June 21, 2013

Jillian & Jason’s Wedding at the Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia

After  Jillian and Jason had their first date, according to the speeches given at their wedding, the only thing she wasn’t thrilled about was his hair color. Jillian, a beautiful woman with stunning red locks never imagined that her husband one day would also be a redhead!

It was at Jill’s cousin’s wedding when I first saw this redhead couple and my jaw dropped to the ground. Greg and I had our baby the year prior and to our great surprise Jax was a redhead.  We quickly learned that the world of redheads is quite tight and fascinating. We became slightly obessed with seeing redheads on TV or in movies and well, I never imagined I would be so lucky to photograph a redhead bride and groom!

JIllian’s Reem Acra gown was stunning, just perfect for her and the entire feel of the wedding! As a wedding photographer you always wonder a few things the morning of a wedding.  One of them is how the bride will be feeling.  Nervous, anxious, calm, freaking out, emotional??? What I didn’t imagine was finding Jillian relaxing while her hair and makeup got done eating Chick-Fil-a! If you are like me and you have no idea what this is, it’s a South East coast thing that has a cult following (but in a good way)! Jillian told me that she always said on her wedding day she was going to eat Chick-fil-a and well, she is a woman of her word!

Jillian’s hair was styled by the talented Sarah LaPorta of Amanda D’Andrea Hair.

Them make up was done by the also very talented Christina Beaver of David J.Witchell Salon  

After Mom got the bride all zipped up and perfect, she took a look and had a sweet moment with her daughter!

Then Dad was allowed in and his excitement could not be contained!

Meanwhile Jason took the whole allotted 10 minutes guys take to get ready!  His big brother helped him perfect his hair and bow tie!

Looking extremely dapper, it was time to head out to the park for his first look with Jillian!

It’s so exciting photographing a first look!  The anticipation is amazing and the energy in the air is buzzing!!! I’m always full of goose bumps and have to remind myself not to get too involved in the romance of it all so I can keep my eyes dry!

So beautiful, so moving, Jillian tenderly dried Jason’s eyes as they were both overwhelmed with emotion!

We gave Jillian and Jason their space and some time and photographed them from afar.

We then left the park and went down a little street that was the suggestion of the videographer, it was perfect!

Stunning!  I love this picture of them, so much happiness but more so, I love the timelessness of it. Jillian and Jason were the perfection of romantic elegance on their wedding day!

We then met up with the bridal party, your eyes are not deceiving you! When Jason’s brother said in his toast that Jason is the best person at keeping up his friendships and that he still sends holiday cards to people he attended Kindergarten with, well I guess he wasn’t lying! Jillian said with a wink that she focuses on quality not quantity! Be it 3 bridesmaids or 12 groomsmen, as a collection of people they were all so lovely and cooperative! Big bridal parties can often be hard to wrangle but this crew made it so easy!

We returned to the The Hyatt at the Bellevue for the Ketubah. The Cantor Mark Elson spoke kind and meaningful words about the sacredness of marriage.

Then he signed the marriage license and everyone was all smiles because that officially means they are ….

Married!!!  But that’s just on paper…

Jason was escorted by his mother and stepfather.

The flower girls executed their job perfectly, bringing a smile to everyone’s eyes!

I love the look on Jason’s face as he sees Jillian veiled and waking down the aisle with her parents.

Jillian and Jason wear their hearts on their sleeves and openly care for each other with so much affection.

Before the ceremony got underway, the Rabbi asked them to take a second or two and  look around, absorbing the love in the room of all the people that united to celebrate this joyous occasion!

The hands say it all, so much tenderness.

The parents take in the ceremony with its humorous and emotional moments.

While the ceremony was attentively being listened to by all, someone took interest in what was behind her!

The parents were asked to come up and surround Jillian and Jason as they were wrapped in the  prayer shawl and blessings were bestowed upon them and their marriage.

Jason then ceremoniously smashed the glass!

But it was this moment, in between the smashing of the glass and the kissing of the bride that reminds me of why I love my job and the importance of photography. In a fleeting second these two locked eyes and grinned with so much happiness it thrills me to be the person with the honor of the responsibility to preserve this moment in time!

Mazel Tov!!!

While Jillian and Jason were sequestered to a room after the ceremony, their families united in a celebration of happiness with the deliverance of hugs!! I had seen something like this once before and then I recalled that it was at Jillian’s cousins wedding. These are families who are not afraid to show their love!!

The beautiful wedding rings.

The ballroom was magnificent, the perfect setting for the fairy tale wedding to have its celebration!  The elegant flower displays were created by Robertson’s Flowers.

Jillian and Jason share their first dance as husband and wife to “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong, it was the wedding song of his grandparents.

