Emily and Tom's New Jersey Wedding

I was very happy to photograph my good friend Tom’s wedding last week in Morristown, New Jersey.  Coincidentally, it’s the town where my mother was raised!
Tom and I were fraternity brothers (FIJI) at the University of Richmond, in Virginia, so it’s so much fun to photograph a couple that I already know!  Emily and Tom make a great couple, and are so expressive!!  The day began at the Hyatt Morristown and Emily’s fun red shoes!

The rings are on Emily and Tom’s neat invitation made of wood!

I would never talk a couple into seeing each other before the ceremony if they have the desire to wait until the bride walks down the aisle.. However, I LOVE it when they choose to see each other before the ceremony!!!  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First of all, it’s a neat and emotional moment!  When everyone is standing to welcome the bride into the ceremony, it’s tough to get a great picture of both bride and dad walking down the aisle, and the groom’s expression when seeing her for the first time…Not impossible, just tough.  Whereas, if they see each other BEFORE the ceremony, I can carefully arrange the lighting and situation to capture some amazing moments.  (Another great reason is that it frees the schedule a bit by taking the family pictures before the ceremony and not missing cocktail hour…) The reaction and expression on Tom’s face when he turned around to see Emily for the first time is priceless:

Then it was off to the St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, NJ.  One of the best moments was when Emily tried putting the ring on Tom’s middle finger.  It got a great laugh from everyone:
From the ceremony, we headed to the spot of their first date, the Sushi Lounge in Morristown:

And then back to the Hyatt and the reception.  It was a fun moment when the father daughter dance was ending, and Emily’s dad took off his jacket and threw it, and Emily kicked off her shoes and the music switched to a fast dance song as all of the guests hit the dance floor:

Congrats guys!!!!

And a thank you to my 2nd photographer for this wedding, Damien Andrews!