New Jersey Diner Inspired Wedding :: Jessica + Adam

Weddings

August 26, 2015

When Jess contacted me it was only 1 month until her wedding. It was almost certain I would probably not have her date available, but luck would have it that we were totally available! We feel like it was meant to be. A huge thank you to Jersey Joint’s Gerry Rosenthal for helping us connect. 🙂 Jessica and Adam were planning an intimate wedding surrounded by their favorites in Woodbridge, NJ. When we showed up all of the girls were at the salon getting their hair and makeup done. Jess was sitting in the chair on her 3rd try for the perfect hair style. Munching on saltine crackers and gaterade…she explained that the pre-wedding party lasted a little bit longer and went a little bit harder than expected. We found this hilarious! She already had her wedding dress on as the stylist curled her dark locks of hair and gave us a small box of sentimental things people had made for her wedding. She was the most relaxed bride we think we had ever seen. She kept reminding her makeup artist that she is naturalist…tons of makeup and lashes just wouldn’t be her style. After a long debate and cutting the fake eye lashes 2 times…we finally all agreed on a natural look. This was the first time we met Jess in person. Typically, we meet our couples for an engagement session before the wedding, but in this case we met her on her wedding day. She and her friends immediately gave us a welcoming feel and made sure we felt right at home. That’s pretty magical.

Jeff headed to the house to meet up with the guys. Jessica and Adam’s son, Ben, was also hanging out with the gang playing outside in the kiddie pool. His locks of curls can make anyone’s heart melt. He is such a cutie and totally stole the show all day. Adam and his groomsmen were quite the treat. We kept saying they look like they could have their own Blockbuster movie. Each of them completely unique and full of awesomeness. The Saab was one of the most important things to Adam on wedding day. So, we made sure to take as many rad shots of the guys in the car as possible. The girls headed to Roe’s Diner where they would wait for the guys to arrive and the first look would happen. The ladies at the diner were so sweet to let us all sit at the bar. Milkshakes, french fries, champagne and chicken strips…these girls were down for a normal day and keeping it REAL. We had so much fun in that 30 minutes shooting around the counter of the diner taking orders and serving coffee. I felt like these girls were my insta-friends. Soon the guys would arrive and Jess and Adam were able to see each other for the first time. Everyone in the diner was watching along with all of their dearest friends. What a fun bunch of people- seriously, we could hang out with these folks all the time!

We loved that Jessica and Adam wanted to keep this a real, chill and meaningful wedding. Most of the pictures were taken in their back yard. The kids were running around playing, friends were chatting and family were admiring. To this day I have never met anyone as free spirited as Jessica. She dances like no one is watching. She loves like a river flows. She embraces like a mothers hug. She is pretty remarkable. Seeing Jess, Adam and Ben being officially joined together as a family was really sweet. The ceremony was so sentimental. So unique. So real. Her friends stood before the crowd to read carefully written poetry that so wonderfully expressed how they felt about the couple. We have never seen anything like that- amazing.

The night was filled with dancing and hugs. The band, Jersey Joint, rocked it out. Adam even decided to jump on the drums and his buddy on the guitar and play a couple of tunes. This party was hoppin’ and the joint was rockin’. Everyone was sweaty and everyone was present. Thats really a perfect ending to a perfect day.

We are ever so grateful that this beautiful family landed into our path. So happy and excited to watch their lives unfold. Congrats guys!

Leaha + Jeffrey