Tina Jay Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer » Weddings

Weddings in Review: 2011

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:31:38 +0000

What? 2011 is over? Am I the only one that is in shock over this? This year completely flew by for me, it's crazy how fast time flies the older you get. 2011 marked my first full year as a full time photographer, and it.was.amazing. It still shocks me sometimes that THIS is my job. The fact that my dream turned into my reality really blows my mind, and I have each and every one of my clients to thank for that. So to all of of my brides, grooms, engaged couples and families, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Without you my dreams wouldn't be possible, and I'm proud to say that this year has turned out to be better than I planned, expected, or even hoped for:)

Here are some of my favorite wedding shots from 2011, I'll be posting more re-caps in the next few days!

Happy New Year to you all!!

Hotel duPont Wedding Photographer: Taryn & Arif

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:33:39 +0000

Winter weddings are some of my favorite....I absolutely love the decor you can use in the winter time. And any time Christmas decorations can be used along with the wedding? You all know I'm in:) Taryn & Arif's wedding was no exception - it was an absolutely stunning wedding held at Hotel duPont in Wilmington, Delaware. GORGEOUS venue, I hope to shoot many more weddings there:)

Taryn & Arif met at a singles awareness part on Valentine's Day a few years back, and wed this past Friday at Hotel duPont.....everything about their day was simply gorgeous:) Some of my favorites from their day are below, but check out their SLIDESHOW for even more images from their day!

Had to start the post off with these shoes - aren't they amazing? I wish I had shoes like that for my wedding day:) Taryn is a girl who loves some bling:)

Love, love love:)

While I was with the girls, Cait was with Arif & the guys....

Time for their First Look! My favorite time of the day:)

Downtown Wilmington has some great spots for photos:

One of my favorites - I see this one is a large canvas:)

Gorgeous Taryn:)

Taryn & Arif arranged for their guests to be able to take a horse & carriage ride around the city before the ceremony - they hopped in for the first ride:)

One of my all time favorite ring shots!

Absolutely loved this ceremony space:

Absolutely loved all of the wintery details - and that cake? One of the best I've ever seen!

Also one of my favorite cake shots I've ever taken, love the Christmas wreath in the background:)

Congrats Taryn & Arif!!

For even more photos from their day, make sure to check out the SLIDESHOW!

Post Wedding Session: Emily

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:50:02 +0000

Remember Emily, the drop dead gorgeous bride with a perfect fall wedding from November? I mean, how could you forget her, she's stunning:) I was SO excited when Emily told me she wanted to get all dressed up again for another photoshoot, she's one of the easiest people in the world to photograph. We totally lucked out when her shoot happened to fall on that glorious, sunny, 70 degree day we had last week....pure perfection:)

This shoot totally made me want to dig my dress out of the back of my closet, throw it on, and have one of my friends take pictures of me all over again....so fun! Here are some of my favorites from Emily's session:

LOVED that she wore cowboy boots for this session:)

Gorgeous:)

Love the feel of this one:)

The light was absolutely perfect last week:

Thanks Em, I had SO much fun doing this shoot with you!

Valenzano Winery Wedding Photographer: Cait & Chas

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:47:20 +0000

Ahhh Cait and Chas....I don't even know where to start with these two:) It's hard for me to think that Cait and I hadn't even met in person at this point last year. It was around the holidays that she booked me as her wedding photographer, and as time went on I roped her into second shooting about 90% of my weddings with me in 2011:) Not only is she a phenomenal shooter, she's become one of my closest friends over the past year. There are some people you just click with immediately, and she's one of those people for me. It's always SO much fun to be a photographer when you know the bride and groom so well, as well as most of the bridal party. I was so honored to be a part of their wedding day, it was absolutely gorgeous in every single way - I didn't doubt that it would be, knowing that Cait is SO into the details. That always makes any wedding fabulous:)

Cait & Chas went to the same school growing up, but were never in the same group of friends (that seems to be a trend with my couples lately!). It wasn't until a chance "encounter" on Facebook that they started hanging out....that was only about a year and a half ago, and as they say, the rest is history. I just love these two to pieces, thank you again for having me as the photographer at your wedding! I was so happy to be there:)

Here are some of my favorites from the day, and check out the SLIDESHOW for even more photos from their day!

