Kimmel Center Wedding | Philadelphia, PA | Sarah & John

September 25, 2024

On September 14, 2024, I photographed Sarah and John’s Kimmel Center wedding in Philadelphia, PA. Their wedding took place in the Hamilton Garden of the Kimmel Center and was romantic with a classic and neutral color palette. We had a gorgeous Summer like day with the first look and reading of their personal vows at the Rodin Museum followed by portraits at the Merchant Exchange Building, Broad Street and the inside of the Kimmel Center! They had a personalized ceremony with Sarah’s close friend officiating and a lively reception that featured a choreographed first dance, a hora, sweet speeches that included a tribute to the bride’s mother, night portraits on the median on Broad and a bride and groom who never left the dance floor! I am so excited to share this gorgeous classic Philly wedding at the Kimmel Center!

Sarah and John met the old fashioned way, on Hinge! Sarah almost canceled their first date as she was having a maid of honor dress malfunction for a wedding the next week and was overly stressed. Her friend and mom convinced her to just go on the date and worry about the dress the next day. Their first date started at Cherry Street Pier on a hot August night. They got to know each other over a drink and they both thought things were going pretty well so they continued the date to Spruce Street Harbor Park for round two. They finished with a nightcap at the Olde Bar where pizza and wine were the topic of conversation…still two of their favorite things!

Knowing each other was the one:

John’s answer: “It was really early in our relationship (maybe the first date!). I had always been a bit of a hopeless romantic and I spent a lot of time navigating the ups and downs of trying to find ‘the one’. Without much success, taking some time to myself, and spending several unwanted anxious hours trying to find perfection – as the cliché goes – it hit me when I least expected it. And it was in the form of a simple shoulder swipe.

When we first met, we went in for that awkward hug. Sarah accidentally got some makeup on my white shirt during the exchange, so she simply brushed it off. I felt an instant rush of comfort – something I had never really experienced before. I’d always spent time making sure people liked me, or whatever. It sounds like nothing, but the feeling was really indescribable and it’s something I still remember to this day. I immediately felt at ease with Sarah, I dropped my guard and that’s when I felt like I could truly be who I was around her. I think that’s why our love flourished quickly – there was no time spent settling into the relationship – and off we went!”

Sarah’s answer: “Admittedly, I left the first date and told all of my friends that I had found my husband. I felt an instant connection and immediately felt comfortable with John. However, there wasn’t an exact “aha” moment for me where I knew he was the one. It was more that there was never a time where I doubted that he might NOT be the one. From the moment we met, I was never interested in meeting anyone else. I was drawn to the way John communicated his feelings, never letting me doubt he was into me. I was also drawn to how John seemed to know exactly how to calm me down when I was anxious or stressed. As corny as this sounds, he was my missing piece that fit so perfectly into the puzzle that was my life. He fit in so effortlessly with my friends and family and I wasn’t even nervous when they first met.

Although there was no exact moment when I knew John was the one, I do remember the moment I realized I loved him. It was after a fun date night at North Bowl. John and I had just gotten back to my place after some friendly competitiveness and we were just sitting on my floor talking about everything under the sun. I just remember feeling so safe with John at this moment. We were both opening up and being vulnerable with each other, and I had this sudden feeling of peace. I knew that no matter what the situation was, I could talk to him about anything, and he would be there with his empathetic, caring, big heart. Although it took me another week to admit it, I knew then that I was in love with him.”

The Proposal:

Engaged on 07/01/2023: “John went to great heights (and heists) to pull this one off. Sarah’s family had a week-long vacation planned during the last week of June in the Outer Banks. The plan was for John to propose on the last night of the vacation. He didn’t want to take away from everyone’s enjoyment by becoming the center of attention and he knew they’d be seeing his family the next day after vacation was over (within 24 hours of the proposal) so they each could celebrate with each other’s loved ones immediately after she said ‘yes’.

John had a dinner reservation at the Oceanfront Grille for the whole family and his plan was to do it on the beach just before dinner. After keeping the nerves in-check for the week, John was eager to get things going the morning of and faked “going out for coffee” while Sarah was still sleeping. He actually went to the scene of the master plan to sketch some final details out. He timed the walk, spoke with the rental chair / umbrella company, and took pictures for his photography team (Sarah’s sister and cousins) so they could get a lay of the land.

The heist included several decoys John would be happy to boast about if you have 10 minutes (or more) to spare, some of which have titles like “the Shirt” and “the Text”…ya know the typical Seinfeld episode titles. But in the end, Sarah was as surprised as she could’ve been and the plan went off without a hitch!”

When Sarah and John weren’t planning their Kimmel Center wedding, they both love watching sports, even if they are rooting for different teams! They love to cook and try new recipes and John enjoys the pursuit of the best homemade pizza. They love a date night that consists of making pizza, opening a bottle of red wine, and dancing in the kitchen to some good music. John loves to play golf and his first career was in the golf industry as a Golf Professional. Right before they met, Sarah’s friends started getting her to play golf as well. The timing was perfect, as John is the best teacher! While Sarah still has a lot of work to do, they love being able to go to the driving range together or play different golf courses together.

Now married, their dreams include traveling and hopefully having 2 or 3 kids, they look forward to making many new memories together as a family. They dream of buying a house that their kids can grow up in in the Philly suburbs. A lifelong marriage full of spontaneity and rich memories, embracing all that life has to give together is something that they look forward to – and can’t wait for!

Sarah and John have several pieces of advice for couple’s currently planning their weddings:

Plan ahead. If you know of a venue or vendor you want, don’t wait or it might be too late! I also recommend staying organized. It really helped us to make a spreadsheet to help us keep track of all of the vendors I had reached out to and whether or not they had gotten back to us. There are so many out there – we could never remember every one!

Don’t share every detail with everyone if you don’t want opinions! The day is about you and your fiancé, and the last thing you want is someone’s opinion making you second guess something you both really want or like.

Try to set boundaries and expectations upfront, but be flexible and willing to adjust them. Communication is key here. Understand that you won’t be able to make all your friends and family happy but everyone is approaching your wedding with a big heart and good intentions. In the end they just want YOU to be happy

Sarah said she was most looking forward to dancing the night away with all of their favorite people. John said he couldn’t wait to see Sarah walking down the aisle. He also couldn’t wait for the live band!

Thank you to Sarah and John for choosing me to photograph your stunning Kimmel Center wedding!