It was a joy to be back at The Conservatory of the Sussex County Fairgrounds just one short week after Nicole and Stephen’s wedding. Maggie and Julian met during their freshman year of college (through a mutual friend) when Julian needed another girl to fill his coed intramural volleyball team. Today, many YEARS later, Maggie and Julian embraced all of the fall wedding vibes and spent their wedding at The Conservatory of the Sussex County Fairgrounds soaked in pure bliss. I can’t wait to share their beautiful wedding (and a bit of their love story) on the blog today!
Getting Ready Before the Wedding
Before I share their getting ready photos, I have to share their proposal story. They were living in Jersey City at the time and Julian woke up early to “head into the office” (which was unusual during COVID). Turns out, it was a rouse for him to ask Maggie’s dad for his blessing that morning. They had plans for a fancy dinner that night but a proposal wasn’t even on Maggie’s radar because Julian is ALWAYS planning sweet and romantic things for them.
Maggie’s sister and Julian’s best friend decorated the apartment for the two of them to celebrate afterward. Then, they went to Liberty State Park to set up a camera and wait to capture the proposal. Meanwhile, Maggie was drawing out the last sips of her wine for so long at dinner that the police were starting to close the park!
The more Julian tried to rush her, the more she took her time. When they arrived at Liberty State Park (after her sister and his best friend begged the police to let them stay just a few more minutes!), the police had already put up barricades. Julian drove around them like a crazy person and told her it was their next adventure. When he got near the proposal spot, he grabbed her hand and started running. Still, out of breath, he popped down on one knee and quickly asked her to marry him. It took Maggie a minute to even realize what was happening before she said a resounding YES.
From there, Julian pointed out her sister and his best friend capturing the moment and they headed back home to their dog Spencer dressed up in a tuxedo outfit.
They also set up the apartment with white cupcakes in the shape of a bouquet and a bottle of port wine they had for over five years with the date he asked her to be his girlfriend transcribed. Julian confessed he had known for years that he would use the bottle during the proposal and had it updated to read “will you be mine – forever”.
Talk about a storybook proposal! As she got ready with her family and friends at a nearby Airbnb and he got ready with his friends at a local hotel, I couldn’t have been more happy and excited for their wedding day with them!
Of course, Spencer stood by Maggie’s side all morning too!
An Intimate Catholic Church Wedding
Maggie and Julian exchanged traditional vows at an intimate Catholic church. As much as I love it when couples write their vows, reciting promises like “for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” will never get old. They are timeless vows for a reason. After what has already felt like a lifetime of adventure (Maggie and Julian have explored Europe together, swam with seals in San Diego, and hiked through the botanical gardens in St. Thomas – to name a few!), It felt so special for these two to be pronounced married!
After the wedding ceremony, we headed to The Conservatory at the Sussex County Fairgrounds to take some wedding photos! Capturing a mix of posed and candids, we started with their wedding party portraits and finished off with just the two of them.
A Wedding Suitable for Foodies
Maggie and Julian are both foodies, and their wedding reflected that! With a mashed potato bar (and other delicious appetizers), my mouth was watering from the moment we arrived at their cocktail hour. They also had a “watering station” with infused water options and two delicious signature drinks for guests to enjoy!
Later that evening, they brought out a delicious midnight breakfast as well! There was no shortage of food at Maggie and Julian’s wedding at The Conservatory – that’s for sure!
A Timeless and Elegant Wedding Reception at The Conservatory
As a wedding photographer, I always love all the natural light at The Conservatory. Maggie and Julian made the space their own with timeless wedding decor and a colorful (yet classic) color palette of pinks, blues, and a lot of white florals and greenery throughout. The evening matched the tone of the day (and Maggie and Julian’s relationship so far!) and was absolute magic. I always love getting to know my couples personally to capture their chemistry in an authentic way and these two made my job too easy.
A Delightful Wedding at The Conservatory
Kicking off the end of the night was a very memorable cake cutting. As Maggie and Julian started cutting the cake, it toppled over!! Although that definitely wasn’t the plan, I loved capturing their reactions. These might be some of my favorite photos from the entire day. Plus, the cake was still delicious!
