- Sep 13, 2017

A Love This Real // Nicole + James

Everything about this wedding was truly a dream for us! Nicole and James truly were such a sweet and gracious couple, plus we had the opportunity to film at their spectacular venue for the first time!

Nicole and James met seven years ago at the hospital in which they both still work to this day. Nicole was a new hire at the time and the day her instructor introduced her to James, their story together began. As so many of our couples tell us, Nicole knew James was ‘the one’ when she saw how he interacted with her family, as spending time with family is paramount for both of them… you really can’t place a value on that important connection.

James’ proposal was a family affair as well!

One day, James told Nicole he was going to the gym. Nicole had plans to go shopping with her sister and mother, but when she pulled into the driveway, there was James’ family and her family, each person holding a balloon that spelled out, “WILL YOU MARRY ME?”! James stood at the end of the line (in his gym clothes!) with flowers and the ring. Of course, Nicole said “yes” and everyone celebrated their engagement together afterwards at her family home!

It was the last beautiful summer day before yet another heat wave that Nicole and James said ‘I do’ to a lifetime together. That morning, Nicole and her bridesmaids got ready at the Hewitt Wellington Hotel, a grand Victorian hotel in the seaside town of Spring Lake, while James and his groomsmen got ready at Nicole’s parents’ beach house.

Nicole wore a gorgeous, intricately beaded strapless gown with an unbelievably beautiful, full ruffle detail in the skirt! This truly might be one of our favorite wedding dresses yet! She wore her hair up and fastened with a sparkling brooch and a long, flowing veil. Twisted Willow Flowers created such exquisite bouquets in white and blush blooms (and later carried this soft, romantic color scheme into their venue in breathtaking, lush floral arrangements).

Before their ceremony, Nicole and James took time out of their morning preparations to read their love notes. We love it when the couples we film take a moment to read aloud the love letters that they write for each other for the first time on their wedding day, a special moment that they’ll be able to treasure forever in their film.

Then it was time to head to the church where Nicole and James would see each other for the first time on this special day. As the processional began, we all agreed that the flower girls and ring bearer were beyond cute! And we loved watching James’ face as he couldn’t take his eyes off his bride as she walked up the aisle to meet him. They had a traditional ceremony at St. Catharine Church where the Reverend Robert Ianelli spoke about marriage being a call to give all that one has, and in that, each will discover the full gift of oneself to the other.

Following the ceremony, we followed along as photographer extraordinaire, Jeff Tisman, and his terrific assistant photographed the couple and bridal party. We always love working with Jeff and his crew and to top it off, we know his images will always be creative and dramatic, true works of art. The bridal party really enjoyed their photo shoot, as did the couple later on when beautiful sunset photos were taken on the dock.

Nicole and James’ reception was held at Clarks Landing Yacht Club in Point Pleasant. What a fantastic venue, and an exciting new one for us! This decidedly nautical wedding destination is located right on the Matasquan River and just minutes from the beach. Jenny Orsini Events expertly coordinated this wedding day with the couple, which was seamless from start to finish.

Nicole and James entered and danced a beautiful choreographed first dance together, followed by touching first dances with their parents. Afterwards, we heard a beautiful speech from Nicole’s father, as well as such lovely toasts from the maids of honor and the best men. And James’ grandfather’s speech was also so sincere and so moving. We really don’t think there was a dry eye in the house after his sweet toast to the man James has become and to the couple.

We’ve seen some rollicking dance floors in our years of filming, but we have to say, the dancing certainly was wild that night! Posh Entertainment provided their DJ services for this event and definitely kept this crowd happy! A lot of people in their families were meeting for the first time that day and everyone just clicked on the dance floor, something that was very important to Nicole and James. We understand that their fantastic DJ, Austin John, had to remind everyone the party was over at the end of the evening!

Throughout the day, it was clear to see that Nicole and James are perfect complements to each other and are simply made for each other. What a fantastic wedding, a beautiful day and a sweet couple. Our warmest congratulations to Nicole and James!