(♥)

Honored to be able to document fundraising for Lurie Children's Hospital in the name of one of my fellow former ballerinas.
Such good things are happening in your memory, Rach.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Post-Ceremony Party Time | Julia + James' Philadelphia Wedding

Last we left James & Julia, they had gotten ready for and then did, in fact, marry each other. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should go there first.

Ready? Here's what happened after they said their vows.

Last post I mentioned their wedding was full of personal touches. Well, Julia had a hand in the making of the bouquets. A friend flew in from Chicago and made them that cake. P.S. It was delicious. :) The guest book was an assortment of cards Julia & James made for guests to write notes on and then file in a little file box that sat near the Tardis from Doctor Who – geekery at its classiest. And top of that, James may have DJ'd his own wedding – except for the part where Julia found out "Bust a Move" was not on the playlist and declared it must be added. 

Dear Everyone – Please feel free to have both large windows AND twinkle/icicle lights at the reception venue of your wedding. And joy. And high-fives. 

First Dance: "Fields of Gold"     Father-Daughter Dance: "A Bushel and a Peck"     Mother-Son Dance: "Once Upon a Dream"

Thank you so much, James & Julia, for letting me photograph your supremely beautiful day.

----

Philadelphia, PA

Invitations: James + Julia

Hair: Veronica Tarlo

Makeup: L'etoile Salon 

Florist: Penny's Flowers, Costo, & Julia

Transportation: Trophy Limousine

Caterer: Penecale

DJ: James

Photographer: Kristin Serna

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Julia + James | Philadelphia Wedding Photography

I don't know where else to begin other than I love Julia & James. He's been a dear friend for around ten years now and when I met her I immediately felt like I'd known her my entire life. Their love has literally spanned the entire continental United States – from San Francisco (where they live) to Chicago (where they got engaged) to Philadelphia. So it is no exaggeration to say I was honored to not only get to celebrate that love with them but to document a piece of it too.

The wedding invite was my first tangible evidence that this wedding was going to be terrific. Not only did it have a romantic retro vibe to it, but Julia and James actually designed & made these invites together. They also had a small army of people who love and care about them to help them add more personal touches throughout the day. And in the end, there was no doubt they really made the day their own.

See?
I know. You're wondering if there's more. I'm so glad you asked. There most definitely is.
Be sure to come back on Saturday for Part II!

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

James + Julia | A Philadelphia Wedding Sneak Peek

I recently had the honor of photographing the wedding of two truly wonderful people -- James & Julia.
Here's a quick preview of two of the many moments of happiness their day brought to them and those who witnessed it.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

A Look

This photo originally appeared in this post, but it was part of a collage and I wanted to share a closer look. :)

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

Finding the Story

Yesterday I did a consult session with a couple whose wedding I'm very much looking forward to photographing next month. We were talking about storytelling with photos and taking a photojournalistic approach when I felt this surge of excitement. It was a reminder of how much I love doing this--how much I love capturing people in the moment so they have a way to hold on to memories, how much I love finding all those little moments and details that help flesh out the story. It's a good feeling. :)

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

Pep Talk & Some Smiles | Like That

It's Friday.
I think we all need a Pep Talk from Kid President.

"It's like that dude Journey said - 'Don't stop believing... unless your dream is stupid.' 

Then you should get a better dream."

 "Create something that will make the world awesome." 

Thanks, Kid President. :)

And if he made you tear up a little, here's a bonus - his hilarious interview with Dave Coulier. End it on smiles, people. And don't forget to dance!

Of course these videos belong to their owners and I'm just using it as a reference here, but the rest... ©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.