nureida & david

when i meet with couples, i like to ask the how they met. it used to be to get ideas for myself, hah, but now that i'm married, i still enjoy the different stories of how people find one another. nureida and david are the first couple that i've shot that met at the mall. i love it. he was working as a security guard and she was working as a salesperson... david even took her back there to propose. so sweet. 

nureida and david suggested the ramapo reserve for their engagement session. even though it was the very end of fall, the preserve had some great spots with lots of color left... so i decided to post this entire blog in color!

love nureida and david's coordinating fall colors....

i was too far away to know what was really going on here, but i liked this moment because it looks like he just proposed to her...

even in the areas where the leaves were sparse, there was an opportunity for a beautiful shot....

at one point during the shoot there was a boulder that was in my way. i had a hunch that david, being a personal trainer, would be able to move it with little effort. he lifted it like it was nothing and moved it for me, awesome. 

love the orange!

love the boots and the blue suede shoes....

while we were heading out and the light was just about gone, i thought it was worth a shot to take advantage of the calm waters and the reflecting colors...

a great time with nureida and david at the ramapo reserve....looking forward to their wedding this fall!

katie & james

i first met with katie and james almost two years ago. it felt like a long time since we'd originally met until their wedding day, so it was great to finally get to their big day. i know they were excited and after all of that time, although their wedding day turned out to be a bit chilly and rainy, these two did not let the weather phase them. everything went as planned and they were all smiles all the way through, totally up for anything and not letting anything get them down. sometimes when couples plan a wedding so far in advance, i worry all that build-up may lead to them being more easily disappointed if something doesn't go exactly as planned... but these two, absolute perfect attitude about all of it and i predict that leads to a long and happy marriage!

abstract take on the veil...

i'm assuming james gave katie the 'will you be my girlfriend?' note (so cute), otherwise katie has some explaining to do!

although most of the images on this blog are of katie beaming ear to ear, i loved this portrait of her with a more subtle expression....

smiling ear to ear....

james sees katie for the first time...

so happy!

are seeing a theme here?

a bride that is all smiles needs a groom that is all smiles. love this moment from katie and james' ring exchange...

we headed to the boardwalk in asbury park to take some pictures. everyone was in great spirits despite the chilly weather and rain....

i have a disclaimer.... i never ask a bridal party to jump. it is only upon request. but i always admit that when they do make the request, i always make them jump a bunch of times for my own entertainment, hahaha....

the rain let up for just a few minutes which gave us a chance to grab a few pictures on the beach...

so cute!

you can't get this shot in the sunshine!

love it!

this season i shot in asbury park a lot, through sun and rain, warm and cold, morning and afternoon light. i took this shot quickly since the weather was chilly and we'd been shooting for awhile already. while i was in pants and bundled up in a north face fleece, i was still cold. meanwhile, katie was completely fine, hah! i kept checking in with her, but nothing could phase her. what a trooper! 

katie and james had their reception at the eagle ridge golf club in lakewood, nj...

katie's maid's-of-honor look on as katie and james share their first dance...

love the synchronized 'don't mess up the make-up tear-wipe'....

james and his new mother-in-law watch on as katie dances with her dad...

party time! love the intensity in this shot!

such a sweet moment between katie and her grandfather who got up to dance with katie for a few minutes on her wedding day...

katie's dad and grandmother. i think we can see that grandma may be responsible for the smiling genes....

haha...

hah!

such a great day with katie and james.. their smiles and happy attitude made the not-so-lovely weather a fun time! so happy for these two and their well-deserved honeymoon in the warmth and sunshine! thanks to brian leong for assisting.