The Best of Celebrate: Photographers and Local Businesses to Help You Throw the Best Birthday Parties and Special Occasions Around the Main Line | 2023 LOVE Award Winners and Family Favorites

Make the most of celebrating every birthday, bar & bat mitzvah, neighborhood party, and special occasion around the Main Line with these local businesses our Community LOVES.

May 5, 2023

Read some great endorsements from local parents in our Main Line Parent Community about who they love and then pop over to our Main Line Parent Best for Families Guide to find more neighborhood gems!

LOVE Awards Celebration and Luncheon photos by AMC Photography.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST BAKERY

Sweet Baby Cakes Patisserie

A Home Bakery in Havertown

“Sweet Baby Cakes Patisserie bakes cakes and cookies with much love and dedication. All are made to order and designed with attention to detail and according to the client’s schema. It is a pleasure dealing with Sweet Baby Cakes Patisserie❤️”
– Gina C.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE BAKERY

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Locations in Ardmore/Wynnewood, Springfield, Wayne/King of Prussia and Collegeville

“Nothing Bundt Cakes is creative and yummy!”
– Lyn K.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST BAR & BAT MITZVAH PHOTOGRAPHER

AMC Photography Studios

“Wow. Simply Wow! What an exceptional experience all around! Never before have I enjoyed a photo shoot, nor have I ever been overly happy with my photos done by anyone else. After this experience, however, I have found my perfect photography partner. out of the 180 photos, I was thrilled with 173. I don’t even know how that’s possible. I will be a client for life!”
– Michael S.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY SPOT

Reach Indoor Climbing and Fitness

“Reach Indoor Climbing and Fitness hosts ninja parties and rock climbing! Both gyms have party rooms and staff to assist 😊”
– Heather F.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST CANDY SHOP

The Sweet Trading Company

“Jody and her team at the Sweet Trading Company are just awesome. I have used them for many years for gifts for our clients, plus gifts for teachers, bud drivers, my employees and more. The best part is that the chocolate/candy not only looks great and is packaged in a super cute way to make it look very special, but it also tastes great. Jody is a super hard worker and deserves a LOVE award!”
– Claire G.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE CANDY SHOP

Sweet Spot

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

Polina Bulman Photography

“We cannot say enough wonderful things about Polina. From the minute we met her, we were instantly comfortable and felt like we had known her forever. It didn’t take long for us to settle into our routine and for her to capture memories that we will cherish for many years to come. The photos are absolutely amazing – our families can’t stop talking about them. Polina was able to capture the chaos of life with a newborn in the best way possible (all while magically making our house look clean!), and we cannot wait to call her again once our family grows to capture more moments. She’s an incredibly talented photographer with a great eye and a wonderful personality. We highly, highly recommend Polina!”
– Ryan S.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

AnneMarie Hamant, Lifestyle Photographer

“Anne Marie was lovely from our first email interaction all the way through the final step of ordering images through the online gallery. She was accommodating and adjusted our session type and date without hesitation. She was friendly and personable during our session, and put my family at ease which really came through in our photos. And most importantly, her work is beautiful. She has an eye for the right setting, light and detail. She allowed our girls to just be young children and captured the most beautiful images of them running and playing, along with beautiful poses photos with natural smiles. We loved her so much that we’ve booked her again for an extended family session, we can’t wait to see magic she creates again! I’ve worked with quite a few photographers and Anne Marie is by far my favorite!”
– Katherine O.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Daniella Bella Photography

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Colleen Hahn Photography

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Elanna D Photography

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Jessica Catherine Photography

“Jessica has been our photographer since we hired her to do my youngest son’s newborn photos almost 5 years ago. Over the years, we have used her for 9 different sessions from newborn to family, to extended family and a few specialty sessions. We love every gallery we receive from her! Every year we think there is no way she can take better pictures then the previous year. And every year she leaves us speechless! She helps with every detail from location to best time of day for lighting to outfits. She is also great at making you feel relaxed and natural during the photo shoot! I reccomend her to all of my friends!”
– Jennifer K.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Meghan Renee Photography

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Olive & Grace Photography, LLC

