Saneta + Kensheen|| Crystal Ballroom Weddings
Saneta and Kensheen’s story began some fifteen years back, when they first met in middle school. After nearly a decade of writing that love story, an engagement session at a “you won’t believe it till see you see it” spot in Central Illinois, they asked us to join them at their wedding celebration here in New Jersey.
The morning started off great; the bride and groom in their own respective locations getting ready. There was some mandated dancing on the groomsmens’ end (google ‘chinese wedding door games’) before the groom could see his bride. After a brief tea ceremony to honor some family members, we headed off for outdoor portraits.
Although quite chilly for a spring wedding, we were thankful that Saneta, Kensheen and their bridal party braved the portraits at Rutgers Gardens. Thankfully, there were some gorgeous cherry blossoms abloom at the garden, allowing us to incorporate some incredible and soft colors in the photos (also which seemed to compliment the bridesmaids’ colors just perfectly.)
The rest of the day’s festivities took place at the Crystal Ballroom at the Radisson Freehold in Freehold, NJ. The remainder of the night was filled with fierce dance moves, heartwarming speeches and even a raffle event for their reception guests.
Congratulations once more to our newlyweds Saneta and Kensheen!
Valerie + Mike || The Place on the Lake Weddings
If you were there for their engagement session, you too would realize that Valerie + Mike are one of the goofiest couples we have ever had the chance to spend time with. Fast forward a couple of months to this past autumn, and we were given the opportunity to celebrate their marriage– a marriage full of good memories, and plenty of laughter.
We spent the day at The Place on the Lake, a gorgeous + cozy venue, hidden away in a little corner of East Brunswick. With pleasant weather amidst, we enjoyed every moment with Valerie and Mike. Their easy-going personalities definitely helped make our day all the more smoother. We began with a much anticipated ‘first look’ by bride + groom, followed by noontime portraits, and then an outdoor ceremony that included the newlyweds’ dog come down the aisle with a GoPro on her back. The cocktail hour included a floating lantern ceremony; something pretty special that we’ve never had the chance to witness in New Jersey. Mike and Val’s reception was packed full of dancing, laughs, crazy dance moves, and a whodle lot of celebration and some great gowns from a wedding gown shop in san francisco ca.
Sulhee + Allen || Wedding at The Olde Mill Inn
It was such a joy for us to have been there to photograph Sulhee + Allen’s wedding day. All throughout the morning, we could feel the anticipation building up on the bride and groom’s shoulders, and their excitement became all the more evident as we approached their “first look”. We always suggest having a “first look” for couples who want to see each other before the wedding ceremony; by doing so, we can shake off some of the wedding preceremony jitters, provide the couple with some very rare wedding day alone time, and last but not least, shed a few tears along the way (in this case, Allen’s!) Moments like these are exactly what make our job so enjoyable–the authenticity + emotions that help define the celebration– and not just a culmination of checklists.
The rest of the day went by so smoothly. While the weather remained cloudy + tamed all day, we were fortunate enough to be surrounded by a vibrant array of New Jersey fall colors; thus, giving us a stunning background for portraits. The rain held off just in time for their outdoor ceremony, followed by a cozy evening reception inside the historic Olde Mill Inn. The remainder of the evening was filled with ridiculous dance moves, hearty foods, and a little bit more tears (the good kind.)
Our sincerest congratulations to Sulhee + Allen on their wedding!
Leona + Dave || Dyker Beach Golf Club Weddings
Leona and Dave’s wedding day was unique in many ways. Atypical of most August weddings, we were blessed with an incredibly temperate + mild weather. As photographers, that meant a very comfortable summer wedding day, while also providing us with a lot of room for creative lighting moments.
We loved hearing about this couple’s story. Having met a few years back when they were both bridal party members at a wedding in Philippines, Fast forward to last year, when they legally married, and subsequently began planning their wedding celebration plans for this summer. Our newlyweds hosted their wedding ceremony at the gorgeous Dyker Beach Golf Club, followed by some really fun portraits in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. Thankfully, the mix of cloudy weather deterred many of the usual weekend park goers, which really helped us for portraits. We topped off the evening with lots of celebrating, dancing, food + speeches at a ginormous banquet hall in Flushing, Queens.
Congratulations once again to Leona + Dave, and we hope you all enjoy the photos!
NaDea + Daniel || Addison Park Weddings
NaDea and Daniel’s wedding celebration was a long time coming. This spectacular couple was so well planned, organized and on top of all their email communications, we thought we were dealing with industry pros, not newlyweds.
Just one year earlier, we met up with this couple for their engagement session at Longwood Garden. A vibrant, down-to-earth couple who also happen to share the love for good food, we got a bit too excited when we heard about their honeymoon plans to Hawaii… So of course, we wrote them a giant email that included all of the local food recommendations on the island of Oahu that we wanted them to experience!
Regarding their wedding day, we had a truly wonderful time documenting their late September wedding extravaganza. The weather just as perfect as we had hoped– a healthy dose of sunshine, a little bit of clouds, and enough of the September breeze to keep us all comfortable. This was also our first time at stunning Addison Park, and the wedding venue certainly lived up to it’s reputation. We loved the effortless blending of their Chinese & American backgrounds, which included a surprise Lion Dance performance, and a very american (but lesser seen) broom jumping tradition at the end of the wedding ceremony. The dancing & speeches portion of the reception was so full of energy, we wish the party was extended for another couple of hours.
A very special + honorable mention goes out to the lovely wedding coordinator Carla of Details Made Simple. Without her professional guidance + wisdom on the day of, we really wouldn’t have had such a memorable wedding experience.
Thank you both for having us at your wedding day, and we wish you two the very best in your new lives together!
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!
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!
Maggie + Eric || Grace Chapel of Havertown Weddings
We’re so thankful to be sharing images of Maggie + Eric’s wedding celebration from this past Saturday. From the moment we met this couple— literally last Thursday for their engagement session– we’ve had nothing but great memories to draw from our time together.
From their Thursday evening engagement session to their Saturday wedding, we’ve both grown an immense amount of appreciation for this couple + their love story. They shared with us a little bit about their own story; meeting in passing through mutual friends, meeting again, hearts clicking, and finally falling in-love in Philadelphia. We have great admiration for couples like them who sustain long distance relationships for so long. To top it all off, their California -> Philly relationship was creatively honored by their wedding day favors… be sure to check out those custom luggage tags below!
Eric + Maggie got married at the beautiful (and historic) Grace Chapel in Havertown, PA. Their church reception was full of good laughs, great games, and packed full of loved ones from around the globe. We’ve seen plenty of wedding games over the last 5 years… but their MC, Ike, executed some of the best games we’ve ever come to witness. From the blindfold games (“guess whose hand you’re holding”) to identifying lipstick lip-prints on napkins, our absolute favorite game (or was it a prank?) would be the last game. The groom and his groomsmen were called to the front and each given 5 eggs each. Racing against the clock, they had to distinguish the hard-boiled eggs from the raw ones, crack the correct egg into a cup, and consume what they find. After a few rounds of hilariously watching the guys eat raw eggs, the MC scapegoated a guest for forgetting to include the hard-boiled eggs at the start.
After a little break, we ventured around downtown Philadelphia to do portraits. Although we encountered a bit of traffic, we were fortunate to have an amazing group of patient + willing + creative folks to work with.
Congratulations once again to Maggie + Eric on your new marriage, and we wish you both the best in your new lives together in Calfornia!
