Cape May NJ Wedding | South Jersey Beach Wedding | Stephanie and Joe

Cape May NJ Wedding | Beach Wedding | Stephanie and Joe

Cape May NJ Wedding. Stephanie and Joe celebrated their love on the beach in Cape May, NJ August 1, 2020. They love the beach and not only had their engagement session in Wildwood, Nj they had their wedding on the beach at Cape May Point State Park. Their plans had to change a few times due to the pandemic but stayed true to the original plan of getting married on the beach.

N. Wildwood beach and Lighthouse Engagement session

Stephanie and Joe met me last August for their engagement session. We chose the Hereford Lighthouse gardens and the beach in north Wildwood for the session. This location is one of my favorite places for sessions as it offers a beautiful park like setting in the gardens by the lighthouse and after a short walk down the seawall we can get to the beach. I enjoyed getting to know these two during their session. They are a sweet couple that at the time couldn’t wait to get married to each other.

Cape May NJ Beach Wedding

August 1, 2020. The day finally arrived for these two and they couldn’t have been more excited! Their original venue had to change and many of their guest couldn’t attend because of the virus but that didn’t stop them from getting married on the date they chose! I met Stephanie and her family at a hotel in Wildwood Crest, NJ to start the day. Stephanie had put so much time and thought into many great details that I wanted to make sure that I captured them all for her. Her bouquet was gorgeous. She chose to have wooden flowers. The colors of the flowers were perfect for her beach theme. Stephanie had her grandparent’s photos tied to the bouquet keeping them close to her on this special day.

A perfect August day

After I photographed her details, getting into her dress and a first look with her dad we went down to the beach for a few photos. It was such a beautiful, sunny, and warm August day that we had to take advantage of that. I love the photos of Stephanie on the boardwalk!

Joe met me at the beach for a few photos before the ceremony with his parents and family. I also had time to capture the ceremony site and talk with the officiant, Linda Moore of Angel of Love Wedding Officiants, before everything started. All of their plans came together so nicely and I knew it was going to be such a special moment for them. It was going to be everything that Stephanie had dreamed of.

Beautiful Ceremony

Stephanie couldn’t wait to see Joe that morning. When she walked down to the beach and saw Joe standing there waiting for her she no longer felt anxious about the day. An instant calm came over her and she couldn’t believe the moment was finally here. The ceremony was on the beach with the Cape May Lighthouse behind them and the ocean in front of them. It couldn’t have been a more perfect location.

Willow creek Winery

We did most of their bridal portraits on the beach because it was such a special place for them. After we finished taking all the beautiful beach photos, we headed to the reception venue. They had to change their plans due to the restrictions of the virus and found that the Willow Creek Winery was going to be perfect for them. The winery was beautiful and a great choice. We took the family photos in front of the porch at the winery and were able to get some photos of the two of them in the vineyard. One of the best moments was when I surprised them with their wedding song. They had decided to forgo their first dance at the dinner, but I wanted them to enjoy that moment. While we were taking some photos in the vineyard, I played their song and they had their first dance as husband and wife.

Advice from Stephanie

I loved working with these two. Stephanie was so calm and seemed to just go with the flow. She does have some advice for couples planning their big day. “Even if things don’t go as planned, just do you and keep going with it! Getting married during a pandemic was no joke but at the end of the day I remembered who I am marrying and why. So, we decided even if it meant just having the two of us there, we were going through with it no matter what! I didn’t even care if I had to have pizza and drinks after in my hotel room.” -Stephanie

Stephanie and Joe, it was such a pleasure to get to know you two and capture your special day. Everything was just perfect, including the weather. May you have many years of love and laughter and keep the memories of your special close when times are tough. Thank you for choosing Memories by Maria Photography.