Jennifer and Kevin’s Drexelbrook wedding made us laugh, made us cry, and was, ultimately, a beautiful celebration of two lovely people. As a bonus, all the locations were so close to us, it made for easy travels!
Getting Ready for the Drexelbrook Wedding
Jennifer, her mother and sister, and bridesmaids all got ready together at home in West Chester. The house was full of lively energy as everyone primped and polished until everything was just perfect. As we set about capturing details, we were stopped by Jennifer’s bouquet. Her father had sadly passed away shortly after Jennifer and Kevin got engaged, and she had a special pin for her bouquet to honor him. Not only that, but in a truly meaningful touch, she’d had a piece of his shirt wrapped around it as well. His life was honored throughout the day in other ways as well. But Jennifer carried him with her right by her heart the whole day.
Meanwhile, at the hotel behind Drexelbrook, Kevin was a bit anxious as he was getting ready. His groomsmen were cracking jokes and brews as he donned his jacket and straightened his tie. When he opened his note and gift from Jen, he got very quiet. Her letter made him grin, and then as he opened his gift, his grin shifted to wonderment. A beautiful new watch to mark the day they got married, complete with a beautiful plated Philadelphia skyline and engraving on the back! It was beautiful. She also had written to his favorite football club (European football that is), Chelsea, and had gotten a letter in response congratulating them on their wedding and signed by the captain. Talk about knowing your man!
The Ceremony at SS Simon & Jude
It’s not often that we have a car pickup line forming as we arrived at church, but school was not quite finished yet for the young ones. The kids got quite a kick out of seeing a beautiful bride get out of the limo bus and head inside for her wedding.
In a very sweet tribute to her late father, Jennifer had asked for a special vase of roses to be placed behind the altar. We were given permission to capture this before the ceremony started, and it was a touching sight. All through the ceremony, from the time Jennifer and her mom walked down the aisle together, through the offering to Mary, and leaving as husband and wife, dad was watching over them.
Portraits & Reception at Drexelbrook
The rain hadn’t quite relented for us to stop at Ridley Creek Park on our way to Drexelbrook for pictures, so we went straight to the reception and found some beautiful places on the grounds. Wedding party was all too eager to have their photos done quickly so they could go enjoy cocktail hour, but Jennifer and Kevin were happy to stay with us a bit longer so we could capture their couple’s portraits. The dark greenery really made them stand out, and we loved getting the chance to recreate a portrait by one of the fireplaces of Jen’s parents from their wedding.
Then it was time to celebrate! The staff at Drexelbrook did an amazing job with creating a warm and inviting atmosphere and their food service was first rate. They even took care of us with personal attention! It was greatly appreciated.
The things that stick most in our mind is the swinging mother daughter dance that Jennifer shared with her mom. Her mom can really cut a rug and was twirling her lovely girl all over the place. Also, Jen’s sister and maid of honor gave an incredible toast. Her voice broke as she recalled how Kevin had asked Jen’s dad for her hand in marriage. She said, “You gave him the greatest gift in knowing his daughter was going to be with a wonderful man.” Not a dry eye in the house after that, including us. When the bittersweet moment had passed, the fun kicked up in earnest and soon the dance floor was raging. It’s so amazing to be back to full on wedding parties! And even better with such great people!
