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Kelsey and Dan @ Hotel DuPont ~ mkPhotography ~ Delaware Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

From the Bride:

A Black Tie Traditional Wedding at Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DE


We met in 2010 while in college. I attended the University of Delaware and Daniel attended Drexel University. We had mutual friends and first noticed each other on Facebook. We decided to meet in person and the night before our first date we talked on the phone for four hours! Dan took me out to dinner the next night, and it was clear that our chemistry was undeniable. Dan asked me to be his girlfriend on our second date and we have been inseparable ever since. We seem to be complete opposites and we bring out the best in one another. Over the years, we have become best friends and have developed a bond that is truly once in a lifetime.

The Proposal: November 17, 2012
The night began with a night out in Philadelphia. Dan took me to an Italian restaurant followed by a comedy show. After the show ended, we decided to take a walk around the city. As we were walking by Love Park, Dan suggested that we take a picture by the LOVE statue. Just before the photo was taken, Dan got down on one knee and proposed. I screamed out of shock and excitement, and of course, I said yes! The night ended by celebrating with all of our closest family and friends.


What was your “perfect wedding” vision?

I wanted our wedding to feel luxe and grand while still incorporating traditional pieces with a classic feel.

What are three unique details that you infused into your decor?
– I loved our guest book that we created with our photographers. It was an album of our favorite engagement photos. I loved this idea because this is a guest book that we will not get tired of looking at!
– On our memory tables, we displayed wedding pictures of our parents, grand parents, and great grand parents. I loved this idea because it allowed our guests to familiarize themselves with our families.
– My favorite detail of the day was the live event painter who painted our first dance throughout the night. Our guests absolutely loved watching her create this stunning portrait from a blank canvas. It is also a keepsake that we will treasure forever. We will remember the most special day of our lives and all of our closest family members who were there by our side.

What was your most memorable moment?
Dan surprised me with a hysterical garter removal dance. He made his way over to me dancing to Milkshake by Kelis, and he came out from under my dress with the garter, wearing sunglasses, and a cigar in his mouth!

What song did you do your first dance to?
We did the rumba, a choreographed number, to John Legand- All of Me

What was on your menu?
Appetizer- lobster bisque with chive garni
Salad- spring mix with sherry vinaigrette, crispy pancetta, figs, date, blue cheese
3 Entrees- Pan seared sea bass, NY sirloin steak, or chicken imperial
Vegetarian- penne pasta with swiss chard and shitake, tomato basil cream
Dessert- crème brulee with berries and bananas foster flambé

Any DYIs?

Wedding favors (mini champagne bottles with a custom wedding tag tied with a ribbon and a straw. The custom tag incorporated our wedding colors and the Love Park sign, which was where Daniel proposed to me.)

Venue: Hotel DuPont
Flowers: Beautiful Blooms
Cake: Hotel DuPont
Entertainment: Silver Sound
Videographer: Tweed Video
Dress: Galia Lahav Haute Couture
Shoes: Jimmy Choo Bridal Collection
Headpiece: Maria Elena Headpieces
Bridesmaids dresses: The Dessy Group
Rings:Billig Jewelers
Hair: Thrive Salon, Cherry Hill, NJ
Make up: Currie Salon & Day Spa-Jess Moss
Invitations: Remember Me Stationary
Event Painter: Event Painting by Katherine
Favors: DIY

You can see images from the fun engagement session at “Greenville Country Club” HERE

You can see more photos from this wedding: HERE

See the wedding VIDEO from Tweed!

Chrissy & Mike @ Hotel DuPont ~ mkPhotography, Delaware Wedding Photographer

Monday, July 6th, 2015

Very striking royal blue bridesmaid dresses are just one of the many spectacular elements to this classic wedding. Take a look at the bride’s train! The vows took place in the quintessential St. Anthony of Padua cathedral and Chrissy and Mike’s reception was held on day of weather perfection, formal photos backdropped by puffs of pink blossoms that had bloomed on trees in the ethereal gardens of Gibraltar and celebration the rest of the night in Hotel DuPont’s signature Gold Room.

