Jen and Sal are an amazing couple. And I swear, I don’t just say that because I love that Sal is as Italian as I am… or because Jen is flat out gorgeous, or even because I was officially hijacked by the groomsmen as a partier versus a vendor by the end of the night. Okay, I did get a kick out of that last one, but I truly say that because individually, they are both great and kind people, and together, they are friendly, patient, laid back and in love – a real joy to photograph AND work with!
The couple’s event mostly took place at the Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia, PA. I will say I was initially a little disappointed in the Casino’s lack of cooperation with us on all counts. We weren’t allowed to take photos anywhere near the machines, and when we asked them to move a couple of balloons out of the gambling area for a fun photo-op (something they had promised us we could do earlier) they later denied us even that simple favor… Okay, I get the PA Gaming Board restrictions, but hoarding balloons people, really? LOL. They even kept insisting we use the fountain outside for photos because “that’s what everyone does”, to which I gave an emphatic “NO.” If they knew even the FIRST thing about us and our photography style, the absolutely LAST thing we want to do when photographing a venue is the same exact thing “everyone else does”… plus what venue doesn’t have a fountain? Booorrinnng. However, I digress! I’m actually glad they didn’t cooperate, because it forced us to be EXTRA creative.
A big thanks to my second shooter for the day, Jim Heine, for collaborating with me when it came to brainstorm time. Whenever I shoot with him, we come up with the most bizarre scenarios that always look WAY cooler in fruition than they do in theory 😉 Also, he did an excellent job shooting the boys getting ready! Here come our photos!
The ceremony took place at the gorgeous St. Matthew Parish in Conshohocken. Sal did get a little emotional upon seeing Jen for the first time, but he sure made us work for it! This one single tear welling up in his eye was the crux of it. I didn’t even see it until after the fact!
Gotta love the rice exit… ONE enthusiastic groomsmen in the bunch. too bad the others jumped the gun…
One of those shots that made us really happy we were forced to make the most of the lobby versus the casino… Followed by entrances, dancing, speeches, and more dancing.
Okay, so everyone loves the night shots, but at the end of the day, most of you will get drunk, realize your hair is well past its former glory, and be too tired to walk to wherever it is we want to take you… but NOT Sal and Jen… just one more reason I LOVED this couple. Thank you both again so much – I hope it was all worth taking time away from your day, and these photos exceed anything you might have been envisioning when hiring us. I know they did for me 😉
