I cannot wait to share everything about Kate and Nick’s Knoll Country Club Wedding because omg it was seriously THE perfect spring wedding!! Even though it was a typical April day with a bit of rain and fog this didn’t dampen Kate and Nick’s spirits one bit! Everything from their perfect spring color palette to the non-stop dance party at the end of the night made this a spring wedding for the books!

And before I gush about all of the amazing details of their wedding day, you have to head over and check out their engagement session blog at Cross Estate Gardens! This is absolutely one of my favorite engagement sessions – these two are seriously naturals!

The bridal prep pictures were a BLAST! I knew every single bridesmaid but one (which now I do!) from high school and past weddings. I’ve been friends with this group for as long as I can remember! Everyone was laughing hysterically during champagne pictures which made for some adorable candid shots! The girls’ hair and makeup was done by Julie Finnerty and Ashley Landry. These two are seriously amazing and I loveeee working with them!

They wore robes with palm leaves on them which matched the greenery of the invites as well as the green in the bridesmaid dresses. Everything coordinated so perfectly! Kate left no detail out!! Her something blue came from her garter as well as the bracelet that Nick had gifted her. I love the ways brides choose to incorporate tradition into their wedding day!

When it was time for Kate to put on the final touches and get dressed, Kate’s mom and sister helped her into her BEAUTIFUL dress by Enzoani from I Do, I do in Morristown. She looked absolutely breathtaking and had the whole room squealing with excitement!

This invitation suite was gorgeous! It was decorated with greenery in the design that which matched their color palette perfectly! Nick’s ring had each of their initials engraved in it along with the wedding date. This was such a sweet detail to see, I absolutely loved it! As a present to his bride, Nick got Kate a Tiffany necklace and bracelet that she ended up wearing the entire wedding AND Kate got Nick a watch the he ended up wearing…talk about the perfect match!!

While I was with the girls, Scott, my second shooter and FIANCE got ready with the guys who were at the same hotel as the girls. Scott said he had an absolute blast and says he’ll never be able to top this wedding because they played Super Smash Brothers and he loves each and every one of them dearly! I knew ALL the guys from high school since Nick and I were in the same grade, and they just so happen to be my best guy friends from high school too! NOTHING makes me happier than reconnecting with old friends on wedding days!

When prep was done, it was finally time for Kate’s first look with her dad which happened in the hotel lobby. It was witnessed by most of the bridal party who had to hold back tears because it was such a beautiful moment! I had to hold back a few tears myself!! Right after, the whole wedding party went to the venue for portraits! They all hopped in the party bus while Kate and her family got into a limo to take them over.

When we got to the venue, we did a first look with Kate and Nick. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the day! It was pouring rain out so we couldn’t go on the golf course, and there was an event running late inside the venue’s ballroom so we opted for a place outside under the covered veranda. This was such a sweet moment! To see two of my lifelong friends fall in love is just the greatest joy to me! Right after we took a few portraits we then got the bridal party outside for wedding party pictures!

I truly don’t think I could have a better wedding party than Kate and Nick’s. Like when am I ever going to be friends with like all 14 of the people in it?! My gosh, what a freakin’ blast. Luckily, despite the rain we had a pretty awesome spot outside to take wedding party pictures against a neutral wall with a beautiful floor to ceiling window – and the window detail just so happened to coordinate great with the colors of the wedding party!

I am so happy these two didn’t let the rain stop them from having such a great time. They’re truly such incredible people. Since there wasn’t much room to separate, I took all the wedding party and bridesmaids/groomsmen group pictures and then Scott took some fun pictures of the guys and girls individually! Once we were done with the wedding party pictures, I took a few bridals of Kate while the wedding party and Nick and his family went to the church for the ceremony and greeting of guests!

Finally it was ceremony time, which was held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berlin, New Jersey. Kate’s dad walked her down the aisle to a beaming Nick, and these two literally couldn’t stop smiling or holding hands or whispering to each other the entire ceremony! I even said to Scott, “they’re just SO HAPPY I love it!!” mid ceremony. They shared vows and exchanged rings and when they were pronounced husband and wife the room completely erupted with applause. I couldn’t imagine a better match than these two!

Right after the ceremony, we took family formals at the church and then went over to the venue to do Kate and Nick’s portraits. We were done earlier than expected which meant more time for portraits. The venue gave us a golf cart to venture down on the course to where the cherry blossoms were blooming! It was so wonderful!! The trees were STUNNING and the fog was rolling through the golf course which made the BEST backdrop for their portraits. That, on top of their pure joy, and Kate’s stunning veil and gown made for some of my favorite springtime portraits of all time!

Immediately after portraits, Kate and Nick went to their cocktail hour and I went to photograph the reception details! Then, I joined in the cocktail hour and caught up with all my high school friends! It was so so fun and I already wish we could do it all over again! As soon as the guests came into the room after cocktail hour the reception kicked off with a bang!

Kate shared a first dance with Nick, followed by two tear jerking parent dances. There were no dry eyes in the room (at least mine weren’t)! Toasts were given by Tom, Kate’s Dad, Kelly, Kate’s MOH and sister, and Jake and James, Nick’s younger brothers. This was when I really started tearing up (and laughing hysterically) because of how freaking PROUD everyone is about these two incredible humans. Honestly, Scott and I kept saying: they just don’t make people like Kate and Nick very often, they’re just incredibleeeee.

Kate and Nick are BOTH kind, compassionate, noble, honorable, loyal, sincere, genuine, funny, smart, athletic, the list goes on. And it’s so clear how excited both these families are to see these two come together to form one family unit. When toasts were finished the dance floor started and didn’t stop once throughout the night! Posh DJ’s did an INSANELY amazing job getting the dance floor packed all night and I really don’t think it could have been any better. At 10 o’clock when I was done with my coverage, Scott and I hit the dance floor hard with all our friends! Dancing ensued for the rest of the night and the dance floor was packed all night long! We ended with a song from the Shrek soundtrack (naturally) and everyone left with sore feet, full hearts, huge smiles, and joyful spirits.

Kate and Nick, I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Your love for each other, your friends, and your family is truly beautiful and so genuine and I am so lucky to call you friends, to have worked with you over the last year and half, and to be a part of whatever life brings you next. I love you both so much and I know a lifetime of happiness, joy and love will be filling the decades to come.

Wedding Planner – Linda Dahlin!

Wedding Cake – A Little Cake

Bride’s Dress Boutique – I Do, I Do

Bride’s Dress Designer – Enzoani: “Kaylin”

Bridesmaids Dresses Boutique – The Wedding Store

Bridesmaids Dresses Designer – Bill Levkoff

Groom Attire – Men’s Warehouse (Rockaway): Calvin Klein

Groomsmens Attire – Men’s Warehouse (Rockaway): Calvin Klein

Florist – Conroy’s Florist

Band/DJ – POSH DJs

Ceremony Music if applicable – Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Videographer/Cinematographer – Michael Abbatiello-ShutterCoNJ