Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Kevin & Loren’s Cranbury, NJ Barn Wedding

*Posted by Matt*

With the Fall weather rolling in (sort of) I wanted to dip back and show off one of the weddings from a few years ago that we never shared. It just so happens (or was it completely intentional?) that today is also Kevin and Loren's fourth anniversary!

These two were actually the third wedding we a part of for the Vallery Family. First we had the pleasure of photographing Shannon and Brian's wedding during the Running with the Santa's and then were asked back for Kelly and Shamus's wedding on the beach!  With those two in our pocket, Loren and Kevin asked us to document their wedding as well!

To say that each wedding in this family was unique would be an understatement. One had a Christmas-themed wedding complete with hundreds of drunken Santas while the other was a beautiful beach wedding in New Jersey. So we had high hopes for this one.

They did NOT disappoint.

Their day included a ceremony in a private barn, wedding portraits in a corn field, a wedding slogan sewn in to Kevin's brown suit ('It's All Happening'), a bee-themed wedding cake and the most epic dance-off I have EVER SEEN! I can still distinctly remember forgetting to take pictures of the dance-off because I was so enthralled.

Enjoy!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography | Alli & Jason's Valley Green Inn Wedding

* Posted by Theresa *

Alli and Jason were one of our final Fall weddings of 2014, and their special day was just perfect!

We met up with Alli and her bridesmaids for some getting ready photos at Blo/Out, a salon right in the heart of Center City Philadelphia. After the girls were finished with their beautiful hair and makeup, they assembled over at the Hyatt at the Bellevue on Broad Street. Here, in a fantastic suite overlooking the city, Alli put on her gorgeous beaded, strapless wedding gown and blue heels. She looked amazing!

The guys were also getting ready in the Bellevue, but on another floor. The groomsmen looked great in their charcoal grey suits and orange ties, and Jason stood out wearing a sharp blue suit with a fuchsia tie. It all worked to pull together the bridesmaids' fuchsia, knee length dresses, and the pops of fall colors in the bouquets.

Jason and Alli had their first look on the steps at the Bellevue, and Jason was left speechless when he saw his bride!

The group of 11 then made their way around Center City for some photos, ending up on Kelly Drive for a quick game of Wiffle Ball, one of Alli and Jason's favorite games! This was definitely the first time we ever did Wiffle Ball wedding photos, and it was so much fun!

The soon-to-be newlyweds headed over to Valley Green, the perfect spot for their fall wedding ceremony and reception! Alli's best friend officiated the wedding, and he had the bride and groom in tears (mosty from laughing!) during the ceremony. When the couple said "I do," their guests sent them down the aisle in a shower of golden fall leaves.

Their reception was warm and inviting, with sunflowers adorning the tables, and dreamy paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the Valley Green reception hall.

The whole crowd had such a fun time, and Alli and Jason had sunglasses ready for all of their guests, printed with "Klein Time" - the couple's running motto of the day - on the lenses! It was definitely a wedding for the books!

(It's Klein Time! Yeaaaaaaaaaaa!)

Philadelphia Wedding Photography | Leslie & Scott's Old Mill in Rose Valley Wedding

• Posted by Natalie •

Leslie and Scott held their rustic fall wedding at one of my favorite wedding venues —The Old Mill in Rose Valley, which was the site of my own wedding on a meltingly hot June day a couple of years ago! Thankfully, Leslie and Scott had much more pleasant weather for their mid-October wedding. They were drawn to many of the same features that attracted me to The Old Mill: It's just outside Philly, but it feels like a different world. Just a few steps from the stone courtyard, there is a beautiful outdoor space that makes you feel like you're getting married in the middle of the woods, complete with a little creek babbling in the background. Leslie, truly a woman after my own heart, accented  this beautiful space with myriad details to complete a scene of pure rustic elegance.

An antique trunk filled with fall-colored pashminas greeted guests as they made their way over the little stone bridge to the ceremony site. (The pashminas would definitely come in handy later as the sunny afternoon cooled into a brisk evening.) Tree stumps topped with simple flower arrangements lined the aisle and led to a beautiful Chuppah hand-crafted using grapevine wood and white dendrobium orchids. The ceremony itself was a true family affair. Leslie and Scott had held a private ceremony at their dream wedding spot in Bryce Canyon in Utah over the summer, so this day was all about celebrating family. Leslie's nieces guided the third "Flower girl," the couple's dog Chloe, down the aisle. Scott's brother officiated the ceremony, and Leslie & Scott's parents and siblings surrounded them at the Chuppah and took turns with readings and conducting a wine-sharing ceremony. The couple's other dog, Bryce, served as a very well-behaved ring-bearer, running the rings down the aisle right to Leslie.

