do a few more pictures on the perfectly manicured grounds of PineCrest. Again we had an endless supply of great spots to go. A beautiful bridge over the sand trap, a great sunset, and guests on the balcony cheering them on. It was awesome for all of us! Sherry Muir at Pine Crest did an awesome job as always getting everything ready for the night to begin! We also enjoyed working with Henry Franz who was the videographer - we worked with him a long time ago, so it was nice to see him again!

Excitement was in the air as Milan 77 announced Ashley and Chris into the room and started their first dance as husband and wife. Ashley’s dad, Allen, made a great welcome speech followed by speeches by 2 best men and maid of honor. Milan 77 continued to rock the house, and everyone was up dancing and having a great time. You can’t ask for much more. Well let’s add in a yummy cake and a chocolate fountain, and I would say this was one awesome day! A fun time had by all. I’m so glad that we were able to be a part of it. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

Aleen

Jen and Ryan's wedding 10/8/11

2011-10-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Talk about the best weather we've had in a long time for a wedding, and Saturday sure was it! Jen and Ryan were so lucky to have such an incredible day for their wedding.

When Donna and I arrived at Jen's parent's home in Coopersburg, Jen and her girls were already dressed and ready to start their day. We had some great scenery right outside of their house - peach trees to one side of the house and a corn field in front and along with a bright, blue sky we had quite the backdrop! Jen and Ryan decked their whole bridal party out in red sunglasses so we had fun with them all day. Although the girls were worried the guys weren't going to bring them to the wedding, they did their part and cooperated. Have faith, girls! The girls were up for anything at the house, including going in the corn field! We'll save those photos for later though.

The church was nearby, so it was a short ride to the Swamp Mennonite Church to meet up with Ryan and his groomsmen. After a few photos of Ryan, his family, and his guys, we were ready to begin the ceremony. Pastor Marc led the ceremony. The beginning of the ceremony started with a parents' prayer which was very nice. Their parents were very proud of them as they begin their life together.

They had a petal-filled exit on their way out of their church as all of their guests cheered for them. Then it was over to the farm for photos. Yes, I said farm. Jen's grandparents own a huge dairy farm with 70 cows! I was a little disappointed when I was ready to have the cows be in a few photographs that they were all practically running to the barn for feeding time. Were they afraid of the camera??! Well, we had plenty of time and fun with the bridal party and then had even more time with Jen and Ryan to do some great pictures on the grounds. We were ahead of schedule all day, so we even got to the reception early as well!

The reception took place at Iacocca Hall at Lehigh University up in good ol' Bethlehem! I used to work in Bethlehem many moons ago at First Valley Bank, and I could see the tall building where the bank used to be from the windows at the reception (memories, lol). It was quite the view overlooking Bethlehem as the sun set. There was plenty of food, cake and ice cream throughout the night. I must say the vegetable lasagna was the best I've ever had! DJ John, from East Coast, was dishing out the music all night, so we had plenty of pictures to take of all the dancers! Everybody had a great time celebrating with Jen and Ryan!

Paula

Jen and Brian's wedding 10/7/11

2011-10-12T17:37:00.001-07:00

I don’t think I can say enough about the great weather that we had on Friday for Jen and Brian. A picture-perfect day if I do say so myself. Donna and I arrived to a busy house full of excited bridesmaids and one very beautiful flower girl, and of course a very excited and beautiful bride! Jen was thrilled that her day was finally here and excited to get ready. Her mom and maid of honor helped her into her wedding gown.

We had a very short drive to St. John of The Cross where Brian was ready and waiting for us. It was very special for Brian and Jen that Brian’s brother and uncle were saying the wedding mass. How special that they have two priests in one family! They, of course, said a very beautiful and meaningful mass. After mass we had a good time with formal pictures at the church and then headed over to Maggio’s in Southampton for the reception.

The room at Maggio’s looked great when we arrived. I was thrilled that we were quick with pictures and able to get Jen and Brian there to enjoy the cocktail hour. Jen was so happy that she was able to enjoy the mashed potato bar! I was very happy as well. In addition to the traditional wedding cake, Jen and Brian had a Tastykake wedding cake, very cool. The picture will also be featured on the Tastykake web site. I love that! I was happy to see two of our former couples, Natalie & Darren and Katie & Pat. I enjoyed having some time during the reception to catch up with them. I always have fun seeing our former couples! DJ Harry McCosky did a great job with the music. When I finally left for the evening, everyone was having a great time! I’m sure that Jen and Brian are enjoying themselves in Disney too!

Until next time,
Aleen

Katie and Matt

2011-10-07T17:00:00.001-07:00

Last night, we drove up to a place we were never at before to do shoot Katie and Matt's engagement session - Ringing Rocks County Park! How many of you have ever been here? Some people bring hammers and bang on the rocks so you can hear the ringing! It's a fitting name.

Okay, I must say it was a little adventurous for us - hard to get yourself situated in between the rocks to take a picture. But we managed without breaking a leg and got some great shots of Katie and Matt. After the rocks, we took a little hike back to the waterfall which was really beautiful as you can see.

Katie and Matt were very playful which was awesome for us - looking forward to their wedding at Holly Hedge next March!

Lauren and Mark's engagement session

2011-10-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Finally some nice weather is starting to happen, and we will be having lots of engagement sessions! We're looking forward to this cute couple's wedding next September (do we really have to wait that long?!). Oh, well, I never thought this past September would ever get here, and now it's gone already. So, Lauren and Mark, look out, it's right around the corner!

We met Lauren and Mark at Rittenhouse Square in center city for an evening of photos on Tuesday. We found some great spots for their photos, and we really enjoyed getting to know them. Mark forgot to bring his jeans along for the session, so they did a little shopping once they realized he didn't have his jeans with him!! Thankfully he was able to get a pair quickly in time for the shoot - thanks, Mark! Now we have to worry about him on the wedding day making sure he has his tux.

Hope you guys found a great spot for dinner after the shoot and enjoyed the Phillies game! See you soon.

Katy and Jeff's wedding 9/17/11

2011-09-22T14:33:00.001-07:00

We had two weddings this past Saturday – Aleen and Donna photographed Katy and Jeff’s wedding. They had a great day, and here’s what Aleen has to say!

