Oh my gosh you guys, this wedding was a total blaaassttt!! Marlena and Antonio’s wedding was rooted in family, tradition and celebration. Seeing family come from overseas to celebrate Marlena and Anotonio was truly special and sharing in Italian traditions mixed with modern wedding festivities was amazing! Before I get too into the details of the day, you have to check out Marlena and Antonio’s engagement session. Their love story is seriously movie-worthy and oh so cute!! Check out their engagement session in the mountains on the blog, then get ready to hear all about their elegant wedding!
I started the day meeting up with the girls and much of Marlena’s family at her parent’s house. When I say this house was gorgeous I REALLY mean it! It was totally filled with Italian heritage and gorgeous stucco and marble accents all over. They even had a pizza oven right off their kitchen!! While the girls relaxed and got their hair and makeup done, I started shooting Marlena’s details. The weather that day was stunning so the light was perfect and we found amazing places to shoot details and Marlena’s amazing dress! Her shoes were GORGEOUS. They were simple and elegant just like her details which coordinated so beautifully!
When Marlena finished her hair and makeup everyone just kept saying how beautiful she looked! But her niece Marabella was totally stealing the show all morning, what a cutie she was!! Marlena’s bridesmaids were wearing stunning matching floral robes, they were nothing like I’ve ever seen before! The white lace on Marlena’s robe matched her dress almost perfectly which was so cool! After some fun champagne pictures it was time for Marlena to get dressed and have a first look with her dad.
All morning her dad, and a bunch of their extended family were hanging out downstairs. So we brought Marlena’s dad outside to wait for Marlena and as she walked out of the room she slipped into her dress in, everyone was oo-ing and aa-ing as she walked down the stairs! The moment she shared with her dad was so sweet. All day he looked like he was on the verge of tears. You could really tell he just couldn’t believe his little girl was getting married!
We then all headed over to the church for the ceremony. They got married in a beeaaautifullll church in Florham Park, the sanctuary walls were lined with gorgeous stained glass! When Antonio walked down the aisle he looked nervous but SO excited to finally see Marlena! As each family member walked down the aisle the anticipation to see Marlena grew. They had a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony filled with readings done by family members which were so nice. When Marlena and Antonio were finally pronounced husband and wife, everyone cheered and congratulated the newlyweds!
Right after the ceremony we headed to the one and only Westmount Country Club for photos before the cocktail hour and reception. This venue is GORGEOUS. It has a beautiful view of the town and mountains from their back patio. The lighting back there is stunning and perfect for portraits! Back there we took photos of both of their big families and the wedding party. They had family traveling from Italy for their wedding so we had to be sure to get photos of the whole family together! After we finished with family formals, Marlena and Antonio finally had some quiet time together while we did their bride and groom portraits. The lighting was incredible and I forgot what naturals they were at posing! Their quiet love is sweet and strong and you can tell just by the way they look at each other!
After eating the most delicious food at cocktail hour we photographed their reception details which were so beautiful! They were elegant and modern and mixed with old family photos which was so cool to see. Finally intros kicked off and they were so much fun! Their DJ did such a good job pronouncing those long Italian names and getting everyone excited!! Antonio and Marlena’s nieces and nephews stole the show with their very own intro. As they walked in the whole room burst out cheering for them which put the biggest smiles on their face – it was so cute!
Marlena and Antonio then stole the dance floor for their first dance and oh my goodness it was so cute. They danced to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, but halfway through the song it started being sung in Italian! It was such a fun way to honor their heritage. Each parent dance was just as sweet to watch. Marlena’s dad looked like he could burst into happy tears any second, and Antonio and his mom were hugging tight the entire dance! Dances were followed by toasts which were short, sweet and filled with memories! Claire ended with an Irish proverb which was so nice, and Michal talked about how he married Antonio’s sister so he was stuck with him forever! He had the whole room laughing at that!
Their reception was so much fun! It had such a great mixture of pop and Italian music, everyone was having a blast! The dance floor never died down, the dance moves kept on coming and the singing never stopped! No Italian wedding is complete without a tarantella, so of course everyone spilled out onto the dance floor, linked arms and started dancing around Marlena and Antonio! It was SO FUN. There were smiles across everyone’s faces it was so cool to see!
Marlena and Antonio – wow, what a wedding you two had!! The love in the room was undeniable! You two are surrounded by so many wonderful family members and friends, and you deserve all the happiness in the world! I’m honored you chose me to be part of your love story and welcome me into your big Italian family! I wish you two nothing but the best in the next chapter in your life. Cheers to forever!!
Reception Venue: The One and Only West Mount Country Club
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