Ashley Gerrity Photography

06/19/2025

I’ve known Nicole almost as long as I’ve known how to change my camera settings.

It’s been almost 15 years since we met on the set of. photo shoot where I was the humble assistant. We got along swimmingly and then life took us in our own unique directions. That was it, I thought. But a decade later, we reconnected.

When Serena, my associate, needed support for a few weddings around her due date with her first daughter, I was part of the backup plan. (Photographer parents, you know the drill.)

So when Kira was born and needed someone to step in just two days later, I was her gal! That was the call that call brought Nicole back into my life.

There’s something so special about seeing someone you knew in a completely different chapter of life finding joy and safety in love. Nicole was all of that on her wedding day. So happy, calm, and full of love with Brian by her side.

I’ve always known Nicole to be someone who feels life deeply. She cares hard. She loves harder. Her wedding day was full of those honest emotions. She started the day visiting her father’s grave to honor his memory. She got married at Washington Memorial Chapel, the same historic space where she worked at the time. Every element of the day was connected and intentional.

And Brian. Watching him care for Nicole, show up for her, love her so genuinely, reminded me how incredible it is when someone finds their true equal.

That day didn’t just reconnect us. It sparked something again. Since then, we’ve played together in artistic cosplay shoots. I’ve captured her professional headshots. We exchange holiday cards each year, although her personal newsletter is always tops! And I still owe her a lunch date one of these Fridays! (See, Nicole, I haven’t forgotten!)

When I say that photography is about relationships for me, THIS is what I’m talking about. Of course, I love the art of it, but the people are the part that sticks with me. That fills my life. That matters most.

Happy anniversary, Nicole and Brian. I’ll always be glad that you came back into my life when you did

06/01/2025

Happy Anniversary to Kelsey & Nick. We're wishing you even more joy in your second year of marriage!
Crystal Tea Room Wedding Day | Kelsey & Nick - Greater Philadelphia Wedding Photography & Videography Team

Chester County Wedding Photographer; West Chester Wedding Photographer; Center City Philadelphia Wedding Photographer; Wedding Photography; Bridal Portraits

05/25/2025

Happy first anniversary to Alicia & Ian! Their intimate College of Physicians wedding day last Spring was a beautiful celebration full of history, tradition, and love. Wishing these two even more love & joy in their second year of marriage!

Chester County Wedding Photographer; West Chester Wedding Photographer; Center City Philadelphia Wedding Photographer; Wedding Photography; Bridal Portraits

05/24/2025

Happy first wedding anniversary to Christine & James! Their Rivercrest wedding day was filled with so much joy & love, here's to many more years! https://bit.ly/4cUugpm

05/17/2025

How’s this for something that completely wrecked me (in the best way) last week?

For Mother’s Day, Rhys did one of those classic preschool Q&A worksheets with his teachers — you know the ones. And when they asked him "I love when my mom…", he answered:
"makes cookies & muffins."

Me, too, kid. Me, too. 🍪🧁

Some of his other gems:
• My mom is 6 years old. (Honestly, I’ll take it.)
• My mom likes to eat strawberries. (He makes me sound so much healthier than I really am.)
• My mom's favorite thing to do is play outside with me. (Not wrong. Also: wholesome.)
• My mom always says I love you. (BRB, crying again.)

So now I have this little time capsule of his 3-year-old brain, and I plan to treasure it forever — proof that all the snacks and snuggles really do count.

Tell me: did anyone else’s kid totally make your week with one of these preschool fill-in-the-blank masterpieces? Drop your best responses here — I want to read them all! ❤️

PS Thank you to Aaren Lee for making photos so that I could focus on making cookies with my favorite person.

05/15/2025

Today is — and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years behind the camera, it’s that family doesn’t come in one shape, size, or structure.

Family can be brought together by blood or by choice. By partnership, by parenthood, by the decision to show up for each other, day after day, with care and grace. Family is a decision we make every day — to love, to forgive, to grow, to celebrate.

As I look back at the incredible families I’ve had the honor to photograph, I see that diversity and beauty reflected in every frame.

