What do you get when you have a Princess Bride and a Marine? An unforgettable wedding! Josh and Cristina’s wedding was a dream with so many amazing details. I’m not even sure where to begin but I do need to thank Brielle Kaschak Photography for thinking of me and asking me to second shoot for her on this gorgeous occasion because without her this day would not have even been possible.

I started the day with the guys and boy o boy, Josh and his buddies were nothing short of a hoot and a holler. I also felt a special soft spot because Josh and both of his brothers are all Marines (HOORAH!) and so is my brother. And there’s nothing much more impressive to me than the Marine’s Dress Blues.

After the boys were ready to go we all hopped in our vehicles and drove to the Church for the ceremony. The tears started before the music did and you could see Josh’s anticipation as he waited for Cristina to make her walk down the aisle on her father’s arm. His reaction is really quite heartfelt. After the ceremony we were all keeping our fingers crossed that the traffic gods would be on our side as we made our way to the reception. And they were! We made it from Paterson, NJ to Sparta, NJ in record breaking time.

Now, let me take a moment to put in a good word about their reception venue because they were hands down THE BEST venue I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. The Rock Island Lake Club is so attentive to your needs, even as a vendor, and they literally go above and beyond to make every single person’s needs are met. I mean, we were hired to cover the wedding and they still treated us like royalty so I can’t even imagine what they do for you as the Bride and Groom. Still don’t believe me? People, they brought me a plate of bacon. A PLATE OF BACON! What venue does that?! Rock Island Lake Club does 🙂

Ok, so I digress but it needed to be said.

When we got to the reception we took the Wedding Party and the families down to the lake for formals. Once we were finished with all the group photos we took Josh and Cristina away from the crowds for their portraits. The light timed its appearance o so perfectly and we were able to get some of the most golden light from that day.

After portraits we made our way back up to the venue and indulged in a bit of cocktail hour before getting ready for the reception. The reception space was beautifully decorated and overlooked the lake with a wall full of glass doors and windows. The night moved smoothly from introduction to heartfelt dances to a delicious dinner and straight into a packed dance floor. As if there was nothing much else better Rock Island Lake Club then presented us with the most glorious dessert selection I’ve ever had and even had a food station making taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches for guests on the way out.

Did I not tell you how amazing they treat their guests??

I could go on and on but enough with words and letters and blah blah blah. I know y’all want the photos 😉