RJ + Christina || Farmstead Golf and Country Club Wedding
Christina and RJ’s story began a little after college, when they met through online dating. Through that season in their life, they discovered so many more shared interests– good food, tasty beers, superheroes, and animals. Funny enough, all those interests were highlighted on their wedding day.
From the get-go, we had a very memorable time with this couple. Weather wise, we couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant autumn day. The fall colors were vibrant throughout the day, especially with all of the sunshine we had. We spent most of the day at the Farmstead Golf & Country Club, a beautiful gem nestled amongst the mountains and forests in northern New Jersey. Their ceremony took place outdoors, followed by a reception inside FGCC’s historic and very charming two-story barn.
Perhaps our favorite aspect of RJ + Christina’s wedding was all of the many details that were thoughtfully incorporated all throughout their special day.
First off, beers. It’s no secret that Christina + RJ love beers… Even their engagement session took place at a local North Jersey brewery. What better way to highlight that love than to include beers details in both their reception decorations, as well as the floral bouquets?
They also gave a big shoutout to DC/Marvel superheroes by giving the groomsmen masks as they paraded into the reception hall. When it was Christina + RJ’s turn to enter their reception, they wore animals masks and danced in to the tune of “What Does the Fox Say?” Not too long after, the bride and her father pulled a surprise dance routine out of their sleeves, followed by an evening of partying in every corner of the barn.
All the best to our newlyweds, Christina + RJ! #hopfuzzwedding
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.
Cindy + Derek || Winter Weddings at The Addison Park
Almost one year ago today, we were delighted to have wrapped up our wedding season with Cindy + Derek’s gorgeous engagement session in Savannah, Georgia. Once again, we find ourselves finishing off the 2014 wedding season with the same amazing couple… and we couldn’t be more honored to do so with anybody else.
Truth be told, we at Dreamlite Photography have been looking forward to this day for quite some time. Having already “tied the knot” on paper, Cindy + Derek emphasized this particular marriage celebration be exactly that– a celebration. Shedding away many of the traditional wedding day formalities allowed this couple to have a really beautiful, easy-flowing schedule. By doing so, this couple made room for a whole lot of dancing, laughter, love, and a few tears along the way (the good kind).
Although the winter weather was in full swing by this weekend (with temperatures dipping to the 20’s), you probably couldn’t tell by the portraits we took around the Princeton University campus. That’s how brave our bride + groom were. We consider ourselves blessed by having such courageous couples to work with. Even when things got really cold, Derek + Cindy pushed through, knowing that these portraits would be worth it.
Typically, our blogposts are filled with real moments… authentic emotions, crazy dance moves, and candid images that reflect our couples’ wedding day stories. And in doing so, we hardly ever shine the spotlight on the details. Not that we have anything against details, but we simply prefer to highlight the living over the inanimate 🙂 However, there was no way we could share this wedding without applauding Nada and her team from DB Events for being the creative force behind all the wedding details. The amount of creative energy poured into making this all possible was truly unspeakable. Every single detail– from the suspended wedding cake to the elegantly designed centerpieces to the dream-like ambiance of the reception room– can be credited to the folks at DB Events. We even had the opportunity to watch two separate dance performances that evening: an Irish dance troupe, followed by Pali Dabke Arabic dancers, to honor our couples’ Irish and Palestinian backgrounds. Thank you DB Events for making the magic real.
Above all else, congratulations to Derek + Cindy on celebrating their new marriage!
(To see more of our work, and even more photos from their celebration, visit us on our facebook page)
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!