My good friend and photographer, Donna, and I set out to the Yardley area to meet up with our bride, Katy. It was a nice day, perfect for pictures actually, so we were excited to get started. Everyone was ready for the day when we arrived. I love the buzz and excitement I feel when I get to the bride’s house. We had a good time with everyone. The little ones were very cute and I even got a few pictures of them!

We headed off to the Mayfair section of Philly for the church. St John, Lutheran church was where Katy’s parents were married also. The church held a lot of meaning for Katy, and she was happy to be married there. It was a really pretty church. After the “I do’s”, the happy couple exited the church to a spray of bubbles and many happily awaiting guests. After some family photos in the church we headed off to the beautiful grounds of Bucks County Community College. I always have fun doing pictures there. There are so many spots to do pictures. Everyone enjoyed the time we had there. The guys were very entertained by the statues that are on the grounds there. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a ride there sometime, and you will see, lol!

The reception was held at Northampton Valley Country Club. We met the bride and groom there to do a few more photos. We just had to, the grounds are beautiful, so why not? Can’t pass up such good stuff! The room looked great and was ready and set for a Disney theme. The bridal party joined in the Disney fun as they were introduced too. Even the toasts had some of the Disney theme. The evening continued with a lovely dinner, parent dances and a night full of dancing and good times for everyone.
Our bride and groom who have been together nine years and met while working at Sesame Place. They are off to honeymoon in where else???.........Disney World. I hope they are having a great time. We wish them many years together and happily every after.

Until next time
~Aleen

Donnette and Connell's wedding 9/17/11

2011-09-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, when a ceremony is scheduled before noon, what bride could possibly be ready that early in the day?! Between hair, makeup, and the gown, these things take time. Our bride, Donnette, was no exception as her ceremony was supposed to start at 11 at Talamore CC, but it was worth the wait to see how beautiful she was when she came up the aisle!
In the meantime while I was waiting for the girls to be ready, I was able to spend quite a bit of time with our wonderful groom, Connell, and his groomsmen (and the guests, the people at the Talamore CC, and the minister, lol!) Connell looked very dapper with his top hat. At one point after we were finished taking pictures of the groomsmen, Wayne (best man), came up to tell me that Connell wanted them all to go to the bar to get some shots there. I had to admit that the thought in my mind was "wow, it's way too early to be doing shots and it didn't fit how Connell seemed to be". After Wayne stood there and stared at me, I realized that he wanted me to take some "shots" of them over at the bar area. Duhhh, that's what I was there for, lol. We all had a good laugh at my expense. Plus I was relieved to know that Connell wasn't going to be downing some shots! They got to enjoy breakfast over there as well (Wayne was happy about that!)
Back to Donnette - yes, she was finally ready to come up the aisle at 12:10, and it was a very emotional moment when they were first seeing each other up under the trellis. I believe I saw lots of tears streaming down Connell's face. He was just probably so relieved that she was finally coming up the aisle!! No, seriously, you could really see how much they loved each other as they looked at each other and held hands with each other. They shared the pouring of the sand during the ceremony which I really love, which each one pours a little at a time of different colors. Then Connell's sister presented them with a broom for the "broom jumping ceremony" - that was a very nice part of their ceremony before they walked up the aisle as a married couple.
I was so excited that it was finally "my" time with the photos, but I knew I had to rush to get them back somewhat on time!! Okay, I did what I could with my 35 minutes!! They were all very cooperative, and everything went very fast so no worries. Donnette and Connell looked great together so I'm glad they were into the photos as well. The grounds are so beautiful at Talamore - you can't go wrong using any area for pictures.
Back inside for the awesome party, and what a great afternoon it was. Videographer, Tom, from Big Day Video, had a very cute video for the guests to watch during dinner of the wonderful couple talking to each other at a park. The best part was when they were running in the field towards each other - good stuff, guys! After dinner, when the dj played the Electric Slide, there was no shortage of dancing from that point on. Donnette changed into a very cute dress and they had another grand entrance into the reception which riled everybody up! As if she wasn't pretty enough in her bridal gown!! Now, I must tell you the most amazing part of the reception was when they formed two dance lines and everybody came down the line individually with the best moves they had. I was quite impressed and wish I could move like that - what a great time everybody had with that.
I enjoyed working with wedding coordinator, Sheila, and her team - hadn't met them before - they were all very nice. It was also great to meet Tom who did the video - I'm sure their video is going to be wonderful. As always, the food was excellent at Talamore too. The salmon was amazing, I must point out!
Donnette and Connell - hope you are enjoying Honolulu - have a blast!! See you when you get back.
Paula

Liz and Greg's maternity session

2011-09-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, it was such a nice surprise when Liz called us a month ago to tell us she and Greg were pregnant!! We photographed their wedding 3 years ago on November 22, and believe it or not, their baby is due on their wedding date! So it was great to see them again to photograph this special time in their lives. They are very excited and can't wait for little Kepner to come along. They are just so cute together and photograph beautifully - can't wait to see that special little person! We can't be any happier for you!
Paula and Aleen

