The Wedding of JoAnn and Christian 5/24/08

I woke up this morning fresh from shooting yesterday and thought to myself that I have an interesting job. It's always the same yet different and that's one thing I love about it. Yesterday I was in a the suburbs capturing Love and today I'm in the city doing the same yet different. So many beautiful details and planning go into the hard, hard job of coordinating a wedding. I love all of these little aspects. Today is no exception. Joann wore an absolutely stunning gown and she looked like she was walking off the pages of a bridal magazine! Maddie their cutie pie yorkie helped in the getting ready and took a few moments to pose for some portraits with her mommy =) Although the sun was harsh and the skateboarders resisted while we were shooting at Love Park we were rewarded later with the most amazing light streaming down the alleyway that would be the location that we would finish our shoot. Ahhh light, good, bad or indifferent it is the wonderful essence that when harnessed properly can create and/or enhance the emotions that we feel and images that we see. Today was full of wonderful light and beautiful touches. Thank you Chris and JoAnn for running through the streets with me, braving oncoming traffic, re-directing the gangs of skaters, searching for open shade, braving the smells of alleys and most importantly believing me when I say, "okay here's the last shot," even when it's not =) Trust me, I don't lie to my clients intentionally but you see, if I see the light I have to chase it...

The Wedding of Leslie and Pete 5/23/08

As I knocked on the door to Terry and Sonny's home I was greeted with such a warm and calm smile from Leslie! I was so happy to see her just positively radiant! I can always tell the vibe that a day will have by seemingly small details that are unbeknownst to most outside of my own quirky superstitions. It's true though... be calm and you attract calm, be creative and you attract creative etc... I feel so comfortable with the family so when Terry greets me with a giant hug and says, "I'm gonna miss you when we are all done with today," I wink and say well there's always baby shoots and such =) I know that as special as a wedding day is, it is just a slice of time in this ongoing circle of lifes' decisive moments. In the past few years I have found myself fortunate to be capturing so many stages of my clients lives. From engagements to marriage then pregnancy, births, baby sessions, family portraits, monumental birthdays, graduations and the circle continues. I love shooting weddings because of the emotional nature and details of the event but first and foremost, I am YOUR photographer. You see, it's a relationship that is built on trust and respect and I love being able to capture the moments of your life that you can't see because you're in it.

So with that all said, I relish the wedding day shoot knowing that this is just the beginning of a relationship with my clients and as I journey with you in capturing you and your family I feel so rewarded that these happy moments attract happiness!

So back to Leslie's day... It was gorgeous and her smile infectious! The girls looked stunning and the boys well, they were carefree, so happy to do anything and everything! Pete, as always charming and handsome! They opted to see each other prior to the ceremony and it was so romantic and I'm sure that sharing this moment privately eased any nervousness if any. Everyone was relatively calm and just excited to celebrate although Sonny, Leslie's dad was feeling a little anxious when I spoke with him because he and Leslie had choreographed a dance and he wanted to make it perfect for her. Well Sonny, You are the man!!!! That dance was so AH-MAY-ZING!!! Upbeat, full of personality, entertaining and you brought the house down! Leslie did spins and kicks and moves in that wedding dress that most people couldn't pull off in regular attire. I just kept shooting and shooting and shooting =) This day was as it should be, a celebration. You could see it in the smiles and laughter of family and guests, the love and willingness to put it all on the line from the parents, the connection of friendships and support from the bridal party and lets not forget the sweet and harmonic balance of how Leslie and Pete obviously love each other. Thank you all for such a wonderful day!

PS.... Terry and Sonny, you are both such amazing and supportive parents and I Thank you so much and appreciate your generosity! Also, the thank you cards are done and are fabulous of course, they are on their way to you, they aren't of the ordinary variety but they are made with a little extra love =)


So rather than just a few faves, here's more of a story of their day, Enjoy!

