Fireworks, flower petals and once in a lifetime moments…
You may remember Nancy & Kevin from their fun, Asbury Park engagement story and photos.  They met in high school and kept their relationship going strong even when they were on opposite sides of the country (NYC and LA).   I had the pleasure of meeting with them again, but this time on their wedding day!  We met at Nancy’s parents home, then headed to Saint Mary’s Chapel in Middletown and ended at Beacon Hill Country Club in the Atlantic Highlands, where there was a beautiful view of the New York City Skyline and fireworks!
This first image shows important components of the day, the rings and light.  The patterns surrounding the rings were created by light moving through the lace curtains in Nancy’s parents’ home.  It  happened to be the perfect shadow to frame these lovely and unique rings…
The Giving Tree…. remember that book? I always loved it and this story reminds me of it. Nancy was eight years old when her family moved into this home. It was a new development and there were few trees, so her parents planted several. Nancy and her siblings would play wiffle ball in the front yard and use the tree in the image below as a base, haha.
The tree grew over the years and while Nancy didn’t need it as a wiffle ball base today, it did create the perfect background for her bridal portraits :). I was totally taken in by the colors or the leaves, the tree perfectly complimented Nancy’s coloring…
I also love the lace sleeves on Nancy’s wedding gown.  She wanted sleeves that still felt delicate and flew home from California to go dress shopping with her mom.  Together they discovered Casablanca Bridal and were able to use part of the styling from last year’s bodice and this years lace to to create the dress that Nancy wore.   Time for Kevin and his groomsmen… For several years, Nancy lived in Los Angeles and Kevin lived in New York.  They needed to find ways to connect beyond phone calls and emails.  Exchanging cards was a big part of their courtship.  Nancy sent a card once a week for every week they were not together in either NYC or LA.  In the image above Kevin is writing his card to Nancy.
Nancy and Kevin exchanged their cards in the hallway of her parent’s home.  They were able to share that anticipation and excitement while managing not to see each other before the ceremony.  Both of their eyes welled up with tears as they read, Nancy managed to loose a contact for the first time in 20 years because Kevin’s words were just so sweet :).
I love this image, Nancy is full of adorable faces and even though kevin can’t see her “shhhhh-ing” he can obviously picture it and it totally cracking up.  Nancy wanted something cute and fun before the wedding, so this “first non-look” as she called it, was a perfect fit for this pair. Sisters!  Kevin with his sister and Nancy with hers.  People often ask if I capture family photos because I don’t post them much on my blog, the answer is yes!  Here are a few of the family photos that we captured on Nancy & Kevin’s wedding day 😉 I LOVE this image…  This was the moment that the limo and Bentley arrived.  Everyone is in the same room viewing the same scene, yet they all seem to be thinking something different.
Nancy’s expression is priceless, such focus and anticipation— she shared that she is thinking about how close she is to finally seeing and marrying Kevin.  Her little nephew is at the window saying “limo” in his cute, tiny voice.  Such a sweet, precious moment.
Nancy walking out from her parents home under the cover of the trees that were newly planted when she was a child, out to see her Bentley!  She said that she was super excited to ride in such a fabulous automobile and be one step closer to that ceremony 🙂 Hi Dad!  Nancy is waving to her father through the window of the Bentley.  Her dad is looking back through the window at her, I captured his reflection in the glass.
Haaaa another favorite moment– Nancy’s mom figuring out how to take the perfect “selfie.”  She was so impressed at what a slight raise of the wrist did to improve the angle.  Adorable.  Nancy said her mom is always super fun, maybe that is where Nancy get’s those sweet expressions from. Members of Kevins family have been parishioners at St Mary’s for decades.  It was the perfect place for their ceremony because not only did it have that personal connection, but also stunning woodwork and a more intimate seating arrangement.
When Nancy entered the church, there was a collective gasp.  All she could see was Kevin, she said it was as if everyone else disappeared in that moment.  Kevin shared that Nancy was beautiful and stunning.  He said that he doesn’t typically like surprises, but seeing her in that moment was better than one hundred Christmas mornings!!!! Nancy’s grandmother is 93, and so incredibly special to Nancy she was thrilled that everyone was able to attend the wedding together and requested a special photo.
This image shows her grandmothers hand with her wedding band, her mother and sister wearing their wedding bands, and now Nancy’s hand, with a wedding band, too. “Wow– we are actually married!!!”  Nancy and Kevin are checking out their new wedding bands in the image above.  The sunlight is peeking through the trees just perfectly, creating pretty orbs of light and a soft, golden glow.
Kevin and Nancy have been a part of each other’s lives for so long (they met in high school), that there were several “wow” comments about how they’ve come so far and that it had all come together in this very perfect moment.
Beacon Hill Country Club is gorgeous.  There are so many interesting places to go and things to see.  Nancy and Kevin started by walking along the paths that wind through the golf course– vbery sweet and romantic.  Nancy is a big golfer, so this setting was extra special for her.
Another moment of anticipation in Nancy’s day, ah, a moment of peace, relaxation and time alone on the Adirondack chairs!!!  Nancy mentioned the chairs to me in our first conversation, so I knew capturing them would be important to her.
Even better, the folks from Glass Slipper Weddings had cocktails waiting for them at the chairs when they arrived.  They both took a moment to kick back and soak up the sun.  I love how you can actually see the rays coming into this image! You may be wondering how Nancy & Kevin got around so quickly on the golf course while still having a bit of time left to enjoy cocktail hour– the answer is this handy golf cart.  🙂 Nancy’s sister, maid of honor, Meg gave an outstanding speech.  It was funny, touching and witty.  In the image below, she shared something along the lines of being thrilled to find someone who was an even bigger Star Trek fan (“Trekkie”) than her. (Above) Kevin’s mom and her sister have a tradition of dancing together to “In the Mood” at every wedding they attend.  Their dance moves were impressive to say the least.  Everyone really got out on the dance floor– it was full all night. I was super excited for this moment.  When I saw that the cake was positioned near the window and visible from the back deck, I knew this would be a super unique perspective for the cake cutting.  It captured the moment, the lovely architecture of the country club and time of day all at once.
Art from North East Horizons Wedding Cinematography waited together for the moment to happen with me, we made a great team. Nancy loves fireworks and always has.  The firework celebration, actually was a part of MIddletown Day and a perfect surprise to end their night.  When the smoke from the fireworks cleared, they had a breathtaking view of the New York City Skyline. Nancy and Kevin, thank you for choosing to spend your wedding day with me.  I enjoyed getting to know both of you and couldn’t be happier for you two to be wed!   I wish you all the very best and can’t wait to pull together your albums and all the other awesome photography products for you :).