John + Meredith || Duportail House Wedding
Days before their wedding weekend, we had some slight concerns regarding the weather. The forecast was pretty dreary; thunderstorms and heavy rain were suppose to soak the Valley Forge area for the entirety of the wedding day. When we find ourselves in this kind of situation, the best we can do is develop a rain plan, and pray, pray, pray.
Come the wedding day, we were greeted with the hot and humid weather that was typical of May in our part of the country. We started with our couple at the nearby Embassy Suites, followed by their first look at the historic Duportail House. Built in 1740, the house + surrounding property are an amazing representation of colonial American history. Meredith + John had expressed to us how much they loved the architecture around Duportail House property, so we made sure to plan our portrait session around various parts of the estate.
By early afternoon, the sun was still out and the storm clouds were nowhere in sight… prayers answered! Our bride and groom ended up having an amazing outdoor ceremony, presided by their dear friend + pastor. At some point during the wedding ceremony, while singing along to the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” the storm clouds could be heard in the near distance. We kid you not; seconds after the crowd sang the verse, “…I see the stars… I hear the rolling thunder…Thy power throughout the universe displayed,” the sound of roaring thunder cracked through the sky. As soon as the ceremony concluded, the booming sound of canon went off from the nearby Valley Forge National Park— all in perfect timing. This series of unplanned event were definitely the most memorable for us that day.
The reception started just around the time the rain began (and the rain came down on us hard). We loved the intimate space that they planned for when planning their reception— an outdoor tented reception, a cozy first dance on the patio, followed by an evening of crazy dance movies + bellyaching laughter on the main dance floor. At one point on the dance floor, we spotted John lifted up his baby nephew into the air in very Lion King-like fashion. Meredith later reflected on this very moment, saying in an email to us that she was both laughing and terrified.
We reached out to Meredith + John the week after their wedding, while the wedding memories were still fresh on their minds. We asked them to send us a few of their favorite moments, and funny enough, their list pretty much aligned with the same set of teaser photos we posted the week after the wedding.
A very special thanks to Meredith + John for hosting an amazing marriage celebration, and we hope you all enjoy the photos that follow!
RJ + Christina || Farmstead Golf and Country Club Wedding
Christina and RJ’s story began a little after college, when they met through online dating. Through that season in their life, they discovered so many more shared interests– good food, tasty beers, superheroes, and animals. Funny enough, all those interests were highlighted on their wedding day.
From the get-go, we had a very memorable time with this couple. Weather wise, we couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant autumn day. The fall colors were vibrant throughout the day, especially with all of the sunshine we had. We spent most of the day at the Farmstead Golf & Country Club, a beautiful gem nestled amongst the mountains and forests in northern New Jersey. Their ceremony took place outdoors, followed by a reception inside FGCC’s historic and very charming two-story barn.
Perhaps our favorite aspect of RJ + Christina’s wedding was all of the many details that were thoughtfully incorporated all throughout their special day.
First off, beers. It’s no secret that Christina + RJ love beers… Even their engagement session took place at a local North Jersey brewery. What better way to highlight that love than to include beers details in both their reception decorations, as well as the floral bouquets?
They also gave a big shoutout to DC/Marvel superheroes by giving the groomsmen masks as they paraded into the reception hall. When it was Christina + RJ’s turn to enter their reception, they wore animals masks and danced in to the tune of “What Does the Fox Say?” Not too long after, the bride and her father pulled a surprise dance routine out of their sleeves, followed by an evening of partying in every corner of the barn.
All the best to our newlyweds, Christina + RJ! #hopfuzzwedding
Karen + Steven || The Inn at Lambertville Station Weddings
We feel incredibly privileged to be sharing images from this past weekend.
Karen and Steve’s love story began during their university days, followed by a few years of dating, a surprise Time Square proposal (including a very Steve-style prank), and finally culminating to a beautiful wedding celebration last Saturday. Joined by loved ones from all across the country, the days’ wedding events took place in historic Lambertville, NJ. Perhaps most impressive to us were all of the handmade DIY details seen throughout the wedding day. In fact, while photographing their wedding, we made sure to keep a very comprehensive list on our iPhones for reference.
Thankfully, the weather held out for the majority of the wedding day. We were grateful to see a little bit of sunshine + cloudiness in the mix, and wrapped up all of our outdoor photos right before the rain came. The Inn itself has a superb variety of locations to photograph, and we were glad to be photographing their wedding after very recent renovations. By far, one of our favorite aspects of the day was seeing so many familiar faces at Karen and Steve’s wedding. We counted at least 5 other couples present who’ve graced our blog over the last few years, and that made our evening all the more special.
Special mentions go to:
–Esther Lee for all the details & decorations & designs
–DJ Robbie for the great music & evening entertainment
-the folks at the Lambertville Station for making the evening possible
Below are some of our favorite frames from the day. We’re also posting more, never-before-seen images on our facebook page too, so please visit us there!
Last but not least, a big congratulations to our newlyweds, Karen and Steve!
