I’m not sure what exactly it is about July 4th weddings, but something about them just always feels different to me than weddings that take place on any other day! They always seem to have a more of a relaxed, yet celebratory feel… perhaps it’s just me! Last week we photographed Regina and Ron’s July 4th wedding and I thought it was really cool that they chose to have their wedding at the beautiful Brandywine Manor House in Chester County that was actually around when our country declared it’s independence in 1776. I actually met Ron back in 2010 after he reached out to me about the possibility of interning with us so that he could learn more about photography. He was a quick study and we all enjoyed having him come along as part of the team to help out with several shoots and events. He then got a job that took up more of his schedule and we didn’t see him for awhile, until one day it just so happened that he and Regina were guests at a wedding we were photographing at Stokesay Castle in Reading…. in fact I remember it was the day Hurricane Irene hit back in 2011! That made for a very memorable drive home!!! Anyhow, it was great seeing him again, and to meet Regina, and I recall Ron mentioning something wanting us to photograph his wedding whenever that were to happen. Whenever a guy says to me that he definitely wants to hire me to photograph their wedding before even being engaged, I tend to dismiss it since the majority of the time it’s the bride (and maybe her mother) who initiate the search for a wedding photographer. Of course that’s not always the way it works… but I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email from Ron last year to let me know he had proposed and wedding planning had begun. We had a great time doing their engagement session at Shofuso House and Japanese Garden in Fairmount Park last fall, and I knew their wedding would be lots of fun as well. While everyone was initially quite concerned with the prospect that we might be in the middle of a big storm on July 4th, it ended up being the most beautiful day you could hope to have in July… although I suppose some might argue that it was too cold! I thought it was perfect and everyone who was there had an amazing time! Some of the highlights from the wedding day that stood out to me were Regina’s father getting so emotional when he tried to open the door to see his daughter in her wedding gown for the first time, that he actually ran away to try to collect himself. His wife had to come retrieve him and it was really very sweet! Ron giving gift bags to his groomsmen that included beer that said “Enjoy by 7/4/14” on the label, a beer guidebook, and special gold coins for each of them… oh yeah, and sunglasses that were kid sized! They also had one of the best first dances I’d ever seen… you could tell that they put a lot of time and energy into rehearsing it so that it looked completely natural and effortless! Sorry to write so much… I hope you enjoy some of the teaser images from the day!
Cheers,
Todd
