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Estate at Florentine Gardens Wedding, NJ | Raquel & Brian

Holy moly if you want a gorgeous wedding day, look no further!! Raquel and Brian are not only the sweetest duo out there, but their whole wedding at The Estate at Florentine Gardens was just like walking into perfection everywhere I turned! They did such an amazing job planning all of the beautiful and unique details! Raquel’s wedding dress is hands down one of my all time favorite dresses, and her hair and makeup by the wonderfully talented Michelle Elise Artistry looked flawless, of course! 

And speaking of Michelle, I actually first met Raquel at Michelle’s bridal shower! (I photographed Michelle’s Park Chateau wedding in 2017!) Raquel and I were sitting across from each other and connected while celebrating our sweet friend. Raquel is SO kind, joyful, and friendly and we instantly connected, so I couldn’t have been more excited when she reached out to me to tell me Brian had proposed, and chat about wedding photography!

Raquel & Brian first met as freshmen in high school. They were dance partners in a friend’s cotillion, so they spent the whole summer practicing! Raquel had asked to be paired with someone else because Brian’s dancing skills weren’t quite up to snuff (haha!) They reconnected fourteen years later, when Raquel was crashing at Brian’s place prior to a race she was running in Philadelphia. After grabbing lunch together, Raquel thought: “this is NOT the Brian I have known for half my life”. She wrote, “That night, after he got back from work and we went out to grab a beer, as we sat on his couch I thought “… YOLO” and I said “Are you going to kiss me now or what?” and…. he did. It’s been the whirlwind of a lifetime since.” They dated long distance for two years until Raquel moved to Philly with Brian! Since this city is such a special place to them, they decided to have their engagement session there, as well! Go check out their Philly engagement session to hear about how magical Brian’s proposal was! There was a beach, a gorgeous conch shell, and Portuguese involved – that’s all I’ll say! 🙂

Another one of my favorite details from Raquel and Brian’s wedding day was the super fun and unique electric violin player at the reception! They chose such a cool blend of a DJ and band vibe, which made for endless dancing and fun the entire night. Their first dance was so sweet and filled with joy, it was hard not to tear up just watching how happy they were. Seeing them together, you can just see their joy and love of life, and I just know that they’ll have so much happiness together in their marriage.

Raquel and Brian, you two have such a passion for life and love, which shows through in all that you do. Thank you for trusting me to tell the story of your wedding day – I hope you look back on these images time and time again and remember how much joy was present on this day! I love you two tons, and I’m so thankful to call you both friends!

Vendors
2nd Photographer | Monika DeMyer
3rd Photographer/Assistant | Tori Kelner
Ceremony Venue | Our Lady of Fatima Church
Reception Venue | The Estate at Florentine Gardens
Dress Designer | Sottero & Midgley
Dress Boutique | Manuela’s Bride Boutique
Shoes | Badgley Mischka
Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist | Michelle Elise Artistry
Wedding Rings | De Maio Jewelers, Inc.
Music Entertainment | JBPro Live
Florist | Broderick’s Flowers
Videographer | By Design Films
Cake | Palermo’s Bakery
Catering | The Estate at Florentine Gardens
Bridesmaid’s Dresses | Dessy Group, Manuela’s Bridal Boutique
Groom & Groomsmen Attire | Rudi’s Formal Wear
Invitations | Minted
Transportation | Santos VIP Limo
Favors | Harry & David

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