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My mission as a wedding photographer is to help happy couples celebrate life's biggest joys with high quality photos and a dang good time. I believe the experience is just as important as the photos and that you deserve beautiful, lasting memories.

Hey!! I'm Gabriella.

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Rittenhouse Square Surprise Proposal | Mark & Ashley

Mark & Ashley’s surprise proposal and engagement session at Rittenhouse Square in October 2022 was so sweet and joyful!

Planning with Mark

Mark and I hopped on a Zoom call a few weeks before he was planning to propose. We went over his game plan and narrowed down a few good spots to pop the question. It’s a good thing we did our research because there was an art show going on that weekend in the park! It luckily didn’t interfere with his ideal proposal spot, but we had backup plans just in case.

(Note – if you are planning a proposal in one of Philadelphia’s public parks, make sure there is not public event happening at the same time!!)

The Proposal

I arrived at Rittenhouse Square extra early to make sure Mark’s preferred proposal location was good to go with the art show going on. I sent him a text confirming Plan A and waited while he and Ashley got ready to leave! She thought they were going on a dinner date to Parc, a super nice French restaurant right off the square. (Guys, this is a great way to make sure your partner dresses up for a surprise proposal!) They were, in fact, going to Parc … but Mark had other plans before they got there.

I spotted them walking toward me and got in position while trying to be discreet. At the designated location, Mark stopped walking and turned Ashley to face him, holding her hands in his. I moved into the center of the walkway, motioning for people to get out of the way as I brought my camera up to my eye. Mark got down on one knee, pulled out the engagement ring, and Ashley’s jaw dropped to the floor! She said YES!!

Y’all, Ashley was SO surprised and SO happy!!! She kept looking down at her hand in disbelief as Mark watched her with pure love in his eyes. I’m so honored I was able to document this super special moment for them!!!

Rittenhouse Engagement Session

After allowing Mark & Ashley some time and space to start processing what just happened, I took them around the park for some engagement photos! I made sure to weave in plenty of far away photos so they could chat and process together while I took candid photos with my Zoom lens. It was also important that I included some park benches in their photos because Mark loved that vision. Those park bench photos ended up being some of my absolute favorites!!!

When 20 minutes had gone by, I walked Mark & Ashley to Parc so they could make their dinner reservation. I snapped one last romantic photo of them kissing with the “Parc” sign in the background to commemorate that part of their big day!! I’m so excited for this sweet couple and I truly cannot wait for them to get married. Congratulations, Mark & Ashley!!!!

Rittenhouse Square Surprise Proposal

the moment before a proposal in rittenhouse square
engagement session in rittenhouse square, philadelphia

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- Melissa d.

“Gabriella was absolutely amazing!!! Words cannot even describe how perfect she was, but I’ll try my best. Right from the beginning, I knew she was the one. She was so caring, calming, organized, and just a genuinely happy person. She made me feel even more excited for my wedding. She was so helpful throughout the entire process right down to the big day. AND THE PICTURES - OH MY GOD. They are absolutely breathtaking and she definitely tells the story of your day in the most perfect way. She captures every precious moment while having a smile on her face the whole time she’s with you. I can’t say enough amazing things about her. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to have the BEST photographer for any occasion. We had such an amazing experience with Gabriella and we can’t thank her enough!”

"Captures every moment"

- Dawn g.

“Gabriella is a very great planner, very organized and an absolute delight to work with. Her planning and organization helped me prepare for the big day without any fear that I left any important photo out. Her planning skills ensured I didn't miss any details. She is such a delight to work with she was even happy to help me with my little surprise I had for my husband, it went off without a hitch. She captured all the photos we could imagine....all the fun, sweet, sincere moments throughout the day. She even provided the photos to us in a timely manner. I HIGHLY recommend her; she's highly energetic, personable, easy to work with, a planner, organized, and she captured lots of beautiful pictures. She exceeded all of my expectations. She was such a great photographer.”

"Exceeded all my expectations"

- Melissa N.

Making my dream wedding come true!
Gabriella was hired by my (now) husband, as a surprise photographer for our proposal. She was phenomenal and we hired her for our wedding as well! Her energy and vision for our wedding photos captured every moment and emotion. She was amazing in every way. Her attention to detail and knowing what was important to me on my big day was awesome - she went the extra mile. I would 10/10 recommend her to any one wanting to capture beautiful moments in life - for their engagement, wedding, and more.

"She went the extra mile."

- Megan W.

Hiring Gabriella was one of the best decisions that we made during our wedding planning. From our very first conversation, Gabriella was warm & bubbly. She radiates positive energy that I knew that we needed for our big day. Gabriella has a vigorous work ethic and eye for detail. Her ability to transform any setting is pure magic. We enjoyed working with her throughout the planning process and are absolutely thrilled with our engagement and wedding photos (which she had edited and back to us in less than one month!).

"One of the best decisions"

- Lisette & Tyrus b.

What can we say about Gabriella Marie Photography. There are so many words to describe the amazing job Gabriella did on our special wedding day. Gabriella will not only shoot your wedding, she can help you design what your wedding will be. She is there every step of the way. She has amazing attention to detail. Before the big day, Gabriella has a plan that will ensure that your day will be spectacular. She is always available via text, call, direct message, FaceTime or Zoom. Gabriella is the absolute best photographer ever. The best quality that she has is that she is more than a photographer, she is a true friend. She cares about her clients and makes us feel like a trust-worthy friend is there to help. For example, she sent my wife and I a pre-wedding care package. This gift proved to be so valuable for us while dealing with wedding stress. This gift was the most thoughtful thing my wife and I ever received. A simple thank you is just only the tip of the iceberg with regarding Gabriella Marie Photography. Everyone please check out our new friend Gabriella. Trust us, she is worth every penny and more.

"Worth every penny and more"

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