The Mill Lakeside Manor Wedding

Summer New Jersey Wedding

Matthew & Daniela

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Their love story started in college, and a proposal came together with the help of family, making this summer wedding at The Mill Lakeside Manor one of the best days of Daniele and Matt’s life (read about their engagement here).

Getting ready

As with most weddings, you prepare by having some morning chaos with your chosen group of loved ones in a hotel room. Not these two, they were calm and collected. I think they were so ready for this day to happen. Being a music fan, if I had to place a song to the moment, think of that Bob Marley lyric “The sun is shining, the weather was sweet,” and Spring Lake, New Jersey was all that on June 11th.

All the tiny details are chosen with care. The vibes for the group were in the “Let’s F*cking Go” energy in the hotel room. Once the group was looking fly, we had some fun with popping bottles and clanking beers.

Once we traveled from the hotel to The Mill Lakeside Manor for the party, we had some time to finish getting ready on the property.

First Look & Portraits

We started off with the first look and the couple’s portraits. For those couples who are unsure about whether to do a first look, I have a piece of advice: while it’s normal to feel nervous, those butterflies will quickly fade once you see your partner and have a quiet moment together before the ceremony. Moments like this are rare for the rest of the day unless you specifically schedule them into your timeline. I highly recommend setting aside extra time to spend together alone.

After capturing some bridal party portraits, we moved on to family photos. I always advise couples to complete the immediate family photos before the ceremony. So, who qualifies as immediate family? This typically includes parents, siblings (with or without partners), grandparents, and sometimes godparents.

If you say, “Hey Simone, I want to enjoy and socialize during cocktail hour,” I recommend taking these group shots before the ceremony. If the family portraits can’t be done until after the ceremony or if they’re not a priority for you, consider a more unconventional option: just one big group shot instead of breaking down into individual groups. There’s a lot more to discuss regarding this, but I’ll go over it in detail during a wedding call with clients beforehand.

Family Photos, Ceremony, Reception

Intros & Dances

Sunset Photos

The Mill Lakeside Manor Wedding Vendors

So folks, I have to give it up to the excellent behind-the-scenes Friendors on this day that made everything come together.

The Mill Lakeside Manor has a very attentive staff with the bridal party. The food was delicious, and there were so many awesome little photographic spots for photos. Ms. Carla and April, with Details Made Simple conducted the wedding planning and had the day running smoothly. The ladies had a glam-tastic time with MiaFarah Beautique for makeup and hair. The stunning flower arrangements by Narcissus Florals and the exquisite cake design by Chocolate Carousel. DJ Jose with TWK Events made sure the music made the people get out and dance. Last but not least I got to creatively work alongside my friend Nino Gallego and his squad operating on videography. Thank you John Defiora for being my second photographer. It was a fantastic vendor day had by all.