The Garrison, Garrison, NY
Stephanie & Ryan also had a wet beginning to their day. Dan & I started off at the hotel where both Stephanie & Ryan were getting ready. On my advice they both got ready on the same floor across from each other.This worked out great since I was able to go back & fourth to each room and capture moments of both of them as they got ready for the day. After their reveal we all drove up together in the rain to The Garrison. And as I we arrived the rain stopped. We were able to take all of our photos before the ceremony. Always a great thing as Stephanie & Ryan were able to enjoy their cocktail hour. I also want to mention that Ryan is an amazing chef who owns and operates a delicious restaurant in Bloomfield NJ called Bar Cara. Definitely check it out if your in the area. He was also the featured chef today on The Today show!!
So here in their words is their story...

j

Ryan and I met 3 years ago when his cousin, who was a good friend of mine, set us up. On our first date, I sent my friend a text message saying "I am going to marry your cousin. Hope you don't mind!" One year later, Ryan was down on one knee while we were on our California wine country vacation, asking me to be his wife. We knew from that point that we wanted a wedding venue that would reflect the atmosphere of the wine country! We also needed this venue to have high standards and ratings with their menu choices, as Ryan is a chef and food is one of our great loves together. We found, and fell in love with, The Garrison in upstate New York. The Hudson valley views brought us right back to Napa Valley and the food was New York Times rated! We knew this was the perfect venue for us, as our guest were already telling us they could not wait to see what kind of food we would have at our wedding! It was everything we could have asked for!

On our wedding day, I woke up to pouring rain, and our ceremony was planned outside! I wasn't worried though, because something made me feel that everything was going to be just fine! At the end of this day, Ryan was going to be my husband and that was all that really mattered! As the afternoon progressed, the rain tapered off and Jeff convinced us to go for it and have our wedding as planned, outside. It was perfect!! Our wedding day was such a fabulous celebration of love, family, and friends and we are so lucky to have had our loves ones there to celebrate with us! We have so many memories of a day that was more than we could have ever imagined!

Stephanie & Ryan
Start it off getting ready for the day.

Gotta' include dad and his Mr. Met shirt. :)

Ryan getting ready also.

WOW!!!! My brides ROCK!!

We got this shot in about 2 minutes. Just as we were set up to shoot it started raining again. I think we got off 3 exposures.

One of the first images we captured as we got to the Garrison just as the rain stopped.

The happy couple.

WOW!!! (again) :)

Love photographing the kids!!

Beautiful spot for a ceremony overlooking the Hudson Valley. There are mountains beyond that fog and clouds!!

WOW-WOW!!!!! :)

Def. one of my favorites from the day.

Since it's 10 degrees outside I figured it was a good time to post some images from a great family I had the pleasure of getting to know this past summer. I think it was 100 degrees. Give or take a few... So think warm thoughts and remember we'll all be complaining how hot it is in no time wishing for those 10 degree days in the winter...enjoy the pics! :)

j

Next up I'd like to show some favorites of Anna & Andrew. Their wedding took place in Blue Bell, PA. at Manor House at Prophecy Creek Park. As you will see in this post there are a lot of images of Anna & Andrew and I could have posted so much more. The reason... Anna & Andrew allotted almost 3 hours for photos of just the two of them. No I don't expect this at every wedding, but it sure would be fun!! I just want everyone to see how great it is and the amazing pics we can get. I can not stress this enough!!! It's NOT the 70's or 80's any more!! It's not bad luck. Enjoy your day with each other for as long as you can!! Ok- rant over!! Enjoy the pics and in their words...their story.

Anna and Andrew

We met at a rooftop party in the Lower East Side. We had a immediate connection. Over the next several months, we kept in sporadic contact until we randomly met again at a karaoke bar. We connected again and after another few months of texting back and forth (guys, read perseverance), we decided to go on a first date at Brooklyn Bridge Park. We had a great time together and we were committed to not having several months go by again in between dates. Over the next 2 years of dating, we have done everything together. We ran Half Marathons, traveled and spent time with our families at the Jersey and Maryland shore. Andrew proposed to Anna during a visit to her grandmother at a assisted living home. Andrew wanted her grandmother to be a part of the whole experience.
Our wedding took place this past year, we were very lucky to have Jeff Tisman be a part of it. He was originally booked for our special day, but actually had a cancellation. Lucky us! We were blown away by Jeff’s work and he certainly did not disappoint. We spent 3 hours before the wedding, taking the most amazing photos all around Blue Bell, PA. The day could not have gone any better. Great Weather, Great Event, and Great Photographer.

