A Floral Coach House Wedding

I first met Laura and Mike for their engagement session in Newport, RI on a beautiful, very breeze day.  Laura is a wedding photographer herself (very talented!), which raised the stakes for perfection a little, and I was grateful when their wedding day turned out to be perfectly calm. I am also  honored that she chose me to photographer her very own wedding!

Can I tell you how fun it is to collaborate with someone who perfectly understand the challenges I face at every wedding? Laura knows a few things about competing with cell phones during the ceremony. Her solution was to have four adorable children open the ceremony with a poem about having professionals present to capture the ceremony perfectly, so everyone could put away their cell phones! I loved it! Who is going to defy adorable children? And, yes, we got some fantastic photographs of Laura’s ceremony – but I think the guests really enjoyed just being present.

Laura and Mike were supposed to get married in January, but they pivoted and made the style of their day work for mid-September! And, actually, the delay was worthwhile (at least as far as weddings photo go), as Laura and Mike got to enjoy The Ryland Inn’s Coach House at its best – with a sea of roses adorning the front!

Laura’s floral detail stood out, unique among the weddings I’ve photographed this season.  The choice of tiny, delicate roses and berries created an uninterrupted bouquet of pink and purple flowers, beautiful and striking in both pattern and texture [thanks to Jardiniere Fine Florals creative design]. Laura loves flowers and was so excited about her bouquet. Photography naturally hones the eye for detail, and an all-round artistry was evident throughout the choices Laura had made for both her details and setting.  Again and again as were progressed throughout the day, I met with constant reminders that my bride was both a talented photographer in her own right and an artist (Laura even painted flowers that she then scanned into photoshop to create her own ceremony programs and dinner menus!).

While Laura was thinking winter wedding originally, her wedding dress was timeless and perfect for any season! I absolutely love the detail in her sleeves, and we captured it in many of our images.  We ended up taking a majority of Laura’s and Mike’s portraits before the ceremony, but right before their reception began, we saw a glorious, golden light begin to glow from behind the Coach House, and Laura and Mike were more than thrilled to take a few more portraits – these ended up being not only among the best photographs of the day, but among my favorites – and will be making their way over to my master portfolio! The roses were on full display in this great location as well, a wonderful compliment to all the pink flowers in Laura’s wedding decor.

Having captured the last of the glorious light of the day, it was party time and Laura wasn’t kidding when she said that “Magic Mike” comes alive on the dance floor! Mike might seem quiet and reserved, but he is a dancing king for sure. We ended the night with s’mores (my absolute favorite) and said our goodbyes!

Laura and Mike – we are so happy for you! It was an absolute pleasure being part of this journey with you and we wish you all the best! Thank you for making us part of your beautiful wedding! Congratulations!

Venue: Ryland Inn Coach House, Whitehouse, NJ

Florist: Jardiniere Fine Florals

Hair & Makeup: J. Walker Salon

Dress: Justin Alexander, Seng Couture

Bridesmaid Dresses: Marchese Notte & Birdy Grey

Videographer: NST Pictures

Entertainment: Elegant Music Group