George + Martina || The Tides Estate
What an incredible way to wrap up our 2016 wedding season with George and Martina’s wedding.
After an exciting morning filled with laughter, singing, thoughtful gift exchanges and stunning wedding details, our bride and groom had their first look at Kakiat Park in Montebello, NY. Admittedly, the weather was bone chillingly cold. We are both grateful that our large bridal party was brave enough to battle the cold for a quick portrait session at the park.
George and Martina got married at St. Mary & St. Pachomious Coptic Orthodox Church in Stony Point, NY. Over the last few years, we’ve had the privilege of photographing quite a few Coptic Orthodox weddings. If you’ve never been to one, then surely you are missing out. From a visual perspective, there so many beautiful aspects that make up the wedding ceremony. Between the crowning of the bride and bridegroom to ceremonial robes draped upon the couple, to the anointing and reciting of scripture, the many traditions seen at a Coptic Orthodox Ceremony highlight the sanctity of marriage within the Christian church. Although the entire ceremony is performed in Arabic (of which neither one of us speaks), we’ve thankfully been invited to enough Coptic weddings to know how it flows. Although we know the routine, we love the challenge of seeking out unique wedding moments— whether it be candid or emotional or just plain comical— and thats really what we love about photographing weddings.
Immediately after the ceremony, we headed towards one of the most elegant venues in New Jersey, The Tides Estate. Their wedding reception was packed with a whole lot of celebrating and fun details. We especially enjoyed their miniature-house gift card holder, and the decadent wedding cake featuring fresh orchids. Right after dinner, the bride led her bridesmaids in a surprise dance performance for the groom; the rest of the evening was spent on the dance floor.
George and Martina, thank you for allowing us to pop a champagne bottle during our final portrait session that evening hours. We hope that image captures the emotions you felt that day as two became one.
Paulette + Mena || New Jersey Botanical Garden Engagements
Just three weeks before their wedding day, we met up with Paulette + Mena for their engagement photos. The brilliantly colored fauna of the botanical gardens made for a stunning location for their engagement session…. sadly, we’ve never heard of this place until our couple mentioned this place to us.
For a late September afternoon, we encountered a quirky mix of sunny weather and cloud coverage. However, we had a great time learning more about their story; how they knew eachother in highschool, but Mena kept getting friendzoned for the years that followed. Paulette said that there was one time in English class that she got paired up with Mena. She had no idea what was going on in that class so Mena had to explain the subjects about advanced synonym. And Paulette then started admiring of how much effort Mena did.
In the end, everything worked out, and here we are today, celebrating their engagement. Congrats to you both, and we look forward to your wedding this October!
Mark + Mariam || Coptic Wedding Celebration at the Tides Estate
Mark + Mariam’s wedding celebration is finally here on the blog. We really enjoyed working with this super friendly, slightly goofy and very much down-to-earth couple. From their early morning engagement session at Lambert Castle a few months back, we learned just how easy-going and humorous this couple was.
On their wedding day, we felt like we were hit by a hurricane. The beautiful blend of culture + faith was very much evident in their traditional Coptic Orthodox wedding ceremony, followed by an elegant wedding reception at The Tides Estate, and topped off with seemingly endless amounts of dancing. Sandwiched between the festivities was a bridal party like no other. The twenty bridal party members surrounding our lovely bride + groom were certainly memorable. To say that they too were excited, wacky, outrageously funny and ready to celebrate this new marriage would have been a great understatement. All twenty of them were a riot to be around— full of enough energy, jokes, and antics to keep us on our feet all throughout the evening.
Our favorite part of the wedding day was definitely the reception. The entire evening of celebration– dancing, slideshows, numerous speeches, and surprise flash mob (led by the bride herself)– was so much fun to be a part of and document. Weddings, after all, are all about the celebrating and honoring of a covenant, and not simply just one big checklist and fancy clothes… and the way this couple celebrated their wedding, surrounded by a sea of loved ones, was very much proof of that covenant.
Congratulations once again to our newlyweds, Mariam and Mark !!
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!!
Veronica + Mina || New Hope Engagements
The gorgeous couple that we’re showcasing below has got to be one of the bravest + strongest couples we’ve ever had the chance to work with. The first time we met Veronica was at Panera Bread. The first time we met Mina? Well, he was on a computer screen.
Long distance relationships are more than just the making of a Hollywood summer blockbuster romance– they’re difficult, scary, daunting, real… and also very admirable. From what they’ve shared with us, living on separate coasts of the USA means lots of Skype, lots of plane tickets, and lots of phone calls. If you want to know what devotion looks like, look no further than this couple.
The hardest part of our day was waking up and meeting Veronica + Mina in New Hope, PA a little before 7am. The easiest part of our day was hanging out with them. We journeyed through funky, modern New Hope, PA, and then ventured through the cozy little river town of Lambertville. At first, the fog covering provided us with an eery, unique environment to take photos. When the sun came out later on, the autumn colors shimmered and glowed.
We hope you all enjoy the engagement photos below. Once again, we congratulate Veronica + Mina on their engagement, and we look forward to their wedding this February!
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Ingy + Peter || The Estate at Florentine Gardens
Peter and Ingy’s wedding celebration was the perfect event to cap off our 2013 wedding season. Even though we’ve documented Coptic Orthodox ceremonies in the past, each and every wedding that we photograph brings forth an abundance of fresh new experiences + stunning visuals.
We’re constantly in awe of the complexity of Coptic Orthodox ceremonies. The fusing of faith, tradition, commitment and culture is certainly one of the most unique experiences we have ever been witnesses to. The bride and groom were married at the Coptic Orthodox Church St. Mark in Jersey City, followed by portraits at Pascack Brook County Park. Their reception took place on the Estate at Florentine Gardens, a gorgeous venue that redefines what classy wedding receptions should be. If you’re in search of a wedding reception location that is a notch above, consider the Florentine Gardens.
Congratulations to our newlyweds Ingy + Peter, and thank you for allowing us to be a part of your big day!