Kate and Joe's wedding 9/9/11

2011-09-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Another fun and fabulous day was in store for us this past Friday for Kate and Joe's wedding! We were a little concerned some rain was going to come right in time for our pictures, but it ended up being just a gorgeous, gorgeous day (what do those weather people know anyway??!)
We had photographed Kate and Joe's engagement session a while back, and we just knew it was going to be a great wedding day with lots of wonderful people. We went to Kate's parent's house for the getting ready photos, and Kate was her usual bubbly self when we arrived - you just can't not love her!! Their home was so beautifully decorated that it was hard to choose a room for the photos! You could also feel the closeness the family shared with each other as they interacted all day long which makes our job easy getting emotional shots. Kate looked stunning in her gown as she was getting ready to go to the church!
Kate and Joe were both just naturals in front of the camera - we hardly did any directing which was very nice. Even coming up the aisle after the wedding, they were our first couple that ever stopped and kissed on their own without me asking! Everything was just a very smooth day. The ceremony took place at Corpus Christi Church in Lansdale, just a few minutes from the house. Joe was looking smooth as ever when we arrived (even in his cumberbund which it seems he was harrassed for making the groomsmen wear cumberbunds!) He was happy as could be up on the altar with Kate as they said their vows. All of their guests were blowing bubbles as they exited the pretty church and sipped champaigne to celebrate before hopping in their sleek looking limousine to head to Talamore Country Club.
Now on a Friday night, it takes so much longer to get anywhere. We were starting to worry all of our picture time was getting eaten up in the car, but we made it there and got right into the photos! They were all into it too, so time was not a concern luckily! And boy did we get some great shots - between the grounds being great and having a cute couple, we couldn't do wrong. They clowned around a lot too and had a wonderful time - sometimes we don't feel like we're working. After the photos were finished, our happily married couple sped off in a golf cart for a little ride to relax before heading into the reception!
We enjoyed working with Phil, from All Occasion Videos - he did a great job and I'm sure their video is going to be incredible! And the band, RIO, well....they just rocked all night. Kate owns a dance studio and is a dance instructor, so we knew there would be some great dancing going on. Kate and Joe did a country line dance with cowboy hats on and all - what a great show, guys! That was awesome. I always think I can dance like that until I get out on the floor and then it doesn't happen, so I appreciate your talent for dancing!! It certainly put your guests in the mood too. It was a night to remember, that's for sure.
Hope everybody was able to read the romantic and loving poem Joe wrote for his beautiful bride - that sure was nice. Kate - ya just gotta hang on to a man who writes poetry for you!! I hope you are having a wonderful time in Aruba relaxing and reeling in the sun!
Paula and Aleen

Kelly and Sam's wedding 9/3/11

2011-09-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a wedding we've been waiting to get here for a long time - we just knew it was going to be a great one!! When we arrived at Kelly's parent's home, Kelly was very excited and ready to begin her day. Kelly was very animated all day which was fun for our pictures!
Kelly's parents, Laura and Dennis, have been really wonderful to us since we've met them - they are just such wonderful people and we could feel just how much this day meant to them. You can just see and feel the closeness they all have for each other along with Kelly's brother, Brian. We felt very happy for them throughout the day.
Their property is just one of the most amazing places you have ever seen with flowers, waterfalls, rocks, and just one incredible scene after another. There were so many great spots to take pictures!
The girls were having fun right from the beginning when we arrived - they were all emotional as Kelly came down the stairs at the house as they all oohed and awed at how beautiful she looked. I'm sure it was a fun ride on the trolley to the church to go see Sam!
Sam and Kelly shared a lot of love and laughter up on the altar at MMR Church as Msgr. Shields and Fr. Kredenzor led them in their vows. Their emotion was priceless up there - thanks for the great photos! Makes our job so easy.
After we left the church, we headed back over to Kelly's parent's place to take all the photos. Boy, did we have an incredible time with this bridaly party! We told the girls to walk sexy in this one photo, but it didn't turn out like that. They said it was because they were all married that they didn't know how to be sexy!! The guys were just wild, that's all I can say - you can see from the photos. There was an airplane landing strip that Kelly and Sam wanted their bridal party to run on - right at the camera! Okay, a few of them almost had a heart attack doing this. I think some more stretching and preparation could have been done beforehand! We were sorry our time was up when it was over! But we knew it was just going to continue to be a great time over at PineCrest Country Club when we got there.
DJ Danny P., from East Coast, kept this crowd dancing all night through this reception! What a great time, non-stop partying the whole time. And this was Sam's sexy dance to Kelly when he was going to take the garter off - I'm not sure if that was sexy but it was quite a show! We all loved how much fun they were having.
What a special and fun day this was - we won't forget it. Thanks for letting us share in your most wonderful day. You two are truly loved by your family and friends!
Paula and Aleen

Marianna and Eric's wedding 8/21/11

2011-09-05T07:30:00.001-07:00

Our photographer, Eric, had a great day with Marianna and Eric at the beautiful Glen Foerd Mansion on August 21st! Marianna and Eric live in New York, so we've had a lot of phone conversations about their wedding leading up to it. I know they were very excited to be here in Philly for their wedding. What a beautiful day they had too although some thunder was starting to happen right before the ceremony! The weather held out though as their guests were able to enjoy a very scenic ceremony out by the bright, blue water.
Eric captured a lot of fun and great images of our lovely couple - here are a few for you to enjoy. There are a few more earlier in our blog if you look back as well!

Teresa and Mike

2011-08-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday we had a beautiful day at Peace Valley Park with Teresa and Mike. I guess you could say it was the calm before the storm – Hurricane Irene, that is. We met at our office, and Mike and Teresa were nice enough to let me ride along with them. I am happy to say Mike’s driving did not make me nervous at all, and Mike, that is saying something for me! As always the park was perfect for pictures. Mike and Teresa were fun and playful together, making things easy for me! I enjoyed getting to know them and look forward to their wedding in June!

Ollie's 2nd birthday party

2011-08-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a very happy and cute birthday boy, Ollie! He had a fire-truck themed
2nd birthday party at Peace Valley Park on Sunday. His mom, Christa, threw quite a bash for him. Christa's husband is in the hospital and couldn't make the party unfortunately, but hopefully these photos will brighten his spirits! I wanted to put a bunch up so he could see everything.

There were fireman hats to decorate, a caricature artist to draw everybody's photo, lots of great food to eat, and many friends and family to celebrate Ollie's big day. All the kids enjoyed the playground for a while before the storms came. I was so excited to be near Ollie when the Chalfont firetruck pulled up. His reaction was priceless as he was in awe! I loved getting that in the one picture!

Ollie and his buddies climbed up in the firetruck, and he was in all his glory. I guess we have a future fire-fighter on our hands! That was a lot of fun to watch as he enjoyed being in the truck.

Everybody gathered around to sing happy birthday - Ollie loved his cupcake and did a great job blowing out his candle!

Mom, Christa, tried to get Ollie to sit still at the end of the day for his caricature - he did his best! A fun day for all!

