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Betty and Ben were married along the shore. It was a beautiful day in Port Jefferson, Long Island, when these two said, “I DO!” The day began with preparations in the bridal suite.

Betty and Ben shared a first look before the ceremony. They met on the boardwalk along the harbor with such a sweet embrace and just a few tears of joy.

Betty and Ben are both photographers, which made me super excited that they wanted to work with me!

Betty shares, “Ben and I met in the library in the photography book section (obviously!). I was putting books away and he was in my way. We saw each other at school about six months later and remembered meeting, and the rest is history. He proposed in our apartment one night after work, very low key. We both wanted a casual wedding, something relaxed and on the water. I am from the north shore of Long Island so Port Jefferson was a perfect spot, and the small town really reminded Ben of where he grew up in Massachusetts. The ceremony outside at Danfords was the most beautiful attraction to us, especially with all the flowers hanging for Mother’s Day weekend. We had the most gorgeous day imaginable. Ben even managed to take a Polaroid photo of us to add to our collection!”

What a CUTE flower girl! And Betty, you look STUNNING!

MARRIED!

The reception took place inside the Danfords Hotel with wildflowers and sunflowers on every table.

The couple shared their first dance to This Will Be Our Year by The Zombies.

Congratulations Betty and Ben!

For more photos check out the slideshow:

Jennifer and Victor were married on a beautiful spring day at the Cedar Lane Church in Bethesda, Maryland.

Jenn shares, “Victor and I met on Match.com in April 2011. We both had a healthy skepticism about online dating, but were really optimistic after our first emails and our first date. However, it was Victor’s temporary assignment to Charleston, SC, and my spontaneous weekend trip to visit him, that really kicked off our relationship. During our weekend together, we realized how much we loved spending time with each other, visiting museums, walking through old plantations and spending hours talking. It was a bit of a risk to spend such a concentrated amount of time together right after we started dating, but it definitely paid off!

Victor proposed one week before he was deployed with the US Air Force. We had been out to dinner with a good friend, who spent the entire meal teasing Victor about how he should propose before he left, not knowing that Victor had the ring in his pocket. After a six-month separation, a joyful reunion and a two-week vacation on the West Coast, Victor and I started planning our wedding, wanting it to reflect our eclectic interests and be a fun celebration for our families and friends.”

Victor shares, “I picked Glen Echo Park (a historic carousel and amusement park) to propose because we both had great memories of spending time there with our families as kids, and it felt like it would be an opportunity to reflect on that, as well as a way to properly start our own family together. After talking about marriage for months, it was still so special to watch the shock and happiness on her face when I popped the question.

Jenn knew that I didn’t want to see her before she walked down the aisle on the day of the wedding, so that moment was really emotional. Luckily, she started to put my ring on the wrong hand, which gave us a chance to laugh and get our nervousness out!

The reception was exactly what we wanted, with everyone dancing and having a great time. It was so much fun and an amazing way to get our marriage off on the right foot.”

The reception was held in a cool outdoor restaurant in Friendship Heights called Indique Heights.

Cheers!

Jenn and Victor shared their first dance to Rock of Gibraltar by Nick Cave:

Let me say this to you
I’ll be steadfast and true
And my love will never falter

The sea would crash about us
The waves would lash about us
I’ll be your Rock of Gibraltar

Sometimes it’s hard
And we’re both caught off guard
But there’s nothing I would ever alter

The wind could howl round our ears
For the next thousand years
I’d still be your Rock of Gibraltar 

The best thing I done
Was to make you the one
Who I’d walk with down to the altar

You’d stand by me 
And together we’d be
That great, steady Rock of Gibraltar 

Congratulations Jenn and Victor!

Check out more photos in the slideshow:

Special thanks to all the vendors:
Church: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (CLUUC)
Minister: Heather Janueles
Restaurant: Indique Heights
Florist: Buttercups Floral Design
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bride’s Earrings: Kate Spade
Wedding Dress: Vera Wang
DJ: Lance Vegas
Cake Baker: Pastries by Randolph
Invitation Company: Wedding Paper Divas

Dan and Scott were married on a gorgeous day at the Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club in NYC. We began the day with photos in Bryant Park.

Dan and Scott found each other through the power of the Internet. Scott was living in New Hope, PA, a small Delaware River settlement in Bucks County while Dan had been residing in a small apartment in Philadelphia. Scott contacted Dan and soon they were talking on the phone and planning to meet.

