It's hard to go wrong at Longwood Gardens, the grounds are massive, but also pristine and positively stunning. With water fountains, flowers and beautiful foliage, the Gardens make for an incredible backdrop setting for your Philadelphia wedding photos.
However, before you arrive at the Longwood gates with your wedding party, photographer and lights in tow, you should know the Gardens do allow photography, but there are policies you must follow. All attendees are required to pay the $16 entrance fee, and no tripods or lights can be used at any time. You may also be required to sign a permission form saying the photos are for personal, not commercial, use.
LOVE Park
What could be more romantic than photos taken under the infamous LOVE statue in Philadelphia's Love Park? Officially, the park is named JFK Plaza, but is lovingly referred to as LOVE Park thanks to the infamous Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture overlooking the park in Philadelphia's city center.
It's free to take photos in LOVE Park, but be prepared to compete with other wedding parties, especially if you're shooting on a busy June Saturday. To avoid disappointment, set aside some extra photography time in case you run into another wedding.
Bartram's Garden
Bartram's Gardens are the country's oldest public gardens, and the setting is both romantic and idyllic. With its stone courtyard, historical buildings and beautiful garden setting - it's a great spot for wedding photography. Philadelphia photographers should know the location well.
However, shooting at Bartram's isn't cheap or easy. Unless your wedding is already booked at the venue, you may have to reserve around a wedding. Regardless, you can expect to pay between $200 and $250 per hour for photographing at the space.
The Steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
As the major focus of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is massive and a true landmark of the city. For those looking for a real taste of Philadelphia in their wedding photos, this could be it.
The steps are massive and high, while the eight pillars are a stunning backdrop. You may recognize the popular photo setting from the Rocky movies as the steps that Rocky Balboa climbed during his training. Keep in mind that wedding parties require a $50 per hour permit from the Fairmount Park Commission to shoot on the location.
Rittenhouse Square
Smack dab in the middle of Center City, Rittenhouse Square is both a convenient and beautiful spot for wedding pictures. Philadelphia residents will instantly recognize the urban park's green setting and natural beauty. The best part? You don't need a permit to shoot and you gain the attractiveness of the city at the same time.
Best Of Wedding Photography
Finally the big day is upon you so let us make it the most memorable day of your life. Your wedding plans has taken up a lot of your time over the months, now let's go knock them dead with all your efforts. Memories of the perfect occasion need to last for ever? This can be done by capturing every joyous moment of this fabulous day with great wedding photographs. Choosing a good wedding photographer service for your wedding is the way to make it happen.
Give the Photographer plenty of notice in advance with intimate details on your wedding theme if there is one, this will give him some insight on what camera equipment/lens etc is needed for the wedding photo shoot. Careful planning and timing of the ceremony/reception is vital information for the photographer to have under his hat so he/she can capture the special moments of both sections of the day. (Can not be in two places at once) By having a short interval between the end of the service and beginning of the reception will allow time for more snapshots of the bride/groom and wedding guests. A more relaxed environment among the entourage with no time limit on being here or there will produce good photos.
An important issue to be considered when choosing a wedding photographer is that the photographer can produce before your very eyes a complete set of wedding photos that he may have taken at past weddings. This will prove that the photographer is genuine. Do not accept a display of only selected prints of their best snaps from different weddings. The norm is to check out at least 3/4 complete wedding sets of photos. A dedicated professional wedding photographer shows great pride in his work and therefore would conduct his/her way of doing business with you by presenting you with masterpieces.
Cover every corner before making a final decision on the photographer of your choice; scrutinize every little detail as in i.e. do they give an unlimited coverage package for the whole day.
Always be weary of photography companies that contract out work to people who portray they are wedding photographers. You also have to be dubious of salespersons with the gift of the gab who often pose as photographers themselves just to get the custom. To save any heartache deal with photographers who personally shoots weddings for a living this will give you peace of mind, the reason being is the photographer would be grateful for any referrals you may have thus giving you the best photographs of your wedding.
Finding a versatile photographer is a good option as he will have had experience on traditional weddings along with photojournalistic style. Before booking the photographer ask questions if you are uncertain to what may or may not come with the package. Also have other questions answered like are the photos coloured or black and white/does he charge extra on top for B/W?
Mention your interest in hand and digital colouring and if they are included in the package, be sure to ask about any surplus charges that may incur. Quality pictures develop when the photograph colours are unconnected thus improving them when printed. If you are not familiar with photography such as what type of camera is to be used at the wedding, does it have a leaf shutter or focal plane then take some one with you like a family member or friend with a little knowledge on photography. Ask to be shown some of the effects that can be expected from the equipment he is going to use at your wedding then you get to choose just exactly what you want.
A word of warning there is always one prankster in the background of a wedding photograph, will it be you. Be prepared and Smile even when your eating.
Both Trevor Price & Kacy Carr are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Trevor Price has sinced written about articles on various topics from Shopping, Home Management and Family Travel. For great information on wedding preparation tips, see weddingpreptips.com, a popular site providing helpful pre-wedding insights, such as