After photographing Christine and Tom’s beautiful beachfront engagement session, I became even more excited for their New Jersey wedding at the ICONA Avalon. This was my first time working at the ICONA, and it is now one of my favorite New Jersey wedding venues.

The ceremony was set to take place on the beach, but the weather had other plans for us. The rain didn’t let up all day, and the wind didn’t help either. However! That didn’t prevent everyone from having an absolute blast. It was a perfect day all around, keep reading to see some highlights from the day.

GETTING READY AT NEW JERSEY WEDDING VENUE THE ICONA AVALON

This New Jersey wedding took place in one amazing location, the ICONA Avalon hotel. Christine was accompanied by her bridesmaids, mom, and mother-in-law, and Tom spent his morning with his groomsmen.

It’s such a lovely start to the day when the spouses-to-be have gifts for each other. Tom gave Christine a Tiffany ring and a heartfelt card; this made for such sweet, candid moments.

Christine’s gift from Tom.

Tom, getting up close and personal.

GETTING READY PHOTOS WITH TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS

When trying to decide if you should book one or two photographers for your wedding, keep a few things in mind: are you and your spouse both getting ready at the *same* time/in different locations? + will you have more than 150 guests?

While their guest list did not exceed 150 people, it was important for them to have all the moments during the getting ready part of the day. Solo portraits took place at once, this way no time was taken away from the first look. More on that later!

If you’re trying to decide if you need two photographers for your wedding, check out THIS post.

Christine’s beautiful details.

HOW TO TAKE GREAT WEDDING PHOTOS IN A HOTEL

Since the weather was clearly not going our way, we had to get creative with the way we composed our photos. This meant embracing silhouettes, details, and doing looooots of tidying up around the room.

Always make sure your getting ready space has an out of the way area for your belongings. This way, there are no eye sores in the background of your photos.

FIRST LOOK PHOTOS AT NEW JERSEY WEDDING VENUE ICONA AVALON HOTEL

The balcony of Christine’s suite at the ICONA ended up being the perfect place for the first look. Doing our best to avoid the rain and wind, it was time for Chritine to approach Tom.

A first look during your wedding day is when both spouses-to-be see each other in their full wedding attire for the first time. It’s also an opportunity to get some hella cute “surprise, look how cute I am” photos.

When Tom turned around, he immediately greeted Christine with “oh my gosh, honey!” Here are some favorites from the first look:

After the first look and some couples portraits, the wedding party and family gathered in the lobby for formal photos. This is usually the most hectic part of the day. Family and friends are mingling, waiting for their turn to be in front of the camera with the spouses-to-be, and if you don’t have an organized system for the photos, it can become chaotic very quickly. Luckily, we’ve always been able to have a streamlined list of everyone’s names and finish family/friend formals with time to spare. Let us know if you need any tips, we are happy to help you out!

Christine decided to snack on some cheez-its after her and the bridesmaids were done with photos.

Ceremony at ICONA Avalon in New Jersey

The rain was still going strong, so Christine and Tom opted to have their ceremony indoors. The space was later flipped for cocktail hour, and was a perfect “Plan B.”

Right after the ceremony, Tom grabbed Christine as tight as he could and they hugged, laughed, and cried. It was truly such a sweet, special moment to witness.

Some post-ceremony champagne to celebrate.

We decided to take some more portraits after the ceremony, and the newlyweds still got to enjoy most of their cocktail hour afterward.

Gorgeous florals by Stemtations.

Wedding Reception at New Jersey Wedding Venue ICONA Avalon

The reception space at the Icona Avalon was beautifully set up with tons of candles and more gorgeous florals.

A little tribute to their pup, Reggie.

Christine and Tom making their entrance.

The first dance.

Vendors:

Planning: Joyful Events by Steph
Venue: ICONA Avalon
Florals: Stemtations
Band: Bachelor Boys
Beauty: Two01 Hair
Dress: Tara Keely / Kleinfeld
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Bridesmaids dresses: The Dessy Group
Tux: The Black Tux
Cake: Bakeworks
Stationary: Truly Engaging