Leslie - The Pre-Bridal Shoot

What better way to take advantage of your hair and make-up trial than to put your dress on and traverse the city for some beautiful Pre-Bridal photos. When Leslie and her mom Terry suggested this I was like, uh hell yeah!!! Leslie was so cute how she was a little nervous at first but by the end of the shoot she was such a pro. We covered a few of Philly's hot spots including the Penitentiary for a private tour. A great big THANK YOU goes out to Terry and Sonny, Leslie's parents, for driving us all around the city so that we could avoid the dreaded parking authority and also for being my photo assistants =) No worries on the dress, it came out of the session pretty much unscathed. We did the shoot about 8 days before the wedding. I printed and framed a few as a surprise for Leslie and I was sooooo happy with her reaction! This day really helped to make the wedding day photo session stress free and I highly recommend Pre-Bridals for this reason as well as having something to display at the reception.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with Leslie, Terry and Sonny. I felt like such a part of their team as we all worked together to help create beautiful and memorable images for Leslie. The love in this family is so evident and I feel so very honored to have them as my clients and more so to have been privy to one of the most special moments in their lives! So here are a few of my faves and the Wedding images are soon to follow!

The Wedding of Erin and Lou 5-17-08

The thorns were pricking the inside of my pants near my ankles and I remember thinking to my self, now why did I think it was a good idea to climb in between these rose bushes? You see it was out of the way of the guests, on the left side, a perfect vantage to capture Lou's face while the vows were exchanged. I was happy in my spot amongst the bushes and the bees =) Yet something in my head said Cindy, you need to climb out of these bushes, smile politely to the guests watching your ever so interesting balancing act and walk to the other side. So, through the years I've learned to listen to these little voices of intuition - they are never wrong. Erin had begun her vows as I raised my camera to my eye. As I did so the emotion of her vows produced a tear that proceeded to roll down her cheek. Her hands were clasped to Lou's and rather than remove her hands from his she let the tear roll down its path. He took his handkerchief and gently wiped the tear and its counterpart from both cheeks. I melted, as did every one watching.

A beautiful day filled with so many powerful moments. The kind of moments that a girl dreams of when she thinks of what her wedding day would be like. However you simply can't script these things. Today I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend the day with such an amazing group of people!

I also had the opportunity to work with Danielle of Lucky Productions Video, who is such a talented videographer. I met her awhile ago at an expo and I was drawn to her work back then. She has a fresh eye through out the day I was totally lovin her style.


Look at how happy Lola is, I think she knows it's a special day for her mom and dad =) Lola walked down the aisle wearing flowers from the day and the crowd went wild!


























Lou's dad did old blue eyes proud as he sang while Lou accompanied him on stage Lou's grandfather watched.


At the end of the night as Val and I left the Crystal Tea Room we were tired. Not so much physically (although my new D3 and 70-200 are sure to popeye my right arm) but mentally. You see, days like today help me to realize that every wedding I shoot I give a piece of myself in exchange for pieces of my clients. The more you give the more you get. Thank you so much Erin and Lou for trusting us implicitly and for just being yourselves!

The Wedding of Denise and Roy 5-10-08

I feel that there are times that things just come together beautifully and then there are times when the day has been exquisitely planned. Today was a little of both! Giant kudos to Denise and Roy for meticulously planning and executing everything! Smooth, smooth, smooth... They had by far the longest shot list of family and friend groupings in my history as a photographer yet it was one of the quickest and flawlessly executed due to the cooperation and understanding of everyone involved. This is just one of the testaments as to how important Denise and Roy are to the people who love them. Everyone was more than happy to help make their day as memorable as they hoped it would be, myself included. Denise and Roy are just so sweet that you can't help but want to be around them. Thank you both for allowing me to share in these moments!

The Wedding of Jenell and Dave 5-9-08

Even the rain outside today couldn't spoil the smiles inside! Today is Jenell and Daves' wedding day =) I feel really honored to be working with them because I know that the task for choosing a photographer has been daunting. It must've been fate that Jeff and Kristine, my December 29th clients, forwarded their blog images to their friends and families leading Jenell to my website and eventually my studio. The rest is history... Thanks so much for walking in the wet grass and just loving each other and your day rain or shine! So here are a few of my faves from the day .

I just love the way that Dave looks at Jenell as she's walking towards him and how can you forget the way that Jenell's dad hugs her one last time before she's married.

Sometimes all you need is a little coaxing =)





Once the rain stopped we were left with cool little puddles.