Blog
South Jersey Wedding Photography, Gibbsboro, New Jersey: Oriana and Melanie
Melanie and Oriana are in a beautiful season of life. Just a few months ago, they were planning a wedding, while in a long-distance relationship. Now they are under one roof and married! Both brides got ready at the Hotel ML in Mount Laurel, NJ before heading off to Lakeside Manor in Gibbsboro, NJ for a gorgeous outdoor ceremony and a tented wedding reception.
My absolute favorite moment of the ceremony was the ring exchange. Most couples fumble around and have a lot of trouble getting the ring on their spouse because of well... wedding day nerves! Melanie had some trouble putting on Oriana's wedding ring, because she had the wrong hand altogether- her right hand. I didn't notice at the time, until Oriana told me. I immediately scrolled back through the photographs and started laughing! Wedding nerves are no joke!
Congratulations Melanie and Oriana!
THE DETAILS
Venue: Lakeside Manor, Gibbsboro, New Jersey
Floral: The Rose of Sharon Florist
Cake: Country Sweets
DJ: Posh DJs
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.
Smithville Mansion, Mount Holly, New Jersey Engagement: Jeff and Anna
It was late-April when I met Anna and Jeff at Smithville Mansion in Mount Holly for their engagement session. I love Spring. It’s a time of renewal and new life. There were gorgeous blooms everywhere- we even found the most beautiful purple flowers for a portrait of Anna’s engagement ring. Anna and Jeff are so genuinely fun to be around. They were super laidback even while they were in the process of moving and planning their wedding. I can’t wait to share their wedding with you!
I'm in love with all the blooming flowers at Smithville Mansion in Mount Holly, NJ.
SO much joking. I love it!
Catching the golden light with Jeff and Anna.
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
Race Street Pier, Philadelphia Engagement: Paul and Christy
I met up with Christy and Paul at Race Street Pier in Philadelphia for their engagement session. On a windy day, we strolled just below the Ben Franklin Bridge to capture some gorgeous images for their Save the Dates and to get them comfortable in front of my camera. The benefit of it being a windy day is that we had the pier practically to ourselves. I love the bright blue just under the bridge- made for gorgeous photographs!