Dan shares, “We decided to meet at a local Philadelphia eatery for lunch on a Sunday in August. What was to have been a lunch only turned into a day-long date that included walks in Rittenhouse Square Park, making use of swings at a city playground, having root beer floats at an historic apothecary, and viewing a film.

We’d been together for twelve years and abandoned the notion of being able to be legally married in our lifetime. But, thankfully, the tides of change have begun to move through states who understand equality. In October 2013, while on a Caribbean cruise, Scott proposed and we decided on a spring wedding in New York City.”

Their adorable Cairn Terrier, Madison, was an important part of the day. She served as ring bearer!

Such a CUTIE!

All the guests arrived early for wine and hors d’oeuvres in the lounge.

The ceremony was short and sweet with personal vows and many tearful moments.

Dan continues, “We were thrilled that our guests included family from Pittsburgh and Rochester and Buffalo, NY, friends from our resident area, from the Metro New York area, and as far away as Florida and California. It was a very diverse mix and everyone seemed to blend well.

Our wedding theme was “simple and elegant,” and in hindsight we are pretty confident in stating that we accomplished that goal.”

Cheers!

Dan shares his favorite moment from the day, “It could have been when we each shared special thoughts before we exchanged vows, or having our parents represented with candles burning while we were wed.” He also adds some other favorites, “…the gorgeous poem and blessing offered  by my Aunt Mary Lou and the toast from Jim Gramkee, my best man and older brother. Jim’s touching and eloquent speech about his gentle souled youngest brother finding his mate in Scott brought everyone to tears, though likely no one more so than me who offered a flood of happy tears that afternoon. (I must have lost ten pounds in water weight on my wedding day!)”

Congratulations Dan and Scott!

For more photos check out the slideshow:

Special thanks to all the vendors!
Venue: The Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, SSMA
Catering: Twin Palettes
Violinist: Susan Heerema
Wedding Rings: Castor Jewelry
Photography: Jessica Schmitt

Ellen and Ron were married on a beautiful spring day in Central Park. Preparation for the day began at the new NYLO hotel on the Upper West Side.

Ron waited anxiously for Ellen to share their first look on the terrace of the hotel.

All of the cherry blossoms and dogwood are in full bloom. It was beautiful!

Ellen and Ron were engaged in a charming bed and breakfast on a farm. Ellen continues, “Ron and I went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last year for my birthday weekend and he proposed exactly at 12 a.m. on my birthday.”

Congratulations Ellen and Ron!

Jill and Marcus were married on a beautiful day in TriBeCa. The bride and groom got ready at the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Jill and Marcus shared their first look right out in front of the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

The bride shares, “In the week leading up to the wedding, the forecast had been predicting rain, at one point an 80% chance. We were SO relieved that amid this crazy winter we had a mostly sunny day with temps in the low 60’s which enabled us to take outdoor photos (and was one less thing to stress over!)”

The ceremony and reception were held at the Mediterranean-inspired Thalassa restaurant.

Jill continues, “The day has so many favorite parts, but one of them was definitely the first look, as well as seeing Teagan and Rylan (the flower girl and ring bearer) in their wedding attire. They looked so cute! Another fun part of the evening was during the Hora. We had stopped it and then re-started it because my parents wanted to also be lifted up in the chairs. Marcus’s parents also joined in the chair-lift fun. One of my friends said to me, ‘That was either the shortest Hora ever or the longest Hora ever, I’m not sure.’

The night went by so quickly and we were so happy to celebrate with our family and friends who came in from all different parts of the country to attend our wedding. It meant so much to us to have them there. We had a great time!””

Congratulations to Jill and Marcus on your beautiful wedding in TriBeCa!

For more photos check out the slideshow:

Slideshow song: Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub.

Also, check out their engagement photos in the East Village.

Special thanks to al the vendors:
Hotel: TriBeCa Grand
Venue: Thalassa
Flowers: Bride and Blossom
Cake: A Simple Cake
DJ: Expressway Music
Make Up: Sissi Chan
Dress: Birnbaum & Bullock
Shoes: Nina Glynna Sandal
Earrings: Nadri
Rings: Heart of Gold
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Officiant: Rabbi Melissa Heller
Videographer: Milestone Video Productions
Photo Booth: Sweet Booths
Photographe: Jessica Schmitt and Eric Swartz