Christopher + Diana Wedding
It’s always special when I (Howie) get to photograph weddings with a unique story behind it. Christopher and Diana have been together for some time now, and have two children together. However, they haven’t had the chance to tie the knot until now. It was really nice to be there, especially since they’ve both been waiting for this day to come for quite some time. Here’s a quick glimpse of some images from that long awaited day. HC
Mark + Vivian’s Wedding
Mark and Vivian’s wedding was by far the most jam-packed, minute-to-minute, activity-filled wedding day we had this summer. Add to that lots of short distance driving, a few detours, a whole slew of laughing moments… all in the course of 10 hours.
After the bride and groom each got prepped in their respective locations, Mark and the groomsmen came over to Vivian’s house to begin the big day. As cantonese wedding customs go, the groom had to “break into” (thankfully, this was done figuratively) the bride’s house. Once the men had entered, the bridesmaids had to administer a few different “tests” for the men before the groom can see his bride-to-be (Note: she was hiding in a separate room with her mother). Often times, these tests are a combination of physical, dexterical and comical tasks. Then, Mark had to profess his love for Vivian through a speech– in Cantonese– in the hopes that Vivian would accept his proclamations. Eventually after much effort, Mark was finally allowed to see his bride for the first time that day.
We continued to an awesome, funky location that Mark and Vivian selected for the bridal party photos– the Whippany Railway Museum. Although the train cars were inaccessible on the inside, we had a good time climbing around and on top the trains for some good shots. The ceremony took place at CCCNJ, followed by the reception at The Birchwood Manor. Soon after, we went through the traditional Chinese Tea ceremony with red envelopes and all. Did we mention cocktail hour included a roasted suckling pig, as well as all you can eat lobster tails and oysters? The Manor’s food was phenomenal, and their grounds were equally great for photos. They topped off the night with speeches, food, and a whole lot of dancing. One of the highlights of the night was learning how far the guests traveled to attend to the wedding; not only did friends come from all over the U.S.A., but there were friends and relatives who came from as far as Hong Kong and Singapore. Enjoy the photoset, and congrats again to Mark and Vivian on their new marriage.
Vendor Information:
Ceremony: Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey http://www.cccnj.org/
Reception: The Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ http://www.birchwoodmanor.com/
Bridal Party Photos: Whippany Railway Museum http://www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net/
Brian + Sara (Traditional Ceremony)
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about our blog! We know we’ve been neglecting this blog for a while now (our apologies), but this summer’s been quite the busy one for us. We’ve been so busy traveling/photographing/editing/meeting with couples that we haven’t set much time aside for full sets. In saying all this, I’ve finally found some free time to put together my favorite images from Brian and Sara’s wedding ceremony from earlier this summer.
Both of Brian and Sara’s wedding ceremonies have been exciting, intimate, and completely different. Their first ceremony, which took place a week earlier, included a very detailed set of traditional Korean wedding practices. In this set, it was a whole new party. Brian and Sara chose the Somerset Hills Hotel for their wedding reception, which was a gorgeous venue inside and out. Since Brian hails from the midwest, their reception included a Boot Scootin’ Boogie Line Dance (led by the Bride and Groom + the wedding party, later joined by the whole crowd), and a cowboy hat toss. Best of all, the song selection for the night included a lot of country music (a music genre I really like, for those who don’t know). Enjoy this latest set. JT
Steve + Tesh Wedding
In July, I (Howie) was able to go back to my alma mater and see Chicago again! However, despite the excitement of going back, I was even more excited to shoot the wedding of a good friend. We go back way back to the times in our Sunday School classes, fellowship at Youth Group, and hangouts. He is also the second in our “youth group” class to get married! With a beautiful bride and a handsome groom, I was a lot of fun capturing many awesome pictures of the wedding day. The ceremony was in a beautiful indoor south beach feel room at the Chateau. And with an elegant reception following where guests danced the day away! Below is just a glimpse of Steve and Tesh’s Guatemalan German Polish Chinese Wedding. Congratulations again Steve and Tesh and thanks again for having me be part of your big day! HC
Danish + Caitlin Wedding
While everyone else is enjoying their wintery weather, we’ve been working hard to catch you all up on photos from this past wedding season. With more time on our hands, we have been preparing a whole slew of weddings/engagements/family photos to slowly release to all of our faithful blog followers. Here is our latest set.
We had been introduced to Caitlin and Danish through one of Jon’s friend’s at Rutgers, and definitely have to say this was one of the smoothest wedding days of 2010. Although the wedding day schedule was pretty packed, we had plenty of time (and creative room) to capture their beautiful wedding day celebration. One of the many significant details to their wedding day was actually the church that Caitlin and Danish chose to have their wedding ceremony in. This was the exact same church that our bride’s parents got married in, many years back (see image#4 and remember that photo as you browse). Some of our favorite images from this day include Danish’s teary-eyed reaction to seeing his bride walk down the aisle, the moment Caitlin helped Danish wipe away his runny nose (that’s real love right there), and the bridal party photos we took at Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown, NJ. They celebrated the night away at an excellent waterfront reception, the Oyster Point Hotel. The spectacular music for the night was provided by Dynasty Entertainment (highly recommended by us… their covers and vibe are one-of-a-kind). Enjoy these photos, and once again congratulations to Danish & Caitlin.
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Brian + Sara (Korean Wedding Ceremony)
I’m excited to write that Brian + Sara are the first couple I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with three times in the span of three months. As you may recall, their gorgeous spring engagement session took place in Princeton. Before we knew it, time flew and I joined them for two separate wedding ceremonies. (Did you see the teasers here or here?). The first of the two ceremonies, as shown below, was a traditional Korean Wedding Ceremony.
