October Wedding at Bradford Estate | Julia & Matt

October 16, 2024

On October 6th, I photographed Julia and Matt’s October Wedding at Bradford Estate in Hainesport, NJ. Julia and Matt had a romantic and classic Fall wedding with a color palette of rosy sunset tones that included peaches, rose, mulberry and navy. I started the day capturing Julia’s gorgeous bridal details (I could have photographed her details all day!) at a nearby hotel before we traveled to the Bradford Estate to get dressed. Once my bride and groom were dressed, we captured an emotional first look followed by sentimental private vows that they read to one another. Once portraits were complete, it was time for their personal ceremony where the bride’s uncle officiated. After they said “I do”, my couple had a lively reception that included a hora, sweet speeches and delicious food. I am so excited to share Julia and Matt’s October Wedding at Bradford Estate!

Julia and Matt met through a mutual friend in middle school and started to really talk in high school. They began dating freshman year of high school and have been together ever since. Julia says she knew Matt was the one when they started college 500 miles apart. She went out of state to North Carolina while he stayed back in Pennsylvania. From all the tears every single time she had to go back to school to all of the FaceTime calls and the weekend trips they somehow made it all work. While not easy, this proved how committed they were to making their relationship work. The love, support, and dedication Matt showed is when she knew she had found her life partner.

Engaged on 07/02/2023, the proposal: “We both knew a proposal was coming in the future. We went to look at rings early in 2023 to get ideas. Fast forward a few months, Matt made a plan to go pick up the ring without me knowing. After that, he met with my dad to ask him to marry me. Now for the planning, he talked to my best friend to come up with the plan. He ended up choosing to propose at a winery, a more intimate setting as I didn’t want a lot of people around. He planned that a photographer would be there to capture the special moment. He planned the proposal day for right after we got back from vacation so I wouldn’t be suspicious and he succeeded, I had no idea it was happening! After we celebrated at our favorite dinner spot with our families, it was the perfect day (the rain even held off)!”

When Matt, a chemical engineer and Julia, an elementary school teacher weren’t planning their Bradford Estate wedding, they love to go to TopGolf, watch sports (football and college basketball), play Mario Cart, and binge whatever show they are currently watching. They also love to play pickle ball and paint pottery. Now married, their dreams include starting a family and having 2-3 kids as well as some fur babies. They also would like to travel together and experience new places and cultures, and of course grow old together!

Julia and Matt’s advice for couple’s currently planning their wedding is to take your time and enjoy every moment. It can be overwhelming but worth all the stress in the end! They were most looking forward to celebrating with all of their friends and family, especially the ones who aren’t an easy drive away! Thank you to Julia and Matt for choosing me to photograph your October Wedding at Bradford Estate!