Let the sun shine | Liz & Brian's Beach Wedding in Ocean City, NJ

  Wedding portrait on Ocean City boardwalk with cloudy sky and ocean

• Posted by Natalie •

When we woke up the morning of Liz & Brian's beach wedding in Ocean City, NJ we were greeted with a wet, gray day.  By the time we made it into Ocean City to scope out the sites where Liz wanted to take portraits on the beach it was raining so hard we could barely make it up the sandy path to the beach.  There did not seem to be much hope for an outdoor ceremony that was due to start in a few hours. But Liz put her faith in weather.com's hourly forecast and stuck to her guns; She was getting married on the beach.

The rain ceased by the time they had their first look on the Ocean City Boardwalk.  It was still pretty windy and chilly, so the whole bridal party headed into the 7th Street Arcade to get some portraits before the ceremony.  Melissa Kelly was our trusty assistant for the day and she bravely followed this large bunch into the arcade.  I love this idea for large bridal parties.  Melissa was able to get portraits of smaller groups playing a variety of games, plus it was a lot of fun!  Meanwhile, Matt and I got plenty of portrait time in with Liz and Brian before the ceremony.

As the guests gathered at First Street Beach the threat of rain had passed, and as Liz and her father walked onto the beach where Brian was waited the sun actually broke through the clouds.  It was one of those breathtaking moments where you feel everything come together.  I said a little thank you prayer for this brave bride who ended up with a truly gorgeous beach wedding with a backdrop of moody clouds that only come on days with turbulent weather.

After the ceremony, the sun ducked away again, but that was OK, because all the guest headed to the bay side of the island for a reception at the Ocean City Yacht club.  Inside the Yacht Club, all of Liz's carnival-themed decorations with bright blues and oranges brightened up the room. We were so happy to see everything come together for this wonderful couple!

Ferris wheel and fence on beach in Ocean City, NJ

Melissa is Miss Details and she joined me for the getting ready photos. I love watching and collaborating with other photographers when we have time to play around the details.

Blue wedding shoes and umbrella, sea shell and wedding jewelry, invitation with ferris wheel

I love the orange and royal blue theme—it suited all the bright personalities in this big bridal party!

Bridesmaids with royal blue dresses and orange gerbera daisies

Candid bridesmaids photo blue bridesmaids dresses and orange bouquetsGroom in light gray suit, candid photo of groomsmen in tan suits and blue tiesGroomsmen in Abbey Road photo, Ocean City, NJDetails from Ocean City, NJ boadwalkGroomsmen on jetty on Ocean City beachGroom and groomsmen on rocks in ocean

I loved this first look!  Added bonus: the bridal party was full of wedding pros—they arranged themselves so nicely for these photos.

Bride sneaks up on groom for first look on the boadwalk in Ocean City, NJBride & Groom's first look on boadwalk in Ocean City, New JerseyBoadwalk kiss portrait, Ocean CityBridal party in front of the boardwalk arcade in Ocean CityBridal party rides the carouselBride and Groom on Carousel in Ocean CityBridal party plays arcade games like skeeballBride and Groom kiss on crazy submarine ridebride walks into beach ceremony in Ocean City, NJOcean City beach ceremony at First Street BeachHand Tying ceremony and The Kiss during Beach weddingBridal portrait on beach in Ocean City, NJOcean City Yacht Club, pinwheel placecards and carnival-theme table decoration detailsWedding rings and big lollipopFirst dance at Ocean City Yacht Club

 

This was probably one of the funniest Best Man speeches we've ever heard.  I'm pretty sure it's posted on YouTube somewhere.  Brian's older brother had everybody howling with laughter.

Beach-themed White and Orange cake with piggy cake-topper and pinwheelsBride and Groom silhouette on Ocean City Bay Liz and Brian, Thanks so much for sharing your day with us— It was truly perfect from start to finish!