laura & mike

when i got an email one month before laura and mike's wedding asking if i was available, i thought they had the date wrong until i read on. 'love strikes and we move quick'... this had me intrigued. a sunday morning intimate wedding in asbury park with a couple that is so in love they didn't want to wait another year to get married sounded like a great time to me. having a wedding to attend that friday and a wedding to shoot that saturday, i knew this would make for a weekend with little sleep, but i loved what mike had to say when he reached out to me and when we met up, i just knew shooting laura and mike's wedding would be a great time. their chemistry is undeniable. 

manolos...

when we first chatted about laura and mike's timeline, we toyed with the idea of everyone getting ready at a hotel in asbury park to save the travel time from their home since we would be starting very early in the morning.  in the end, they decided to get ready at their own house and in the end, i really enjoyed this. when i showed up at 7am, everyone was awake and in good spirits. it was fun to move around their house where they live their daily lives capturing things as they unfolded.... here mike is working on something for the wedding while laura and her mom are getting hair and make up done...

laura and mike each have two sons. four boys all around the same age getting ready at 7 in the morning.... i have to say it went pretty smoothly!

these are the kinds of shots i love. a grandfather helping out his grandson. while posed images have their place in this world, this is the kind of image that really shows you the love...

and a little help from grandma...

i have to say when laura and mike told me the ages of their boys, i figured we'd do the best we could with that age. but these guys were all total naturals. i'm going to guess it's the first time they've ever been photographed putting socks on, hah, but they just went with it!

good dog...

bad dog...

we did a first look right in laura and mike' bedroom. love laura's reaction right after she saw mike...

and for my next car... a rolls royce phantom. i just have to save about a 1/2 mill more and it'll be mine. the perks of being a wedding photographer--- you get to ride in some sweet vehicles. this thing is smooooooth!

so cute...

we spent a little time on the asbury park boardwalk. it was a bright and sunny morning, but it all worked out great!

when i first met with laura and mike, i knew they'd be naturals behind the camera...

hahaha...

yes, the sky really was that blue....

adorbs...

love this shot of laura, mike and the boys walking through the casino...

these are my kind of family photos. i love the chaos!

hah!

typical teen reaction to your mom embarrassing you, love it!

chillin' by the phantom....

laura and mike had a quick, but very sweet ceremony. i love that they incorporated each of the boys into the sand ceremony....

love this family hug right after laura and mike tied the knot...

 i have witnessed young men become emotional during their parent's wedding ceremonies more than a few times now.  it really warms my heart...

laura and mike had their reception at brando's citi cucina in asbury park. a yummy italian restaurant with a lovely ambiance... the plan for the afternoon was to eat, drink and be merry...

hahaha... love it!

if i'm willing to get only 4 hours of sleep between shooting weddings, you know it's because the couple is magical...

laura dances with each of the boys!

i had such a great time photographing laura and mike's wedding. it turns out my schedule had been kinda crazy and i'd turned away a couple jobs for this very date over the previous year, but when these two came along, i knew i couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with them and their boys. thanks to everyone for making the day so fun to capture and thank you to my assistant brian leong for helping me with not one, but two weddings in one weekend....