Kaitlin and Rich

Crystal Tea Room

Philadelphia, PA

Can you say Power Couple? Kaitlin and Rich reached out to me a 4 months before their wedding… 4 Months! Unfortunately their other photographer had to bow out gracefully but luckily for me they did because then I got to meet this AMAZING couple. With only one meeting shortly after booking I was a little nervous (as I always am) to see how we would mesh together. Usually I have an Engagement Session to vibe with the couple and see how they move together but due to the time line and the fact that they already had a session with their previous photographer, we decided for forgo that. It took a grand total of 5 seconds for me to feel comfortable with them and get a good read off of them. Thankfully for my years of tending bar I can get a good read of people quickly but this was like an instant connection. Plus Kaitlin looked fire because they come after her makeup trial… she’s a bombshell.

So after discussing their wedding and goals I had to bring up the unfortunate fact of travel around the city… it’s hellish at times. I hate to tell my couples “I’m not sure we can make that work given to timing” because literally my mantra on your wedding day is “It’s your wedding! Do whatever you want!” It backs off my life motto of “You can do whatever you want until you get yelled at for it”. I know, I know… not the best motto when raising two tiny children but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Any who, Rich chimes in with, “that won’t be a problem” and a smug look. Turns out he had the hook up of some downtown police friends who were able to give us an escort to where we needed to be. Ya’ll… have you ever seen a shuttle at the top of the Art Museum steps? Me neither before their wedding day. I was amazed - and a little terrified that we would still get in trouble - but amazed!

Cut to their wedding day, i’m talking PERFECTION! Kaitlin’s dress, their clean and crisp decor, Crystal Tea Room being classy as always, the beautiful bridesmaids, the good looking groomsmen… this wedding was just all around beautiful. Usually that comes with a hint of arrogance but Kaitlin and Rich were humble and down to earth the entire time. Even to the point that we had a cluster of people fitting for a cult screaming things about them about how marriage is a joke and they should run away and blah blah blah. If it were me (and it was a little) I would have ripped into these people… like Bro, it’s their wedding day. Back the f*ck up! but Rich and is guys handled it like a gentleman and I’m glad that I was further away with the girls because I might have shown my sassy side.

Nevertheless, the rest of the day aside from that was beautiful! A perfect city wedding with a couple that claimed every space they walked into. One of my favorite parts (I know I say favorite a lot) of their wedding was the speeches. Rich has apparently been good to the bone his whole life as I learned from his Best Man’s speech and Kaitlin seems a lot like me. A little tough cookie to crack but once you do there is nothing but love and admiration. I really enjoy getting to hear these back stories and hear answers to questions I didn’t even know I had about a couple.

One job we have as a wedding vendor is to make sure everything is going off without a hitch to the best of our ability. I control what I can by creating a timeline for your wedding day so we don’t have to wonder what’s happening next and where we should be. Somethings I can control though is apparently pregnancy. I’m not sure Kaitlin and Rich knew I was pregnant at our first meeting as it was very fresh but by their wedding day I was clearly showing. That won’t slow me down though. What will slow me down is seafood. Vomit face. If you’ve ever been pregnant you know that the smell of seafood is enough to send you to the next town over. This is something I haven’t told many people. Story time!

So the day is going great, I’m trying to eat as much as I can throughout the day because I am just an all-day-sickness type of prego. The ceremony ends and I walk into the cocktail area space to go shoot some detail shots and guests and they are walking in and am punched in the face by steaming seafood. I’m talking shrimp, crab, scallops, and other sea critters in every form imaginable… all steaming away and relaxing their stinky stinky stink sea smells into the air. I immediate turn on my heals and scream to my second shooter as I’m running away “Cover me… I’ll be right back”. So I run past the bathroom because who wants to be the wedding vendor throwing up during cocktail hour?! Not me… that’s for damn sure. I remember that there is a bar separate from everyone in a closed room and my brain thinks “ooOOOoo, a bar… there is always a trashcan behind a bar!” So I run to the back room and slip behind the bar and there is NOTHING! I look around and find a solo cup, an empty water bottle and a few beverage napkins. The amount of vomit that is about to leave my body is in NO WAY going to fit into any of these things. I look panicked around the room and see another back door so I head through there and convinced I’m going to get locked out decided not to venture down the creepy hallway behind door number 1. So I go back behind the bar trying to figure out how I’m going to make this work. And then I spot it… the Holy Grail. There is a tip bucket tucked back in a corner. Sweet Jesus. I grab the bucket, handle my business, find a left over Ginger Ale, and get ready to rally. But what the hell am I supposed to do with this bucket? I know there isn't a trashcan to get rid of the evidence or I wouldn’t have needed the bucket. Just then my second shooter walks in to check on me. “New plan of action”, I tell her, “We need to find a trashcan to throw this whole thing away in where no one is around!”. Luckily we do and I’ll never say where it was but needless to say I avoided the steamy seafood room for the rest of the night.

I couldn’t decide if I should take this story to the grave with me, but it was too good not to share. There is an instance like this at every wedding. It may not be vomit worthy, but I promise you, something happened at your wedding that was hidden from you regardless of how aware you think you may be. Luckily the rest of the night went as smoothly as the afternoon and I got to enjoy their wedding with them versus hide in a corner. Shout out to Kaitlin and Rich for throwing one hell of a party!!