Steve was a neighbor of mine and has been a friend since he lived around the corner. He’s someone that shares a love of technology and has a similar pallet for beer & wine to mine. I was honored that he asked me to photograph his wedding which was held at the beautiful Ninety Acres in Gladstone, NJ.
I had not met Christine so I invited the couple to a local diner to chat about their wedding plans. They explained that it would be a small, intimate affair, no bridal party - just them. In fact, the public event almost didn’t happen. They had planned to elope and then realized they’d be missing out on an opportunity to celebrate with close family and friends.
The skies were very ominous that day and the forecast called for thunderstorms. In NJ its usually a good idea to have an outdoor and indoor plan. The staff at Ninety Acres set up inside, just in case.
At the time Christine & Steve arrived we had a nice showing of sunshine and were able to get some photos. As you can see from the attire, they chose a unique, 'out of the magazine' kind of feel.
This venue has some pretty amazing views and is set back off the main road probably 1/2 mile and even the drive up to Ninety Acres feels privileged. They also have a unique decor inside which I used as my backdrop for some of the images.
Both Christine & Steve remained cool and collected throughout the day. Their connection comes through clearly in their interaction with each other. As the newly married couple, they had access to a "members only" area which we used for a few minutes prior to the ceremony starting.
As luck would have it, the skies parted and gave just enough of a break to allow them to have the ceremony outside. There was a complete downpour shortly after the ceremony finished.
Christine & Steve included a sand ceremony to symbolize the joining of two families and featured his two daughters, Emily and Meredith.
And they're married...
Some of the kids from the wedding...
And the food...
I used some cork and a menu with the Ninety Acre logo to feature the rings...
One of the final images of the night. Its hard to tell from this perspective however, they are inside the wine cellar which is a temperature controlled room. Special thanks to Megan and Vince (bartender) for allowing us to get inside the room to make this image. And of course a big thank you to Christine & Steve for allowing me to be a part of your special day.
Credits:
Event Coordinator: Megan Dashio @ Ninety Acres
Florist: Laura Clare