Their Wedding Day: Trump National Golf Club, Colts Neck, NJ Wedding
I feel like I had been waiting for Tara & Alex’s wedding day at Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, for FOREVER! And it honestly makes me emotional to look back at these photos and reminisce on all the special moments we got to capture from this long-anticipated day! From the unique and meaningful details (like their custom surfboard seating chart, and signature drink sign featuring illustrations by Tara in memory of their beloved pups), to the HYPE energy on the dance floor, and everything in between…their wedding day was a joy to capture!
Tara and Alex are incredibly special people, who feel more like family to me than clients. They make everyone around them feel so loved, and the way they care for each other is so beautiful and inspiring. <3 From the first moment Tara reached out to me sharing all about her love for her now husband, and all her excitement for their wedding day, I just knew they were my people. Tara and Alex had a long journey to get their wedding day, having to postpone and change their plans due to the pandemic. But when the big day finally arrived it was absolutely PERFECT in every way. It’s been such an honor to be along for the ride on this journey to their wedding day, and I can’t wait for all the exciting things in store for these two next!
Leading up to Tara & Alex’s wedding day there was rain in the forecast. Lots and lots of rain. But with lots of prayer, positivity, weather watching, and rosary beads hung up in windows, we were blessed with a perfect overcast sky for most of our portraits and outdoor photos! There was a minor downpour during cocktail hour but it passed quickly enough to get some final portraits of Tara & Alex out on the iconic 19th hole of the golf course just at the end of cocktail hour! The timing was absolutely perfect!
It was so awesome to work with such an all-star line up of vendors for Tara & Alex’s day, including my videographer BFFs ToneMedia!! Just wait til you see their highlight film of this day! I know they captured the joy and energy perfectly! Before we dive into some of my many favorite photos from this day, you HAVE to read about their love story. I get chills every time I read it – these two are so meant to be!
Their Love Story
When I asked Tara & Alex to share one thing they love about each other, Tara said, “He can make me smile without saying a word. He is so thoughtful and goes out of his way for me, always. Gosh, I can’t wait to marry him :)” And Alex said, “I love her work ethic, passion, how she always puts others first. Also she knows how to make me laugh, even when I’m hangry.”
How They Met
I’m pretty sure Tara & Alex’s love story should be made into a movie, because it sounds like the plot to an amazing movie, am I right? Tara told me all about how she first met Alex. She said, “My older brother, Frank, played football at Manasquan High School. I went to every single game and noticed Alex on the sidelines right away (I thought he was so cute!). I started high school at Red Bank Catholic, but after two months I started transferred to Manasquan. On my first day and had Frank walk me around since I knew no one. And who did I see walking right towards me that first day? Alex! When we first started talking, he told me he felt love at first sight and to this day, we always talk about those halls of Manasquan.”
“We didn’t start talking until December 2, 2006. It was the Manasquan High School State Championship Football game. In the first half, Alex got hurt and tore his ACL. He had to get taken off the field. Manasquan ended up winning, and I remember putting an away message on AIM (lol!!) expressing how excited I was and even gave him a shout out (not sure what I was thinking). Well, he found out through a mutual friend and we have been talking ever since. We walked the football field to his car every day after school and he drove me home for the rest of the year. We looked forward to our weekends where we went on Ocean Ave. drives and watched movies, wayyyy before Netflix! I recently found a note that my best friend left me in my locker one day in high school and she predicted that we would get married one day 🙂 We went our separate ways when he went away to college, but we always made sure to check in on each other. Even though there was time between talking, when we saw each other out and about, we still had that instant spark. It was Valentine’s Day in 2017 when I received a HUGE (5ft) box at my parent’s house. It was someone a “secret admirer” and I instantly knew it was from Alex. At first, he wouldn’t admit it—but I bribed it out of him! We started to talk every day again like it was 2006. It was that May where I met him at the bar he worked at, the Parker House, and one of the bartenders told me he “wasn’t giving me a drink unless I went on a date with Alex.” Without hesitation, I instantly said yes! We went on a rainy Wednesday night to Strollo’s for some ice cream and that is where it all started again. We spent that summer doing the things we always loved—long walks at sunset, Ocean Ave. drives, and pulling all-nighters parked at the beach just talking about anything and everything. As cliche as it sounds, the rest was history …
The Proposal
If you thought that was sweet, I dare you not to tear up reading about their proposal! Tara tells it best, “Alex proposed to me on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. I am a teacher and had off that Thursday & Friday for Teacher Convention. In addition to working full-time at Marlboro High School, Alex is back at school obtaining a degree as a Funeral Director. He told me earlier that day that he had a midterm that night and was sending me study guides to print out at work because the printers at his school were down. I went ahead to help him out, trying to rush home to give him maximum time to study. I pull up to our house, and as I open the door, I was completely and utterly in shock. Our house was decked out from floor to ceiling with pictures of us, flowers, and balloons. And there was Alex kneeling on the floor asking me to be his wife.”
“Little did I know, Alex had been planning the proposal for over a year. He entered a body transformation contest in hopes to win money to put towards a proposal, and in June 2019, he was announced the winner. He spent the whole summer planning and hiding things in our shed (smart guy knows I would never go back there!). To hear that I was his motivation and to witness his work hard for this special moment is something I will never forget. Alex is selfless; he constantly puts me first since the moment we met, and I could not believe my eyes when I walked through the door that day.”
To the Newlyweds
Tara and Alex, you guys are MARRIED!!!!! I am so beyond happy for you two, and so honored to have gotten to capture this day for you! Your friendship means the absolute world to me and I’m so incredibly grateful for you two! I can’t wait to see all the exciting things that lie ahead for you guys in this next chapter of your story! I’ll still be along for the ride, cause you’re never getting rid of me! 😉 I LOVE YOU GUYS! Congrats newlyweds!!!!!!!! xoxo
Vendors:
2nd Photographer – Monika DeMyer
Photo Assistant – Ryan Hardin
Ceremony Venue – St. Catharine Church
Reception Venue & Catering – Trump Golf Club, Colt’s Neck
Videographer – ToneMedia
Hair Stylist – Boho Hair Salon, Tina
Makeup Artist – Make Me Up Eva
Florist – Whisper & Brook
Rentals – Designs by Magnolia
DJ – Elite Sound Entertainment
Invitation Suite, Calligraphy, & Paper Goods – Write Pretty for Me
Dress Designer – Louvienne
Dress Boutique – Lovely Bride
Bride’s Shoes – Sam Edelman
Earrings & Bracelet – Untamed Petals
Perfume – Wild Fox Couture
Engagement Ring & Bride Wedding Ring – Lauren B. Jewelry
Groom Wedding Ring – Thunderfit
Attire for Groom & Groomsmen – Chazmatazz
Groom Tie, Shoes & Cufflinks – Chazmatazz
Cologne – Versace
Cake – Maeberrie Market
Bridesmaid Dresses – Lulus
Pajamas for Bridesmaids – Pretty Little Thing
Bridesmaid Earrings – Revolve
Transportation – Shooboo Shuttle
Alterations – Zatsarina Fashion
Surf Board Seating Chart – Maureen Mac Designs
Spray Tan – Coco Glow Airbrush
