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!!
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!
