Gulph Mills Country Club Wedding, Philadelphia

As a wedding photographer, I get to be a part of a lot of celebrations. In some sense, the day is the same each time. Two people who love each other get married with the people they love most surrounding them and supporting them. Even that simply it’s a beautiful thing.

The most fun part of my job though, is seeing how all the little nuances build up to make each wedding celebration so unique!

For Alec and Monica’s Gulph Mills Country Club wedding, there were so many things that made the day feel like “them!”

The first thing that you should know about these two is that they are fun, joyful, and hilarious together! It doesn’t take long to realize that they are the perfect balancing act for one other and both have a way of putting the other at ease. The second thing you need to know, is how much these two care about their families and their friends. From the first time they shared about their wedding plans there was an emphasis on the people who matter most to them.

As a way to honor their families, the only people who stood alongside Alec and Monica as they said “I do” were their siblings! At the same time, they honored some of their best friends by asking them to help them get ready and be a part of everything like a traditional bridal party. It made their ceremony feel so intimate and personal.

A few more things to note ;) —

Alec (you still get an A+ from me for this one) surprised Monica with gorgeous earrings as a wedding gift. He had bought them a long time ago after they had gone jewelry shopping together once and he kept them ever since, saving them for her wedding day. They were the perfect thing to top off Monica’s gorgeous ensemble.
As nods to her family’s traditions, there were two really special parts of the day — the lei exchange and paper cranes hanging in the tree just outside of the reception and nearby their first look. The bride’s family folded 1000 cranes as a symbol of good luck and a wish for happiness together! The lei exchange was a nod to her Hawaiian roots and was a simple but beautiful unity exchange. See what I mean, about special things that make a wedding day so unique?
Their first look — even interrupted by a golfer sneaking through at the last minute was so sweet. I don’t think Alec could have been more excited to see Monica… and who could blame him? She was stunning! Her Alexandra Grecco gown was perfect and the detailing tied together all of the lovely elements that her mama worked so hard to create for the day.