Their Wedding Day: Wave Resort, Long Branch, NJ

Carly and Monica have been such a freaking blast to hang out with since day one! It was so amazing getting to photograph their big day at Wave Resort! I was so excited to see familiar names pop up in my inbox when they got engaged and first reached out! We have a bunch of mutual friends being that we grew up in nearby towns, and Monica and I had been Facebook friends for years! Together, these two are a powerhouse team from gourmet dinners most nights out of the week to epic vacations and demo-ing their entire house! These two keep it real always, and they’re just such a fun duo. I was honored to get to know them throughout the process and celebrate their love story from engagement session to their wedding day!

C&M had actually planned a very different wedding day, but I LOVE what they ended up with regardless! They originally had wanted to have a private ceremony, so their day would have been getting ready, portraits, and a fun celebrations with friends and family! Instead, due to COVID-19, they had to make the hard decision to scrap the big party they were planning and opt for an intimate wedding day. And it was exactly that – intimate, romantic, and so meaningful. They chose to have a private ceremony on the beach while friends and family overlooked from the balcony of Wave Resort! Then, they celebrated with a moody, edgy dinner reception with their guests! I love how they adapted based on the circumstance and still found ways to make their day totally their own no matter what!

September 27th was a day full of dreamy perfection from the gorgeous details (wax seals, neon signs, and smoke bombs?! yes please!) to the emotional first look and private ceremony overlooking the ocean. I was so over the moon to be the one to capture the start of their forever (although it truly started maaany years ago)! <3

Their Love Story

It’s been over 10 years for these two! Carly and Monica’s sister were best friends growing up, so C & M always knew one another well! When Carly and Monica went to college, they both did life separately for a bit, but when Monica moved back home, they finally started dating! It’s been years of love and adventure ever since!

Their proposal story went like this: “Carly and I like to travel and go on vacations to the Caribbean especially, so I proposed to Carly at our favorite resort group – Excellence Oyster Bay in Jamaica. I also like photography, so I set up an “anniversary shoot” on the beach with all of my equipment already placed on record and proposed to her there. I had set up a romantic dinner with the help of the resort and brought to the beach photos Carly and I took over the past years of me holding her hand from behind while she faced forward. I told her I wanted to take a photograph like that and while she was turned facing forward I started saying how we always take these photos with Carly’s back towards me, but now it’s time for her to face me as I want to face life and the next chapter together, and as she turned, I was down on one knee and asked her to marry me.” ALL the chills, right?! Such an epic proposal!

While these two are opposites in so many ways, they complement one another so perfectly. They’re each other’s rocks. They support and uplift each other in everything they do, and I love getting to watch all the wild things they’re up to on their Instagram stories!

Carly & Monica,

You two make my heart so happy and full. Thank you for allowing me to photograph your love. I’ve had so much fun getting to know you both better and truly know I’ve gained two amazing friends in this process. Seeing you two tie the knot and celebrate becoming wifey and wifey was SO beautiful. Love you both SO crazy much!!! Congratulations, love bugs!! xo