Some details:
Venue: Hotel DuPont
Video: Iluminada Photography
Flowers: Sweet Peas of Jennersville
Music: Hot Hot Hot Entertainment

See the Photographer’s Picks (more images!!) slideshow HERE
You’ve gotta see Chrissy and Mike’s phenomenal engagement session HERE

Ashley & Craig@Traverse City Opera House ~ Jana Bannan for mkPhotography, Michigan Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

Unique location, unique venue, good friends – what better combination could I ask for. Ashley always knew I would be her wedding photographer one day and we were all super excited when she and Craig decided to make it official and even more excited for a fun trip to Traverse City, Michigan. The Opera House was absolutely stunning and integrating a theater theme into the wedding decor seemed appropriate. How about the gorgeous masks Ashley purchased for the entire bridal party? The weather did not cooperate as much as we would have wished for, but we braved the slight drizzle and change our plans a little to capture memorable moments in Traverse City.
Ashley and Craig planned a beautiful wedding and it was a pleasure to document their friends and family.
jana

Venue: Traverse City Opera House

Allyson and William @Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia ~ mkPhotography, Philadelphia Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015

With a Rolls Royce and the Philadelphia Art Museum as the backdrop to your wedding photographs it is style and class all around!

William is a brave Philadelphia fire fighter and Allyson is an adjunct professor. The two met at a Halloween costume party. For now their family consists of the pitter patter of 3 dogs and 3 cats, but the two are planning to add 3 children in years to come! We can’t wait!

Some details:
Venue: Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia
Video: Video One Productions – Allure Films
Flowers: Carl Alan Floral Design
Entertainments: Philly Event Group
Rolls Royce: First Class Rolls Royce

See the Photographer’s Picks slideshow HERE
Don’t miss their gorgeous Longwood Gardens engagement session with us HERE

Kelly and Michael @Sofitel ~ mkPhotography, Philadelphia Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

The train on this bride’s dress is so beautiful! A lovely Philadelphia wedding that we’ll let speak for itself!

See the Photographer’s Picks slideshow HERE

Kristen and Nick @Hotel DuPont ~mkPhotography, Delaware Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Some details:
Venue: Hotel DuPont
Flowers: Marcus Hook Florist
Music: Silver Sound Entertainment
Hair and Makeup: Currie Hair Skin and Nails

See the Photographer’s Picks HERE
Don’t miss their beautiful Southern Chester County PA engagement session with us HERE

Whitney and Jared @Hotel DuPont ~mkPhotography, Delaware Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

Some details:
Venue: Hotel DuPont
Flowers: Celebrations Design Group
Music: Gypsy Wisdom
Hair and Makeup: Currie Salon of Glen Mills, PA

See Whitney and Jared’s engagement session with us HERE

Jacquie and Rob @The Union League of Philadelphia ~mkPhotography, Philadelphia Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

From the Bride:
“I moved to Bloomington, Indiana in September of 2008 to work at Cook Medical, a medical device company, to be a product development engineer. Rob works at Cook also as an engineer. He says he saw me for the first time when I was introduced at the monthly engineering meeting. We shared lab space a spoke a few times but never really hung out outside of work. One of Rob’s friends tried to set us up a few times but things never worked out.

Around my birthday, we went to a party held by a mutual friend and spent the entire night talking! That next week was my birthday- Rob asked me out for our first date on my birthday and we have been dating ever since!

From the beginning of our relationship, we talked all the time and everything that happened in our lives was shared with the other. We’ve been best friends from the start!

I had read the first thing to do when planning a wedding was to find three adjectives, and only three, to define the feel and style of the wedding. If something doesn’t fit the adjectives you don’t use it! It was helpful to not overdo things and made everything cohesive.

The adjectives we chose were: timeless, elegant, and grand. The booking of the Union League was the first step in the right direction. The building is beautiful and we both loved the history and grandeur of it, and Lincoln Hall is amazing! It just fit everything we wanted. We booked a date and it seemed like after that everything just fell into place. On one of our tours of the Union League we found out the foundation was built on Indiana Limestone! It was meant to be!

It was difficult planning a wedding from Indiana but my mom was incredible. We went over all of the details and all of the wedding idea websites were very useful and made sharing ideas very easy. It was a great way to pick and choose what fit the adjectives and what took us in a different direction. Some of the details we found from other weddings and we were able to modify them to fit our wedding.

There were more than a few challenging instances, but Rob was amazing through it all. My favorite of his comforting moments was on a particularly stressful day. He asked me ‘What is the goal of the day?’ Confused, I asked what he meant. He responded ‘The day of the wedding, what is the objective? What is the point of the day?’ I responded with the obvious ‘To get married!’ To which he concluded and made me smile by saying ‘So regardless of what happens or what details aren’t perfect, the end result is we are married. So in the end no matter what happens the day will be a success!’

Rob and I are very different but share the same hobbies. Rob can fix and design anything! This was evident throughout the wedding. We designed our monogram and it was placed on almost everything, which I loved. We designed and made our invitations, which included gold foil pressing the borders and laser-cutting the ‘E’ from the monogram. Rob used the software program Adobe Photoshop to design our Save-the-Dates from a combination of a picture from a friends engagement party and our trip to Rome!

