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The Bradford Estate Wedding, Hainesport, New Jersey: Jeff and Anna
When I asked Anna to describe her wedding, she answered, "We are a pretty laid back couple and are just looking forward to a fun day full of love." There's no better way to describe their day. When I started with Anna in the bridal suite at the Bradford Estate in Mount Holly, she was as calm as can be with the biggest smile on her face. She joked and danced with her bridal party as she got ready for her day. She read pages upon pages of love notes from Jeff, he'd been writing her a love note every day in July, leading up to their wedding at the end of the month. Soon more and more family would gather, with more and more hugs and high fives. The mood was so full of love and lightness. The mood only changed once their surprise guest had arrived- laughter... and singing, lots of singing as ELVIS walked through the doors at the reception. Jeff is a huge Elvis fan, so Anna arranged for The King to make an appearance. Much love and laughter to you, Anna and Jeff!
See their engagement session here!
THE DETAILS
Venue: The Bradford Estate, Hainesport, New Jersey
Gown: Lillian West
Hair and Makeup: Kristen DiLella, Hello Beautiful
Cake: DiBartolo's Bakery
The grounds of the Bradford Estate in Hainesport, New Jersey are so gorgeous. It's a hidden gem filled with the cutest spots around every corner.
I'm sort of obsessed with the Bridal suite at the Bradford Estate. It's gorgeous, with tons of natural light.
Pretty little details. I love seeing how much pretty I can fit into one photo.
Anna and her bridesmaids wore the cutest pink dresses while they were getting ready. See all of those smiles? 100% genuine. all. day. long.
The bridesmaids and the groomsmen outside of the Bradford Estate. It was a HOT one, but you would never know by how awesome everyone was.
We photographed the bridal party before the ceremony so everyone could enjoy cocktail hour.
Ocean City, NJ Wedding, The Flanders Hotel: Don and Tracy
When I pulled into The Flanders on Tracy and Don's wedding day, I saw a man wearing a shirt that said, "I can't keep calm, my daughter is getting married!" I knew that (a) I was in the right place and (b) this wedding was going to be awesome! We found Tracy getting her finishing touches done at Divine Images Salon, inside the Flanders Hotel. We headed up to her room for her getting ready and saw the cutest assortment of bridesmaid dresses (I love when bridesmaids pick out their own dresses!) and the most adorable Maid of Honor dress. Tracy's MOH was her gorgeous, adorable, and very witty daughter, G. After Tracy was ready (and so stunning, might I add), it was time to head to the Crystal Ballroom in The Flanders Hotel for the ceremony. I love the ease of having everything in one venue- it makes it easy for the guests to have everything within walking distance! After a heartfelt ceremony, we headed onto the boardwalk for bridal party and bride and groom photos. We got traditional walking down the Ocean City boardwalk photos, visited Playland Castaway Cove to visit the rides, and to Hamburger Construction Company (a special place to Tracy and Don). We even made it back to The Flanders Hotel in time for Don and Tracy to enjoy some of cocktail hour. After fun introductions from Over the Top, they went into their first dance, followed by speeches. G (the cutest MOH) gave the best speech and set the bar high for all MOH's after her! Don, Tracy, and G- congratulations!
THE DETAILS
Venue: The Flanders Hotel, Ocean City, New Jersey
Gown: San Patrick
Hair and Makeup: Divine Images Salon
Florals: Red Barn Designs and Flowers
Cake: Viking Pastries
DJ: Chris of Over the Top
Playland's Castaway Cove in Ocean City made for the most colorful (and fun) backdrop for bridal party portraits!
The diners at Hamburger Construction Company welcomed Don and Tracy into the restaurant! Who doesn't love to see a bride and groom!?
How gorgeous are these bridesmaid dresses?
Stunning florals by Red Barn Designs and Flowers.
G is checking out her momma's stunning gown.
Just like any other MOH, G helps lace up the bride's corset.
Tracy- you are stunning!
I love the shot of Don in his Phillies hat captured by my awesome second shooter, Danielle.
I'm loving all of these candids captured during the ceremony! So so sweet!
Tracy had so many special details including family photographs and two very special wedding dresses on display.
