Martina + Kirolous || Bernardsville, NJ Engagements
We are thrilled to be sharing images from our engagement session with this fun-loving couple. Both Martina and Kirolous were a riot to be around. Their laughters are incredibly contagious, and their ability to put each other at ease is something we noticed right away.
Out of all the potential locations we considered for their engagement, we really had our eyes on this garden. For generations this was a privately owned garden estate, complete with a stone water tower + 23 room private mansion. According to their website, the property’s history dates back to the turn of the 20th century. The estate was eventually acquired in the 1970s by the National Park Service, and opened to the public very recently. The garden has a lot of unique features, from wisteria-laced pergolas to a couple dozen flower varieties. Our favorite part of the garden was… the shaded areas, as it was pretty sunny during our time there… just kidding! It was actually the wriggly branch shrubs surrounding a pathway beside the mansion. We can’t remember what type of shrubs they were exactly, but they look pretty similar to the manzanita shrubs found all throughout Yosemite National Park.
Thank you Martina + Kirolous for your adventurous spirit, and for making us laugh throughout your session. We can’t wait to celebrate your marriage later this fall!
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!
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!
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!
Stan + Alyssa || Battleground Country Club Weddings
We are both incredibly excited to be sharing some of our favorite images from Alyssa + Stan’s wedding celebration. Being our first Indian Christian wedding as a team, we couldn’t get enough of the colors + moments + cultural aspects that we encountered. More importantly, we were humbled by all the time the couple set aside to honor their own friends and throughout the day.
We started our photography at nearby hotels, moved onto the Abundant Life Church of God in Freehold, and proceeded with the celebration at the Battleground Country Club. From sparklers to games and joyously-tearful speeches, we almost didn’t want the wedding day to end. Beyond the creativity + colors + laughter + tears, we clearly recognized how rich this couple was in their relationships. The entire day was evident in how much their valued their relationships with everyone present, and how important their faith was in their marriage.
Special shout out to Stan and his ministry work here at We Ar3 Change.
Congratulations once again to our bride and groom on their wedding! And to see more of our work, follow us here on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DreamlitePhotography
Eileen + Frank || Weddings at The Grand Marquis
When we first met Eileen + Frank a few months ago for their engagement session, we quickly warmed up to their easy-going personalities. There was nothing cheesy or mushy about them– their naturalness with each other was ticket to win us over right away. Fast forward four months to this past weekend– their wedding weekend– and we were fortunate enough to get a greater glimpse of the love story that this lovely couple is writing together.
Everything about their big day went off without a hiccup. All those months of planning by our newlyweds had paid off. The wedding day itinerary had plenty of cushion time, and we were so elated to see the gorgeous (yet slightly chilly) spring weather finally come upon us.
Eileen + Frank were married at the beautiful St. Cecelia Church, followed by a wedding reception at the Grand Marquis of Old Bridge. We cannot write about their wedding day without giving due credit to the bride + groom on spearheading a jampacked + exciting wedding day that was very much on-time from start to finish. Beyond their impressive punctuality, we really enjoyed watching the laughter, the tears and all the moments in between as they happened throughout the day.
Here’s a cool wedding tip we learned today: if your shoes fit a little too tight, fill up a ziploc baggy with water, place them in your shoes, and toss them in the freezer for a few hours. The frozen water should lend a little bit of stretch to your shoes. Trust us… our bride did this, and it worked.
Congratulations once again to Eileen + Frank, and thank you for letting us be there to document your marriage celebration. Don’t forget to visit our facebook page! You’ll see more images from their wedding day in the coming weeks.
Rowais + Marti || The Palace of Somerset Park
We’re very proud to showcase our latest set of wedding photos from this season. For all of you who have been waiting for this blogpost, well… it’s finally here! We were blessed with the opportunity to spend an entire day with our lovely bride and groom. The wedding day preparations took place at The Palace at Somerset Park, one of Central Jersey’s finest wedding venues. With an incredibly outgoing + friendly bridal party, we immediately felt at home even before things got busy. From the sporadic dance parties to the champagne toasts, their bridal party really knew how to have fun.
Having experienced so many firsts this year as a photography duo, we are proud to add “photographing a Coptic Orthodox wedding” onto our list. Rowais and Marti’s ceremony at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. A beautiful blend of culture, visuals, history, linguistic diversity (we spotted Greek, Coptic and Arabic among the church decor), coupled with a full house of wedding attendees, this is surely a wedding we’ll be reminiscing about for a long time.
The rest of the evening was spent in full-fledged celebration. From the great food (did we mention we love the food perks with our jobs?) to the dancing, we relished every moment of the night… obviously, behind our cameras. Other fun activities that our bride and groom had incorporated into the reception included a professional Caricaturist and a great photobooth.
Congratulations to our wonderful newlyweds Rowais + Marti, and we’re so thankful that you chose to include us in your wedding day!
Vendors:
Wedding Reception: The Palace at Somerset Park
Videography: Carlos of Iris Cinematics
Photography: Jon and Howie of Dreamlite Photography
