Kristin + Nick || McLoone’s Boathouse Wedding Reception
Kristin & Nick couldn’t have asked for a more PERFECT day to celebrate their wedding.
The month of October is undoubtedly our favorite month to photography celebrations. The fall weather is ideal for taking photos; the colors are stunning, the humidity in the air has long since departed, and the sun’s lowly angles gives way to magical lighting.
For Kristin & Nick, this day was years in the making. During their wedding reception welcome speech, Kristin confessed that she has had a crush on Nick’s warm smile (and kind heart) since their teens. Years of remaining friends, staying in touch, living in various parts of the country, and finally reconnecting a handful of years back has led us all to this day.
Surrounded by 80 plus friends and family, Nick & Kristin hosted an absolutely spectacular party to celebrate the start of a new chapter in their love story. Before their loved ones arrived at McLoone’s Boathouse, the newlyweds made sure to set apart some time for portraits. Late afternoon meant the best lighting that we could hope for, and we’re so thankful that we had this time to celebrate with just the two of them.
Make sure to check out their lovely reception details– the flowy, organic floral table centerpieces were the perfect compliment to the warmer wooden tones of the reception architecture. Our favorite moment of this intimate wedding event (besides their bride + groom portraits!) were the toasts. In particular, the quintet speech given by Kristin’s childhood friends was equal parts humor and fond memories, with a side order of gentle roasting. If you don’t believe us, well… you should have been there.
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!
Angie + Leighton || Westbury Manor Weddings
Going into the day, we knew our schedule would be quite busy. We were excited to see Angie and Leighton’s wedding day unfold, as the months leading up to the big day have been overflowing with anticipation. Their wedding day itself was filled with the perfect mix of family involvement, beautiful color palettes and well-thought-out details… all while making a point to highlight the decade long love story that brought them to this very day.
Getting married at the Westbury Manor was one of many excellent choices made by our bride and groom. Initially, the forecast had some people worrying that the ceremony would be moved indoors. Miraculously enough, the weather held long enough to keep everything outside and everything went according to plan. Imbedded in this garden theme were some really cute outfits worn by the kids participating in the bridal party.
Although our schedule was busy, our checklist was short. Without a doubt, our favorite part of the day was knowing how much emphasis Angie and Leighton had on celebrating the day with loved ones. Carrying this in mind helped us to really concentrate on photographing the moments of the day, and for that, we are very grateful.
Thank you Angie and Leighton for trusting us + having us there for your big day. Congratulations to you both!
Hair and Makeup: Mable Pang || mable@mablepang.com
Ceremony and Reception: Westbury Manor || info@westburymanor.com
Photography: Dreamlite Photography || info@dreamlitephotography.com
David + Mary || Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Weddings
We loved every moment of David and Mary’s wedding day celebration. As usual, we started off our day separately photographing the bride + groom. With both sides, we encountered a very no-frills, stress-free environment. Not only did their morning schedule move along smoothly, but we also sensed absolutely zero anxiety coming from the bridal parties. Having such a relaxing + warm atmosphere certainly contributed to an incredible rest of the day for everyone.
Mary + David chose the spectacular Prospect Park for portraits, followed by the ceremony at Grace UMC of Brooklyn, and an evening of celebration at The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Hotel. Sometime during the cocktail hour, we were lucky enough to sneak away with our newlyweds for some portrait time overlooking both Brooklyn + Manhattan.
Our absolute favorite memory was being there for the evening celebration. The toasts were personal, heartwarming, and at many points, really hilarious. Later on, the groomsmen had the DJ play ‘Hava Nagila’, a traditional song that accompanies the Jewish Horah.. and up in the air the newlyweds went. The remainder of the evening was spent dancing the night away.
Congratulations once again to our newlyweds, Mary + David!
Sarah + Dmitry || Cape May, NJ
For the longest time, we’ve dreamt of being invited to a wedding in Cape May… and this past weekend, our dreams came true.
We’re so thankful that Sarah and Dmitry asked us to document their big day. The wedding day events all took place within historic Cape May– a gorgeous New Jersey beach community most famously for it’s Victorian architecture and shore town charm. They spent the morning getting ready at Hotel Macomer, followed by the wedding ceremony at the nearby Cape Island Baptist Church (in line with tradition, the church staff rang the tower bell to celebrate their nuptials). We journeyed through downtown Cape May & as far as the Historic Cape May Lighthouse for some portraits, before heading back to the Union Park Restaurant for an evening full of celebration. The rest of the night was filled with memorable toasts, keyboard performances dedicated to the bride + groom, dancing and a whole lot more dancing.
Below are some of our favorite moments from the day… and in no particular order, we’ll share with you some of them. We loved how Sarah and Dmitry exchanged handwritten letters to eachother. Dmitry’s best man was his son; we enjoyed watching how close of a bond they had together. A definite tear-jerking moment for us took place moments after the wedding ceremony had ended. Bride + groom had just exited the church sanctuary, and the best man quickly catches up to them. Without saying a word, the young man embraces his father with both arms.
Enjoy the preview below, and follow us on facebook to see more of our work! Congratulations once again to Sarah and Dmitry.
A few special mentions:
-Cakestand and Bridal Bouquet Brooch provided by Cake It Up, LLC
-Make-up and Hair by Rudy Raya (rudyraya@gmail.com)
