Emily and James Avalon Sacred Heart Church Wedding

Wow. This is a special one for me. First of all, this two-day wedding celebration floored me for a few reasons. I have known Emily since childhood, when I would visit my high school besties beach home in Avalon, NJ. Though the age difference now is much less significant, when I met Emily she was a “little girl” and to be be a part of her wedding day as both a photographer and a friend was truly special. It was like photographing my own family’s wedding day.

Emily and James had it in their heart to do a church ceremony, but they also had it in their heart to get married at their favorite venue: The Windrift Hotel. So they did both! The wedding weekend began with a private church ceremony for family at Sacred Heart Church.

Emily’s mom and my high school bestie Katie’s mom are best friends, so we spent the morning at their family house getting ready. After Emily slipped into her stunningly delicate BHLDN dress, we headed to their special beach location on 77th Street to do a first look her her dad, and to take family photos. I then met up with James and his family to do their family photos.

We headed over to Sacred Heart Church for a beautiful ceremony. It’s the cutest little church anyone has ever seen. After their vows, they decided to hop onto a surrey bike and ride over to the Reeds for a rehearsal dinner and reception. It was such a fun idea, and the photographs are hilarious. Emily has a joyous energy about her that made my job easy and shines through in every image. Check out the next blog post to see day two!