Paula

Marianna and Eric's wedding 8/21/11

2011-08-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our photographer, Eric, was photographing Marianna and Eric's wedding this past Sunday at the incredible Glen Foerd Mansion! I went and joined him for a little while for their formal photographs. I only took a few shots - wanted to get a few images up on our blog for Marianna and Eric. When I get all the images from Eric, I will be posting more, so stayed tuned for those! I also got a shot of their cute flower girl and ring bearer before the ceremony.
Our lovely couple is honeymooning in Paris.

Ariel's Bat Mitzvah 8/13/11

2011-08-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Ariel sure had a lot of people who cheered her on all day at her bat mitzvah! It was quite the wild celebration with dancing that didn't stop (well, to eat maybe, but that was about it!) What a fun and special day for Ariel.

Over a week ago we photographed her at the synagogue during her rehearsal. So I have a few pics to share from there, and then we met up with everybody on Saturday at PineCrest Country Club for the party. I heard that Ariel did great during her actual ceremony - so glad to hear! She said she was nervous, but once she got going all was good!

Ariel and I had talked about basketball for a while while we were doing some photos of her out back of the country club. She is the point guard for her school team, and basketball was her theme for the party. I tried to impress her to tell her that I used to be the point guard for my school when I played (okay, she probably just saw me as some old lady and probably was not impressed!!) But anyway, I enjoyed talking with her!

Her proud parents, Steven and Nadine, rounded up all the family members for some special photographs with Ariel. DJ Ian, from Hot, Hot, Hot, was truly on fire with entertaining all of the kids. Lots of music and dancing, hats and glasses, jumping and diving - lots of fun. The kids had all their funky socks on to slide around the floor. We also enjoyed the hora - everybody got in on the action for that!

I know it was an afternoon to remember for everybody! They are probably still dancing!
Paula

Lauren and Bryan's wedding 8/6/11

2011-08-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

When you walk into the bride's house on a wedding day and all the girls have a drink in their hand already, you just know it's gonna be one party of a day! A fun one, for sure! Lauren, her mom, and her sister were also a little emotional starting off the big day - you could really see the love they all shared. Then through the rest of the day, there was a lot of laughing and carrying on! Definitely the kind of day we like to be a part of.

Lauren and Bryan sure had a perfect day. Their ceremony took place at Supplee Presbyterian Church in Maple Glen. The lighting in this church for photographs was the best I've seen in a long time (I'm sure they planned that for us!). Sometimes I do think it's all about me! After the ceremony, the guests filled the air with bubbles for Lauren and Bryan's exiting of the church. We always love all the great expressions of our couples as they come through the bubbles.

After the family photos in the church, we took off for the Whitemarsh Valley CC. It was really getting darker with the threat of bad weather as we were approaching the club, and we were hoping the bridal party would arrive before it started raining. They arrived in good time, and got all the photos in before it took a turn for the worse. The wind was really having a good time with Lauren's veil through all of the photos! The bridal party was having a great time - they were a lot of fun to be around.

They wanted to be in the club for most of their cocktail hour so we made that happen for them! I'm sure they enjoyed some good food and some great company from their guests. We were glad we had to time to chat with Jackie and Glenn whose wedding we photographed 2 years ago - great to see you guys, and thanks for the referral of this wonderful couple!

Need I say that the reception was wild and crazy?! If you were looking for Lauren and Bryan anywhere besides the dance floor, you wouldn't have seen them. They danced almost the whole night. Lots of fun pictures for us! Bryan was singing with the band too. Dad's speech to Lauren and Bryan was really nice before he took his daughter's hand for the father/daughter dance. They had taken dance lessons, and the dance was really nice. As you can see, mom was a little emotional through that moment!

Lauren's grandparents came in as the longest married of 59 years for the anniversary dance - that was awesome!! Can you just imagine?! And they were just filled with spirit and liveliness all day! Lauren and Bryan have some great rolemodels for their own marriage.

Hopefully our couple is basking in the sun and enjoying some cocktails on the beach in Jamaica! Have a wonderful time!

Meredith and RJ's wedding 8/5/11

2011-08-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Down to the city we went on Friday night for Meredith and RJ's wedding this past Friday night. We started off at the Sheraton Society Hill where we met up with Meredith. All of her girls and her mom were doing their best working on the back of Meredith's gown when we arrived. These things sometimes take a while, lol! Once she was all together, she was excited to go meet RJ outside of the Sheraton. They were both a little nervous, expectedly so, but once they could see each other, you could feel the calmness!

We gathered up the bridal party and went across the street to a park for all of the pictures. We had a really nice breeze keeping us all cool luckily as it was yet another hot wedding day for us! The girls had really cool umbrellas that made for some great shots - good idea, girls! They guys just has to be cool on their own!! There was a great water fountain too where we were so we quickly grabbed some shots there. We didn't have a lot of time for photos there as we needed to head back into the Sheraton for some family photographs before boarding the Cescaphe trolley. The Sheraton re-did their lobby so it made for a great backdrop!

We arrived at the Cescaphe a little early so I was happy we could do some more pictures our back of the Cescaphe in front of my favorite blue door! We haven't been able to get back out there since exactly 2 years ago when we shot Jackie and Glenn's wedding (who ironically were guests at our Saturday wedding!). Anyway, I was thrilled Meredith and RJ wanted to go out there - we got some of our favorite images of the day!

Then it was back inside to get ready for the ceremony as all the guests were anxiously arriving. The ceremony was extra special for our couple as RJ's father, Rev. Hamlin, led the service along with Cantor Berris. I think it's awesome when two religions can come together for a beautiful service! They said their vows under a beautiful chuppah (although it was hard to see RJ under there because he was so tall!!)

We enjoyed seeing all the Radbills at the wedding too! They are good friends of the family which is how they heard about us - thanks for the referral!! Tracy and Brian came all the way from Singapore for this wedding - that's awesome! Also Meredith knows two of our other brides in the past too, so it truly is a small world.