Leslie's penchant for details was evident through the reception as well. A mix of round and rectangular tables were topped with brown linens, brightened by a variety of centerpieces and handmade wooden table numbers. Nobody left this event hungry! A variety of intricate passed hors d'eouvres started the night, and, in addition to dinner, guests could visit the martini bar or the ice cream float bar in the courtyard or choose from four flavors of cupcakes! A live band kept people dancing, and they left the night with goody bags of Philadelphia comfort food: Soft pretzels and Tastykakes.

Leslie and Scott, we had a blast with you guys. Thanks for being so awesome, and we hope to keep crossing paths with you in the future!

PHILADELPHIA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS | Matt Godfrey & Natalie Nigito

FLOWERS | Ginju Skrot of The Pod Shop

STATIONARY | Paper Rock Scissors

HAIR | Elite Concepts

MAKE-UP | Bella by Design DRESS | La Bella Moda

BRIDAL SASH | Custom-designed by Jenny Yoo

JEWELRY | Bucci's Jewelry & Design

FLOWER GIRL JEWELRY | Carly Marks

VIDEOGRAPHER | Brock Pemberton

VENUE | The Old Mill in Rose Valley CATERER | Connor Catering CUPCAKES | SophistiCakes

BAND | Slippery Band

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Matt & Lynda's Rose Valley Wedding

• Posted by Matt •

Matt and Lynda's Fall wedding at the Old Mill in Rose Valley was special to me because I have known Lynda's dad and stepmom for quite some time. Mr. and Mrs. Rayer are both entrenched in the arts in Philadelphia, so there was a certain level of validation that came along with being chosen as Lynda and Matt's wedding photographer! It was also special for Natalie, who got married at the Old Mill a couple years ago!

Lynda and Matt ended up with snowy engagement photos during one of the rare snow days last year, so even though it was still pretty cold the day of their early November wedding, we were happy to see a little bit of the sun! The bride got her hair and makeup done at Karma Salon & Spa in Media before heading back to the Radnor Hotel to finish getting ready. Meanwhile the groom got ready at his parent's house in Media.

The guys had some funny groomsmen portrait ideas (like showing off the groom and groomsmen matching argyle socks) so we spent a good amount of time laughing while doing that.

Then it was off to the ceremony at Nativity BVM Church in Media. They decided to have a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony followed by family portraits right inside the church. Nativity BVM is such a gorgeous church, it was so easy to get great pictures while we were there!

Next up was our favorite part of the day as we headed to Tyler Arboretum for bridal party portraits. All of the fun sculptures and pieces there lent themselves nicely to some funny bridal party portraits and some really beautiful bride and groom portraits as well. Keeping with their big ideas for portraits, all of the guys had superhero t-shirts for a groomsmen photo!

The reception took place at the Old Mill in Rose Valley and the couple did a great job of making that unique as well. Instead of a cake they had a cupcake display, they had mini pumpkins as table numbers, Tastykake pies as gifts for people to take home and much more. They also had one of the best sets by the Mummers at a wedding I've ever seen!

Matt & Lynda, thank you so much for making us a part of your big celebration! You had so many creative ideas for your wedding and your photos.  We're so glad you trusted us to help bring them to life!

Danika & Matt's Fall wedding at Valley Green Inn

• Posted by Matt •

Danika & Matt were our third wedding at Valley Green Inn this year, which meant that this quaint Philadelphia wedding venue along the Wissahickon River officially overtook Bear Creek Mountain Resort as our most-visited venue.  You'll hear no complaints from us, though, since this is one of our favorite Philadelphia wedding locations, especially in the fall when the surrounding woods create such a colorful backdrop. (To see more Valley Green Inn weddings, check the links at the end of this post.) Danika & Matt capitalized on the season and wove pops of red, yellow and orange throughout their Fall-themed day. A special thanks to Melissa Kelly who joined me as a second photographer for the day.

This quirky couple brought lots of personality to the day. Danika shared a handful of portrait ideas with us beforehand so we knew going into it that they were going to be a fun couple to photograph. They are both trained fighters (think mixed martial arts, jiu jitsu, etc.) and they met at the gym they where train at so they decided to incorporate that into their day. There were cookies shaped like a bride and groom wearing fighting gloves, their actual gloves they train with were on display and a lot more. The bride and groom even burst through a banner with their gloves on just like they would at the beginning of a fight!

It was also pretty funny to see their friends from the gym, all seated at a table together, with a variety of black eyes and visible bruising from recent matches.

Danika & Matt, Thanks for bringing so many fresh ideas to a familiar place. Your taste and style really made us feel like we were at a venue we had never been to before!

Additional Valley Green Inn weddings: Lindsey & Brad, Steve & Lara (more to come as we catch up on our blogging!)