Jason + Helen || Flushing NYC Weddings
This past weekend we were fortunate enough to celebrate Jason and Helen’s wedding in NYC. We started our morning in the Solita SoHo Hotel, followed by some more prep in the beautifully historic Chinatown. For the wedding ceremony, we ventured out to the Community Church of Great Neck in Long Island, and continued on with our evening celebration at Jade Asian Restaurant in Flushing.
One of the most exciting things about Chinese (more specifically, Cantonese) weddings are the bridal party games that take place before the ceremony. Typically, these games take place at the brides’ family’s home, are administered by the bridesmaids, and given to the groom + his groomsmen as a fun challenge. Once when the gentlemen “pass” these challenges, there is often a monetary negotiation that takes place next. Traditionally, this money serves two purposes: one, as a monetary “thank-you” to the bridesmaids for all the care + planning + support they’ve done for the bride leading up to the big day; and two, as a bribe to allow for the groom’s entrance into the home. With Jason and Helen’s wedding day, the groomsmen were shown only a little bit of mercy. From the spicy chili paste / wasabi shot concoctions to passing along the seaweed without hands to the heart-shaped waxing strips, we were all happy to see the gentlemen enter the home without any longterm scars.
Throughout the day, we were constantly amazed by how love-centered their wedding was. We’re not talking about the romantic, mushy kind of love, but rather, how much their solid relationships with their bridal party, their countless family members + all of their friends were evident as the day passed. It was every bit authentic as it was effortless for us to witness. The relationships that this couple has fostered together + within their larger community really made it feel like we were photographing a celebration, and not simply another big event with a really large checklist.
Congratulations once again to Jason + Helen on your new marriage!
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Rowais + Marti || The Palace of Somerset Park
We’re very proud to showcase our latest set of wedding photos from this season. For all of you who have been waiting for this blogpost, well… it’s finally here! We were blessed with the opportunity to spend an entire day with our lovely bride and groom. The wedding day preparations took place at The Palace at Somerset Park, one of Central Jersey’s finest wedding venues. With an incredibly outgoing + friendly bridal party, we immediately felt at home even before things got busy. From the sporadic dance parties to the champagne toasts, their bridal party really knew how to have fun.
Having experienced so many firsts this year as a photography duo, we are proud to add “photographing a Coptic Orthodox wedding” onto our list. Rowais and Marti’s ceremony at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. A beautiful blend of culture, visuals, history, linguistic diversity (we spotted Greek, Coptic and Arabic among the church decor), coupled with a full house of wedding attendees, this is surely a wedding we’ll be reminiscing about for a long time.
The rest of the evening was spent in full-fledged celebration. From the great food (did we mention we love the food perks with our jobs?) to the dancing, we relished every moment of the night… obviously, behind our cameras. Other fun activities that our bride and groom had incorporated into the reception included a professional Caricaturist and a great photobooth.
Congratulations to our wonderful newlyweds Rowais + Marti, and we’re so thankful that you chose to include us in your wedding day!
Vendors:
Wedding Reception: The Palace at Somerset Park
Videography: Carlos of Iris Cinematics
Photography: Jon and Howie of Dreamlite Photography
Mike + Lorraine’s Wedding
We had an incredible time yesterday documenting Mike and Lorraine’s wedding day celebrations. The first half of the day was spent chowing down, relaxing, and preparing alongside some close friends + family. For their afternoon wedding ceremony location, they chose the beautiful Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick, an architectural gem that dates back to 1873. One of the coolest & most unique aspects of their wedding ceremony was the incorporation of the “Handfasting” tradition. This ancient Celtic wedding ceremony tradition involves a set of thirteen different colored ribbons that are wrapped around the bride and groom’s hands, thus symbolizing their eternal bond as a couple. Tradition says that this particular practice is where the phrase “tying the knot” comes from. How neat is that?
After the ceremony, we spent a lot of time with our newlyweds doing portraits in and around the historic little town of Cranbury, New Jersey. The evening celebrations took place at the gorgeous Cranbury Inn with cake, filet mignons, dancing and a whole lot of friends + family to boot. One of our favorite images from the day is near the end of this blogpost– check out the floor-level shot of Mike, Lorraine and Lorraine’s cousins taking celebratory “shots” (more like “glasses”, in our opinion…) together.
Thanks again to Mike and Lorraine for having us at your wedding day, and we hope you all enjoy our latest set of wedding photos!
