{When Jen contacted me about photographing her Cape May Wedding last fall, I was excited for more than one reason. First, because Jen and I used to work together and second, I’d never been to the Jersey shore! Lame, I know, but my family have always been Delaware Beach goers instead. 
Big thanks go to Ole for coming down to the shore to shoot with me! He got some really great shots, some of which are included in this post. This wedding was one of the classiest affairs I’ve ever had the pleasure of documenting. Since Jen has a background in photography and design, you can imagine how well planned and creative the details were for her wedding. AND because Jen is a blogger herself (she does a great job guest blogging for The Finer Things), I thought it would be fun to let her tell you about her wedding herself! }
Hello readers! My name is Jen, and I am a friend of Misty’s, as well as a blogger. When Misty asked me to write a guest post for her blog, I couldn’t help but be excited – especially because she asked me to write about something very close to my heart… my own wedding! Misty captured the day so perfectly, and I am anxious to show you her lovely work, but first, I’d like to share with you a few details about the wedding day.
My husband and I were married on September 19, 2009 in the seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey. Having our wedding at the shore was an obvious choice for Ron and I, as we both grew up spending summers on the beach and eventually fell in love at another Jersey shore point. Cape May was perfect for hosting the wedding, as it offered beautiful beaches, plenty of activities for guests, and romantic charm. Cape May’s Victorian era styling led to a ceremony and reception full of quaint elegance. The décor consisted of many DIY projects – strands of ribbons with tiny shells hanging from the pews, a Just Married sign on the bar, table number cards with the lyrics to “On the Way to Cape May”, a cake table decoration with a Shakespeare quote and salt water taffy favor boxes to name a few! Our vows were short and sweet, and our guests dined on gourmet food and then danced the night away. We had perfect weather that day, and could not have asked for a more joyous celebration! At the end of a wedding weekend full of family and fun, Ron and I are left with memories to last a lifetime, and gorgeous photos to tell our story so well.
- Getting ready on the morning of the wedding was nothing like I had thought it would be. It was so much more relaxed than I had anticipated.
- The engagement ring and wedding bands are so beautifully captured in the picture on the left. Some of the detail shots are my favorites from the day.
- My dad came in the room after my mom and bridesmaids helped me into my gown, and I remember how he looked at me, and then put on my necklace. The necklace was my “something borrowed”, as it belongs to my mom.
- It’s amazing to me how nicely a photo can turn out when the subject is so uncomfortable! I could barely sit down in my gown, but the way Misty was able to capture me in these bridal portraits really is lovely.
- You can’t tell in the picture on the left, but I was getting my picture taken from all angles! Misty was above me, and Ole was at the bottom of the stairs surrounded by picture-happy relatives. The photo on the right is hands-down my favorite bridal portrait – and now I will never forget how old I was on my wedding day.
- Walking the two blocks to the church from the house we stayed in was one of the most fun parts of the day. The weather in Cape May was beyond perfect, so the streets were full of tourists offering their well wishes. I love the way the light settles on my gown and creates shadows on the pavement.
- Ah, the handsome groom! Ron does not like getting his picture taken, but you’d never know from looking at these photos!
- This is one of the favorites, as far as pictures with both Ron and I – it’s just so natural and “in the moment”. The look on his face is so sweet as we make our way up the aisle.
- One of my favorite parts of this picture is the way my Maid of Honor looks (she’s next to me on the left). This really captures her just as she is – giddy and fun!
- Can you say, GQ? Did I say that Ron doesn’t like getting his picture taken?
- I love the exchange of looks between everyone in this photo. This was just before our photo session on the beach.
- Heading to the Cape May Point Lighthouse was not in the original plan, but we needed an excuse to rock out in the limo and sip our champagne, so we took the 10 minute drive to Cape May Point. We are SO glad that we decided to do this – there are so many great photos from the trip.
- The photos of Ron and I by the dune grass are so nice. The way the blue sky, grasses and light come together really make this a great shot.
- The way in which all the little details came together at the reception really was gorgeous. One of my favorite things about the venue was the gold Chiavari chairs. The day before the wedding, all the bridesmaids, my grandmother, mom, aunt and cousins sat around the huge table in the kitchen and assembled the little boxes of salt water taffy. My mom cut out over 100 boxes from craft paper, and the tags were made from templates I downloaded from www.marthastewartweddings.com.
- I remember waiting to walk in to the reception – we were both a bit nervous! We entered to the instrumental part of the song, “The Final Countdown” by Europe. The way we’re looking at eachother is like, “Ready? Let’s do this!”
- The wedding cake was inspired by my gown, with folds of buttercream icing instead of folds of satin. I love the cake toppers, too – they look just like Ron and I!
- Our first dance as husband and wife was to “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. I think we were trying to remember at what point in the song Ron should twirl me.
- My best friends Ashley and Meghann were Maid and Matron of Honor, and they each gave a beautiful speech.
- This is the moment these three boys were waiting for all weekend! They talked about this “Alligator Dance” for weeks before the wedding. The choreographed dance was first performed at our good friends Meghann and Bryan’s (guy in the middle) wedding, and is highly anticipated at Ashley and Bryan’s (guy on the right) wedding this August. Unfortunately, this photo is sans the groom – he joined moments later.
- My mom and dad, getting their dance on! Note the expression on my friend’s faces behind them.
- The last song of the night was “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. This is a tradition between my cousins – the last song is always the same, and all the guests circle around the bride and groom. It was truly a fantastic ending to the perfect day.
- Much love and an enormous amount of thanks to two seriously awesome photographers – Misty and Ole. The way they captured every moment of the day was perfect. Ron and I could not ask for better wedding photos, and we owe it to these two! They followed us around all day and rocked out with us all night long. What other photographer dances around the floor in stylish shades while taking pictures?
{Big thanks to Jen for the insider account of her wedding day and for treating us like one of the family. It was truly a pleasure to document her amazing day. Here’s hoping she’ll be willing to come back and blog for us again in the future! }
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