Mike + Justine’s Wedding

Having recently capped off an exciting, relaxing and adventurous winter break, we’re excited to share with you our first full wedding set of the year. After spending the morning getting her hair done with Peach (hairstylist at Tekniques Salon), Justine headed home for makeup with a MAC artist and some quality time with her ladies.

Typically, you might expect the groomsmen to be going about their day in this order 1) sleeping in 2) watching t.v. 3) drinking beers 4) getting their suits on 30 minutes before the ceremony. However, Mike and his groomsmen had other plans. Their morning started with a 10am appointment at the Old World Shaving Parlor in Red Bank, NJ. This old fashion barbershop had all the makings of a classic movie… shaving cream, steaming hot face towels, and an ultra-smooth razor shave. Until that day, we (as wedding photographers) had never heard of this service before, but we definitely recommend this Red Bank parlor to everyone.

The rest of the morning was spent getting ready with close friends and family. One of the many unique aspects of their wedding day was the trolley they rented for transportation. Thanks to the Long Branch Trolley Company, the bridal parties traveled to both the ceremony and reception in style. Their ceremony– packed with friends and family, a healthy dose of humorous moments, and a beautiful exchange of vows– seemed to go just as planned. If we were asked to pick our favorite moment of the day, it would probably be at the very beginning of the ceremony. Rather than timidly walking down the aisle as many ringbearers do, these young fellows bolted down the aisle as if it were the finish line to the NYC Marathon. Photographic proof can be seen on the teaser post here.

Afterwards, we headed down the street to the regionally famous, family-run Delicious Orchards. How in the world, might you ask, did we get permission to photograph the bride and groom at a country market? Easy… our awesome groom is a part of this family business. When we finished the bridal party photos inside the market itself, we spent some time doing portraits of Mike and Justine at the farm next door… also a part of Mike’s family!

We finished off the night at the phenomenal Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune City, NJ. There was plenty of dancing, celebrating and toasting to go around for our newlyweds. Though we already expected our bride and groom to lead their guests in an all-nightlong dance party, they certainly couldn’t have done it without the exceptional live music provided by Platinum Band Music. Hands down, the best live music wedding band we’ve seen in NJ. At one point near the end of the night, Jon had mentioned to Howie, “Man.. I would definitely like to have this band at my own wedding someday.” Congratulations once again to Mike & Justine on their new marriage!

Finally, a list of the awesome vendors we met along the way:

Delicious Orchards http://www.deliciousorchardsnj.com/welcome/index.php

Long Branch Trolley Company (Bridal Party Transportation) http://www.longbranchtrolley.com/

Colts Neck Reformed Church (Wedding Ceremony) 72 County Road 537 East, Colts Neck, NJ

Jumping Brook Country Club, Neptune City, NJ (Wedding Reception) http://www.jumpingbrookcc.com/golf/proto/jumpingbrookcc/weddings/weddings.htm

Tekniques Salon (hair stylist: Peach) of Shrewsbury, NJ http://local.yahoo.com/info-10812307-tekniques-salon-shrewsbury

Old World Shaving Parlor http://oldworldshavingparlor.com/

Platinum Band Music http://www.platinumbandmusic.com/aboutus.html

Leonardo Jewelers http://www.leonardojewelers.com (info@leonardojewelers.com)