I was kinda obsessed with her jewelry:

AND her bouquet - yes, it's wrapped in burlap:)

Aren't the shoes to die for? Love it:)

Nicole second shot this wedding with me, and she did an amazing job (thanks Nicole!) - she was with the guys while I was with the girls:

Love the personalized cuff links:

Next we headed off to the First Look, my absolute favorite part of the day:)

LOVE this one of Cait:)

Yes, she wore yellow Hunters so her heels wouldn't sink in the grass.....loved Chas' reaction when she showed him that:)

One of my favorites!

This is Cait's favorite shot to get on a wedding day, so I just HAD to get the same one for her:)

Love that one on the right:)

Ever since Cait and I started hanging out she's been talking about how she can't wait to "swish" her dress on her wedding day.....can you see how excited she is?!? Love her:)

One of many perfect "swish" shots of the day:)

I'd like to name this the "yellow shoe wedding". How amazing is that color combo?? Love the yellow and navy:)

Also loved that the guys were in grey:

COOPER! This is Cait and Chas' son Cooper - isn't he a cutie? He has quite possibly the cutest cheeks in the world. His little suit was SUPER CUTE:

Married!!

Cait and Chas held their reception at Valenzano Winery in NJ - we still had a tiny bit of light left, so we were able to use their grounds for a few more portraits:

Another favorite! This is SO Cait and Chas:)

I loved using the barrel room (shot on the right) for some more images of these two:

Then there were details. Oh so many details, I was in heaven:)

They ended their first dance as husband & wife with their son, I loved that:)

Cait and Chas, I love you guys! I was SO thrilled to be a part of your day, thank you guys for being amazing friends.....enjoy your time as newlyweds, and have an AWESOME time in Punta Cana!

For more photos from their wedding, don't forget to check out their SLIDESHOW!

Centerton Wedding Photographer: Emily & Mike

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:03:06 +0000

I've been looking forward to Mike & Emily's wedding for a loooong time now - they're SUCH a fun couple, and we have a ton of mutual friends. Mike's younger sister, Sarah, was one of my roommates in college for 2 years - it's always so much fun shooting weddings where you know a bunch of the guests:)

Mike & Emily first met in high school - they didn't have the same circle of friends so they didn't hang out when they were in school....they only knew of each other. After spending some time together at a mutual friend's wedding years after high school, they started to notice each other. Emily says she never would have guessed that the man she was going to marry was a classmate in high school, but it was meant to be. I love asking couples when they knew "this person is the one" - Emily's answer? The first night they hung out, when Mike played Emily's favorite song (an obscure one) on a jukebox at the bar. Mike's answer? When they were driving home from a town about 2 hours away, Emily got them lost, and they ended up in Maryland instead of New Jersey:) He says he knew when he didn't want to kick her out of the truck, but instead just laughed and was happy to be with her:) Love those stories!

Mike & Emily, thank you SO much for inviting me to be a part of your day. Every part of it was absolutely beautiful, and we lucked out with PERFECT fall weather yet again! Here are some of my favorites from the day:

For even more images from their day, check out their SLIDESHOW!

Emily had two pairs of shoes for the day, love the colors:)

Mary and Dawn from A Garden Party ROCKED the flowers and decor for this wedding - I was obsessed with the bouquets!

While I was with the girls, Cait headed over with the guys to get some shots of Mike getting ready:

Time for their First Look - love this part of the day!!

Emily's parent's house was the perfect setting for the photos, the fall trees were divine.

Love it Em:) One of my favorites!

I couldn't help posting a few images of Emily by herself - isn't she absolutely stunning? I wish I had red curly hair too:)

More of Mary and Dawn's fabulous work - I love the pumpkins made out of flowers! They held their reception at Centerton Country Club.

Um, HELLO. Good work on the ring Mike:)

Mike and Emily had Raul Malo, a Grammy award winning artist, sing their first dance song - it was AMAZING. I believe I heard Emily's sister mention that he has only ever agreed to sing at two weddings - Mike & Emily's, and Trisha Yearwood's. How fun is that?!?

Emily & Mike - I'm so happy for you guys! You had an absolutely picture perfect day, and I absolutely loved being a part of it - thank you!!

For more photos from their day, don't forget to check out the SLIDESHOW!

