Veronica + Mina || Bridgewater Marriott Weddings
We are incredibly excited to start off our 2014 season with images from Veronica and Mina’s wedding day.
No matter how many times we are invited to document Coptic Orthodox weddings, we will always be amazed by the beautiful blend of biblical tradition, culture and visual aestheticism that comes with a Coptic wedding ceremony. Their Sunday wedding at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church was full of much celebration, laughter, tears and a few really good surprises.
The groom executed an awesome dance routine with his mother during their first dance. Our gorgeous bride, Veronica, surprised her husband with a musical stage performance, backed by her band & her ukulele.
We definitely couldn’t blog about their wedding without highlighting all the details that they spent so many months working on. Since much of their relationship had been long distance, they made sure to pay proper homage to their coast-to-coast romance. From maps and globes to paper planes and luggage tags, every little nuance of their wedding day was a unique celebration of the long distance commitment they shared while 2,700 miles apart. But most importantly, we admire how much the bride + groom were a part of their wedding day. They didn’t just “show up” to their wedding, but they made great effort to mingle, dance, eat, and honor their loved ones (especially the folks who came from LA + Australia) throughout the day.
Thank you Veronica + Mina for letting us be there for your big day, and we wish you two the very best in your new lives together on the West Coast.
Be sure to visit our facebook page to see more images from their wedding day!!
Joyce + Jason’s Wedding || New Brunswick, NJ
When Joyce & Jason booked us back in early May, we were admittedly a little nervous because they didn’t give us too many details. All of the typical wedding-photographer-worries snuck their way into our heads.. “do they even have a complete schedule? are they last minute planners? how come this bride doesn’t send us multiple emails a day?” Funny thing is, we worried ourselves senseless.
On the day of, we quickly learned their day was a reflection of who they were as a couple: easy-going, relaxed and surrounded by loved ones. Their ceremony was pleasant & beautiful; Jason and Joyce decided to tie the knot at the Perennial Gardens of Colonial Park in Somerset, NJ (what we believe to be a real gem of a garden in this part of New Jersey). After some portrait time, their wedding celebration continued at the Harvest Moon Brewery & Cafe in New Brunswick. This upscale college town brewery churned out some seriously delicious good eats; let’s just say we didn’t go home hungry that night. With a day of good food, great company, and a genuinely sweet love story, there’s really nothing more we could have asked for.
(In case you missed it, check out their wedding teasers here and here)
Thank you Joyce & Jason for having us at your wedding day, and we wish you two the best on your new life in Texas!
Nicky + Vlade’s Wedding || Valley Regency
While documenting the wedding day is our job, our favorite parts are really the little moments in between. Often times, it’s these very moments that we get so excited about witnessing. For everyone that knows Nicky, she’s a no-holds-bar-in-your-face-gets-the-job-done kind of woman…(Jon’s allowed to write this in our blogpost– Nicky use to be Jon’s boss when they worked together at New Horizons in Autism) But on her big day at the Valley Regency, she was all tears.
One of our favorite moments below is when her older brother escorted her down the aisle. As they slowly passed our cameras, it was really hard not to get blurry eyed by that moment, knowing how special that day (and that walk) was for our bride. Another beautiful part of the day took place during the reception. Nicky included two special ‘first dances’ with two of her students from the school… for all the staff/friends/family, this was really precious to watch.
If we gave out trophies for “guest of the year”, we would certainly be paying a hefty price to ship this one out. One of our brides’ sisters couldn’t make it to the wedding, as she was in Korea. So she did what any loving sister would do- Skype into the wedding (she joined in for a few group photos, as well as the photobooth, too).
As for all the other moments? Best man intermittently recording the wedding ceremony with a pocket cam, ring bearer taking a peek at the rings he just gave up, nephew running through the dance floor during the first dance, and the bouquet dodging??… yes, we included all those images, too.
Congratulations once again to Vlade + Nicky on their new marriage, and we thank you two for allowing us to be a part of it all.
Perla + Dan’s Wedding
We’ve taken a few weeks off from blogging (holidays + traveling + family), and now we’re back! We hope everyone is enjoying themselves this winter.
