When I asked Alycia to tell me a random fact about her, she told me that she was obsessed with the fall. The gorgeous fall colors, the crisp autumn air, she loves it all! I have been so excited to share a bit of this wedding gallery on the blog because it truly was a quintessential fall wedding, and Stone House at Stirling Ridge was the most incredible venue to turn Alycia’s vision into a reality. As you’ll see below, Alycia and Jonathan put a substantial amount of effort into curating a wedding day that was not only beautiful, but also felt personal to them. I can’t wait to share this Stone Ridge at Stirling House wedding with you today!
A Hoboken Engagement
I love a good Hoboken engagement story. Jonathan took Alycia to The Cuban restaurant in Hoboken for lunch. After lunch, they went for a walk around Hoboken and ended right at the waterfront. Alycia stared at the NYC skyline for a few minutes and when she turned around, Jonathan was down on one knee. While he was popping the question, Alycia’s best friend was secretly taking photos of the whole thing! As a wedding photographer, I have to admit it warms my heart in a special kind of way when you make sure to get proposal photos. Jonathan did good! When I connected with them, we celebrated their love story with outdoor engagement photos at Cross Estate Gardens.
Hunter Green Wedding Details for the Fall
Alycia and Jonathan’s wedding was filled with moody, romantic details and a strikingly dark wedding color palette of hunter green, navy, dark grey, and burgundy. I started the day by meeting Alycia at Embassy Suites, where she was getting ready with her bridal party, and started snapping photos of all the thoughtful touches she put together for her wedding day: The invitations, the stunning hunter green velvet ring box, the bottle of perfume. Her wedding party was a group of the absolutely sweetest women, but the first look with her dad almost made me tear up behind the camera!
Steps away, Jonathan was equally excited to be getting ready to see his bride. His groomsmen looked absolutely dashing in grey suits and hunter-green bowties, and Jonathan stood out with his ivory bowtie & handkerchief. He was ready to get married!
A First Look at Their Wedding Venue
When couples ask for my advice on choosing a location for their first look, I always like to start at the wedding venue. Stone House at Stirling Ridge had a few beautiful outdoor locations, featuring fall foliage and a stone walking trail that made for an absolutely quintessential first look location. Alycia approached Jonathan, tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around he absolutely melted.
From there, we took wedding couple portraits at a few of the other iconic Stone House at Stirling Ridge wedding locations and a few solo shots of each of them. In the solo shots, I grabbed a closeup of a memorial charm of Alycia’s grandparents that had passed away that she held close to her in her bouquet. Heirlooms like this will always be timeless and I love including them in the wedding photos.
After about 45 minutes of me snapping their glorious love for each other, we met Alycia and Jonathan’s wedding party for the remaining wedding portraits. We took a mixture of posed photos and candids at Stone House at Stirling Ridge and when we were done, we were ready for the ceremony to begin!
An Unplugged Indoor Wedding Ceremony at Stone House at Stirling Ridge
The rustic wedding ceremony space at Stone House at Stirling Ridge had such a warmth to it already, but when Alycia and Jonathan’s guests showed up, you could feel the warmth in your bones. Alycia and Jonathan have been together for 12 years, they met through a high school friend, and when a couple has been together that long, the ceremony feels a little extra special. They exchanged traditional vows “for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” and you could just tell how much they meant it. From their first date at the movies in 2009, it felt so incredible to watch them tie the knot in front of all of their family and friends.
A Picturesque Fall Wedding Reception at Stone House at Stirling Ridge
When I asked Alycia what she was most excited about, she said that she couldn’t wait to get all dressed up and see how everything they had been planning came together: The photos, the flowers, the venue, everything. It was well worth the effort. I loved all of the hunter green signage and metallic accents. Before the reception started, Alycia and Jonathan took a private moment together to view the reception space and see how everything came together, and cut their stunning 4-tier wedding cake. Check out the ode to their dog Macie, their precious Great Dane!
Once the reception commenced, it was nothing but big smiles and happy tears. Alycia and Jonathan shared a first dance together, then Alycia danced with her father, then Jonathan with his mother. Once the dances were finished, everyone sat down to eat! During dinner, their wedding party gave the most touching and personal toasts to the newlyweds. The evening finished off with a cigar bar and a campfire. Alycia and Jonathan are both the outdoorsy adventurous type, so the outdoor space at Stone House at Stirling Ridge was the perfect place to spend the evening.
A Fall Wedding at Stone House at Stirling Ridge
Stone House at Stirling Ridge was the perfect place for this outdoorsy, fall-loving couple to tie the knot, and I was beyond honored to document the day and capture their memories. When Alycia and Jonathan originally reached out to me for wedding photography, they stressed just how important photos were to them. I showed up on their wedding day ready to capture every single moment and detail, and the two of them simply blew me away with their love for one another. It was remarkable.
Vendor Squad
Mile Square Moments is a wedding photography company based in Hoboken, New Jersey. If you are new around here, you should know that we love getting to know each couple personally. Wondering if we would be the right fit? You might be a MSM couple if you aren’t afraid of getting a little up close and personal in photos. We love natural chemistry and a little PDA around here! BUT, also enjoy a night in binge-watching Netflix. Are you planning a wedding in New Jersey? If you are, Contact us here to find out about our photography/videography packages. We also love stories on Instagram. Make sure to say hello there!
