I love summer weddings! I was so excited to photograph Brad and Kristen’s wedding last month at the Battleground Country Club in Manalapan, New Jersey. We had the perfect weather and a gorgeous, green backdrop to take our photos. Even the ceremony space, which was outside, had the perfect combination of greenery and flowers to make the sweetest, romantic setting for Brad and Kristen to tie the knot!

We started the day in the bridal suite where Kristen got ready, surrounded by an amazing bridal party! These ladies were awesome and always ready to help Kristen whenever she needed them! Once she was ready, she shared a special first look with her father before we were off for the first look with her groom!

The rest of our day consisted of taking photos with a big bridal party with a lot of personality! It’s always the best when the bridal party has me laughing and smiling while taking pictures!

Finally it was time for Brad and Kristen to become husband and wife! Surrounded by their wonderful family and friends, this lovely couple said “I Do!” Congratulations Brad and Kristen! It was a honor to capture your special day!

-Michelle 🙂

Welcome to the world, Kaylee! I photographed this sweet, sweet girl last week and it was the most adorable session ever! Kaylee had her mom, dad and grandma by her side to pick out her outfits, change her diaper and put her back to sleep after eating.

I just love babies so much, so working with Kaylee all afternoon was perfection! She was so sweet and loved getting to sleep on her belly. Any time that I rocked her back to sleep, I could have stayed like that all day long! She loved to snuggle up and even though she wanted her arms out when she was swaddled, she was still the most precious ever!

It was really special to watch Kaylee’s mom and dad work together to get her dressed or fed. After all, she is their first baby! But mom and dad, you guys are doing amazing! Congratulations on your perfect little angel!

-Michelle 🙂

I always have the best time when I get to photograph one of my favorite families, and last week on the beach was no different! This sweet family of four met with me at Island Beach State Park just when the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. They had the perfect summer outfits and they all looked totally adorable!

Despite walking through a semi forest to get to the beach, and batting away flies, we had the beach to ourselves and it was amazing. Whether the ocean was in the background or it was the dunes and trees, this crew laughed, smiled and looked flawless the entire session.

It’s so special getting to watch these two little ones grow and I love every minute of getting to photograph them!

-Michelle 🙂

Tis the season for endless beach photos, aka my favorite thing ever! I had the pleasure of photographing a great family on the beach in Sea Bright last week and it was pretty amazing! Whenever you get a family group together on vacation, you know it’s going to be a pretty fun time when you take family photos. Especially when the family is from all over the country and can only get together once or twice a year!

Keith, the boyfriend of the year, surprised his girlfriend Erin with family photos for her birthday when he knew they would all be on vacation together! Seriously how cool is that?! We had parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it, hanging out of the beach and being super patient for all the group photos we wanted to get! We had the perfect weather, the perfect backdrop, and the perfect family together for some really beautiful photos. Whenever I’m laughing as much as I did during this session, you know it had to be good!

-Michelle 🙂

There’s just something pretty amazing about a summer wedding! The sun is out, everyone is smiling and you know that love is in the air! I recently had the pleasure of photographing Deirdre and John’s wedding who have to be the most adorable couple ever! I knew last year when I photographed their engagement session that their wedding was going to be such a special day! And honestly, it truly was!

John and Deirdre were married at St. Francis Cathedral in Metuchen, NJ and they spent their first day as Mr. and Mrs. with their awesome friends and families at the cutest brunch reception…with an equally awesome waffle bar, just sayin’ 🙂 When they weren’t on the dance floor or singing along to a Penn State favorite (Sweet Caroline to be exact) they were taking silly pictures in the photo booth or spending some time with their guests.

The bridal party was fashionably late however to the reception because of course we had to take advantage of the beautiful grounds at the Stage House Tavern for some photos. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were seriously the best ever! They were calling out poses for the bride and groom and pretty much making my job a breeze! You guys are available to come with me to my next wedding right? Posing assistants?! They all were such a fun group to work with!

Congratulations John and Deirdre on a simply perfect wedding day and I wish you both all the best in your future as Mr. and Mrs.

