When I first heard from Kerri, shortly after her engagement, I remembered her immediately from Courtney and Calvin’s wedding in 2017. Kerri was one of Courtney’s bridesmaids, and it was so great to be reunited with these two girls (including two other awesome bridesmaids from both weddings!)

We planned for their late fall engagement at Cross Estate in Bernardsville, where Kerri brought along their dog, Brodie, her sister, Megan, a basket full of props including blankets, matching mugs and enough Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate to go around! It was no surprise that on her wedding day, she also had a basket full of beautiful details for me to photograph when I arrived!

The bridesmaids also saved the extra fabric from their hemmed dresses for me to use as a backdrop for Kerri’s gorgeous details, although I hear there was some discussion about whether this fabric should be used for bridesmaid headbands…I think we made the right decision for it’s ultimate purpose. Just before getting Kerri dressed, we took all the girls into the courtyard of the Madison Hotel to get a quick picture of them in their matching pjs, and to toast the bride to be! Kerri had a Pokemon walkie talkie to communicate their whereabouts in the hotel with her brother and the groom, Frank. I mean, this is brilliant planning!

When we arrived at the church, Frank’s hot rod was parked right outside, ready with a “Just Married” sign tied to the back and cans ready to signal the newlyweds departure as husband and wife! The bagpiper welcomed guests inside St. Michael the Archangel church and as the guests took their seats, the bridesmaids helped Kerri with her train and veil to escort her to the doors of the church.

When the music sounded, the doors opened and Kerri walked down the aisle with the bagpiper playing in the distance. Frank was smiling ear to ear at the first sight of his bride! Pictures to get during the ceremony: readers, reactions and cute little moments between the bride and groom. And there were plenty of Kerri and Frank sneaking looks and smiles at each other while holding hands.

After the “I dos” the new Mr. and Mrs. were greeted by a sea of bubbles outside of the church! The key to getting a sea of bubbles is sneaking in a few bubble guns in the mix, and it was beautiful! They drove off in Frank’s hot rod, and we continued onto The Madison Hotel!

Having an awesome bride and groom is one thing, but when the bride and groom also have an awesome wedding party, it makes the party so much fun! I had met many of Kerri’s bridesmaids before, and Frank’s groomsmen were equally fun! This made for creative wedding party portraits, and then of course, an amazing dance floor later! Before fully packing up to leave, the groomsmen threw both Frank and Kerri up on chairs on the dancefloor! Fortunately, I had one camera and flash out to capture these spontaneous moments, and get a quick selfie with some of my favorite people!

Kerri and Frank, congratulations, we wish you a lifetime of happiness and lots of adventures in Italy! Thank you for having us there to capture such a beautiful day! Thank you to Kelly Joyce for your amazing shooting skills, and to Maggie Divirgilio for being a fantastic assistant!

Photographers: Lauren Kearns and Kelly Joyce

Assistant: Maggie Divirgilio

Venue: The Madison Hotel

Wedding Dress: Pronovias, Park Avenue Bridals

Makeup: Beauty on Location, NJ

Hair: Lighten Up Salon

Bridesmaid dresses: Bella Bridesmaids

Groom Attire: The Black Tux

Transportation: Santos VIP

Videographer: Above and Beyond

DJ: Shughes Entertainment