My husband and I share a passion for food, so choosing a caterer was one of the most important decisions we made in planning our wedding. We didn't want to simply choose from lists of dishes. We wanted to create from scratch a menu that represented our different backgrounds. So we needed to work with a caterer who was creative and flexible, and Phil Mayo was that and more. He listened to us, and all the quirky ideas we had for blending Pennsylvania Dutch favorites with Indian-spiced delicacies, and turned them into a delicious menu. Phil paid great attention to service during the planning, making sure the tables and bar would be set up exactly how we wanted them, and figuring out the flow of the crowd so people didn't have to wait for food or drink. Because our wedding took place in my parents garden, we wanted the food to have a down-home feel, but with elegant presentation. And Phil accomplished that perfect balance. He served delicious, summery food, in a tasteful and elegant way.

When we asked Jihan to photograph our wedding, we had a unique request! We were planning two different weddings, at opposite ends of the globe. Because our families live in different countries (United States and India), and few would be able to make such a long journey, we decided to celebrate in both places. And Jihan very competently took on the massive challenge of photographing both events, and threading them together to tell one story.
Our first ceremony took place in my parents' garden in Pennsylvania. Planning and organizing the wedding was a group effort, with family and friends pitching in, and Jihan's photos reveal the homespun quality of our wedding day. Her first priority was to get the shots that we wanted, and she was receptive to any ideas we had as the day unfolded. She created a collection of moments, of smiles captured without any notice, and conveyed the joy we all felt that day.
The Indian wedding was a testament to Jihan's endurance as a photographer. The ceremonies lasted four days, each of which she carefully documented with incredible attention to detail. She patiently worked around so many unpredictable variables, such as last minute changes, a language barrier, dust storms, bright lights, and huge crowds of people. None of those variables come through in Jihan's photos. All you see are our families coming together to celebrate, set against the exquisite, saturated colors of India.
It wasn't until both weddings were behind us, and some time had passed, that we had a chance to go through all of our photos to choose ones to frame and hang. The tiny details already fading from memory, it's only now that I can truly appreciate the lasting quality of Jihan's work. She really tells the story of our two weddings, our two families, and our two cultures blending together. We are so lucky to have that story preserved in pictures.