After the ceremony, all of the guests enjoyed one of the most incredible cocktail hours anywhere there is! It's more food than anybody can eat, but somehow they manage it all and then have dinner and then get back up there for an amazing spread of desserts! Good thing there are steps to get a little excercise to get to the scrumptious food!! The dancing helps too, and there was lots of it. We had the tradition hora dance where Meredith and RJ are held in the air on chairs and that's always some great chances for some fun images. The dance floor was packed all night, and everybody had a terrific time. The couple's monogram on the wall was really awesome looking all night long!

Meredith and RJ are heading to Hawaii for their honeymoon - I hope they bring back some great photos to show us!!

Maine engagement session

2011-08-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

After our "Meet the Artist" night in Massachusetts, we headed up even further north to Bath, Maine to meet up with Carrie and Michael to photograph their engagement session! Yes, that's right, Maine!! We were thrilled when they asked us if we could come to Maine this summer to do this. All of our dates aligned and we were there! They had a cabin right on the water so some beautiful view were in store for us.

We actually did 3 different engagement sessions - one on Sun night, Mon morning and Monday evening. The first spot we had to get there before high tide came in or else we couldn't walk out to this cool island! Of course low tide doesn't coincide with nice lighting, so we just had to deal with the sunny situation!! How blue can the water be - awesome colors! After this session they took us to feast on a delicious lobster dinner and treated us to a wonderful time!

The next morning we took a scenic road trip to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. We were all a little disappointed when we arrived as there was fog so thick you could hardly see the lighthouse! We waited around for a long time, but things didn't get much better with the fog. So we did the best we could - Aleen spotted a great shot as we were walking! The lighthouse reflection in a puddle. Very cool! For some reason you could see the lighthouse in the reflection but not when you actually looked up! On the way home, we stopped at Reds Eats which is a very famous little lunch shack. We waited in line for almost an hour in a very sunny line to get our lobster rolls and fries, and yes, it was worth it!

When we arrived back at their cabin, Michael and I went out to find some fresh lobsters for dinner. That was a new experience for me! Can you tell lobster was the theme here? Michael cooked them up and made an incredible lobster/pasta dinner! We all helped cut the lobsters up and made it a fun dinner. A few glasses of red zinfandel paired excellently with it too!!

Right before we had dinner, a spectacular sunset rolled in just for us. So out we went for some incredible shots on the water! What a great ending to our couple of days. We couldn't have asked for better!

It was really great to get to know Carrie and Michael over these days! They are really easy-going people who like to have fun! Their wedding is next June - can't wait. Thanks for a wonderful couple of days - wish we could have stayed longer! Hopefully you enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Paula and Aleen

Meet the Artist Night

2011-08-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a road trip up to Hyannis, MA, so we could be in the "Meet the Artist Night" at Menagerie on Main. We have many framed prints for sale at the gallery of our scenic artwork. The owner, John Dulina, just opened the store this past May. They have photographs, paintings, jewelry, glass art, and many wonderful gifts. If you are ever in Hyannis, make sure you stop by this wonderful place!

They had wine, food and classical music by guitarist, Joe Scott. There were over 100people who stopped by to check out the store and meet everybody! It was a great night, and the store had an incredible night of sales! We sold 4 of our matted prints which made us very happy!!

Here are some photos of the gallery and our display of images!

Melissa and Dave's wedding 7/29/11

2011-08-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

Another very hot wedding day was in store for us on Saturday for Melissa and Dave's big day at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell. "Whatever our two souls are made of, his and mine are the same" by Emily Bronte was on their ceremony program, and I could definitely say this was true about Melissa and Dave. They really seemed to be in tune with each other all day. They were both very excited about their day and tears were flowing all day. They both had an emotional moment when they saw each other for the first time before the ceremony. Dave warned us he was probably going to cry!

After they collected themselves, we found a great spot for photos that included lots of shade and a little breeze passing through occasionally (specifically ordered by Creative Images!!). Yes, there actually was a breeze! Don't get me wrong, it was still hot, but everybody did great out there. The ring bearers, Sean and Jake, were just as cute as can be too. After some bridal party pix oudoors, we headed indoors to photograph the families. We all needed to cool down and freshen up before the ceremony began.

The ceremony was outside in the rose-lined courtyard. Most of this area was in the shade for family and friends to witness their love led by Rev. Linda Gruber. I was worried at one point that Melissa's veil was going to take flight due to all the wind, but the veil managed to stay put. Just as the ceremony ended, in rolled some thunder and lightning. So we hurried and did a few more photos in front of the silos and just barely beat the rain by getting inside to the cocktail hour! Wow, were we lucky that they got their ceremony in just in time. Good job, Melissa, for moving your ceremony up 1/2 hour from your original time. That other couple and their guests in the other courtyard weren't so lucky, I must say!

Time for the party to begin and on to a night of dancing! I really liked Melissa and Dave's idea where guests could put their cards - in their golf bag! Cute idea. Dave and Melissa entertained everybody with their entrance into the hall and their first dance together. After that, everybody else was fired up for lots of dancing all night long.

They are basking in Bermuda right now - hope you two lovebirds are enjoying yourselves!

Paula

Natalia - 9 months old

2011-07-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today was our third session with Natalia - wow, I can't believe she is already 9 months old already. After one more session, we will complete an album of her that will highlight her first year of life! This will be very special for the family to have.

We met Marlo and Natalia at Valley Forge Park. Natalia has smiled every other session, so we knew we could count on her again. Sure enough, she came through with some winning expressions. Ya, you just gotta love the unhappy face as well - that is a keeper! The gnats were not very nice to any of us, so I'm sure Natalia wasn't thrilled with them. She is sitting up great, but you can tell she wants to be on the move. Unfortunately she wanted to be on the move while she was on the bench, and she scared us all by rolling forward. Marlo and Aleen's scream at the same time almost gave her (and me)a heart attack. After they saved her and she settled down from that, we got a few more great smiles!

Thanks for a nice day in the park!
Paula

Carrie and Chad's wedding 7/23/11

2011-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Wasn't sure how we were all going to get through this extremely hot wedding day, but it actually turned out really great! Carrie and Chad held up wonderfully. We took advantage of the air condition everywhere we went, and we tried to keep everybody in shade when we were outside. Not bad for a 100-degree day!

