This weekend we had the chance to capture Madison and Shane’s big day. A few weeks ago, Shane reached out to me asking if we’d be able to shoot photos for their wedding day. Due to a turn of events, their photographer was no longer available for their wedding. The best man (a friend of mine and whose wedding we also shot a few months ago) mentioned to Shane that we may be available and that was when he reached out.
We had an initial call and went over how the day was going to unfold. The ceremony was going to be at Lake Riviera Park in Brick, New Jersey. From there, the reception was held at Madison’s parent’s house. The day was going to be smooth and easy, with everywhere we needed to be only minutes from one another.
The day started with me dropping Laura off to hang out with the bridesmaids. I stayed with them for a little before going to take photos of the groomsmen. The attire was very casual and the groomsmen wore dress shorts and white button down shirts. The best man, Tim, asked if I could help them with their boutonnieres. I have put boutonnieres on jackets before, but never tried it on shirts. I won’t go into the wild details of the trials and errors of making it work, but we figured out a way to keep them held up and nobody was accidentally stabbed.
We all drove to Lake Riviera Park, where we started with Madison and Shane’s first look. There was a nice pier on the water where Shane got in to place while Madison slowly approached him. We took a few photos here and then joined the rest of the bridal party and family on the beach area of the park.
After taking bridal party and family photos, we had about 20 minutes to reset a little and grab some water, while Shane and Madison had the chance to go hide away together one last time before becoming husband and wife.
The ceremony was very relaxed and informal. Friends and family lined up on the beach in front of the water and witnessed Shane and Madison say their “I do”s.
After the ceremony, everybody drove down the block to Madison’s parent’s house for the reception. The reception was also pretty informal, in that there was no dinner served. There was only cocktail food catered throughout the night and, honestly, Laura and I thought that was so cool. The food included chicken fingers, penne vodka, spanakopita, cheesesteak egg rolls, coconut shrimp, and White Castle burgers. Laura and I were told to eat as much as we want and I couldn’t pass that up.
After first dances and speeches, the backyard was open for dancing and partying. As the sun started to set, we took a golf cart back to the park with Madison and Shane for some golden hour photos on the pier.
After we got back to the house, we took some photos of Shane and Madison cutting their cake. After cake cutting, they told us they wanted a photo of them jumping in the pool together. We, of course, said absolutely and captured the moment that led everybody else to jumping in the pool.
The rest of the night was very relaxed and everybody was either eating desserts, drinking High Noons or swimming. We even had a couple come up to us and ask us if we’d like to shoot their wedding in Hawaii. So, Mike, if you’re reading this, we’re still interested!
We had a great time being there to capture Madison and Shane’s big day. They were both so accommodating and easy going. Laura and I wish them the happiest and healthiest future together!
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