I didn’t meet Nicole or Sam until two days before their Fall Luciens Manor wedding! This is very different from how I run my business, as I enjoy meeting and getting to know my couples throughout their engagement. I believe that having a feel for personalities, and the way couples interact with one another only helps me tell their story on the wedding day in a stronger and more accurate fashion. Typically, an engagement session is a perfect chance for this, but that is difficult to coordinate when you’re oceans a part from your clients!
I didn’t have a chance to meet with Nicole or Sam because they live on the other side of the world in Dubai! A year before the New Jersey wedding, Nicole’s mother Karen first contacted me and invited me to their home to talk about photography. Karen and her husband, Mike were so welcoming to me – within a few minutes I felt as if I was just chatting with my own friend’s parents. I felt the love and pride from Karen and Mike that they have for their daughter. I was highly impressed and in awe that with the challenges that come with planning your daughter’s wedding as she is across the world, Karen had a very clear vision of the wedding day and how it should be ran!
When I finally did meet Nicole and Sam, I could tell right away that these two make each other laugh endlessly. They met in Dubai when Nicole randomly recruited Sam (a complete stranger to Nicole) to be her fake date at a bar, to ward off an unwanted suitor! He told me that he heard Nicole’s American accent and immediately wanted to get to know her more. Nicole was on vacation with a friend, but quickly realized that Dubai and Sam would be her new home.
The wedding day had finally came and Nicole and Sam were both getting ready at Nicole’s childhood home. We managed to coordinate using all areas of the home without the bride and groom seeing one another. The concept of the “First Look” is still fairly new in American wedding culture – a culture which Sam knew nothing about so they decided to remain traditional and hold off on seeing one another until the ceremony. Nicole’s best friend and mother helped get her dressed, as Nicole’s brother Michael ( Sam’s best man) made sure that Sam was looking dapper, got “pumped” with a few reps and headed to Lucien’s Manor on time. After a sweet First Look moment with her father, Nicole was ready to “get the show on the road” in her own words!
Nicole had to give Sam a run-down of events for an American wedding. She even had to tell him that when the officiant says “matrimony” he is referring to the marriage! I love learning differences in cultures, and realizing we are actually all very similar. Their ceremony was full of people that love Nicole and Sam. Many of Sam’s family traveled far to come to the wedding! It wouldn’t have been the same to Sam without the ones he loves so much. Lucien’s Manor provided an elegant ceremony space for Nicole and Sam to officially unite as one!
After the “I Do’s” we headed outside to use the very last bit of daylight to capture family photos! The day quickly fell into night, giving Nicole and Sam the opportunity for some unique bride and groom photos with the scenery around Lucien’s Manor! Before they knew it, the time had come to dance the night away in the Venetian ballroom!
Congratulations again Nicole and Sam, thank you for having me be a part of your special day and start to your marriage!