-Michelle 🙂

Venue: Stage House Tavern Somerset
DJ: Marshall Moore of Elite Entertainment
Favors: Leonidas Chocolates
Centerpieces and Decor: Gardenias Floral Metuchen
Hair: Jen from Hair Plus, Edison
Makeup: Lois from Lo and Behold Makeup
Bride’s Dress: Mill Crest Vintage
Bridesmaids Dresses: Shop Theresa Nast, Etsy
Groom and Groomsmen: Suit Supply and Neck & Tie Company
Videographers: Shuttersound Pictures
Wedding Cake: La Bonbonniere, Edison

I’m pretty sure everyone who knows me knows that I love the beach! So the only thing better than spending the day at the beach is photographing one of your best friend’s weddings! When Taylor asked me to be her photographer, I was so so excited! Taylor and I met at Penn State where we were roommates for our senior year…aka the best year ever! I met Doug a few years later when we were all back at Penn State and seeing the two of them together just melts my heart!

Despite this beach wedding being in the middle of May, it was close to 100 degrees! I’m pretty sure everyone was melting the entire day, but no one showed it! Whether I was photographing the details in the a.c. or sweating on the beach with the bridal party, it was still the best day ever! The girls got ready in their hotel rooms along with fun music and yummy mimosas while the guys got ready nearby and met me on the beach.

Taylor and Doug were surrounded by their amazing families and great friends and it truly made for a special day. While getting ready, taking portraits on the beach, or dancing the night away, there were smiles all around and everyone was filled with such happiness for the bride and groom. However, my favorite part of the day had to be Taylor and Doug’s first look. My assistant, and totally awesome sister, and I orchestrated the bride and groom on where to go and how to stand before the big reveal! When Doug turned around, I started to tear up!! He had the biggest smile on his face and he literally leaped for joy toward his beautiful bride to be. It was so awesome!

I truly had such a blast photographing this wedding and capturing every special moment for Taylor and Doug! Congratulations to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Marple! I hope your new married life together is your greatest adventure yet. Love you guys!

-Michelle 🙂

Venue and Catering: Henlopen Hotel Salero Oceanfront Banquet Facility
DJ: Steve Dennis
Favors: Scamps Toffee
Centerpieces: Carol Hager
Hair: Emily Menoher at the Hair Parade
Makeup: Emily Riggle at Younique Representative

Last week, when the weather was actually feeling like summer, I did an awesome session with a super fun family! We started at St. Joe’s Church in Toms River for Angelo’s First Communion. His mom had sent me a bunch of photos that she wanted me to take, so Angelo was ready to go with each one at each spot in the church! He obviously practiced his poses because he looked awesome 🙂

While mom, dad and little sister Ava sat in the back of the church, Angelo and I took advantage of the beautiful altar and stained glass windows. The best part was probably when Angelo posed with a photo of himself from his Baptism! He couldn’t believe that he was ever that small!

After we finished at the church, we headed out to Island Heights where the weather was absolutely gorgeous! We walked all around the pier, up in the gazebo and finally finished in the water! The kids loved playing in it, even though it was a little cold!

-Michelle 🙂

It literally feels like yesterday when I started nannying for Gabriella. She was only 4 months old! I can’t believe that today she is two years old! Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Gabriella, whom I’ve nicknamed “Peanut”, was so excited to put on all the fancy new clothes her mom had packed for our birthday session. Not only did we do an entire photo session, but we went through our regular day together of playing, napping and having snacks! It was an exhausting morning, but it was so much fun with my favorite little girl!

We had so many fun props to use for this session; flowers, balloons, pretend cupcakes and it was awesome to see Gabriella playing and exploring during our session. A fun fact about this little sweet pea is that when you ask her to smile, she sticks her tongue out! I kept having to remember to say cheese instead of smile! Never a dull moment with my Peanut!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the best, funniest, cutest, smartest little girl I know! Your Meesh (that’s her name for me) loves you so, so much!

-Meesh 🙂

Ever since the weather started getting warmer this spring, I couldn’t wait for an outdoor session, and Grace’s upcoming Communion was the perfect occasion! Dressed like the perfect little angel, Grace was just so much fun to photograph. It was pretty windy by the water, but Grace held her poses and smiled the whole way through.

We originally picked Island Heights for the location of this session because it has such a great backdrop with the water. It was only after we started photographing however, that we realized the gazebo at Island Heights was pretty similar to a church. Between the church like setting and the lighting, Grace really did look like an angel! It’s always fun to photograph Grace and her family, but it was especially fun this time around to celebrate Grace’s First Communion. Congratulations Grace!

-Michelle 🙂