I’ll never forget when I first spoke with Becca and Brandon about their Camden Adventure Aquarium wedding. The very talented videographer Dan Baldwin of Danny B Productions referred them to me and I quickly scheduled a consultation with her as I was driving home from a -23° Poconos weekend. She was so excited about her wedding which was on Valentine’s Day. After carefully consulting my wife, I happily informed her that I was available! The first thing Becca told me was TLC’s reality show, Say Yes to the Dress is featuring her wedding. The thought of a room filled with camera crew and lights is daunting for a photographer. Luckily I had a year to mentally prepared myself for the challenge!

Fast forward to 2020.

Prep was at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill which I was excited about. Whenever I’m there great things seem to happen. The rooms are spacious and have great light! Becca’s bridal suite was filled with cameramen, producers, sound check techs and a super hyped bridal party! To my surprise, shooting prep was surprisingly easy! The TLC crew was very aware and did their best to not step in front of the camera and vice versa. But the photojournalistic photographer in me wanted to capture them in action, as it told the story of her chaotic morning.

Once my other lead photographer, Jenna finished photographing some cool nautical-themed invitations by Concertina Press, she headed to Brendan’s room. A typical groom-prep room filled with laughs, beer, a camera crew and Brandon conducting last-minute business on his phone. The hustle never stops.

Once the awesome crew of Taffeta Hair and Makeup was done, Becca’s mom helped her put on her Randy Fenoli dress and she pranced out to reveal herself to her bridesmaids! She stunned them all as she looked gorgeous!!! After taking some cool portraits I packed up and headed to the aquarium.

A thing about weddings at the aquarium…

If you’re getting married at the aquarium and happened to come across this blog know one thing…your photographer needs to be very proficient at off-camera flash! The aquarium is the toughest venue I’ve had to shoot. There are yellow lights throughout the venue that cause crazy shadows and yellow highlights that they have to be aware of. Everyone wants photos in front of the shark tanks and they have to be aware of glare from flashes. Having the right equipment, knowledge and execution is a must!

Back to the deets…

The Camden Aquarium closed the entire aquarium early, which allowed us to have full access to the Shark Realm! My crew and I had a great time utilizing the shark tank and tunnel for her bridal party photos. Once the guys showed up, we spent some time with them over by the Amazon exhibit. Once both bridal party portraits were done, it was time for B&B to get married!

Becca strutted out to a harpist playing a rendition of Toto’s “Africa”, if you know Becca you wouldn’t expect anything less. Brandon beamed ear to ear as he stood in front of the Ocean Realm tank and watched his bride walk down the steps. Once their wedding vows were done, we knocked out some portraits in the Shark Realm and headed out to the waterfront to grab some photos with Philly in the background. It was about 20° outside, but it felt so good as it was a little warm inside!

Becca and Brandon held their reception in the very cool Rotunda. Guests had a great time riding the Great White Shark “bull”, dancing and celebrating B&B all night long!

B&B, I had an awesome time capturing your day and I wish you two the very best! Here are some of my favorites from Camden Adventure Aquarium wedding!