Not only did Leslie and Mike get married in December, they got married twice! Their day started at St. Joseph's  Church in East Rutherford, NJ, with a meaningful ceremony attended by their Maid of Honor, Best Man, and close families. The intimacy of this small gathering was beautiful to capture, especially in such a splendid setting. Here's Leslie arriving at the church:

and we got Mike's subtle expression as Leslie walked down the aisle:

Two more images from their church celebration:

Love the dove of peace right over Mike's head... It was classic and timeless, and just the right beginning for the day's adventures.

Now we go to Leslie getting ready for ceremony #2, switching to a stylish gown:

And just before leaving home, Leslie posed for Shelley with her appropriately dressed Best Dog:

Meanwhile, Keith was with the guys at a nearby hotel, where it was time for a toast:

And since Mike is an EMT, the guys arrived in a rescue truck at the next destination, the Stony Hill Inn:

Not to be outdone, Leslie arrived by fire truck soon after, with her girls:

and the girls were not about to be out-toasted either:

Then it was time for the second ceremony, this one attended by all their friends, family and  guests:

Lovely floral work by Petals Premier.... 

It was snowing like crazy, but we were crazy enough to go outside for a gazebo shot!

Meanwhile, the ballroom was reset beautifully for the reception to come:

A very impressive transformation that came together quickly. Here's an image from the first dance at the start of the reception:

Here's a fun portrait of Leslie & Mike with their cardboard painted counterparts, quite a foursome:

The party was big fun, with DJ services provided by Golden Note Entertainment. Two unique features in the party: one, the arrival of the Bergen County Firefighters Pipe Band, playing some rock classics to move the room-- you just have to hear "We Will Rock You" played by these guys:

And two, a great idea from the DJ's, some UV light combined with white gloves for everybody, a very cool effect:

All in all, an adventurous day with lots of love, creativity and fun for all! Thanks so much, Leslie and Mike!

It was an adventure in November with Kim & Bryan! They had a beautiful day, and they made the most of it. Let's begin with some images of Kim, who made it perfectly clear she was going to have fun on her wedding day-- Shelley made these images at her house before leaving for church, and you can see she is so relaxed and in the zone:

And meanwhile, at the church, Keith made this shot of the guys, striking a pose in front of the limo, pre-ceremony brewskis in hand:

(Bryan is 4th from the left, just in case the neckties don't make it obvious...)

Just a couple black and whites from the ceremony:

And we got an expressive shot of their exit from the church, and a backlit, lens-flared magic moment during the champagne toast:

Next stop was a lake close to Kim's home-- this had been her playground growing up, and so it was fun to make some spontaneous bridal party shots, you can feel the joy:

Since it was November, the sun was already setting, and rather than try to avoid it, we decided to exploit it as an element for some backlit portraits on the beach, very dramatic:

As you can see, they gave us some great expressivity here, it makes all the difference!

Then it was on to the Knoll Country Club West, in Parsippany. There are two venues at the Knoll: East and West, and they are both very nice, but we prefer the West for its architectural character. We got this shot of the building entrance in the falling late daylight, and also made an image in the lobby:

We took advantage of the large lobby space to make some portraits with Kim& Bryan, beautiful lines and using the available low light:

And then it was time for the reception, which started with their exuberant entrance and first dance:

Notice the flip flops, no stiletto shoe torture for this girl...

Needless to say, the party was big fun, lots of dancing, lots of eating, lots of connecting. And after dinner, the staff at the Knoll offered their Venetian dessert display, complete with flambe! Oh, the calories...

At the end of the evening, we got this image of one of two Adirondack chairs that Kim & Bryan used for guest signing, a great idea, furniture as art and heirloom:

So that's the overview, there's lots more images, but you can see that it was a joyous and meaningful celebration. Our thanks to Kim & Bryan for letting us capture the story!

Jennifer and Matthew, AKA Jen & Matt, covered three locations on their wedding day, starting with their ceremony in Brick, then onto Wilson Hall at Monmouth University, and finally arriving at the PNC Arts Center for the reception. Sometimes all these locations can make for complicated logistics, but all in all it went pretty smoothly, and everybody had a lot of fun. Even with all the different locations, the best thing about this wedding was: Jen and Matt! Their positivity and sense of joy really set the tone for the bridal party, friends and family. The fun starts at the top, and these guys were taking care of biz... 

So let's begin with a beautiful portrait of Jen, just ready to leave her house for the church (I guess that actually makes 4 locations altogether):

Somebody's happy! Now, the ceremony was beautiful and meaningful, with some serious moments of commitment and connection. We took advantage of our photographic teamwork to capture these synchronized views of Jen processing (check out the gorgeous gown) while Matt watches:

A lighter moment during the ceremony:

And a nice exit shot as our newly married couple recess:

Black and white works great for classic images like these, it's timeless.

Now the scene changes to Wilson Hall, where we had a blast making creative shots with the bridal party. Here's one we loved, each person bringing something unique, and yet it all works together:

Big fun! And while we were there, we spent a few minutes creating some portraits with Jen & Matt, lots of nice opportunities at this beautiful location:

We could have used some more time at Wilson Hall, but soon enough it was onto the PNC Arts Center, which most of us think of for big summertime open air concerts-- but they also have a nice reception hall there too. Definitely worth a look, and it's right off the GSP, super convenient... The party was rocking, and we got some cool dancing evidence:

It was a great day, and we appreciate all the planning, presence and joy that Jen and Matt brought to it! We close this one with a shot of their cup-cake cake, along with, you know, that kissing thing... 

It was a crystal clear beautiful morning when we arrived at The Estate at Florentine Gardens, in Upper Saddle River, NJ. This is a meticulously maintained and smartly planned venue with great staff, organization, and accommodations, making it a practical and satisfying choice for a successful wedding celebration. We were there to photograph Michele and Alan's big day, and with perfect weather, beautiful details, and 150 guests, it was an occasion to remember. Here are two views of the grounds:

and here is our gorgeous bride Michele just before her ceremony:

One joyous bride, and the perfect gown also... Here are some images from the outdoor ceremony:

The light was quite dynamic, but we still got a lot of great images, with our teamwork making the difference. After some group photos during cocktails, it was time for the reception, here's a wide angle of relatives and bridal party ready to welcome Michele and Alan to their party:

And we got this nice moment during their first dance, along with many others:

Time for the Hora, and here we took advantage of a balcony that provided an ideal view of the celebrants:

which gave way to much dancing with all their guests having a great time:

Another classic moment:

And, toward the end of the day, we finally got some nice light outside-- Michele and Alan did a great job just walking and talking and enjoying each other. With minimal direction, we made a series of beautiful images that tell the story of their relationship... and the grounds at Florentine Gardens presented many possibilities:

It was a perfect day with a perfect couple. Thanks to Michele and Alan for letting us capture their story!

We are proud to be voted by brides as a Winner in The Knot's Best of Weddings 2010. This puts us in some elite company, selected not by a panel of judges, but voted by brides as a favorite photography studio. We were excited by this news, all the more since we are not advertising on The Knot, which means our brides are talking us up on the forums.... Our sincere thanks to all our former, current and future brides for sharing their positive experiences with others in The Knot community.