The Flanders Hotel, Ocean City, New Jersey: Wedding Album
Wedding albums are so important. They are your first family heirloom- a treasure that will be passed on to your children, and your children's children. So when I decided to find the perfect wedding album company- I feel in love with Red Tree Albums. They are timelessly elegant, yet stylish and so high quality. I typically offer my couples leather, but when I saw Red Tree's vibrant Costal Linen collection- I knew it was perfect for Mike and Amanda's beach wedding at The Flanders Hotel, in Ocean City, New Jersey. The linen color is named "seashell," and matches Amanda's bridal bouqet perfectly- meant to be.
See the gorgeous details below!
One of my absolute favorite details about this album is that it is personalized with the bride and groom's name- and I love the font! The album comes in a really soft wrap to protect it- I only wish my pillow was as soft.
The album comes in a white box, great for storage when it's not on display.
I love the thick pages printed on photographic paper.
I love seeing what photographs my brides and grooms choose for their wedding albums. This was a sample album, and I was super excited to include all of the pretty little details!
I love how the image of Amanda's bouquet bleeds to the top and bottom of the page. When it comes to photos in an album- the bigger the better!
I love that you can print right across the spread without worrying about the gutter (aka line down the middle). The pages lay flat, so no worries!
I made this wedding album for The Flanders Hotel, so naturally I had to include their gorgeous ballroom.
So pretty!
Sand Barrens Golf Club Wedding, Swainton, NJ: Paul and Christy
Christy and Paul's wedding day started off in Wildwood for the bride and groom's getting ready. I started with Christy and her bridesmaids, while my second photographer started with Paul and his guys just blocks away. The room was buzzing with excited and even with so many girls getting ready in one house, Christy was ready ahead of schedule! I'm pretty sure she was just beyond excited for her First Look with Paul. They had their First Look on the boardwalk in Wildwood with their bridal party watching in the distance. Once they saw each other, we started their formal photographs on the boardwalk, beach, and then also at their venue- Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey. It was such a brilliant idea on Christy's part to do the First Look on the beach and do more photos at the golf course- it added so much variety to their photographs. After a heartfelt ceremony overlooking the greens, the party started. The dance floor was buzzing the entire night in celebration of the new Mr. and Mrs. Chladek! Congratulations you two!
See their engagement session at Race Street Pier in Philadelphia here!
THE DETAILS
Venue: Sand Barrens Golf Club, Swainton, New Jersey
Gown: Allure Bridals
Makeup: Nick Joniec
Hair: Allie Ferraiolo
Florals: Barbara's Sea Shell Florist
Cake: The Bake Works
Video: Color Room Films
The Flanders Hotel Wedding, Ocean City, NJ: Mike and Allegra
It was a windy day. Scratch that, a blustery day. The type of wind that makes you want to put your arms out at your side and lean all of your body weight against the wind to see who will win- you or the wind. Are you getting the drift? (Dang, that was good). It's the type of weather that doesn't mesh with updos, gorgeous lashes, and fancy dresses, which is why I was so relieved that the wedding was at The Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, NJ. I feel like I mention it all of the time, but just in case you don't know... my husband and I were married at The Flanders Hotel six years ago and one thing that was a requirement for me as a bride was a weather contingency plan. You can plan just about everything on a wedding day, except for the weather, so I always tell brides, make sure you LOVE the backup plan! As a bride, I checked out (what feels like) every square inch of The Flanders Hotel to make sure it had plenty of locations in case of terrible weather. Good news- it absolutely does! It all started with the extremely stunning, Allegra, getting ready at The Flanders Hotel's most stunning suite on the highest floor, overlooking the ocean. Allegra was so calm and just enjoying her bridesmaids- like every bride should before the day begins. Her girls wore the most gorgeous sequined gowns from Rent the Runway, while Allegra turned heads in her elegant Jay West gown with the most gorgeous design in the back. She met with her groom, Mike, in the lobby of the Flanders Hotel for their bridal party portraits just before the ceremony. Her brother walked her down the aisle just before Mike and Allegra exchanged vows by the fireplace, under a gorgeous chandelier- romance was certainly in the air. Then it was off to celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm! The band, 39 Mariner, lead the celebration and the night ended with not a cake cutting, but a donut cutting, with the most yummy treats from Federal Donuts. Congratulations Allegra and Mike!
THE DETAILS
Venue: The Flanders Hotel, Ocean City, New Jersey
Gown: Jay West
Hair and Makeup: Your Day Your Way
Florals: The Manic Botanic
Donuts: Federal Donuts
Band: 39 Mariner