Hotel LBI Wedding | Tyler and Ryan’s Long Beach Island Wedding | May 2021

Hotel LBI Wedding.  Tyler and Ryan couldn’t have had a more perfect day for their wedding celebration.  This couple were originally supposed to get married last September at this venue but due to all the covid craziness decided to postpone their day.  They did exchange vows at Ryan’s family home on their original wedding date in front of close family and friends.  The two of them still wanted to celebrate with their extended family and friends, so they did a vow renewal on the roof top of the hotel and had a fun party afterwards.

This was my first time photographing a wedding at this venue.  Hotel LBI was simply perfect.  The staff was super helpful, and I know they made Tyler and Ryan’s day as perfect as they could.  The cocktail hour had many yummy appetizers and food stations.  The couple and their guests dined on steak and lobster at the reception. The suite for the bridal couple had gorgeous light which all photographers love, and the hotel offered many places for photos!

Their love story

I met these two October of 2019.  Tyler asked me to photograph a surprise proposal to the love of his life, Ryan.  I met them on the beach in Avalon, NJ, which was a special place for Ryan.  Tyler and Ryan then asked me to photograph their wedding.  I was so excited to be able to continue to photograph their love story.  They chose to have their engagement session on Long Beach Island, a special spot for Tyler.  I also photographed their intimate wedding that took place on their original wedding date last September.  They exchanged vows and rings in the front yard of Ryan’s family’s home. I have loved being able to capture all these moments for them.  I also looked forward to photographing their celebration and it didn’t disappoint!

Beautiful Rooftop Ceremony

The Hotel LBI offers an awesome rooftop ceremony location.  It was a little breezy but with the warm spring sun everyone didn’t mind. The breeze did make Ryan’s dress have pretty movement during the ceremony, which I loved.  The two of them wrote personal vows to each other and the officiant made the ceremony light and fun which suited them perfectly.  Instead of exchanging rings again they decided to do a sand ceremony. They poured the sand from Avalon beach and Long beach island together into a vase. The sand came from beaches where they grew up at and visited every summer.

After the ceremony we had plenty of time to capture photos of their families and bridal party.  We took some photos on the roof top which are some of my favorites!  When you have a breeze, you got to work with it! Ha-ha. Having the extra photo time worked out nicely for Tyler and Ryan because we finished up with time for them to relax and have some alone time together before they joined everyone at the cocktail hour.

Fire Alarm

The reception was getting ready to start and the wedding party was just about to be introduced when the fire alarm went off! Yep! I think everyone thought at first it was part of the DJ’s introduction. To everyone’s disbelief, we were all told that we needed to leave the building because it was an actual fire alarm.  Everyone, even guests and workers from the hotel were all standing out front of the hotel.  Tyler and Ryan made the most out of the situation by chatting with friends and family that they hadn’t seen in a while.  The weather was nice, so I don’t think anyone minded the interruption.

The firemen arrived and went through the venue.  They eventually cleared the building and we were allowed to head back inside.  At this point all the guests were ready to get the party started.  The firemen even made a cameo appearance in the bridal party introductions.  I am sure it will be something that everyone will talk about for a long time.  They rest of the evening went off just as planned with dancing, drinks, good food, family and friends celebrating!! Tyler even played his harmonica during Piano man, by Billy Joel.

Hotel LBI Wedding

Ryan’s dress was gorgeous and was perfect for her.  It was one of Tyler’s most anticipated moments of the day to see Ryan in her dress. The guys wore suits with ties that matched the accents in the girl’s dresses.  It was a very striking wedding party.  The flowers were so pretty. The bouquets had anemones, garden roses, and ranunculus with eucalyptus and blue thistle.  The colors represented the ocean vibe they wanted and also coordinated with the colors of the venue.  Tyler designed the signs, menus, stationary, and the favors, which were magnets showing the silhouette of Hotel LBI.

Couple’s Wedding Advice

Not every small detail may go according to plan or how you originally pictured it, but in the moment, you won’t really notice since it is such a fun day overall. It’s important not to get caught up laboring over making choices of those small details, but it is important to have fun throughout the process and enjoy the time planning together.

 

Ryan and Tyler, it has been my pleasure getting to know you two and photographing these special moments in your life.  May you have a lifetime of love and happiness and don’t forget to laugh!!

 

Vendors:

Officant: Brian “The Rev” Schleper

https://www.njwedding.com/new-jersey/tabernacle/wedding-services/the-rev

Hair and Makeup: Hot Mess Studio

https://www.hotmessstudio.com/

Wedding Cake: provided by Hotel LBI

DJ: Sole Performance

https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/sole-performance-south-amboy/1059c58522f1dbc7.html

Bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses: BHLDN (Bridal gown: Wtoo by Walters)

https://www.bhldn.com/categories/shop-the-bride-wedding-dresses

Groomsmen attire: Generation Tux

https://www.generationtux.com/

Stationary: Minted.com