We also designed and made the menus as well as the Welcome bags and gift bags. Rob was amazing! His attention to detail and editing eye made all the little details perfect- right on down to setting up a light tree underneath the sweetheart table to distinguish it from the rest. I love that it is hardly noticeable and seems to look like a spotlight is on the table, elegant and grand. It’s just one of the little details of the wedding I love. And looking back the day was not only a success, it was perfect!”

Some Details:
Cordinator: Kaleidoscope Solutions
Venue: The Union League of Philadelphia
Video: Allure Films
Music: Steve & Company
Dress: Reem Acra, from Elizabeth Johns in Ardmore
Hair and Makeup: Taire Hair Salon
Flowers: Wegman’s
Wedding Bands: May Jewelers in Willow Grove
Rolls Royce: First Class Rolls Royce
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bridesmaid dresses: Alfred Angelo

See the Photographer’s Picks HERE

Patricia and Robert @Hotel DuPont ~ mkPhotography, Delaware Wedding Photographer

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015

It all started with a Wink! A ‘match.com’ wink. After numerous emails, Trish agreed to meet Bob for their first date at the Pour House in Collingswood NJ and 6 hours later they left each other knowing that a special journey was about to take place!

Bob first swept Trish off her feet on Valentine’s Day when he flew to Florida to surprise her while she was working (they had only been dating a month!) They spent their first year together traveling from the Vineyards of California to the beaches of Key West. While traveling and falling in love with each other they also grew a love and fascination for wine which took them on a tour throughout the Garden State experiencing over 40 beautiful wineries! Their last stop took place in January 2014 in Cape May, NJ at Willow Creek Winery, where Bob proposed.

Trish happily agreed to spend the rest of her life with her Prince Charming and together they began planning thier dream wedding. They chose Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DE for its sophisticated architectural décor and timeless elegance. Trish and Bob filled the Gold Ballroom with blush tones and touches of gold glitz to add a festive element to their Christmas time wedding. High and low flower arrangements as well as gold Christmas trees surrounded by gold mercury votive candles gave a romantic glow to the tables. Trish wore an Allure Couture ball gown adorned with Swarovski crystals and pink/gold Kate Spade heels. Guests toasted with the “Mistletoe” (their blush signature drink), enjoyed culinary masterpieces, and danced the night away to an 8 piece band!

“It truly was a magical day and mkPhotography perfectly captured every detail of our fairytale wedding!” reports Trish. Her vision for their special day was, “A Romantic and Elegant wedding with a touch of Christmastime Glitz and Glamour!” They had gold Christmas tree centerpieces, Trish’s handmade gold birdcage for the cards their guests brought, and gold Ferrero Rocher chocolate and hazelnut candy at each place setting.

Everything on their gift table was DIY: The card birdcage we mentioned, guest book, B&T Initials, Signature Drink cards (placed at bar) and “in lieu of favor” cards. Guests enjoyed a menu that included Chicken With Crab Imperial, Beef Tenderloin with Seasonal Fish, Risotto with Pear and Walnuts.

Trish’s most memorable moment of her wedding was: “Standing with my dad before walking down the aisle; hearing the bridal party processional Christina Perri – ‘A Thousand Years’ being played instrumentally on the piano – I started bawling!”

Some Details:
Venue: Hotel Dupont
Video: PSH Cinema Studio
Flowers: Hoffman Design Group
Music: EBE Entertainment – Monte Carlo
Hair and Makeup: Your Day Your Way
Shoe Designer: Kate Spade
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff
Jewelry: Nordstrom
Invitations: The Paper Trail – Haddonfield, NJ
First Dance: Lady Antebellum – Just a Kiss

See the Photographer’s Picks HERE

Brynley & Mike’s Engagement Photos ~ Delaware Wedding Photographer

Thursday, February 19th, 2015

Dreaming of a nice, warm summer during the most frigid day of the year? Warm up with this sunny LOVE filled engagement session.

The barn has become a second home to me over the last few years. Mike and I have both developed friendships that go far beyond our horses. When Brynley started to date Mike, all bets were on for Mike being the one. He is so nice and thoughtful and not the mention handsome. Yes we were anxious to see the two of them make it official. Mike proposed in Vermont on the family’s land. Oh so thoughtful and romantic :) Let the planning begin. I refused to be just a guest. I will best enjoy capturing every happy moment at their Wedding in May at Greenville Country Club.

My favorite part of working with trusted friends is their willingness to trust my suggestions. Rustic location, early morning light, great styling and a lot of love and personality definitely made this one of my favorite sessions of 2014 :)

Enjoy and I can’t wait for May!

Jana