Marissa and Thomas’ Vie wedding was everything you want a Philadelphia summer wedding to be. The bride and groom got ready at Philly’s lovely Loews Hotel. The ceremony took place at the stately St. Augustine Church, just blocks from the historic Liberty Bell. After the ceremony was over, the bride and groom brought their bridal party to the extraordinary Washington Square Park for some truly extraordinary, sun-drenched portraits. The reception took place at Cescaphe’s brilliant Vie, a cheerfully vibrant reception space near City Hall and Love Park.
I love starting a wedding day out at the Loews. It’s such a vibrant hotel with such beautiful light. Marissa had her details all ready for me!
The bride was surrounded by her bridesmaids and darling flower girl while she got ready. I love Marissa’s attention to detail with the bridesmaids’ striped robes, her silky white robe, and her flower girl’s delicate white wrap!
Marissa and her mom are wonderful together. I loved documenting the relationships between her and her parents!
When photographing a wedding, sometimes I see a beautiful moment (like the one above) and think that it can’t possibly get better than that. And then sometimes it does!
How crazy and elaborately excellent are the bride’s shoes?
Marissa has wonderful style, and her dress matched her personality perfectly. I love the lace detail and the sheer paneling!
Marissa wanted to have a “first look” of sorts with her bridesmaids. This is their reaction upon seeing her in her wedding dress for the first time!
…I especially love the incredibly charming reaction of the flower girl!
The bride had each bridesmaids’ bouquet personalized with their initial. I love the grey satin ribbons and the rose flowers. They were gorgeous against the bridesmaids’ rose-colored dresses.
The corsages for the mothers were especially excellent. I love the modern spin on the traditional wrist corsage, seen here on the mother of the bride.
Marissa was all smiles as she headed down the aisle. You can really see the great detail of her dress in this image. Isn’t it lovely?
Immediately following the ceremony, the bride and groom greeted their guests in a warm, charming receiving line. My favorite part of this image is Marissa’s wonderful bridesmaid to the far right. She was helping Marissa fix her veil while Marissa was hugging guests!
There are so many wonderful moments during receiving lines!
After the family formal photographs at the church, it was off to Washington Square Park with the bride, groom, and bridal party. We arrived just at sunset, and the light could not have been more stellar.
The groom wore blue. How amazing is that?
Washington Square Park has a wonderful, warm place in my heart. Right behind where these women are standing is Talula’s Garden, one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia. And less than fifty feet away was where my husband asked me to marry him in 2011. Yup, Washington Square Park is basically the best.
We had limited time in the park, so we had to work quickly. These two have marvelous chemistry and made my job incredibly easy!
We were able to work with the last moments of sunlight before heading off towards Vie and the wedding reception.
Marissa and Thomas are so kind to each other. They are also very sweet, very funny, and very, very charming.
What would a Philly wedding be without a portrait at City Hall?
We worked as quickly as we could in the fading light. It was so wonderful to be out in the sunset, and even MORE wonderful that the bride and groom were so excited about their portraits.
Philadelphia’s City Hall at sunset is really spectacular, no?
Once at Vie, I had a few moments to document the reception space before cocktail hour was over.
The bride and groom put a lot of thought into their reception decor, and every detail was flawless.
I’ve seen lots of things happen during a reception introduction, but never a bridesmaid being attacked with silly string!
The bride and groom entered the reception to screams from their guests, and with a tunnel of bridesmaids and groomsmen to run through!
See what I mean? It was a great start to a FANTASTIC party.
The second the first dance started, a rose petal explosion took place. I absolutely adore Marissa’s reaction!
The first dance was followed by dinner. Dinner was followed by some truly incredible, fun, and heartfelt toasts.
Parent dances are among my favorite wedding traditions!
The band kept everyone on the dance floor all night long. Somewhere in the midst of the party, the bride and groom became the lead singers for a song or two!
As you can see, the cake cutting got a little bit crazy.
Nothing ends a wedding better than a good old fashioned sparkler exit…and a kiss or two!
Marissa and Thomas, I cannot thank you enough for your enthusiasm, energy, and kindness. I know your wedding photography was very important to you, and I thank you for giving me ample time to create images that I hope you adore as much as I adored capturing them for you!
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