» Philadelphia Micro-Wedding Photographer
This wedding was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer!
I loved working with both Nicole and Daniel. I was so honored when they chose me to capture their intimate DIY micro-wedding ceremony in Wissahickon Valley Park. This park is another hidden gem local to the Philadelphia area and a fantastic option for a couple who wants to do an adventurous elopement without any long-distance traveling!
When I first met them for their Engagement session, they surprised me with their overwhelming display of love in front of my camera. I expected them to be shy and nervous, as most tend to be when working together for the first time. Yet to my surprise, all it took was me taking a step back and letting the two of them enjoy the company of each other to capture what I felt was a beautiful autumn engagement session. It was no surprise that on the day of their wedding, the pair were incredibly in love and were not afraid to show it, but this time they were celebrating it surrounded by family and the great outdoors of Wissahickon Park.
One of the reasons I love my job is that it always tends to remind me of my relationship with my husband. In August 2004, my husband and I married in a small church surrounded by only a few family members and friends. It was only two to three hours at best, but it was one of the few best days of my life. The only thing that could have made it even better was hiring a photographer for the occasion. We thought it wasn’t necessary to get one and that cell phones and other methods were just as good. How wrong we were. While those cell phone photos were beautiful, they were also the only things we have to remember the day, and the resolution quality isn’t even enough to get a decent print.
This mistake became the story I often share whenever I meet couples hesitant about hiring a photographer. Even if today’s cell phones and tablets are phenomenal at capturing moments in an instant, it will never be the equivalent of hiring a dedicated photographer who can tell and frame it like a story. Now all I have is those memories and the cell phones. But with my mistake, I hope to be that photographer that people will say they don’t regret hiring to capture their micro-wedding or elopement.
The area they chose was a beautiful spot over by a rumbling waterfall shrouded in a canopy of towering trees in Wissahickon Valley Park. Surrounded by family, Daniel and Nicole shared a brief first look under the trees, then joined their family in preparing their ceremony location all by hand. I learned Nicole masterminded the whole vision of the wedding. Beautiful flowers, hanging iron birds, and an arrangement of green ivy covered the ladders they brought to use as a prop. The whole thing was amazing to watch and capture as they put all the props together to create their wedding arch. It was a very relaxed and casual affair where family members shared laughs and stories while getting ready. There was so much love everywhere that I felt like a welcomed and long-treasured friend. I don’t know how they did it, but it just felt like I was hanging with old friends while also taking their pictures.
After the ceremony, the group traveled back to Philadelphia to celebrate at the Suraya restaurant, where I was gifted a wonderful handmade gift by the couple as a thank you. (Photo on my Instagram, but I will bring it here for everyone to see!)
