The best first dates are the ones that start small, and then end up big. For Lauren and Steven’s first date, they were “just” going to grab ice cream at Uncle Louie G’s in Brooklyn. Instead, they ended up catching the NYC ferry to Dumbo and then walking around and grabbing Shake Shack. They spent the whole day together then and judging by their elegant wedding at the Gramercy at Lakeside Manor, the rest is history. Lauren and Steven’s connection was positively magnetic. Today, I can’t wait to share their elegant wedding on the blog, so we can adore their white and greenery color palette together.
NJ Wedding Photography Review
I can’t help but blush a little reading Lauren and Steven’s review of their wedding day. I immediately felt connected to them from the moment they inquired (the fact that Lauren takes film photos had my heart melt a little!). Keep scrolling for the film photos of their wedding day!
Devin and her team were absolutely INCREDIBLE! We loved having her document our special day! Devin was very organized throughout the whole process and always communicated with us quickly and thoroughly. From the start, Devin was great with timeline planning for both the engagement shoot and our wedding. She listened to all of the small details we wanted to make sure we captured and set aside time to do it all. She also was able to incorporate film photos, which might be our favorite pictures! Devin has such a wonderful eye for the best shot and truly captured our wedding in the way we had hoped. We can’t recommend her enough and are so excited to continue our journey with her to make a photo album! Hands down a wonderful person and photographer to work with on a day that can be so hectic. If you’re looking for the best of the best, you have to use Mile Square Moments!
A Brooklyn Engagement in 2020
Lauren and Steven were walking around Williamsburg, talking about how crazy 2020 had been so far, before heading to Berry Park “to grab dinner”. When they arrived in front of Berry Park (in front of the place they first met), Steven got down on one knee and said “I think I know how to make 2020 better.” It was a super sweet moment and he even hired a photographer to capture the moment! I loved hearing all about their love story together. The two of them love to travel, so for their engagement photos, we choose to have a destination shoot at Asbury Park! I can’t imagine a more incredible engagement photo location for the two of them.
Getting Ready Photos in Brooklyn, NY
This wedding was a dynamite combination of both fun and elegance. Lauren and Steven’s classy wedding color palette of white and shades of green were stunning in the detail shots, but I also loved the addition of some more “fun” elements like the “no ugly crying” handkerchief and the sweet save the dates that featured their engagement photos. First, Lauren and Steven exchanged notes the morning of the wedding (one of my favorite moments to photograph). Lauren got ready in her childhood home (in what used to be her bedroom!), so it made these getting ready shots a little extra sentimental. This was the last place she lived before she moved in with Steven!
Lauren was breathtaking in her sheath Pronovias wedding gown and once she put her veil on, she had a first look with her bridal party first, and her father second. Steven looked just as dashing in his white tuxedo jacket!
Wedding Ceremony at Saint Ephrem Church in Brooklyn, NY
Although Lauren and Steven held their wedding reception in New Jersey, they kept their wedding ceremony close to home at Saint Ephrem Church. Lauren and Steven exchanged traditional vows at the Catholic Church. I always love when couples write their own vows but it really is so special when a couple keeps to “in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer.” You could tell they meant every word and at the end of the wedding ceremony, their guests cheered and celebrated the new Mr. and Mrs.!
New Jersey Wedding Portraits
When couples choose a traditional aisle reveal (as opposed to a first look), we typically have a little less time for portraits. In Lauren and Steven’s case, their church ceremony was over an hour away from the wedding reception venue, so we had to work quickly to get as many dreamy wedding portraits as possible. Fortunately, with these two being as madly in love as they are, it wasn’t too difficult! We captured some shots before leaving the church and took the remaining portraits at the Gramercy at Lakeside Manor.
Walking into your Wedding Reception like…
At the end of the day, Lauren and Steven were most excited to get all of their friends and family together and soak up all of the hilarious dance moves that would ensue. They are both as silly as they are sweet, so their wedding reception was filled with both joyful and sentimental moments. A perfect example of the sweetness between the two of them (and their family and friends) was when Steven danced with Mom and then Aunt, Lauren and her wedding party both teared up! There were also many fun elements included as well – from a saxophone player to a live painter. Just to name a few of my favorite moments of the day!
Wedding at The Gramercy at Lakeside Manor
Lauren and Steven’s wedding was an incredible reflection of their love story. I was incredibly honored to document their wedding day and I can’t wait to see what this sweet fun-loving couple does next. They were both so amazing to work with and the perfect reminder that I get to work with the absolute best couples over here! Congratulations, newlyweds!
Before you go and check out the amazing wedding vendors that made Lauren and Steven’s wedding day a reality, here are just a few of the 35mm film wedding photos we took throughout their day! Lauren also shoots film, so it was so nice to connect over our mutual love of film photos (and an absolute honor to be trusted to capture their love on film)!
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 so make sure you say hi!
