Philadelphia Engagement Photographer | Old City | Lauren + Sam

Lauren and Sam have been together for 8 years and they’ve known each other far longer. They met in confirmation class and had a lot of mutual friends throughout high school; he went to Shipley, she went to Lower Merion. You could say that this has been a loooong time coming.

I was thrilled to do their engagement session. Lauren asked if we could integrate their lives into it by taking pictures of them cooking together, drinking wine, and being festive. Um… yes! Any session that really shows off a couple’s personality and emphasizes common activities is always a fantastic idea. I am in love with this session. Like a whole lot.

We started at their place in Old City. They made pasta and salad together over some red wine. The place smelled delicious.




Don’t tell the landlord, but we did some tree trimming too.





As the story goes, Lauren and Sam went to New York for the day. Sam had to visit his sister to “pick up a birthday gift for his mom”. (Can you see where this is going?) He and Lauren walked around Central Park together and stopped near a lake there where he popped the question to Lauren, who hadn’t seen it coming. He even had a friend pick up Lauren’s shift the next day so they could spend the night there and revel in their engagement.



Aside from a sweet place in the heart of Philly, their roof has some spectacular views.





We bundled up and headed out to explore their neighborhood. Despite living right around the corner for 2 years, this was the first time they had ever been to Elfreth’s Alley. For shame!



It’s such a fantastic area of Philadelphia. The cobblestone streets, old brick buildings, tucked away parks, history, and character all around.






(Anyone recognize those candy canes?)




Lauren and Sam, June can’t come soon enough! I can’t wait to come back to the neighborhood that you call home for your wedding at Cescaphe’s Atrium at the Curtis Center. It’s going to be fantastic!

Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.
~ Sarah Bernhardt

Philadelphia Boudoir Photographer | Ailene

I’ve been dying to share these and am just tickled pink that I finally can! Ailene was one of my 2010 brides and she came to me a little while ago and talked about surprising Jason with a boudoir session for Christmas. I was totally ecstatic! Not only is Ailene just stunningly gorgeous but it was soooo great to see her again. She’s sweet as can be. And she did her own makeup for it; I was completely impressed.  She’s terrible at keeping secrets from Jason and he know something was going on but she managed to hold off until Christmas! He was texting her throughout the session trying to trick her into giving something away.

At long last, here are some shots from our session!








Love this. First of all, this is Justin’s shirt – the same shirt he wore at their wedding. Second, the tattoo is incredibly meaningful. Ailene wrote the word and Jason did the illustration.


And I thought these shoes were just about the best things ever. Seriously, how hot are these?!




Ailene, thanks so much! It was such a great time. Jason’s quite the lucky guy!

“No matter what a woman looks like, if she's confident, she's sexy.”
~ Paris Hilton

merry, merry

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.
~ Agnes M. Pahro

Philadelphia Wedding Photographer | Philadelphia City Hall | Elizabeth + Matthew [teaser]

You’ve heard of the word “smitten”. I’d like to introduce you to the couple who invented it: Elizabeth and Matthew. I shot their City Hall wedding yesterday and have a teaser to share with you. You’ll see more (and by that I mean you’ll get to see Matthew’s cute mug) soon enough! I can’t wait to tell you all about them!

Philadelphia Engagement Photographer | Philadelphia Art Museum | Cassie + Paulo

Cassie and Paulo are fun, spunky, and totally in love. They met at a birthday party and she approached him and started peppering him with questions about himself. As the story goes, he ran away but came back later that night and they talked together all night long. I appreciate a chick who sees what she wants and goes after it!

Their first date was another marathon – they closed down the restaurant after talking together for 5 hours! Fast forward to a few months ago and Paulo has a plan to propose that gets thwarted by a dress shopping trip with Cassie’s sister. So she comes over to his place one day and he presents her with flowers and a card with that day’s date. You see, they keep scraps of paper with the dates of important events from their relationship and it was certainly a date worth remembering. I love it.

