Darren + Maris || Branch Brook Park Weddings
Even in the most unusual times…
Despite all the setbacks– rescheduling their April 2020 wedding date, being separated during the pandemic– Darren and Maris persevered. With a few weeks notice (and a permit from the parks department), we found out that they planned to host an intimate wedding celebration in early July.
Fast forward to 7/11, we find ourselves standing in the most famous park + staring at arguably the most beautiful church in all of New Jersey.
For Maris and Darren’s first look, we had the best spot in the park. Most famous for its collection of cherry blossoms, Branch Brook Park is a stunning green oasis during the summer months. We were blessed with an overcast sky for their first look, which really helped to turn down the summer heat for our first outdoor wedding of the year.
Surrounded by a small group of their loved ones, their wedding ceremony took place outside the visitors pavilion amongst the fresh summer air. We traveled through the park for some amazing portraits, exploring as we went along.
We capped off the wedding day with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at the groom’s family’s home, followed by our dream wedding meal. Imagine bringing together your favorite gastronomic delights, spreading it across one large table, and inviting your loved ones to dine with you. That is what Darren and Maris did! Filipino barbecue from Tropical Hut, sushi, wraps, Chic-Fil-a nuggets, and the list goes on. For dessert, the bride’s close friend brought a Green Tea Mille Crepes cake from Lady M Cake Boutique in New York City.
You all have no idea how excited this made us. What more personal of a touch could there be than to bring all of those foods together and share it with loved ones? We really hope to eat more like this at future wedding events.
Warmest congratulations to our newlyweds, Maris + Darren!
Patty + Andrew || Westmount Country Club Weddings
What an unforgettable wedding celebration! We present to you, the lovely (and newly married) Andrew + Patty.
What an honor it was to celebrate with these two. From start to finish, our job was non-stop… and that is exactly why we love our jobs so much. Moments upon moments upon moments– from the tight-knit feel being surrounded by their bridal party the morning of, to cherishing the moments where mom and dad help with the finishing touches of their wedding day attire, to the first time Andrew sees Patty entering the wedding ceremony– there were so many images that helped encompass the emotions of the wedding day. This wedding was the first time we had a proper “confetti shower”, and we were so stoked to hear that there was some more at the reception.
Our favorite moment? Definitely when Patty + her father are honoring the father-daughter dance, and their family looks on with teary eyes.
A million congrats to you both, Patty + Andrew!
Qynn + Larry || The Palace at Somerset Park Weddings
Others always ask us what it’s like to be around happy people + day-long celebrations for a living. “It’s great” we always reply. To be frank, it is pretty nice… yet thankfully, our job is so much more than that.
Some of our favorite moments ‘on the job’ are when our couples share their stores with us… missed connections, first dates, leaps of faith, the stuff that makes our job REALLY worthwhile. It is in those stories that drive us to celebrate alongside with each couple on their wedding day, because stories are made of moments, and moments make the most precious of memories.
Larry + Qynn’s story is as sweet as they get. Having met at their workplace, they kept their relationship down low for a while. A couple of dates later… and their hearts were set. Prior to their New Jersey wedding day, they had the opportunity to visit the incredible city coastal of Shanghai (where Qynn’s family roots are established) to have some really cool portraits done in + around the historic district of the city.
On their wedding day, we prepped at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot Somerset . Portraits were taken on the lightly forested property of RCCC, followed by a really pleasant ceremony in the sanctuary. Their evening reception took place at the spectacular (and must we say, one of the finest venues in all of Central Jersey) The Palace at Somerset. Having been there many times before, we enjoy it more and more with each visit. A special thanks to Josh, our maitre’d for the evening, for keeping the schedule running smoothly as expected.
Perhaps our favorite event of the evening was during the speeches. One of Qynn’s closest friends couldn’t make it to the wedding, so in lieu of her speech, there was an incredibly creative “speech presentation” shown on the projector. Using a light box, sand, and near endless creativity, this sand show combined both stop motion and sand to illustrate our bride and groom’s love story.
A big congratulations to Qynn + Larry on their wedding day, and we wish you many more hikes + adventures + memories together! Thank you for helping us kickstart the 2017 wedding season in a wonderful way.
Jen + Tim || Chimney Hill Estate Inn Weddings
In one of our last email conversations together leading up to their wedding day, we asked Jen what was most important on her wedding day. This was her response:
“In general, I am going for a very laid back ceremony and reception. I’m not very sentimental when it comes to items, but I am with the people in my life. A theme that keeps popping up in my head in the planning of the details is the phrase ‘Rejoice always’ from 1 Thessalonians 5:16. So that’s what Tim and I are trying to do, and what we want this ceremony and reception to be about.”
We’re so thankful for the opportunity to document their wedding celebration. Beyond the delicious brisket, curiously fuzzy alpacas and the beautiful May weather, it’s always refreshing to have a bride + groom whose heart is focused on something Greater than a perfect execution of wedding day details.
For the record, we absolutely loved working at the Chimney Hill Estate Inn in Lambertville, NJ. The staff were incredibly cordial, and everything from the food to the grounds to the alpacas made for an impeccable experience. A very special thanks is in order to staff + management at the Chimney Hill Estate Inn. Only with their cooperation and service did we truly enjoy our visit there.
Rose + Joe || Ballyowen Golf Club Weddings
Every once in a while, we only get to learn about a couples’ love story on the day of their wedding. In the case of Rose + Joe, our respect for their relationship grew tremendously when the wedding officiant revealed that their long-distance love story had stretched 7,393 miles… from Shanghai to New York.
Our bride + groom decided to tie the knot a year earlier, and thus, when they contacted us about their May event at the Ballyowen Golf Club, they highly emphasized their day being a “joyful celebration” rather than simply a wedding. We certainly kept that in mind as we documented this love-filled day.
If you asked us, we would definitely say that our favorite images were all the little moments in between the formalities. Such as the time that Joe unabashedly picked up his wife and spun her in the air during portraits; or the time that our newlyweds were joking around with one of the flower girls during some downtime at the reception. The table centerpieces were very clever as well: a cup of “joe” and a rose were fittingly centered at each of their reception tables.
Regardless of our personal picks, we hope you all will share in all of the joy of our couples’ celebratory day as you browse through these images.
Katrina + Ben || Ballroom at the Ben Weddings
Photographs alone cannot sum up what an amazing time we had this weekend at Ben + Katrina’s wedding celebration. Every little aspect from their wedding day had us not only impressed, but very much humbled. Beyond their ability to juggle work + law school + wedding planning over this past year, and besides the fact that loved ones had come from all over the world to attend, they made it a point to honor their families in such a beautiful way. During the reception, the newly-wedded couple stood up to offer words of love + thanksgiving to their own families; an unforgettably heartfelt gesture we hope to see more of in our future weddings.
Looking back, there are so many favorite moments that we had as their photographers. We could talk all day about how awesome it was that they had an “unplugged” wedding ceremony, or perhaps go on about how this was the first time we’ve ever encountered a “Man of Honor” (the bride’s brother). But we’ve come to realize that with this couple, we enjoyed simply being around them. Whether it be during their adventurous engagement session around Philly to documenting all the behind-the-scenes stuff on their wedding day, we both agreed that their love for each other, for God, and for others is an incredibly visible testament in itself.
Thank you to Katrina + Ben for having us along at your wedding day celebration. Congratulations!
(and make sure to visit us on facebook to see even more images later this week!)