We started off meeting Carrie at the hotel where she was dressing to get some shots of her and her parents before heading to St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church in Warrington. I had forgotten how nice this church was inside, very pretty. Father Bunik kept everybody laughing through the whole ceremony, and Msgr. Capik assisted in the ceremony as well. Upon exiting the church, Carrie and Chad got sprayed with rice from their guests - good throwing everybody!

After the ceremony we stopped at Moravian Tile Works for the photos. As I said earlier, we managed to stay in the shade and work very fast for their sake! An occasional breeze came through a few times too. Plus Carrie had her fan! Carrie had actually won an award taking a photograph of this building when she was younger, so she was excited to have their wedding pictures taken here. It is a great location for photos with all the unique architecture and arches. We had a great time, and we all survived and came out with some great images!

Then it was on to Doylestown Country Club to cool down! Everybody got a break before we did a few more pix. Carrie and Chad were real troopers and went down to the bridge and the pond for some photographs. A sprinkler almost got them, but they managed to dodge that luckily (although it might have felt good!)

Carrie and Chad are big-time Phillies fans. In fact, we did their engagement photos at Citizen's Bank Park. So we knew there would be a Phillies cake around. I was surprised that they had their wedding on a day when the Phillies were playing (don't worry, we got updates throughout the game!) The guys had baseball team logos on their cufflinks (didn't see any Cardinals, that would have been nice!)

Carrie's parents had bought a bottle of wine the year Carrie was born, and they gave it to Carrie and Chad as a wedding gift at the reception. They had even moved several times over the years always being careful with the wine. What an incredible idea! Hopefully they let us know how it tasted!

Jason and Justin from Synergetic Sounds lit up the room with some great music, and literally lit up the room with lights! The dancing was non-stop, and everybody had a great night! Fun, fun day for everybody, including us!

Ashley and Carmello

2011-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was off to the Art Museum last night to meet up with Ashley, Carmello and their two dogs, Q and Journey! Q and Journey were very well-behaved and must have had some modeling sessions in their past as they sat right up for the camera. As for Ashley and Carmello though....no, they did okay too!! We got some great shots of everybody all around the area, and we just got everything in right before the rain came. Good timing. They are high school sweethearts who are tying the knot in October so check back then for some more awesome pix!

Joanna and Kevin's wedding 7/17/11

2011-07-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was a busy weekend for us - another wedding on Sunday too! And another great day for us as well.

When we arrived at Joanna's parent's house, Joanna was excited and ready to begin her day. Several relatives from Greece came to the house to see just how beautiful Joanna looked in her gown. I know how special that must be to have relatives come from that distance to help in celebrating the day! We know Joanna's mom, Maria, was very glad their day had arrived after a great deal of planning! Joanna and Kevin live in Virginia, so Maria helped in a lot of the planning stages. Everything went really smoothly all day, so good job to mom! And by the way, the baklava on the way to the church was just incredible - worth every calorie!!

The ceremony was at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Elkins Park. If you haven't been there before, it's a really beautiful church and great for photographs with all of its rich colors. Kevin was anxiously awaiting for his bride to arrive even though we were trying to make sure he didn't see her when she entered the church. We were successful! There is a lot of standing during the Greek ceremonies,and add a little heat to the day and one of the groomsmen fainted during the service. Not to worry, he was okay after they got him some water, and then the ceremony continued on. Joanna and Kevin were all smiles coming up the aisle - ready to start their life together.

After a few photos outside of the church with some beautiful, blue skies, they got in their limo and headed to the Manor House. Yes, we were back at the Manor House again. Good thing they love us over there, and we love them! We had a fun time taking photographs of Joanna, Kevin, and their bridal party during the cocktail hour. Nina (our bride from a few weeks ago) was one of the bridesmaids in the wedding too, so it was nice to see her again!

On to a great reception with the wonderful Greek band, Atlantis of Philadelphia. You know there was a lot of dancing at this reception -plenty of action for us to shoot! You have to have a lot of stamina to make it through these many songs in a row - better them than me. I get tired just watching! They were loving it and having a lot of fun! Joanna and Kevin did their share of dancing too and loved being with their friends and family! A great display of Greek desserts were on hand at the end of the night for everybody - of course, some baklava!!

Enjoy the photos!
Paula and Aleen

Cheryl and Scott's Wedding 7/16/11

2011-07-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at the Courtyard Hotel in Willow Grove on Saturday, Cheryl was all excited and ready to get into her gown! Wait, we had to get a shot of her in her "sexy bride" shirt first. It was the start of a great day for all. Cheryl and Scott were both very laid back all day, and these kind of days generally go very smoothly which it certainly did! We met up with Scott at the Hatboro Baptist Church, and he was excited for Cheryl to arrive. Little ring-bearer, Cage, was very cute as he wheeled his sister, Faith, up the aisle in the cutest wagon. Then Rev. Douglas Stratton led Cheryl and Scott through their vows. What a great limo they had as well, and the limo driver helped them to celebrate with some champagne after the ceremony before we went to the Manor House. It was a little warm doing the photographs, but we stayed in the shade and had a beautiful breeze coming along quite often which was wonderful for everybody. It couldn't have been any better. We had a lot of fun with the bridal party - they were up for some posing and clowning around - gotta love that. The grounds are so beautiful at the Manor House, but we usually don't have a lot of time for photos as we did on Saturday. So it was great going all over and capturing some amazing images for them! Their reception room was awesome with beautiful flowers all around the room, lots of incredible hors d'oeuvres, a delicious dinner, and a rockin' dj (DJ Johnny V of East Coast Entertainment). Not to mention us, lol!! Oh, and if you were still hungry after that dinner, they had quite the display of desserts with a chocolate fountain for dipping all kinds of great treats. Kudos to the Manor House as always. We were at the Manor House for both weddings this weekend, and this was certainly a wonderful start to our weekend.
Cheryl and Scott - hope you have an amazing time on your honeymoon!

Lauren, Bryan, and Stuey

2011-07-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

Tonight Lauren and Bryan came over with their dog, Stuey, to do their engagement session. I hope that's how you spell his name!! He is only 2, but he sat really well and smiled for all the photographs - he's a natural and very cute. Oh, yeah, Lauren and Bryan were really cute together too! Stay tuned for some more pictures of them coming very soon - their wedding is on August 6th! We are looking forward to a fun day with them!

