When Carly and Sean first contacted me about their intimate Fall wedding at Ninety Acres and I noticed that the date fell on a Wednesday, I knew that something special was going on. Wednesday weddings are pretty rare, but after meeting Carly and Sean I would venture to say that the love, affection and their life experiences together are also rare so having their wedding on a Wednesday was a perfect fit!
I just love these two. When Paul and I met up with them for dinner a few weeks back we shared great food, conversation and lots and lots of laughs. We got to learn more about them and who they are as a couple which is honestly our favorite part about being wedding photographers. You can't capture the essence of people if you hardly know anything about them!
Carly calls she and Sean "professional wedding guests" because they have been to probably 30+ weddings in the past few years. They have been wanting to have their wedding for so long and timing has just never worked out until this year when they decided, we are just going to do it! And then Carly had the whole thing planned and booked in like a weeks time if I remember correctly?! They decided on a Wednesday because they are still busy going to other weddings and October 12th just seemed to work for them and for everyone involved. And honestly, it was perfect.
Ninety Acres is a part of NATIRAR which is a 400+ acre property in Peapack-Gladstone. The Ninety Acres culinary center is located in the carriage house and garage and have been beautifully restored. Everything is farm to table. There is also a historic mansion that is currently in the process of being renovated which is near the property. The entire park is stunningly gorgeous and is honestly the perfect place for an intimate, Fall wedding.
We started the day early and had their first look in front of the mansion overlooking an amazing view and then made our way around some of the property for portraits. They especially loved one particular giant tree right as you enter the property so we spent a good amount of time there as well as the river across the street. We made our way back up the hill to meet up with their adorable pup Manny in his new collar and bow tie for the occasion!
Then it was ceremony time and it was probably one of my favorites to date. There were tears and laughs and sweet words and vows exchanged. Bagpipes played them out and they high fived at the end! They did it!! They are finally husband and wife!
The day was gorgeous and a perfect Fall temperature with clouds rolling in and out throughout the afternoon. Guests enjoyed amazing food during the cocktail hour and reception (which included a five course tasting menu!) Paul and I were only there in time to try one of them, but let me tell you...out of this world! Carly and Sean personally know the Chef and were so excited about everything he planned for them.
They had so many special details incorporated throughout their day as well including pumpkin table cards, donut favors (a nod to Sean's profession), a carved pumpkin and one of my favorite details was the fact that Sean had his dad's wedding ring on him the whole day. He passed away but he was still there with them both on their special day.
Everything about their day worked out so beautifully. The day of wedding coordinator at Ninety Acres, Katie, was fantastic! She was so incredibly helpful not only to the bride and groom, but also to us and we could not have asked for a better experience. It was such an honor and privilege to work with these two amazingly special people as they started their new season of life together as husband and wife! Enjoy some of my favorite images from the day below!
Special thanks to the photography team: Paul Wolfe as assistant, shooter and gear coordinator and Jennifer Larson as second photographer!
Venue: Ninety Acres // Brides Dress: The Wedding Store at Liz Clinton // Grooms Suit: Joseph A. Bank // Florist: Lakeland Florist // Cake: Ninety Acres // Hair: Erin at Lighten Up in Budd Lake, NJ // Makeup: Diana at Lighten Up in Budd Lake, NJ // Invitations: Zazzle // Honeymoon: Iceland in early 2017 // Bagpipes by Sean Pruden of Roxbury Township Police Department, member of Morris County Police Pipes and Drums // Manny's tie is 'Georgio Arfmani' from Collar Doos // Special thanks to Chuck Bauer of Ninety Acres for planning the entire menu--we basically trust him with our lives and Katie Flachsenhaar for making the event perfect and working with us every step of the way!
