Ballyowen Golf Club Wedding | Hamburg, NJ | Samantha & Matt

October 6, 2025

On September 27th, 2025, I photographed Samantha and Matt’s Ballyowen Golf Club Wedding in Hamburg, NJ. This September wedding at Ballyowen Golf Club was the perfect mix of vintage charm and vibrant romance. The day featured stunning florals in deep red and bright pink tones, adding a bold, passionate touch against the soft greens of the golf course and the golden late-summer light. Every detail came together beautifully for a day that felt both elegant and full of life.

Samantha and Matt originally met during their freshman year of college in the freshman seminar class. They couldn’t stand each other at first – she thought he was too talkative for an 8 AM class and he thought she came off unapproachable. They met again during the spring semester of their sophomore year during a party and then kept running into each other on campus. Shortly after the party, they started texting. Samantha jokingly asked if he would tutor her in Spanish. To her surprise he showed up ready to teach her Spanish! Shortly after that, they were inseparable and a couple of weeks later they made it official.

One of the big early dates early in their relationship was going to Philly. Matt grew up in the Philly area and Sam grew up in Hoboken/NYC area. Matt was determined to show Samantha how much better Philly was so they went to Penn’s landing, the Italian market and South Street. Matt even walked Sam down Broadway to get steaks at Geno’s.

Engaged on 10/28/2023, the proposal from Samantha: “We were on vacation in Disney World for Halloween, which is my favorite holiday. We had just arrived that evening and we headed to Disney Springs to explore and grab some food before crashing for the night. Matt had been anxious since the moment we left the hotel room, he just seemed completely somewhere else. I remember asking him a million times if he was okay and every time he assured me he was. I just assumed Matt was focusing on where we would eat that evening and it would blow over when we ate something.

As we walked through Disney Springs, he walked us to a secluded pier with a hot air balloon ride. The hot air balloon was still docked on the pier and when it’s docked, it’s illuminated by a spotlight. He said we should take some pictures here before the hot air balloon went up, so we both took separate photos of each other in front of the hot air balloon and as we were taking photos we asked a couple next to us to take a picture of us together. As they were taking the photos the hot air balloon went up into the sky and Matt went down on one knee. I was in complete shock and then I think I asked if this was for real. I immediately said yes and we kissed!”

The proposal from Matt: “I had to sneak an engagement ring through TSA without Sam noticing. That kind of stress can kill you. Not to mention the TSA people looking at me like I’m up to no good. I mean who’s THAT nervous at an airport? We got to the hotel and got ourselves situated. This is probably the first time I could think of anything other than Sam not seeing the ring. I planned to do it on Sunday at the Halloween night in Magic Kingdom. This was Saturday night and we were walking around getting acclimated. I decided the pressure was just too much, found the most photogenic spot I could, grabbed the nicest people nearby for a “photo” and proposed. Hands down the most beautiful moment of my life. I can close my eyes and see Sam’s face when she put that ring on.”

When they weren’t planning their Ballyowen Golf Club wedding, they love to go thrifting and antiquing. Matt has a love for music and instruments and loves fixing up old instruments he finds. Sam has a deep obsession with vintage decor and jewelry. They also love taking their puppy Cosmo out for adventures and they love to explore new towns and parks together!

Now married, their dreams include buying a home and starting a family together, they would love to welcome another puppy into the family in the next year or two! Their advice for couples currently planning is to try to have as much fun with planning as you can. You’re getting married, that’s amazing! It’s also stressful. You can’t always make it less stressful, but you can always make it more fun. Get creative! They were most looking forward to having both of their families in one place! In 2025 they are together for 10 years, that is a huge accomplishment that they couldn’t wait to share with everyone!

Thank you to Samantha and Matt for choosing me to photograph your Ballyowen Golf Club wedding!