“The owner of Olive & Grace Photography is a family photography genius. She has this ability to capture candids and posed photos alike that speak directly to the love and connectivity of a family of any size. Whether it’s a nuclear family, extended in all the ways family, furry family members, or a couple not yet building their family – her photos tell stories for generations to come. I was fortunate enough to win a family photo shoot from this photographer when she donated a session to a local non-profit silent auction. The photos my family and I have from our session are priceless and the experience was significantly easier than expected. After choosing a location, we walked and posed and laughed and Kristi did all the hard work! We were so delighted we bought the entire package of photos. Kristi values her work, her talent, and her time – and she should. Her ability to run a thriving one woman photography business with mini sessions (pre-natal/newborn, mother’s day, Santa, etc), full family sessions, kids, couples, engagements and more is astounding. She also features sessions that give back to her community such as working with the Gold Hope Project providing free photography sessions for kids with pediatric cancer. Last year she also raised funds for Everyone for Gun Safety following one of of the ubiquitous recent school shootings. She’s a business owner whose success goes hand in hand with supporting her community, and she deserves our utmost respect and celebration.”
– Melissa B.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Rosie Paul Photography

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Steph Kines Photography

“Steph is the ultimate baby whisperer! Her calm demeanor and go with the flow personality makes the best kind of newborn photographer. She came to our house and took care of every single detail to make the session run smoothly, even bringing a warming fan to keep my newborn comfortable! I love that she allows the session to be guided by the baby (and my toddler when we had our second!) and not by any predetermined time schedule. When my baby needed a break to nurse, she was more than accommodating. She makes everyone around her feel at ease and that energy is contagious. As a new mom dealing with a new postpartum body, she made me feel so beautiful. And the pictures speak for themselves. You can tell she truly loves what she does by the images she captures. They are timeless photos of my little ones that I will cherish forever. I recommend Steph to every family I know!”
– Leah K.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

Veronika Paluch Photography

“Veronika is easily the best photographer we’ve ever worked with. She manages to capture the joy and love of our family each time we work together, providing us with galleries we will cherish for years to come. Her style is very clean and minimalistic, which allows her subjects to shine. She is very professional, but also warm and welcoming and is someone you want to just hang out with – which makes photo sessions with her easygoing and enjoyable! My family and I are so grateful to have found her to capture life’s special moments.”
– Dana P.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST PARTY ENHANCEMENT

Charming Garlands

“Charming Garlands has helped bring a few of our family parties to life! Charming Garlands is a woman owned business and Ali’s (owner) talent and heart are bigger than her balloon garlands. She gives her heart and soul to every project. From birthdays, to weddings, to corporate and sporting events – her passion shines through in each and every job. No matter the size. Her work brings so much joy. This past Fourth of July, Charming Garlands decorated the front of our home and so many people in our neighborhood commented on how happy the decor made them. They did an amazing job! Ali is a wonderful example of not only a business owner, but a working parent who is building a legacy for her family. She is so deserving of this award.”
– Kelly C.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PARTY ENHANCEMENT

Bridgee Bee’s Floral Creations

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PARTY ENHANCEMENT

Science with Nature Jack

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST PARTY HELP

Party Host Helpers

“Party Host Helpers can help! They make our parties run so much smoother!”
– Samantha S.

2023 LOVE AWARD WINNER: BEST PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Danielle Foster Creations

“Danielle Foster Creations offers the best Santa experience! We just did it with my 18 month old and her sensory Santa — they were laughing the entire time and we got some amazing pictures. It was amazing!”
– Chantel J.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Ivory Tree Portraits

“Ivory Tree owner Lara leads an incredibly warm and thoughtful staff. The curated experience is perfect for any situation and the pictures really do speak for themselves. We are excited to use their services each year as we watch our girls grow up as they have both been photographed in infancy/ toddler years. Their studio is clean, comfortable and very welcoming. Highly recommend!!!”
– Matthew W.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Jamie Siever Photography

“Jamie is patient and kind with every single client. She has a knack for getting just the right light, at the right angle and can always snap a beautiful shot whether it be a baby, a sibling or a business headshot. She’s simply the best!”
– Shari G.

2023 FAMILY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Rebecca Serpe Photography

“The best at timeless photography. Made my three year-old son so comfortable during the session and was able to capture every one of his personality traits and emotions.”
– Jessica W.