There are personal friends, like Ben, who stood beside my husband and me when we said our own vows nearly fifteen years ago — and now, my team and I have had the joy of photographing him and his wife as they said theirs, and watching their family grow before our lenses.

There are the couples I met through weddings, whose stories didn’t end when the last dance played. They’ve become part of my yearly rhythm, returning for autumn mini sessions and letting me witness their journeys — through parenthood by birth, by adoption, by every path love can take. I’ve seen their little ones grow from tiny, sleepy newborns to vibrant kids with big personalities and quirks that remind me so much of their parents on their own wedding days.

And then there are the families who’ve found me through the grapevine — a friend tells a friend, who tells a cousin, who shares their photos, and suddenly my world is connected by this big, beautiful spiderweb of people who trust me to capture their version of family.

It’s all part of the magic that makes the world go ‘round — love.

So today, I’m celebrating every family:
The ones with one kid or five.
The ones with two moms, two dads, or parents who defy any box.
The ones with beloved pets who are absolutely counted as siblings.
The chosen families who built their circle through friendship and loyalty.

Whatever your family looks like, however it came together — it is beautiful, it is valid, and it deserves to be celebrated. And I’m so honored every time you let me be part of that story.

Happy International Family Day, my friends.

05/14/2025

Let’s talk about private vows for a second.

A few years ago, when this started popping up more often, I remember another photographer lamenting to me about how it was "throwing off his timelines" when couples wanted to take time to "just read letters" to each other. And honestly? I couldn’t disagree more.

Private vows — especially when paired with a first look — can be one of the most emotionally powerful parts of your wedding day. In those quiet moments, there’s no audience. No pressure. No need to perform. Just you and your person, saying the things that actually matter. The things that will matter in five, ten, fifty years.

In private, people let go. They cry, they laugh, they get real. They take as much or as little time as they need to feel all the feels together. And honestly? It’s kind of magical.

For so many of my couples, especially those having a more traditional or religious ceremony where personal vows aren’t part of the structure, this has been the way to share their promises in their own words. To look their person in the eye and say: "Here’s what you mean to me, and here’s what I vow to you." And honestly — is there anything more important on a wedding day?

Now, let’s be real: if private vows are important to you, they do deserve their own little pocket of time in the schedule. They should be planned with intention and given the breathing room they need. But if this is something your heart is set on? Please know that I am 100% here to protect that space for you and make sure it’s one of the true highlights of your day.

Because wedding days go by in a blink. But this? This is the part that stays with you.

PS Elaine & Eugene get to celebrate their anniversary this week, so it seemed the perfect time to share their particularly emotional private vow sharing at Philander Chase Knox Estate! I would love to know exactly what he was saying to make Elaine gasp & laugh with such glee!

05/12/2025

Moms. Wow. We do a lot.

Every single day. And while we deserve a standing ovation for all of it on the regular, sometimes we get that recognition, and sometimes… we don't. But it is nice to have a day carved out to remind us that we are, in fact, awesome.

I know Mother’s Day can be complicated, too. For those still waiting on their journey to motherhood. For those missing a mom. For those whose experience of motherhood doesn’t look quite the way they’d hoped. If that’s you, I see you. And I hope that whether it’s Mother’s Day or just some random Tuesday, you find a little space to celebrate yourself and the family you’ve built — whether that family is biological, chosen, or furry.

Before I was a human mom, I was a cat mom. Then a dog mom. Caring has always been stitched into who I am — for the people and animals under my roof, for the couples and families I get to photograph, and for the wider world beyond my own doorstep. At its core, I think that’s what this whole motherhood thing really boils down to: that selfless, unconditional care we give and receive. The stuff that doesn’t always make it into the highlight reel, but makes life actually meaningful.

So if you’re wondering what my "highlight reel" looked like yesterday? It was a little quieter than social media’s usual splash. I celebrated with my family, off the grid — an unplugged brunch at home with my mother-in-law, a FaceTime catch-up with my own mom and sister, an hour of pure peace in a bubbly bath (bliss), and an afternoon adventure with Rhys and Inés that involved coffee cocktails at Brewing Good and wandering through the shops at Historic Savage Mill. Nothing flashy. Everything good.

It was the kind of day that reminded me: care is powerful. And whatever motherhood looks like in your life, you deserve to feel that power, too. Every day.