Elise and Tony's wedding 7/10/11

2011-07-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

You may remember Elise and Tony from seeing their engagement photos just a few blogs ago! Here they are on their wedding day now, and what a nice day it was this past Sunday at the Manor House in Horsham. There were a few tears shed during their first meeting as you could tell they were both very excited to see each other!

From getting to know Elise and Tony during their engagement session, we knew they were a special couple. We could tell all of their family and friends really loved them too (no, not just because they sat out in the pelting sun for 1/2 hour to witness their ceremony, but you could just feel it in the interactions they had with Elise and Tony!) We really enjoyed getting to know everybody in the bridal party and the families. It was really cool that several of their relatives from Germany (Deutschland) could attend also.

Elise is an English teacher, and Tony is a history professor; so we knew there would be some poetic memories that they would create during their ceremony. Everyone in their bridal party had a part of a story to read - very nice! Some of them were nervous as they read, but they all did a great job. There was plenty of laughter going on as well. You could just hear how much Tony and Elise love each other as they recited their vows.

After the vows, we were able to take a few more pictures of the married couple out by the pond (our fave shots always) before heading into the party! Elise's good friend and DJ, Dan Glatts, from First Class DJ, had the crowd up dancing the whole night - no shortage of pictures for us! The flowers looked great too - thanks to Jenny Greenwald! And of course, and as always, the people who run the Manor House always do a fabulous job. We'll be back there for more weddings this Saturday and Sunday!

Everybody had a great time with the photo booth too. I'm sure there were some funny shots taken there. I couldn't find Aleen when it came time for the cigar shot of all the guys smoking (ok, not my fave shot but if Aleen isn't there to do it, I hold my breath, shoot, and run!) As long as they enjoy it, right?! It was great ending our night watching Elise sing "Play that Funky Music" - great job, girl!!

Enjoy Riviera Maya, and we'll see you when you get back! You guys are awesome!!
Paula and Aleen

Nina and Adam's wedding (Part 2)

2011-07-11T05:58:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more great shots that Eric took on Nina and Adam's wedding! You can definitely tell from all the great images that this lovely couple really enjoyed their day together. You can look below in our blog for more photos from this day. Nina and Adam celebrated their ceremony at Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park before heading over to Joseph Ambler Inn for a great afternoon with all of their family and friends!

Miranda and Caitlyn

2011-07-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Miranda and Caitlyn, two beautiful girls with eyes that will melt your heart! Grandmom brought them over today to get these wonderful images. They were very sweet, but Miranda was on a mission to be finished asap! Hey, we're fast, but not that fast. I think she just wanted to go pet our dogs (and they loved that!).Seriously, they were great and very cooperative - fun stuff!

Ashley and Chris

2011-07-01T04:37:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful night last night for taking pictures of Ashley and Chris at Tyler Park! The lighting was just perfect filled with colorful golds and greens for our backgrounds. This cute couple just celebrated their 5th year of being together and are excited about their October wedding that is right around the corner! They seem like they are perfect for each other.

Nina and Adam's wedding (Part 1)

2011-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

It was Nina and Adam's special day this past Sunday! Eric was photographing their wedding and having a great time, and I stopped by to see them and grabbed a few photos too at Joseph Ambler Inn. I thought I'd share a few of my photos until the "real" pix arrive soon! Stay tuned for some more awesome images of Nina and Adam. They were very playful with each other and real cute together - that makes our job easy! You guys looked great, so glad I could share in a little bit of your day. Since Nina and Adam are both medical students, most of the bridal planning was done my Nina's mom, Phyllis. It has been nice getting to know her, and she did a great job planning everything!

My friend, Cathy, whom I used to work with for many years is Nina's aunt, and we've done several family events and have gotten to know the whole family over the years. The one picture is Cathy and her family - we photographed both girls' bat mitzvahs. My, have they grown up - just beautiful girls!

Also we had just found out that one of our upcoming brides, Joanna, was the maid of honor - small world! So she and Kevin were there having a great time - we'll see you real soon.

Nina and Adam are heading down to Virginia for a few days of r&r - enjoy!
Paula

Kim and Ryan's wedding 6/11/11

2011-06-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

When we arrived at Kim's house, I asked her how she was feeling. For the first time in 20 years, a bride tells me, "I'm actually feeling vomitous". We got such a good laugh, what a way to start the day off. Of course I had to look that word up when I got home to make sure it was a really a word, and sure enough, it is!

Ryan, on the other hand, was feeling very excited when we arrived at Westover Country Club. Of course, once Kim arrived in their incredible limo and she walked down the aisle to greet Ryan, everything was wonderful for her as well. They make such a cute couple, and they are great people to be around!

They had a beautiful ceremony outside on the deck of the country club. The sky was threatening rain the whole time, but the weather cooperated all evening and it was actually perfect for their ceremony and for sitting outdoors to enjoy their cocktail hour. It was great for pictures too as we roamed about the beautiful grounds having fun with the bridal party during the cocktail hour. We finished up in time for them to enjoy the tail end of their cocktail hour before heading into their party, led by Scott, owner of Signature DJ's, who played some awesome music for everybody all evening.

As you can see Kim and Ryan got each other pretty good during the cake cutting - that was fun, just the way they are! Always great for photos.
Hopefully they are enjoying Jamaica this week and have many more pix to remember their special time of their lives!

College Graduate, Amanda

2011-06-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

You go, girl!! We are so proud of our Amanda as she graduated from Holy Family this year with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology! Amanda used to work for us for 8 years back in the beginning days of our business. Now she's moved on to bigger and better things, lol. We are so happy for her with such a great accomplishment. She's been working for the government and going to school at night for the past 4 years. Now she's heading on to get her Masters of Science over the course of 3 more years. We know you can do it! Congrats and all the best to you!
Aleen and Paula

Elise and Tony

2011-06-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Elise and Tony are one of our upcoming Manor house couples! We'll be shooting their wedding one month from today so check back for their wedding pix then.
We met Elise and Tony at their picturesque home this morning. What a nice court yard they have in between their house and their carriage house, great for photos! We had a lot of great spots to work with, and it was very nice to get to know them better. Their cute, little cats wanted in on some pictures too - Dante and Benny were in the window watching them! We are excited for their wedding to get here, and I'm sure they are too!

