The Coveleigh Club in Rye NY with its panoramic view of the Long Island Sound was the perfect backdrop for friends and family to join Kate and Jim on their special day.  Kate got ready upstairs in the bridal suite of the Coveleigh Club, while Jim was a few miles away enjoying several raucous games of chance with his 15 groomsmen (see images below).  Kate looked absolutely stunning as she slipped into her Blush dress by  Jim Hjelm.  While the girls put on their final touches, the guys games started winding down in preparation to head to the church.  Well that was the plan… rumor has it, said games continued all the way to the church.  With the Church being the big winner.

Returning to the Coveleigh Club after a wonderful ceremony at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye, the sun came out and the party was ready to start.  Kate and Jim danced their first dance to Adele’s “Make you Feel my Love” performed by the sultry sounds of Only in America.   The best man’s (Jim’s Brother) speech was especially touching as it told many stories of a young Jim trying to convince his younger brother (best man) that he was not really part of the family.  Jim went as far as to remove all pictures from the family photo album that included his younger brother.  Then said “if you don’t believe me, let’s look at the family photo album.”  Well played Jim!  Well played!

The night held many special moments that I’m sure Kate & Jim will cherish forever.

Best wishes to you and your families now and in the future.  B&L

Detail Photographs by Nikki Marcus

What a gorgeous day for Dyana & Mark’s fairytale wedding! Dyana was simply stunning and selected the perfect Cinderella gown befitting a princess for a wedding at the Castle at Skylands Manor.  It was really important to Dyana that Mark see her for the first time when she was walking down the aisle to be his wife, so they forewent the first look and decided to wait until after the ceremony and have us create some images for them during cocktail hour.  You can never have enough time to shoot at Skylands Manor and this is especially true if the groom’s dad is late to the ceremony!  Yep!  Future bride and grooms, let your guests know it is very easy to miss the road leading up to the castle and end up in New York!  Knowing we were up against the clock and that daylight was fading fast, Mark asked me, “What should we do, should we start the ceremony?”  Being a father myself,  without hesitation, I said, “You HAVE to wait for your dad, you can’t start without him! It will work out and we will still have some time to create images.” Mark’s dad finally made it, and although we were a slightly rushed with just a little light left, we were still able to capture a few keepers

Special Thanks to Linda and the staff at Frungillo Caterers.

A December to remember… The Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, NJ. The last time we had seen Mike and Kim, it was 85 degrees and sunny, as we shot their engagement session at their beach house.  Well, it was not quite as warm this time around! With the help of a willing bride & groom and a extremely elegant venue we were able to make some hot images!  The day started in Pompton Lakes NJ at Kim’s house where she got ready and into her dress by Maggie Sottero. The ceremony took place around the corner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  With the sun down, we headed off to The Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, New Jersey.  Upon arriving the staff gave us free run of the venue to get the images we needed.  I have seen some really, really nice rooms in the last 7 years, but by far, this was one of the most elegant wedding receptions I have ever seen.  It’s all about the light! Not only true in photography, but the lighting in this room was phenomenal! Up lights, pin lights, candles, hanging sconces, trees wrapped with christmas lights visible thru the 25” foot windows behind the head table. Creating all this light and room decor was the super talented NYC Floral and Event Designer, Diana Gould. Friends and family kept the dance floor full as the band, Dave Clark and the Renegades provided non-stop energy playing everything from the classics to just released hits.  With the reception ending, the old saying “you don’t have to go home, but you cant stay here” was not quite true!  In a room around the corner the after party was just getting started!  Again with cool light and even cooler furniture brought in by Diana Gould just for this party, the DJ pumped smoke and super high energy music into the crowd which raged until almost 3am.  What an event!  We also had the opportunity to work with a extremely talented videographer Damon Dietz of Absolute Media Productions.

Congratulations to Mike & Kim… we had a wonderful time and wish you nothing but the best!

With torrential rains the day prior to the big day, it was not looking good.  But the skies finally turned blue, and the rain held off the whole day for a whirlwind tour of the Atlantic City area, before heading to the Water Club at Borgata for Rachel and Marc’s incredible pool-top wedding reception.  Rachel was stunning in her dress designed by Jim Hjelm, and of course, a girl can’t go wrong with a pair of Dolce and Gabbana shoes on her feet.  Rachel and Marc first met each other by chance (thanks to her brother) right next door to Lucy the Elephant in Margate.  Having never seen Lucy myself, I was in shock as I turned the corner and saw the largest elephant in the world!  You have to see Lucy if you are ever in the Atlantic City area.  Rachel & Marc have fond memories of Lucy, and it was important to them to have their First Look there–less than 100 feet from where they first met each other all those years ago.  And so, their first look happened right under a 60′ trunk of an elephant! Still cracks me up!  Thanks to the kind folks at Lucy, we were even able go to the top of Lucy for a photo op before heading out to the beach.  With the beach all but deserted, we snapped some cool images of the soon-to-be newlyweds.  After that, we hooked up with the wedding party at Casino Pier in Atlantic City.  Of course with nowhere to park and not much time, we just left the vehicles parked in the Caesars Fed Ex delivery spot!   I figured I would add to the pile of Jersey Shore parking tickets I have been accumulating this year  The wedding party  hit the boardwalk and it seemed as though we were swarmed by half of South Philly wearing their Chase Utley jerseys! There were a few Victorino jerseys running around also. Making our way out onto the Casino Pier, we were able to grab a few shots of the AC boardwalk and casinos with the wedding party in the foreground.  On our way back we found the side of the building that was totally covered in diamond plate.  I thought this would make a really cool backdrop for a groomsmen pic! My favorite part about the shot? If you look closely on the right side of the frame, you can see the reflection of all the girls huddling around, doing whatever girls do when they huddle After the boardwalk we headed over to the Water Club at the Borgata where the Ceremony and reception were held.  The Water Club is an absolutely unique wedding venue!  The ceremony was held outdoors on the pool deck with a great view of the Atlantic City skyline as the clouds started rolling in.  The real treat of having your wedding at the Water Club is that the reception is held atop the indoor pool.  Literally on top of the pool, like above the water!  Think, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but you can see through the floor. And of course no Jimmy Stewart splashing around.  The staff of the Water Club turned the indoor pool into a tropical oasis.  I know what you’re thinking…indoor pools are quite warm and have a distinctive scent.  Without standing above the water and looking down, you would have no idea a pool was there!  The temperature was perfect and the strongest scent was coming from the beautiful, fragrant floral arrangements provided by Betina’s at Parkview The room was amazing!  The Eddie Bruce band was the perfect compliment for this elegant event.

It was wonderful working with both of you and your families… Congratulations!

We shoot in Philadelphia A LOT!  Looking for something a little different, Klair suggested Historic Rittenhouse Town.  Having only heard of Rittenhouse Square,  a quick search on this historic little village turned up some interesting facts.  It was the first paper mill in British North America, eight generations of the Rittenhouse family continued to live and work along the Monoshone creeks… but most interesting of all was that Klair grew up in one of the four remaining houses in the village.  Only 10 min outside of the city, it seems worlds away.  Klair & Charles willl be married next July in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul with reception to follow at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia.