Their Session: Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm, NJ

This summer flower field maternity session was extra special because Nicole and Bryan are wedding industry friends! They’re the incredible owners of the wedding dog walking company, Smile ‘n’ Wag, where they take care of your furbabies at your wedding! They’re amazing at getting the pups to look at the camera, so their team member joined us for their session to help with their two Boxers! Nicole and Bryan looked incredible, and their cute pups were nothing short of perfection, as well! Nicole found such cute bandanas that photographed so well!

I just KNEW this session was going to be a good one when Nicole’s email said: “I have been dreaming of having pictures taken by you for about three years and after meeting you at a wedding last summer and you being just as sweet in person, I knew once we started trying to have a baby and we found out that I would be reaching out to you ASAP! We 100% want to book.” Although I sadly wasn’t available for their big day when they reached out, it was such an honor getting to photograph this exciting milestone for them!

We revisited their beautiful wedding venue, Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm, which had the perfect backdrops like open fields, a beautiful stone barn, lush flower fields, and peach trees! There were endless options for photos, and these two were up for anything! Clearly, they were made to be in front of the camera after plenty of experience from their engagement session and wedding day! This time, just with a cute bump and all the excitement of their little one on the way!

Their Love Story

These cuties met on a dating app in 2019, and Nicole shared, “he truly is the most amazing man I have ever met and I am so thankful. Our official dating anniversary is June 11th, and he decided to propose two years later on the same date while we went on an RV trip to Shenandoah National Park.”

They hiked up a mountain with their dogs to a beautiful overlook, but unfortunately, halfway through their hike, it started to rain! The fog rolled in so badly that they couldn’t see anything at the top. Luckily, the rain meant no other hikers were around, so they got to enjoy their proposal privately with their two pups!

A year later, they decided to elope on the beach in LBI on June 11th to keep all the dates consistent! Their beautiful elopement day included a small ceremony with their dogs and family friend. They took the dogs swimming in the bay, and then got caught in a downpour on the way home. They embraced the weather and realized how perfectly it tied into their proposal story. I love that these two are so down for anything that comes their way – wild weather and all!

They celebrated the wedding of their dreams in September of 2022 at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm! It was SO special to hear how many similarities Nicole and Bryan’s wedding day had to mine and Shawn’s -#weddingsoulmates! She said, “So much of our wedding day reminded me of yours, I even tried on your dress at Daydream Bridal and it was legit my second choice… AND I even had the same after-party dress as you, I just wore my cowboy boots instead of sneakers.” How cute is that?!

Tons of the smaller details were so aligned, as well! The night of their wedding, they stayed in their RV! A huge reason I loved our venue was the airstreams they had on the property! Nicole picked mismatched bridesmaid dresses, floral pjs for her girls to get ready in, and decorated the reception with small bud vase bottles – again, SO similar to our details!

Their wedding day was their absolute favorite day ever with their favorite people, and “at the end of it, I had my amazing husband to start on this adventure called life together.” ADORABLE!

The discussion of growing a family came up on their very first date, so they knew they wanted a baby soon after they got married! They found out on Christmas Day of 2022 that were expecting a baby in September 2023! They recently bought the 16-acre property next to Nicole’s parents which has a fixerupper house ready for some TLC. They said, “The thought of raising our children in a home we built from the ground up next door to their grandparents has my heart ready to explode.” Such a special way to welcome their baby into the world!

Nicole & Bryan,

You two and the pups were such a dream to photograph, and I can’t wait for your little one to enter the world! Your love is absolutely infectious, and I know you’re going to crush it as parents! Plus, the pups are going to be amazing older siblings! Can’t get over how much I love your summer flower field maternity session! Congratulations!!! xo