Photo

05/10/2025

Back at terrain cafe today, and not just for my usual lunch and cocktail (though you know I’m super excited to see what's cooking for dinner). This place holds more than just a go-to menu for me—it holds memories. The kind that don’t fade.

The last time I photographed a wedding here, it was Aminah & Robbie’s day—and let me tell you, I still carry that one in my heart. Aminah is one of the most empowering people I’ve had the privilege to photograph. Beautiful, absolutely. But also the kind of glowing soul who lifts the entire room by simply being in it. And Robbie? The gentlest, kindest match to her fire. They’re one of those couples you root for instantly.

At the time, I was deep in the early days of motherhood—balancing feedings and nap schedules, while still showing up for my couples with every ounce of energy I had. I was literally ducking away from the cocktail hour to pump milk for my son while photographing reception details. And somehow, in the middle of her wedding day, Aminah took the time to call me out—not for stepping away, but for showing up so fully. She shared that motherhood hadn’t taken anything away from my artistry, that it had only made me more determined. I don’t think I’ve ever felt prouder or more seen in my career than I did in that moment. And looking through my lens at them that day, I felt unstoppable.

Today, I’m channeling that same unstoppable energy as I celebrate Lisa & Stephen’s intimate wedding right here at Terrain. New love, new story. But the same promise I bring to every wedding: to document not just how it looked, but how it felt. To honor your story the way only someone who’s lived and loved deeply can.

Let’s do this, Lisa & Stephen. Let’s make magic.

05/09/2025

Ten years. A decade of Jen & Claire.

And wow, what a privilege it is to say that out loud—not just because their wedding at the Inn at Grace Winery was as beautiful and heartfelt as they come (though, seriously, that venue is such a hidden gem), but because this milestone marks something bigger.

Ten years ago, I watched Jen & Claire stand hand-in-hand and vow to love each other with their whole hearts—even as the country hadn’t yet caught up with them. DOMA was still standing. Marriage equality wasn’t law. But that didn’t stop them. Their commitment wasn’t defined by legislation. It was defined by unwavering trust, devotion, and a vision of a shared future, no matter what.

Since that day, I’ve had the honor of photographing their growing family and witnessing the way their love has expanded—quietly, powerfully, beautifully. Parenthood has only deepened their bond. Their home radiates the kind of love that affirms what we all know to be true: love is love. Is love. Is love. Is love.

I’ve been doing this for well over a decade now. And since my very first wedding, I’ve made it a core value of my business to celebrate every kind of love. Not just to welcome it, but to actively honor it. You won’t find performative rainbows here—just a lived-out belief that everyone deserves to see their love story told with dignity, artistry, and joy.

Jen & Claire, thank you for letting me be part of your journey. For sharing your love not just with each other, but with your family, your community, and yes, with me.

Happy 10th anniversary. Here's to the next ten—and all the stories still to come.

05/09/2025

Worried your dog might be too high-energy? Or just a little unpredictable?
Totally fine.

On Cecilia & Calvin's anniversary, I'm going to let the real star of their day speak to all the paw-rents out there! Tofu stole the limelight and is leading the pack in today's round up of wedding furballs.

If you can't imagine living through one of the biggest days of your life without one of the best parts of your everyday, don't fret! I’ve worked with every kind of pup from lapdogs to escape artists. Together, we’ll come up with a photo plan that makes space for both your dog and your peace of mind.

We can start with some fun, active moments—snuggles, tail wags, the three of you walking together—and then give your pup a well-deserved break while we focus on the romance. No stress. No pressure. Just the people (and paws) that matter most.

05/06/2025

You’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime event. And somehow you’re expected to be an expert in color palettes, timelines, family dynamics, lighting, rain plans, table settings, and the subtle politics of seating charts?

No thanks.

The good news? I am an expert—in photography, yes, but also in the flow of the day, in easing nerves, in reading the room, and in helping you make smart decisions that will matter in the moment and in your memories.

When you hire me, you're not just crossing off a to-do. You're gaining a calm, capable guide. Not just for the wedding—but for all the beautiful, chaotic, meaningful chapters to come.