We can't wait to see the pictures!!!

Anna and Andrew Bruton

j

Love this image of Anna's sister & mom looking on as Anna get ready to become a bride.

Great light, awesome bride = Awesomely great image!! :)

I also want to state again the reason for so many images of the two of them is time!!! Please enjoy your day. Go out and spend time together before all the craziness happens.

This was pretty funny. As we were driving around for locations I noticed this old house with all these yellow leaves around it. I thought to my self "that would make some amazing pics!!" So I went up to the door and knocked. Explained who I was and it was the bride & grooms day and they of course said yes. Turns out it was a friend Andrew knew from high school and has not talked too in almost 10 years!! As they says, small world!!

Love this one!!

These next 2 were in the same spot in the field next to the Manor House. One is with flash and one without. For all photographers out there...learn off camera flash!!! :)

Another beautiful one of Anna.

Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge, NJ

Here are some of my favorites from Jenn & Dan's day. ALthough it rained most of the day, Jenn & Dan didn't let it 'dampen' their spirits. As I have done in the past. Here in their words is 'their story'.

Our Story: Jennifer and Daniel
7/20/12

A few minutes before Dan and I met, I was in my friend’s apartment in Virginia Beach listening to a song by Brad Paisley, called “Then.” I said, “This is going to be my wedding song some day.” A few seconds later, Dan walked into her apartment with a few of his friends. We were introduced and there was an instant connection. I soon learned that Dan was from Colorado and had just finished his first year in the NAVY. He told me he had signed up for 5 years. I thought to myself, “What am I getting myself into?” Dan and I ended up spending the whole weekend together and made plans for Dan to come visit me in New Jersey. A few weeks later, Dan drove the 6 hours to spend Labor Day weekend with me. He met my family and friends and everyone loved him.

Fast forward about 2 years and thousands of Continental/United miles later, Dan took me on a winery weekend in Northern Virginia where he proposed. We even got to visit Hume Winery, which is Dan’s last name.

After we got engaged, Dan and I were really excited about planning our wedding. The first place we visited was The Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, NJ. As soon as we saw the venue, we fell in love with it. We knew it would be perfect because our guests who were traveling from other states could stay right at the Inn. After booking the venue, we spent a lot of time researching the perfect vendors. A friend of mine recommended Jeff Tisman, and as soon as I looked at his blog, I knew that he had to be our photographer! In the process of finding a videographer, Jeff told me about PF Films. I looked at his blog and loved his style. Plus, I knew it would be great if the photographer and videographer got along! Next, it was time to choose entertainment. We weren’t sure if we wanted a DJ or band, so we found the best of both worlds…D’Amico Entertainment’s “DJ Alive” package which included a DJ, trumpet player, pianist, two signers, and a DJ!

I wanted to make sure to add personal touches to the wedding. I spent countless hours on Etsy.com where I found a personalized cake topper, bridal hanger, unity candle, bridesmaid wine glasses, bridal party tank tops, stickers for our candy bar, cuff links, ring bearer piggy bank, and personalized corks for our place cards.

Dan and I love visiting wineries, so we decided to make that our theme. We named each of the tables after a winery we had visited, and personally designed the table numbers.

Our big day finally arrived. I woke up to the sound of pouring rain on my roof. I walked outside and it was only about 60 degrees. It was not your typical summer day. Aside from the rain, the whole day went flawlessly.

Reverend John Graf Jr. performed the ceremony we had always dreamed of. He was truly heartfelt and sincere. Adding to our beautiful ceremony was music provided by harpist, Joanne Hansen and violinist, Marya Columbia. Since I’m a teacher, I had my students read a poem that I wrote with them called, “Love Is…” They definitely brought tears to everyone’s eyes! Dan and I wrote personalized vows to each other, which made our ceremony extra special.

When Dan and I walked into the reception, we knew our hard work had paid off. The room looked amazing thanks to the staff at The Olde Mill Inn, and Catherine from Somerset Hills Florist, for creating absolutely gorgeous centerpieces!

The whole day was incredible and we are so lucky to have been able to share it with our wonderful family and friends!

Jennifer & Dan