This American Hotel Freehold Wedding photographed by Delgado Studios took place on a chilly November afternoon.  Kristin and Michael are totally my ideal couple.  Laid back and just go with the flow.  When the weather gets chilly, I try to keep things in perspective and make sure I get my photos quick.  The last thing I want is to get my couples sick before their honeymoon!

For this American Hotel Freehold Wedding, the bride and groom both got ready at the American Hotel. The bridal suites had some beautiful light coming in through the windows, and the dark walls make for a perfect back drop. After Kristin and Mike had their finishing touches all done, I set up their first look at a nearby alleyway. From there we headed back to the American Hotel. Time was of the essence for this one, with a bunch of family formals still to be done prior to the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the hotel as well.

The reception for this American Hotel Freehold wedding was one heck of a party. The band was killer, the crowd was lively and Kristin and Mike were having the time of their lives! The uplighting was spectacular as you’ll see below, I mean check out that first dance! Towards the end of the night, we decided to spend a few minutes taking some awesome night shots. The American Hotel lends itself well to some dynamic portraits. As a NJ Wedding Photographer, I feel it’s important to fill in the gallery with some nice evening shots as many times we do not have lots of daylight to work with. Now for more about these two, here is a quick blurb from Kristin:

“I was introduced to Michael in May 2011.  My best friend text me one night saying she met the “perfect guy” for me.  After months of back and forth through mutual friends, we agreed to meet for a blind date at a café in Brooklyn.  I don’t remember much from that first encounter, but I do remember how comfortable I felt sitting there and talking with him.  I left that date not sure how he felt and if I would continue seeing him.  But sure enough we slowly started seeing each other more and more.  That fall, I relocated to NJ, while Michael was still living in Long Island.  Between our distance and my always changing work schedule, we took advantage of whatever time we had to be together.  The time finally came for us to make the decision to move in together.  So, in October of 2013, Michael made the LONG journey over two bridges and moved to NJ to be with me.  Through all this time, there was never really any talk of marriage.  I was happy with the way things were going, and I knew he was too.

Fast forward to April 2016, Michael and I had made plans to go to brunch in Pier Village.  This wasn’t an unusual thing to do, since we love going out to eat.  That morning getting dressed I had no idea the plans he had.  I was even given a small gift bag to hold and told not to open it until after brunch.  Little did I know, I had a part of my proposal in my hands at that time.  We ate, and took a short walk along the beach after.  As we were getting ready to go back up the stairs to the boardwalk, Michael stopped me and told me to open my gift, which I had pretended to forget I had.  In the bag was an etched stone and a quote about penguins finding one mate for a lifetime.  I have an obsession with penguins!  He pulled a ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him.  I was in total shock and overjoyed, I don’t even know if I ever said yes!

The wedding day came and everything went exactly how we wanted.  All our vendors worked with us to achieve the perfect day.  I wish I could go back and enjoy it all again.”

Thank for for the amazing insight Kristin! My staff and I had a wonderful time photographing this American Hotel Freehold Wedding. Kristin, Mike and their whole family and friend were lots of fun to work with! I hope everyone enjoys the images!