It's a beautiful location, and we enjoyed capturing their celebration. Our story begins with their meeting in the hotel lobby, seeing each other in their wedding day finery for the first time:

Following that beautiful meet-up, we spent a little time capturing some portraits in the lobby area, where dramatic locations were readily available:

After an extensive set of family photos, and the Ketubah signing, it was time for the ceremony in the ballroom upstairs, where gorgeous details and careful lighting design allowed us to capture some storytelling imagery, with only a minimal use of flash:

Very beautiful.... Then, while we photographed the cocktail hour downstairs, the amazing crew at the hotel transformed the ceremony setup into the equally impressive reception configuration. It all happened quickly, and was a great demonstration of the staff's well-practiced teamwork. In the few minutes before the guests entered, we had an opportunity to capture the reception setting and some of the careful details:

Soon, it was time for Jennifer and David's energized entrance, and a brief first dance, soon joined by their many guests:

And of course, the evening included:

These guys know how to have fun! Much dancing, toasting and merriment ensued, none more entertaining than David's impromptu speech to his guests, at once gracious, emotive, joyous, and imaginative... Jen was right there, enjoying the moments with her new husband:

Toward the end of the party, the crowd formed around them to express their love, hope and joy, summing up all the meaning of an exceptional day:

Our thanks to Jennifer and David for allowing us to tell the story in images. Locations matter-- and people matter even more.

Looking at those smiles, you can feel the excitement and joy... And if you need some more evidence, check out Erin with her girls:

Meanwhile, Keith was downstairs in the lobby with the guys, and since this was FIFA World Cup time, they were focused on the match:

Then it was off to Bernardsville for the ceremony at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a beautiful church with gothic detailing:

This made for some very dramatic scenes, along with some spontaneous moments of fun:

All leading to the kiss and exuberant exit:

Now we return to Morristown, where we spent a little time strolling outside with Erin and James, just letting them enjoy each other while we captured images with our long lenses, they really made it so easy:

That's just beautiful, the way it's supposed to be!

Time for the reception, with some nice details to set the scene:

And our newlyweds savor the moments of their first dance:

Out come the props, for some serious goofing with all their friends and family:

And some beautiful slow dance moments also:

Love is in the room, with Erin and James surrounded:

It was a great day! Thanks, Erin and James, you guys are the best...

And, as usual, Keith was already at the church to make a casual portrait of Chris with his buds:

Black and white imagery looks classic and timeless:

And here's a great spontaneous moment, when they were just announced as husband and wife:

After the receiving line, we moved to the Knoll Country Club, where we spent a little time making some portraits of the newlyweds, enjoying each other's company:

The Ballroom sets up beautifully at Knoll, with some nice tulip accents:

Check out the cake topper, depicting not only our bride and groom, but their devoted friends:

And to the party! 

Some gorgeous moments from the first dance:

Angela had a lot of fun dancing with her girls (of all ages), while Chris spent time with his guys:

And as the evening light fell, we enjoyed capturing Angela & Chris' story.

Shelley captured some getting ready moments, and took advantage of a stairway in the mansion to make a graceful portrait featuring Melissa's gown:

At the same time, Keith was nearby at the Villanova Chapel, with its tall spires, where Matt struck a pose:

Soon, Melissa arrived at the Chapel with her dad, ready to climb the steps and get married:

The Chapel is a classic beauty, with really nice available light, letting us make a record of the ceremony without the intrusion of flash:

Working as a team, we were able to find a lot of interesting angles, hiding behind columns and using our long lenses:

And with a meaningful kiss, they made their exit, with the usual phalanx of guest "photographers" snapping away:

Then, it was back to the conference center for some portraits. It was very warm and humid, but Melissa and Matt were total troupers, and we had a nice time exploiting the beautiful garden and grounds:

A resident family of geese allowed us access to a striking vertical sculpture, for a full length and close up view:

Shelley made this beautiful shot at the end of the portrait session, framing M&M with green:

After cocktails, the garden took on a magical quality as the light began to fall:

And it was time for the reception, beginning with Melissa & Matt's entrance and first dance:

Soon they were joined by their guests, still lost in each other, and savoring the moment:

Just a couple frames from the party that ensued, it was a lot of fun:

Of course there's more to the story, but a quick overview makes clear that this was one special day for Melissa, Matt, and all their friends & family. A happy ending, and a new beginning:

Shelley started with some getting ready pix at their home, once again finding the nice light for some unposed portraits before Raiza left for the club, she's a beauty:

Meanwhile, Keith was already at the club with Eric and his son for last minute detailing and a few posed shots:

Eric's son was the ringbearer, so he was in charge of this beautiful handmade box, designed by Eric:

A couple shots from the ceremony-- we still got some great moments, working around all the competing amateur guest "photographers":

After the receiving line, we used some of the cocktail time to take a little stroll on Ridgewood Ave. -- Raiza and Eric did a great job of working the camera:

Back inside, we had some fun capturing some of the simple but beautiful details that brought so much character to the reception room-- love the simplicity combined with attention to nuance:

Here's an energized entrance shot at the start of the party:

And a selection of images from the party that ensued:

Big fun for all, with some nice Caribbean flavor mixed in... 

In addition to putting together a great wedding day, Raiza & Eric got their list of album images figured out in record time. It was our pleasure to deliver their finished album just 2 months after the wedding! These two have a great future, and we appreciate the opportunity to make a record of their celebration!

Lauren looked amazing, and Shelley made some great portraits, including some detail shots to show off her stylish dress:

Lauren and Ian made time for a "first meet", where we captured their interaction, Ian seeing Lauren in her dress for the first time:

And soon it was time for the Ceremony, with the Hudson as a dramatic backdrop. We captured some unique moments here, you can feel the emotions:

Here are just a couple images from the Ballroom, very opulent, with dramatic lighting:

And before the party began, we went outside to capture some of the beautiful views. It was chilly, but totally worth it:

Here's their exuberant entrance to the party:

and some memorable moments from the first dance:

Party time! Chair dancing gave way to general fun and games, what a great crowd:

It was a wonderful day, and we thank Lauren and Ian for letting us be part of it!

A couple shots from their ceremony, a beautiful church makes such a difference:

And now we go to The Manor in West Orange-- it's always great to return to this outstanding venue. We spent a little time with Amy and Craig, making some casual portraits, not really posing, but just letting them be themselves:

What a fun couple, it was so easy to create beautiful images...

Locations matter, and this is clearly illustrated at The Manor, where the architectural and culinary details provide endless opportunities for dramatic images:

And, they have the great staff to go along with all that beauty and taste...

Here are a few images from the party, including the first dance, and lots more carrying on as the day continued. A great party always begins with the bride and groom, and A&C were bringing the joy for all their guests. Glad we were there to capture the story!

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!

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!