Top of the Tower Wedding Photographer: Chrissie & Mike

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:07:05 +0000

Ever since Chrissie and Mike booked me as their wedding photographer, I was THRILLED to shoot their wedding. Not only is she sweet as can be, but they got married where Jay and I got married, at the Top of the Tower right in center city Philly:) It was so fun going back! Definitely weird to be on the other end of things this time, but still such a blast:) The people at Top of the Tower are amazing, I highly recommend the venue to anyone looking for a place in center city.

The weather for their wedding day was....well...a little less than cooperative. We got a freak snow storm in October in the North East, which rarely happens that early. At least there wasn't much accumulation on the roads around the city (although I had a solid 5 inches of snow at my house, only about 15 minutes outside the city....can't figure that one out), and we made it work:) Chrissie and Mike were so amazing and didn't let the weather bother them in the slightest, they were such a joy to work with:) And since we had shot their engagement session the day before the wedding, hitting all of the important outside shots around Philly that Chrissie wanted, she ok with doing their photos wherever we needed to the day of the wedding. I love being forced to think outside the box on days like theirs, because I always end up loving the photos....I've never shot an entire bride & groom session indoors before, but I'm in LOVE with their shots:)

Here are some of my favorites from the day:) I can't get over the snow accumulation outside the window:

Chrissie's dress was perfection:

Gorgeous.

Mike's son helped him get dressed:)

Time for the first look, my favorite part of the day!

Mike's reaction was priceless - I believe he said "now you have it documented that I DO have emotions!"

As we drove to the Kimmel Center for their photos, the rain tapered off just enough to get their shot in the middle of Broad Street - love!

All of these were taken inside the Kimmel Center, I love the result:

I believe my fab 2nd shooter Caitlin was locked in a staircase while I was taking these....sorry Cait! I found you eventually:)

The ceiling made of glass makes it an ideal shooting location:

One of Cait's, I loved her angles - a bunch more in this post are hers:)

This is my favorite from the day:)

We headed back for the ceremony - Chrissie & Mike's two bullmastiffs were walked down the aisle - how CUTE are they??

Married!

I just love these two:)

Chrissie & Mike, thank you so much for including me in your day - it was SO great getting to know you guys, I had a blast! Hope you're enjoying your FAB honeymoon:)

For even more photos from Chrissie & Mike's wedding, check out their SLIDESHOW!

Il Tulipano Wedding Photographer: Jess & Bob

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:49:28 +0000

After Jess & Bob's engagement session in NYC, I was so excited for their wedding:) They held their reception at Il Tulipano, just a little ways outside of the city. This venue had the most food I think I've ever seen in my life - there was SO much food at the cocktail hour, some guests were asking if that was the dinner in and of itself. My kind of cocktail hour! We lucked out with another PERFECT fall weekend, the light was just to die for. Jess & Bob are such a laid back couple, it made for a perfectly smooth wedding day.

Here are some of my favorites, and for more images from their day, check out their SLIDESHOW!

LOVED these bouquets:

First Look time! Did you guys know it's my favorite part of the day? Cause it is.;)

See what I mean about gorgeous lighting? Love it:)

One of my favorites!

Jess wrapped her grandfather's dog tags around her bouquet - I love when sentimental details are added to the day:

I asked Jess & Bob to walk a block away from the church right before the ceremony, because I found the PERFECT fall tree. Couldn't pass that one up! Another favorite:)

They hopped in their Rolls Royce after the ceremony:

The reception set up? I loved it. Brides, uplighting in a room makes a WORLD of difference in transforming your reception room - 100% worth the investment! And I've never seen a cake like that one before:

We took some night shots around the grounds:

Thanks Jess & Bob, I hope you're living it up on your honeymoon!

Don't forget to check out even more photos from Jess & Bob's day in their SLIDESHOW!

Oyster Point Hotel Wedding Photographer: Jenn & John

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:13:10 +0000

These fall weekends in October have been absolute perfection for weddings lately - the leaves are absolutely gorgeous on the trees right now, and it's been the perfect temperature - not too hot, not too cold. October is the PERFECT month to get married, if I do say so myself:) Jenn & John's wedding was no exception - they had an absolutely beautiful day to say "I do". They held their wedding at The Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank NJ, right on the water....my kind of venue:)

Here are some of my favorites from their day, and for even more photos from their day, check out their SLIDESHOW!