Wedding Photography Review from a Wedding at The Conservatory at the Sussex County Fairgrounds
Before I finish this blog post (and share their fun summer engagement photos!), I have to gush over this incredibly sweet review that Maggie left me. My couples do truly mean so much to me and I’m always honored when they choose me to capture one of the most important days of their life. If you’ve found me today during a deep dive looking for wedding photos at The Conservatory at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (or any candid wedding advice for New Jersey), know that I am so grateful for you and am happy you found your way here!
A wedding photographer that makes you feel so comfortable from start to finish is so important and that’s exactly what we got with Devin and Mile Square Moments.
I came across Devin’s work one night while doing a deep dive search on my venue, and found a blog post she had done for a previous client. I was instantly obsessed with her photography style and the way she seemed so connected to her clients. Then, I spent time going through her portfolio and other blog posts on her online site which provides a fantastic amount of information until I couldn’t hold back any more and emailed her! Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long to hear back and the response time was impeccable!
Once in connection with Devin we had our first meeting where I learned how bubbly and easy going she is, she was so thorough with her explanation of the process by the end of our chat we truly didn’t have any further questions for her and were left feeling so excited and relieved knowing that the job of capturing our special day would be in Devin’s capable hands.
Another thing I was thankful for was the way Devin made herself available to work with my schedule, I ran into a lot of trouble with vendor’s only having a certain window of time during the day to take calls or meetings that my work schedule didn’t always allow, so being able to reach out to Devin and easily communicate with her was such an added bonus and really helped reduce some of the stress that came with wedding planning. Devin was so receptive of the ideas we had and even if I couldn’t put into words what we were looking for she encouraged us to send her inspiration and talk through our thoughts and she came up with the most beautiful ideas that were even better than we could’ve imagined.
As our wedding day drew closer Devin’s organization skills and helpful prompts that she uses to make sure she’s going to get all the pictures we wanted of our family and friends, also proved to help make our wedding day go smoother than we could’ve imagined. We were able to tell people who needed to be where at what time and with our large families this was important. Not to mention navigating family members who tried to make their own agenda- Devin and her team stuck by us and our plan and we were able to finish our planned photos and make it to cocktail hour as planned! Even when we threw an obstacle at her like getting really big group photos out on the dance floor she took it in stride and worked with the DJ to make sure everyone at the wedding made it into a group photo.
Before our wedding date we got the opportunity to take engagement photos with Devin. Having the chance to work with her before our wedding day was so nice because we got to see her style and she got to see the way my husband and I interacted in front of the camera. As a couple my husband and I don’t usually take many photos together and we were very nervous about being awkward in front of the camera. That nervous energy immediately went away when we were working with Devin because she brought such good energy to the session that we couldn’t help but giggle and smile and be ourselves. Later when we received the photos from the engagement shoot my husband and I would look at them and say I remember the prompt Devin gave us for that one and we would laugh all over again.
Come the day of the wedding, Devin and her team were there for every moment, going above and beyond in ways that I didn’t even know she was doing until we received our wedding photos from her our jaws dropped open in awe of how incredible they were. As the bride you know there are key shots that you want taken throughout the night, and of course Devin and her team delivered on every request. Then there are the photos you didn’t know you even wanted until you see them, and you feel so grateful that she was there to capture them. From detail shots to photos of the décor, or the candid on the dance floor- all the things as a couple that you have spent so many hours making decisions and wondering “do you think the guests even noticed that we did that” Devin’s photos were proof that the months of planning and the hemming and hawing over the colors and the DIY signs that you made didn’t go unnoticed.
I could not be happier with the decision to work with Devin and her team, they are deserving of the highest praises and we continue to recommend them to everyone we know in hopes that we get the chance to see her again at another event!
Vendor Squad
Bridesmaid Dresses: Revelry
Mile Square Moments is a wedding photographer based right here in Hoboken, New Jersey. We get to know each couple personally. Every time. You might be an MSM couple if you aren’t afraid of getting a little up close and personal in photos (PDA is A-okay!) but also enjoy a night binge-watching Netflix just the two of you. Are you planning a wedding in Hoboken, New Jersey? Or beyond? You can contact us here to find out about our photography and videography packages. We are also constantly sharing love stories on Instagram. For more stunning NJ wedding inspiration, check out Alex and Matt’s wedding at The Conservatory at the Sussex County Fairgrounds!