The band announced for everyone to  join the couple on the dance floor.  Surrounded by friends and family these newlyweds were still lost in each other’s arms when Jason tenderly kissed Jillian’s forehead.
Then it was time to shake things up a bit as the Jewish culture loves to do with the HORA!!!! The Nocturne Band executed this perfectly along with keeping the dance floor packed the rest of the night as well!After some mad twirling around the dance floor the bride and groom where lifted high above the crowd, this is where 12 groomsmen really come in handy!

Dad’s turn!!

And the celebration continues!A perfect ending to an amazing Horah!Jillian’s parents took the mic and welcomed everyone for coming from near and far.  He spoke from the heart on behalf of himself and his wife for their love of their daughter and their complete happiness over Jason, welcoming him with open arms into their family! Love those double hugs!

It was then time for Dad to take his princess for a spin on the floor, serenading her the whole time to the Beatles’ Rocky Raccoon. Now this might not be your average Father/Daughter dance pick but Jillian’s Dad is a Beatles fanatic and used to sing this song to Jillian and her brother at bedtime instead of reading a bedtime story.

Then surprise!!  Jillian’s brother brought out the puppet from years ago!Jason and his mom danced  to “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder which was first dance song of his mother  & Jason’s late father at their wedding.Jason’s brother came onto the dance floor at the end of the dance, overcome with emotion watching his little brother and mother share this once in a lifetime special moment. It was then time for the maid of honor and the best man toasts!  They told the crowd those little personal tidbits of stories that always makes everyone laugh and smile.
It was then time to dance and celebrate!

This is Dan, Jillian’s cousin and his awesomely pregnant wife  Elizabeth!!  We photographed their NYC wedding spring of 2012 and were so excited to hear that we would see them again at this wedding!  That perfectly round belly  is now a baby boy!  Congratulations!

The little girls ripped up the dance floor !!!

While the older flower girl critiqued her pictures of Rocky Raccoon! 

Jillian’s dad is no stranger to the mircrophone and often sings at family weddings but was told that he was not to take the spot light at his daughter’s wedding, that is unless the groom asks him too…

…which he did! So Jillian’s dad surprised Jillian by singing “My Girl” but changing the words to “Our Girl” having the help of all the young men there as back up singers!That certainly earned him one more dance with his girl!Jillian and Jason broke the rules of a traditional wedding cake and opted for Jillian’s favorite, Petit Fours from Cramer’s Bakery of Yardley. Guests were treated to even more with these stunning dessert plates.Jillian and Jason then took the mic themselves to speak from the heart to their friends and family.  We are starting to see this more and more at wedding and we hope that is becomes a new wedding tradition!

The dance floor started up again and once more we found Jillian and Jason basking in each other’s arms!

It was quite the party! The incredible band brought everyone to the floor!

And as all happy occasions must do wayyy to quickly, the band announced it was the last song……now it was Jillian’s turn to sing to her love, surprising Jason and bringing a HUGE smile to his face and everyone there watching as she did an amazing with “I Saw Her Standing There”!

Big hug!

Big kiss and a huge round of applause for Jillian and Jason!

Then we whisked them away for a moment outside to capture them in all their glory in front of the iconic Philadelphia City Hall!  Jillian and Jason we wish you a lifetime of happiness, love and of course, singing! Thank you for the honor of being your photographers, we loved every second of it!

We would also like to mention Rosetree Films who was such a pleasure to collaborate with all day! Check out their amazing video highlights!

Jillian & Jason’s 5.25.13 Wedding Highlights from Rosetree Films on Vimeo.

comments +

  1. Natalie says:

    Ha, as I was scrolling through, my boyfriend looked over my shoulder and said, “How did they manage to make everyone so good looking??? If it was that easy, actors wouldn’t wear make up!”

    I love how relaxed the couple looks during the speeches at the reception! Great work!

  2. Paige Green says:

    Dad’s first look was PRICELESS (as was the image of both sets of parents).
    Such a beautiful couple!

  3. christina whittaker says:

    Oh my gosh, I love every detail you captured. What a beautiful wedding! The quality of light that your flash has is amazing; unlike what I’ve seen before!

  4. Jillian Gibbs says:

    Susannah & Greg, these are so fantastic! We can’t thank you enough for your incredible work. You captured our special day so beautifully and didn’t miss a single detail. We can’t wait to see more! Thanks a million!

  5. Nicole says:

    So many great shots, Susannah! I love the first look, so so sweet. And the portraits following the look are beautiful. Love all the candids from the ceremony and reception. Just great!

  6. Awesome job for an awesome couple! These pictures and this blog post are outstanding! We really enjoyed working with you guys and hope to do it again real soon!

  7. Jenny says:

    Wow!!!!! The true sign of amazing photographs…someone who has never met the couple, sees these amazing shots and has tears in her eyes!!!! Seriously, Susannah and Greg, just spectacular. Can’t wait to hire you again soon!!!! Doesn’t hurt the the couple is stunning and seems incredibly lovely. 🙂

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Susannah Gill Photography 
El Dorado Hills, CA
1.916.936.7363