• 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!
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.
I love the orange and royal blue theme—it suited all the bright personalities in this big bridal party!
I loved this first look! Added bonus: the bridal party was full of wedding pros—they arranged themselves so nicely for these photos.
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.
Liz and Brian, Thanks so much for sharing your day with us— It was truly perfect from start to finish!