Melissa and Doug have been together for a long time now and with a crazy spring and a constant threat of rain, I was so happy that their Rock Island Lake Club New Jersey wedding day was perfect! These two totally deserved it after over a year and a half of planning and so many years together. Firefighting and her brother is what brought them together many years ago. It wasn’t a setup, it was a bit quiet at first… but their love could not be denied. It was sweet to watch how close Doug and Melissa’s brother are and wonderful to see him as the best man and his wife as the maid of honor.
Melissa and Doug wanted their Rock Island Lake Club New Jersey wedding to be about the love and the fun without too much of the nonsense of the wedding industry. Rock Island is a great spot for that– great food, great location to enjoy inside and outside and a focus on the fun! I had a chance to work with them during a mini-session last Fall… you can check that out here.
Groom prep…
Love how Doug’s ring bearer was leaning over to read the letter…
I saw this Big Bird sitting around and inquired. Doug’s dad pulled up the pic on the right on his phone and I just felt like we had to try to recreate it. When I got to Melissa and Doug’s house for Melissa’s prep, I saw the photo framed on a shelf. 
Headed to Melissa and Doug’s house for her bride prep…
Weddings can hit people with emotions at any point in time. As Melissa was looking in the mirror she started to get a little bit emotional. I love how her stepmother was so quick to jump in to help dry her tears and comfort her with understanding. As happy as weddings are, for many of us, they can also be bittersweet. It’s ok to have some mixed emotions on the wedding day. You are surrounded by people that love you and that is what the day is all about… celebrating and sharing love. 
It’s not what it looks like…
But it was definitely the funniest ‘putting the garter on’ scene I’ve ever witnessed…
Melissa opens her gift from Doug and starts to tear up…
And again, her stepmother was right there to dry her tears…
Melissa looking beautiful…
I liked the juxtaposition of Melissa in her wedding dress headed down the stairs with the “Ferrigno” (her new last name) sign right in the center of the frame…
I’m gonna pause right here to give myself a little pat on the back. I’ve been photographing weddings for 15 years and I’ve been to plenty of wedding ceremonies where I had very big restrictions on what I was allowed to do. Severely limiting my use of light and my ability to fully tell the story by being relegated to certain areas. In the last year or so, I’ve run into a lot of restrictions. I do the best I can with them. However, for Melissa and Doug’s wedding I was not allowed to use flash and then was told I was allowed to stand in only one spot for the whole ceremony. For a storyteller like myself, that is really disappointing. I’ll deal without the flash, but if I must tell a story from one perspective the entire time, that’s not much of a story. When you hire a highly experienced wedding photographer, you get more than just technical know-how, you getting wedding know-how. Despite the strong will of the priest, I already picked up some vibes that there may be wiggle room with a certain approach. Doug witnessed my approach and was amazed himself that the priest gave in. For my clients, I can’t help but advocate where I can for them. Their ceremony is an important part of the day and I want to be able to tell the story the best that I can. I still had some limitations, but I was granted much more flexibility than originally warranted. 
Doug watches Melissa walk down the aisle…
Love the expressions here…
Amazing weather at Rock Island Lake Club during a very rainy and unpredictable spring season…
Love Melissa’s laughter here…. 
Party time!
Doug’s sisters watch as he dances with his mom…
Moment of truth!
Melissa and Doug watching a slideshow of their lives…
This one is definitely going on my Pinterest cute grandparents board…. (yes, I really do have a “Cute Grandparents” Pinterest board)
Hah!
It was such a pleasure working with Melissa and Doug throughout their wedding process over the last year and a half. I’m so happy the weather held out for their Rock Island Lake Club New Jersey wedding and that they were able to have such a fantastic celebration with friends and family. Thank you to Kelsey Davis for assisting me.