Be sure to check out our latest photoset below from Dan + Perla’s wedding day… and just in case you missed their teaser post, click this link. Their entire wedding day went by beautifully. The ladies spent the morning getting ready at The Madison Hotel, an upscale boutique hotel located in the heart of Morris County. I was certainly impressed by all of the DIY details that our bride incorporated into the wedding day– among many other things, the hilarious photobooth props. Perla and Dan tied the knot at the groom’s childhood church, followed by an amazing reception at the Madison Hotel. The rest of the night was one big party. Between the excellent food, a decadent dessert bar, a packed dance floor, two lovely newlyweds and a crowd-pleasing photobooth, we couldn’t have asked for a more exciting evening.
For even more images, go to our facebook page + browse through Dan + Perla’s wedding photos.
Last but not least, a proper shoutout to some of the amazing vendors from that day:
Florists- The Potted Shed (Steve & Denise)
Dress- Alfred Sung gown from Say I Do (West Caldwell, NJ)
Wedding Venue- The Madison Hotel
Cake Topper: Itty Bitty Wood Shoppe (Etsy)
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
Andrew + Angelica’s Wedding
Below are some of our favorite images from their wedding day celebration earlier this summer. Andrew and Angelica chose to have their ceremony at the Princeton University Chapel, arguably the most visually stunning chapel in Central New Jersey. As a special treat for their guests, the Wafels & Dinges truck came all the way from NYC to feed the hungry wedding crowd. Serving fresh Belgian waffles alongside an assortment of different toppings to choose from, this mid-afternoon treat was a real crowd-pleaser among their guests.
Their wedding day continued with a reception at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, a breathtaking sculpture garden certainly worth visiting. Special thanks to Chez Alice of Princeton for catering their wedding- in our humble opinion, some of the best food we’ve had all summer.
Congratulations once again to Angelica and Andrew on their new marriage!
Ceremony: Princeton University Chapel
Reception Venue: Grounds for Sculpture
Catering: Chez Alice Catering
Florists: Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co.
Mike + Lorraine’s Wedding
We had an incredible time yesterday documenting Mike and Lorraine’s wedding day celebrations. The first half of the day was spent chowing down, relaxing, and preparing alongside some close friends + family. For their afternoon wedding ceremony location, they chose the beautiful Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick, an architectural gem that dates back to 1873. One of the coolest & most unique aspects of their wedding ceremony was the incorporation of the “Handfasting” tradition. This ancient Celtic wedding ceremony tradition involves a set of thirteen different colored ribbons that are wrapped around the bride and groom’s hands, thus symbolizing their eternal bond as a couple. Tradition says that this particular practice is where the phrase “tying the knot” comes from. How neat is that?
After the ceremony, we spent a lot of time with our newlyweds doing portraits in and around the historic little town of Cranbury, New Jersey. The evening celebrations took place at the gorgeous Cranbury Inn with cake, filet mignons, dancing and a whole lot of friends + family to boot. One of our favorite images from the day is near the end of this blogpost– check out the floor-level shot of Mike, Lorraine and Lorraine’s cousins taking celebratory “shots” (more like “glasses”, in our opinion…) together.
Thanks again to Mike and Lorraine for having us at your wedding day, and we hope you all enjoy our latest set of wedding photos!
Mark + Grace’s Wedding
Back in February, I (Howie) had the opportunity to document the wedding day celebration of an old friend, Grace. This wedding was pretty different than the weddings we have done in the past; Grace and Mark’s wedding was both a celebration and a farewell. For the bride, Grace, this marked a new milestone in life, as her marriage meant a change of address thousands of miles away in California. Don’t get me wrong; the wedding was nonetheless a huge celebration, as everyone knew that her new life would be established with her new husband, Mark.
I was very fortunate to be able to part of their big day. To Mark & Grace: we wish you the best on your new life on the West Coast, and we hope everyone enjoys the latest photos on our blog. (HC)
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.
Danish + Caitlin Wedding Teasers
We know all our fans have a love/hate thing with our teasers (love the photos we hope… and also hate being teased on), but we really like working up everyone’s appetite. We promise you all that TWO more full posts will be coming your way in the week to come.
As for now, here are some teaser photos from our latest wedding. Congratulations again to Danish and Caitlin on their awesome new marriage!
(Note about the last photo: our bride’s dad has a great sense of humor.)
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/