If you ask anyone who knows me well, you’ll learn that I love witnessing and experiencing different cultural practices/traditions, because I really believe that there is so much depth and history rooted within cultural celebrations. From what I’ve learned, it’s actually not too common that marrying couples conduct a full out Korean Ceremony nowadays. This made the experience all the more fascinating to me.
First off, the attire was amazingly colorful and intricate. Within the actual marriage ceremony, there was a lot of tea drinking, exchanging of bows, and other things I wish I could have interpreted (unfortunately, I don’t speak Korean). Afterwards, the bowing ceremony took place. Since Brian and Sara were purposely not informed about the structure of the ceremony, this made everything a little more relaxed, unpredictable & fun to watch.
At one point, Brian’s parents were instructed to toss a handful of dried dates towards the bride and groom. However many dates that the b&g caught on a piece of fabric, this number would symbolize how many children they would have together. This was definitely one of my favorite moments.
Jason + Melissa’s Wedding || Centenary College Weddings
Jason and Melissa’s wedding ceremony took place early this summer at the most unique of locations– Centenary College (aka Melissa’s alma mater). It’s campus, like many schools established in the 19th century, is home to beautiful architecture and scenery. One can’t tell from looking at the photos, but the day was incredibly hot & humid. Regardless, their big day went by smoothly- a short & sweet ceremony followed by a whole lot of celebrating. Towards the end of the evening, a surprise birthday cake came out for our groom’s dad.
Biggest surprise of the evening? When a surprise birthday cake for Jason’s dad was rolled out front and center. However, hands down, my very favorite moment of the night was at the very end. The reception was starting to wrap up when the DJ played “That’s amore” and the dance floor came alive with people. Not only was everyone dancing and locking arms, but the crowd chimed in with the song– including singing along to all of the Italian lyrics (the bride’s side of the family is italian-american). Couldn’t have ended the night any better.
Congratulations again to Melissa & Jason on their wedding!!
Ceremony: Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ
Reception: Mattar’s Bistro and Lounge, Allamuchy, NJ
Flowers: Katarina Florist & Gift, Hackettstown, NJ
Chadwick + Brooke’s Wedding
You may recall a few weeks back, the teasers of Chadwick and Brooke’s wedding in Minnesota. Here is the full post of the awesome wedding I (Howie) had the privilege of shooting. It was definitely one of the most memorable ones, as I was able to witness my college roomate tie the knot with the girl of his dreams.
The ceremony took place at Wilmar Evangelical Free Chuch in Wilmar, MN with the reception at the bride’s parents backyard under the gorgeous afternoon sun. The weather was perfect!
Below are just a few of my favorite moments of the wedding. From the bride and grooms first look at each other to the beautiful handmade bridesmaid dresses to the elegant backyard wedding and dancing throughout the night, it was one for the books! The fun personality of the couple, the uniqueness of the their wedding and attention to details can definitely be seen in the wedding. (Loved the sparklers at the end!).
Congratulations again! Thanks for letting me take part in your wedding day! And Brooke- you’ll have just as great a time as I did as his roommate! HC
Howie + Diana’s Wedding
We’re really excited to showcase our latest wedding set: Howie & Diana’s wedding!
As many of you may remember, Howie tied the knot back in early June. However, Jon wasn’t alone in the photographic adventures of the day. Diana’s brother + sister-in-law, Jason and Han-Meh, joined in on the photo coverage as well. Check out their set here.
The day went by so fast. From a photographer’s point of view, it was definitely a full day’s work. The bride’s side started around 7am, and we went through the usual preparation work– make-up, hair, surprise gift-opening, and calming of the nerves. As with any morning of the wedding day, there were also some unexpected moments of surprises (and tears). Howie’s gift to Diana was multi-faceted; on the outside, it was an Apple Ipad 3G. He placed a sweet note on the front of the screen that read, “Unlock Me! And There’s A Video! <3 Howie”. Saved on the Ipad was a really sentimental video message that Howie had made for Diana, recorded especially for the morning of.
Eventually, Jon traveled to the guy’s side to document their easy-going morning. Transformers 2 was blaring on the big-screen T.V., while the guys were eating their breakfast, ironing clothes, and getting ready at their own pace (sorry ladies, we guys have it really easy.) Diana’s gift to Howie was exceedingly awesome as well– it’s a one-of-a-kind Seiko watch that requires movement & motion to keep it charged.
One of my favorite photos? The black&white shot of Howie stealing a peek at his new bride whilst the entire sanctuary is in the middle of a prayer. Classic.
Enjoy our latest set, leave some comments, and if you like what you see, please spread the word about Dreamlite.
Last but not least, here’s a brief list some vendors from the wedding day. Give them some love:
Florist: Margie of La Flor Events & Design http://www.laflordesign.com/
DJ: Andy of Versatile Wedding chaseB985@aol.com
Hair/Makeup: Winnie winniethebeautician@yahoo.com
Catering & Tent Rental: Cambridge Inn cambridgeinn@verizon.net
Eco-Friendly Wedding Bands: Bario-Neal http://bario-neal.com/
Frank + Jennie Wedding Teaser
Here’s one of our favorite images from this past weekend’s wedding celebration. Frank and Jennie were awesome enough to let us steal them away for a few minutes, and we headed out to the garden for this shot. In case you were wondering, our bride actually changed into a party dress midway through the reception (brilliant idea), because it’s really hard to boogie on the dance floor with a three foot train on her wedding dress.. to all our faithful viewers out there, enjoy!