We started our engagement session behind the Philadelphia Art Museum.











We did a quick change into Portuguese soccer jerseys. Paulo is a huge fan of the sport. Both of them have #7 as their favorite number and Luis Figo is Paulo’s favorite player.




Flyer’s run to the Stanley Cup was a big part of their early courtship. They went to a ton of games together so it was important to pay homage to that.




Can’t wait to see you guys for that next important date in April!

There are those who think that I'm strange.
They would box me up and tell me to change.
But you hold me close and softly say
That you wouldn't want me any other way.
~ Mindy Gledhill, “Anchor”

Philadelphia Engagement Session | Old City | Lauren + Sam [teaser]

This has been a long time coming, 8 years in fact. (The engagement, not the engagement session, I’m not that booked up!) Lauren, Sam, and I went out a few days ago to take pictures around their fantastic hood in Philly's Old City. Can’t wait to show you more. Some of you may actually see another picture from them sooner than you think!

Wilmington Wedding Photographer | Rockwood Park | Clare + Brian

Clare and Brian had one of my favorite engagement sessions of the year. To say that I was excited about their wedding would be an understatement. These two are just fun. Clare laughs so easily around Brian, which is pretty convenient for him since he managed to break his foot two days before the wedding and spent the night before the wedding in the ER. He had a cane with him on the wedding day. They took it in stride (no pun intended!).

The ceremony and reception was held at the Carriage House at Rockwood Park in Wilmington, Delaware. The place is gorgeous with its stone walls, exposed beams, and beautiful gardens. Quite the hidden gem! The ladies got ready upstairs.  Clare has the most perfect ringlets and I'm so glad she rocked her curly hair for the wedding.





I love that Clare and Brian did a first look. It gave us some time to take advantage of the grounds.











Although the day turned out to be incredible, the ceremony was held indoors (because you just never know with the weather around here). The most special part was that Clare’s father officiated for them, something that was incredibly special and touching to Clare. It was his first time officiating a wedding and he did an incredible job despite his nerves and emotions. Clare is a talented singer herself. The family must have it in their genes because her sister, Mary, blew everyone away as vocalist during the ceremony. It was beautiful.








The reception was held downstairs in the Shipley Room. Browns, reds, and greens accented the room.




The bridal party was announced. Clare and Brian were originally going to do a choreographed dance to “Concrete and Clay”. This plan had to be scrapped due to Brian’s foot but they still looked like they had a blast shuffling out there til the bridal party came out to join them on the dancefloor.




The toasts were great. Molly, Clare’s sister, talked about their courtship and first date 8 years ago – Clare obsessing about her outfit and Brian showing up in sweatpants.






The rest of the evening with filled with good food, drinks, laughter, and lots of dancing. Mary and Clare broke out their “Single Ladies” routine and Clare’s dad showed us a few moves himself. Such a great time!






Clare and Brian, congratulations! You two are the greatest! Seriously.

The sidewalks in the street
The concrete and the clay beneath my feet
Begins to crumble
But love will never die
Because we'll see the mountains tumble
Before we say goodbye
~ Unit 4 + 2, “Concrete and Clay”

Ceremony: Carriage House at Rockwood Park

Reception: Carriage House at Rockwood Park

Wedding Photographer: Lindsay Docherty Photography 

 Hair: Jess, Salon Ziza and Liz Di Fulvio
Makeup: Pamela Peitzman and Ruthie's Eyes

Florist: Ring of Roses

Wedding Gown: Christos

Bridesmaid Gowns: Melissa Sweet, Priscilla of Boston

Invitations: Invitations by Dawn
Ceremony musicians: Dave Sanders, Tim Brey, and Mary Callaghan
DJ: Tom Thornton
Cocktail Hour Guitarist: Chris Grunwald (GRIZ)

Catering: Greenery Caterers

Cake and Cupcakes:  Sweets to You... by Ginger