When Lynne and Rikki reached out to me about their The Gables Inn LBI Wedding, I was excited to hear more. It’s no secret that I love The Gables Inn on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. It’s a charming inn that entertains more intimate weddings with al fresco dining and delicious food, a hop and a skip to the beach and a lovely garden space for al fresco dancing! Lynne and Rikki were also blessed with some seriously fantastic September weather! I also got to work alongside Delia Studios for video which is always makes for a good day.
I started with Lynne just a few blocks away from The Gables Inn…
I love how Julie just happened to be in the reflection of the mirror checking out Lynne getting her dress down…
How cool is that necklace? Lynne had it made…
I’m seeing a lot more of my brides go with flats these days. I wore flats myself.. after years of photographing weddings, I knew where heels end up— the floor, as soon as the bride can take them off! 
I headed over to The Gables Inn for Rikki’s prep…
Maybe I’m just a sentimental mom now or maybe I just appreciate the story and can perceive how images will be looked upon in the future and how we compare them to the past, but I loved this image of Rikki’s daughter helping Rikki put her shoes on. I imagine all the days where Rikki had to help Carolyn get her shoes on (the days I’m currently in with my own daughter) and to have the roles reversed on a big day is just a neat progression of life. I also love how as a young lady, she is sitting with her legs crossed on the floor as she looks up to her mother. I love the innocence of this pose. This image might strike some as just another ‘bride putting her shoes on’ shot, but there is so much subtle meaning and story in this moment.
Wedding photography on Instagram seems to be all about pretty portraits and details, but these are the kinds of wedding images that really hold value to me and to the couples that book me. These are the images that really tell the story. After 15 years in the industry, I’ve heard so much feedback from couples and their families many years later about how much they love looking at their images because of the story told. As time goes on, they view the images differently. Seeing things they didn’t see before as things change. This is the real value of what I do and this is my why.
Lynne created this sweet little box of “10 reasons I can’t wait to marry you” for Rikki. The funny thing is she asked me to bring it over and just place it somewhere that Rikki would find it so I did just that. I kept looking at my assistant and laughing as Rikki just kept looking past it. I moved it a couple more times to try to make it even more obvious and eventually I had to point it out, hah. People have a lot on their minds on wedding days that sometimes it is easy to miss something right in front of them. 
First look…
Love the laughter…
My trained seagulls were booked for the day so I had to call in a different bird…
Love the love…
Lynne and Rikki had their ceremony at the sweet, little Spray Beach Chapel…
Lynne and Rikki had each and every guest hold their rings to bestow love and blessings upon them. It was really special. I’ve never had a ceremony where every person held the rings. A lot of powerful moments…
And I love how Rikki’s mom and brother added a little bit of laughter to the blessing…
That moment that you are announced as wife and wife…
Lynne had a surprise for Rikki….
Everyone was looking up in excitement and it then changed to everyone pointing and yelling at me to look, but I’m a ninja, I had already captured the sign, hah. 
Party time!
Most adults get pretty freaked out about giving a speech so I’m always impressed when a young person gets up there. Lynne and Rikki’s daughter, Carolyn, did a such a fantastic job!
Some kids are very entertained at weddings…
And some kids just want to lie down…
Carolyn gets in on the cake cutting!
Always happy to get back to one of my favorite places, The Gables Inn on LBI. It was great working with Lynne and Rikki throughout their process and on their fantastic day of celebration. You can check out some more of my Gables Inn weddings here and here. Thanks to Brandan Calhoun for assisting me.
