Their Session: Farm Bakery & Events

Emily and Derek’s wedding at Farm Bakery & Events was on such a beautiful and incredible day! It was so fun coming back to this venue after almost a year, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time! There were some awesome new additions to the venue that made it even better, so it was really cool to see the improvements over time. These two went for all the boho and rustic vibes, which you know I just adore! I could not get enough of their fun and thoughtful details from their super unique invitations, stunning fall florals by Bloom Flower Co, and the adorable little matching boots for their daughter were so amazing and really tied everything together!

Emily and Derek’s wedding day was filled with so many special moments, but my absolute favorite was definitely witnessing Emily’s first look with Derek AND his first look with their daughter, Aubree! They were all so emotional and it was the sweetest few moments for their family! I was SO happy when Emily and Derek decided to do a first look because it always saves so much time and stress on a wedding day, AND it gave them the opportunity to take so many more portraits, which we went totally wild with. When you opt for a first look, you have so many more opportunities for portraits from that moment on, sunset, and even night portraits! If you’re anything like me, who doesn’t want more portraits?! Knowing that Emily and Derek wanted a super laidback and carefree day, so it was awesome having that extra time after the first look to get all of their family formals and wedding party photos done before their ceremony. Plus, that meant that they could enjoy the entire cocktail hour, too! Doing their first look was the perfect way to ensure that they had all the time they needed to just relax and celebrate with their people!

Their Love Story

Even though Emily and Derek lived three hours away from each other when they connected through Instagram, they quickly became friends from chatting occasionally through the app and it didn’t take long for them to realize that they had a deeper connection than friendship. Despite the distance, Emily and Derek decided they wanted to meet in person and began spending weekends together in each other’s towns, going out to eat, exploring, and hanging out with friends! Emily says that, “It was just so easy between us; the chemistry flowed without ever having to force it and we had grown feelings for one another and we thought we could take a swing at being exclusive and make the distance work.” After a year of dating with the distance Emily packed her bags and moved up to North Jersey to be with Derek, and not long after that they got the amazing news that they were going to be parents!!

In March of 2018, Emily, Derek, and their little girl Aubree were getting family pictures taken for the following year’s Christmas cards. It was such a perfect setting and it even started snowing! Right as they were finishing up with pictures, Derek got down on one knee in the snow and asked Emily to marry him! About two months after they got engaged, Emily and Derek decided to tie the knot early at their local courthouse before their actual wedding day! It is so special that Aubree was there to be a part of the proposal and their marriage!

Emily and Derek,

I am beyond honored that you asked me to capture your epic wedding! Your day was full of sweet moments, beautiful people, an emotional ceremony, and an awesome party in the barn celebrating your marriage! I am totally OBSESSED with the portraits we got of you two! Thank you for being up for running around in your flowy, gorgeous dress and not minding one bit if the dress or your boots got dirty! I had you running, jumping, lifting, and doing all kinds of crazy fun things the whole day, but you both were all for it! Thank you so much for embracing everything I tossed at you and for having the BEST easygoing vibes I could ever ask for! Congratulations! <3 Love you so so much!!