LOVED her Badgley Mischkas:

Gorgeous!

Time for their First Look! It's my favorite part of the day:) We went to their old high school, where they first met at a school dance:)

So sweet:)

The light was ahhh-mazing:)

Love it! One of my favorites from their day:)

Heading into the church, thanks to Cait for grabbing this shot (and a few of the others in this post!)

Married!!

Another one of my favorites!

Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your day guys, hope you're having a BLAST in Hawaii!

Don't forget to check out their SLIDESHOW for even more photos from their day!

Penn Oaks Wedding Photographer: Katie & Jon

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:33:39 +0000

Fall is officially here, and this past weekend was the first weekend you could really feel it in the air. We had absolutely perfect fall weather this weekend for Katie and Jon's wedding - the leaves just started to turn, it wasn't too hot, and the light was to die for:) It felt exactly like their engagement session last fall! Katie chose the PERFECT wedding colors (purple and green) for their fall wedding:) Katie and Jon, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day - it was SO much fun to spend the day with you both, you planned such a beautiful wedding:)

Here are some of my favorites from their day, and check out more photos in their SLIDESHOW!

I LOVED Katie's jewelry, I wish I had a bracelet like that for my wedding:)

Jon bought Katie such a sweet gift, with an even sweeter card to go along with it:)

The belt that Katie added tot he dress was perfection - I love the attention to detail:)

Husband and wife!!

Next we headed to Penn Oaks to take some more photos - see what I mean about the gorgeous light??

Love the signs - she got them on Etsy:)

I just love the way he makes her laugh:)

Gorgeous!

Love these two!

These images feel very "fall" to me - love it!

Hope you guys are enjoying your honeymoon!!

Don't forget to check out their SLIDESHOW for more photos from their day:)

I HAD to throw one last photo in here - see the girl on the right (hi Jenna!)? She's been a long time blog follower of mine....I always LOVE meeting followers in person! Had to throw a photo in for ya:) Oh, and that's one of my amazing roommates from college on the left:) Love ya Keeks!

Beat Street Station Wedding Photographer: Jess & Matt

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:30:41 +0000

How lucky were all of the couples who were married this past weekend? I don't know about the rest of the country, but in Philly, it was absolutely GORGEOUS. It couldn't have been any better for a wedding weekend:) I was so happy that Jess & Matt had a perfect day - they're such a great, laid back couple, it was such a pleasure to spend the day with them. They're one of those couples who you can just feel they're meant to be together. Matt keeps Jess laughing all day long (in my opinion, one of the keys to a great marriage), and Jess is one of the sweetest girls in the world - it's weddings like theirs that make me love my job even more than I already do:)

Jess & Matt held their wedding at the Beat Street Station in Manayunk - the cool, artsy vibe totally matched their personalities, and was a perfect fit for their wedding. I headed to their house to document Jess getting ready, and it was one of the shortest commutes of my life - turns out they live 2.3 miles away from my house! Such a small world:)

Here are some of my favorites from the day, and make sure to check out their SLIDESHOW for more photos from their day!

This dress was perfection for Jess:

Jess had her mom's wedding band attached to her bouquet - I love when brides include sentimental details in their wedding day:

This is one of my favorites - as her "something old" she placed this pin on the inside of her dress - it says "Firmans (Matt's last name) have more fun", and is from a family reunion of his way back when - so cute!

Gorgeous.

Love that they opted for a First Look, they're my favorite! First Looks calm nerves before the ceremony, and allow for a ton of time for photos:

And you always get the best reactions:)

I love that Matt gave Jess this book during their First Look:

The Beat Street Station is right on the train tracks, so we made sure to get a ton of photos out there. See what I mean about Matt keeping Jess laughing all day?

The light was perfection.

Next we headed under the tracks for some more amazing light:

I just love these two:)

I love the way Matt's looking at Jess in this one:)

Next we grabbed photos all around the inside of the station:

The "walking down the aisle" expressions are often my favorite of the day - I just love the excitement of feeling "we're married!!"

Matt & Jess, you guys are the best! Thanks so much for having me with you for your day, it was so much fun. I hope you guys are enjoying your fabulous honeymoon in Mexico!

Don't forget to check out Jess & Matt's SLIDESHOW for more photos from their day!

And a special thanks to Cait for shooting their wedding with me, as always!!