Family fun

2011-06-10T08:33:00.001-07:00

It's always great for me when one of my family members comes into town! Except for Aleen's dad who is from NC, her whole family lives in the Philly area. My brothers and sister are scattered all over the US - Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas, and New Mexico, so it's a special time when they are here. My oldest brother, Tim, and his wife, Priscilla, spent a week of vacation here from New Mexico. We had a great time enjoying dinners and lots of red wine with them. We showed them around Peddler's Village and New Hope, and of course we had to stop for a New Hope Winery tasting. Then they spent several days with my mom up in Allentown and went on a day trip to NYC. It was great to have them here!

Chelsea and Jim's wedding 6/4/11

2011-06-08T08:40:00.001-07:00

Fun, fun, fun was the theme of the wedding we photographed on Saturday! I could say wild, wild, wild too! Chelsea and Jim had quite a day to remember forever, I must say. Aleen and I will remember it as well as these are the kind of days we love!

The day started out on the emotional side. When Chelsea's dad saw her for the first time in her wedding gown, the tears were flowing from both of them (also from Aleen!) After everybody recovered from that, we had a few minutes for pictures in their front yard before hopping on the trolley to head to St. Christopher's. Although Chelsea was a little bit nervous at the house, Jimmy was cool as a cucumber when we arrived at the church! But wait, he had tears too when he saw Chelsea walking up the aisle. Msr. Joseph Garvin was wonderful to us letting us know that he would do the best up there for us to get perfect angles and photographs during the ceremony. He was so nice to us, and we really appreciated his concern! Chelsea's dad had most of the guests crying during the ceremony (us too!) when he had his talk about "Rainbows at night". You could really tell how much he loves his daughter.

Okay, no more crying - the rest of the day was just a mad time. The bridal party was amazing and such a great group of people. Okay, they were a group of 22, but we haven't seen a group this fun in a long time. They set the standard high for any of our future bridal parties, for sure!! As they drove on the trolley and we drove behind them, they continued the whole time to sing and yell out the window to the city of Philadelphia. You can't imagine all the wonderful reactions of the people who were walking on the streets - they brought a lot of smiles to everybody! They were playing music on the trolley and dancing all around! We had a terrific time doing their photos too near the Art Museum. Much laughter was happening all around, and Chelsea and Jimmy didn't stop smiling all day. They just had an amazing time with their family & friends.

After a quick stop in front of City Hall for a few shots of our couple, we went over to the Ballroom at the Ben for the reception where everybody was sharing in a wonderful cocktail hour. You could just feel the party was going to be a great one - it was in the air! Their band, Carnivale, had the guests up non-stop so there was no lack of photos for us. They rocked all night, never a dull moment. The cutting of the cake was fun too as Jimmy took his jacket off before heading over. Uh-oh, I knew he meant business, and we knew there would be some cake smashing going on. That's always fun for us for the pictures!

We had one terrific day and met a lot of super, great people. What a day for us to be a part of - thanks, guys! Your photos are awesome (not because we're so great, lol), but because you guys are awesome!! Can't wait to share them with you. Enjoy these for now!
Paula

Jodi

2011-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful morning for photographs today at Peace Valley Park! Today we photographed our friend and former Creative Images photographer, Jodi. Jodi is updating her web site for her business and needed some great pix! She is a certified holistic health coach. She has helped many people with nutrition needs empowering them in the area of health and wellness. She has many programs available, so if you are interested in contacting her, you can call 267-975-6367 or visit her web site for more information www.yourwellnesspartner.org
Oh, and hopefully these photographs get up there soon!

Bella and Summer

2011-05-27T11:25:00.001-07:00

Check out these two beautiful dogs, Bella and Summer. We had a fun morning with them up at Peace Valley Park - although we all worked our tails off trying to get them to look at the camera or better yet, just to sit still. We managed to get a lot of great images in between though. Amanda is surprising her partner with photos of her dogs. Amanda got in for some shots too!

Applecross Golf Outing

2011-05-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I was at Applecross Country Club in Downingtown for their Media Day. They had a golf outing where Mike Nicklaus (Jack's son) was there for the event. He had designed this golf course and hadn't yet played on it, so he was excited about playing it too. He looks just like his dad!! All the golfers were excited to have their photo taken with Mike during the lunch. Then they all hopped on their golf carts to hit the links. Okay, this part was a little boring for me just waiting for each set of golfers to get to the hole where I was, but I managed because I could just enjoy sitting in the cart dreaming about golfing myself!! Applecross is the sister club of Talamore Country Club (same owners). I was able to meet a lot of wonderful and friendly people all day. Great place to golf or dine! The houses are beautiful there too in case you are interested in living there!! They ended the day with awards for the golfers and a feast to enjoy.

Christine and John's wedding 5/21/11

2011-05-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a beautiful day for Christine and John on Saturday! Thankfully so, as it was outside in their back yard. Since it was so bad all week with rain, they felt it was incredible the sun was out for their special day. They had a tent, just in case though! They were both very nervous before the ceremony - very sweet. John pulled up on his Harley shortly before the wedding ceremony. If the yard wouldn't have been saturated from the week of rain, he would have driven it in for the ceremony. Now, that would have been very cool and very different! Our good friend, Kent Foster, was the minister for their special event. His ceremonies are always so meaningful and intimate to every couple. There were definitely some tears shed! No, not from me, although I thought about it - it's hard to remain objective, what can I say?! They were both extremely happy, and their close friends and family were there to share in the exitement. Of course, we had to get pictures with their dog, Na Nook (not sure of the spelling?!) who was very nervous too! We can't forget about the dog. We tried to get as many photos as we could, but people were missing every time we were trying to get a group together. Oh, well, we captured what we could before Christine and John were too hot and needed to change. The food was excellent, great caterers! I'm sure everybody enjoyed the night! What a great day!
Paula