Congress Hall, Cape May, NJ

Our photography and videography crews started our 2021 wedding season at Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ with Kiki and Dave. Kiki had been planning her destination Congress Hall wedding for as long as she could remember. So, being able to carry out her dream wedding despite the global pandemic, meant more to her than one could imagine. With a stately, historic yellow building and a perfectly blue sky as the backdrop of this chilly early spring Cape May beach wedding, we give you Kiki’s dream wedding… oh and Dave’s too!! ; )

Oh and be sure to check out the “KJAD aqua” ballroom. So cool.

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Steve and Tom

VIDEOGRAPHERS: Stephen and Stay

VENDORS:

Ceremony & Reception Site: Congress Hall, Cape May, NJ

Entertainment: BME Event Group

Salon: Say I Do Hair and Makeup

Dress Shop: Van Cleve Bridal

Bridesmaid Dress Shop: The Dress Lounge

Tuxes: Tuxedo by Sarno

Shoes: FitFlop

Invitations: The Knot

Officiant: Judge Joseph Carmondy, District Magistrate

Cake: The Bake Works

Florist: The Manic Botanic

Coordinators: Erin O’Brien (ICONA Resorts) & Shauna Strellish (Westmoreland Club)

We wish we could review the amazing people we get to capture memories for like they write reviews for us. Taylor and Jeremy would definitely get an infinite amount of stars. We first met them a couple years ago for their engagement session in Jim Thorpe when we learned that they were planning on getting married in Punta Cana. In the two years leading up to their wedding, we’ve shared so many laughs, got to meet Taylor and Jeremy’s parents, and can whole- heartedly call them family now. Taylor, Jeremy, and all of their family and friends are such down to earth, genuine, fun loving people who understand what’s important in life and cherish that to the core. That showed in every little detail of both… yes, both… of their weddings. In order for their destination beach wedding in Punta Cana to be performed in English, Taylor and Jeremy had to make it official in the states first. They had the sweetest wedding at Harveys Lake featuring Taylor’s beautiful dress by BHLDN and Jeremy’s father’s awesome vintage Chevy. A few weeks later, our very own Steve and Stephen were on a plane heading to the hottest, but most incredible wedding ever. Taylor’s brother officiated the ocean front ceremony, reminding us all that we could do anything we want to do, but we can’t always do it alone. Taylor and Jeremy are the absolute perfect match and truly bring out the best in each other and everyone around them. We continued the celebration with the reception right on the sand under the stars. Talk about dance moves (please refer to Jeremy in the wedding film below)! The next day we got to capture Taylor’s “trash the dress” as she and Jeremy ran right into the waves in full wedding attire. Yay for underwater housing and cooling down!! We had the best time on this incredible journey with the now newlyweds and everyone else involved, and are so honored to make the KJAD family even bigger. We really love what we do! Oh, Steve also highly recommends everyone try the pineapple juice in Punta Cana! He still won’t stop talking about it!

Congrats to The Williams!

[arve url=”https://vimeo.com/357011856″]

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steve

VIDEOGRAPHER: Stephen

VENDORS:

Harveys Lake Ceremony Site: Our Lady of Victory

Harveys Lake Ceremony Dress: BHLDN

Harveys Lake Suit: Tuxedo Junction

Punta Cana Reception Venue: Palladium Palace

Salon: Zentropia Spa

Dress Shop: The Bridal Chateau

Dress Designer: Maggie Soterro

Bridesmaid Dress Shop: The Dress Lounge

Tuxes/ Suits: Tuxedo Junction

Wedding Bands: Tovon & Co.

Decor: Waves of Love by Karen Bussen

… And now on to their big day. Kate and Mike began their day getting ready at the picturesque Olympia’s Valley Estate. Kate was at the main house and Mike and groomsmen prepared at a smaller residence nearby on the grounds. Once everyone was set, the two met on the dock of the small lake on the property. It was the absolute perfect backdrop for this occasion. We made our way around the grounds for a quick shoot just before the signing of the Ketubah. What followed was a beautiful lakeside ceremony and a reception that was held in the estate’s updated but yet rustic barn. Getting to spend two days with everyone in beautiful Sonoma County California was such a treat! Thanks to Kate and Mike for having us out to celebrate with them.

With destination weddings, we try to capture as much as we can, usually over multiple days, and be a part of the entire wedding weekend festivities. So, if you are considering a destination wedding of any sorts, keep it in mind to include your photography and/or video team as much as you can in ALL of the weekend’s events. You’ll definitely love to relive all of it over and over again.  Enjoy!

Kate and Mike invited us to Petaluma, California for their wedding weekend, and it was just a beautiful as we had hoped it would be. For their rehearsal day, we visited Repris Winery – which is where Kate works and does magical chemistry stuff to make amazing wines for all to enjoy. After spending the morning up in the mountains we headed down to Olympia’s Valley Estate, which was the ceremony and reception location. More on this lovely location in the wedding day blog. After running through their rehearsal, we headed over to one of Kate and Mike’s friend’s home where we enjoyed great company, drinks and delicious pizza by Napa Vallery Crust’s Pizza truck. KJAD needs one of those! Mmmmm… So so good.

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Vendors

Venue : Olympia’s Valley Estate

Catering : Napa Valley Crust