Elegant & Classic Pleasantdale Chateau Wedding

Last week, I photographed Kim and Nick’s Pleasantdale Chateau Wedding in West Orange, New Jersey. Pleasantdale Chateau is one of the most beautiful wedding venues I have ever been to in New Jersey and Kim and Nick were one of my most romantic couples ever. These two had a classic and elegant Summer wedding at Pleasantdale Chateau, keep reading to hear all about them and keep scrolling to view my favorite images from their stunning day!

Kim and Nick first met as college students at High Point University in North Carolina and they were both at the same school event on February 1, 2014. They were each told separately that “someone really wants to meet you.” and from that point on, Nick asked her to be his valentine and they went on their first date on February 14, 2014. Their first date was at a small local restaurant called Southern Roots, Nick had never been, but it was Kim’s longstanding favorite. Nick was so nervous, he couldn’t look her in the eyes the entire dinner, and it took about three dates for him to build up the courage to actually look her in the eyes. For Nick, it was the cliche’ love at first sight, he had a strange feeling about her the first night he met her, and even went back to his apartment and told his best friend, and now best man, that he had met the “one”.

Bubble exit at Union Congregational Church

Kim and Nick were engaged on 03/05/2017, the proposal, from Nick (this is quite the romantic story!): “I’ve always been a fan of Ed Sheeran, and when I heard his song “Tenerife Sea”, all I could think about was Kim. The song states “should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know its enough for me, ’cause all that you are is all that I’ll ever need….you look so beautiful in this light, your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea”. This song brought me back to our first dates where I couldn’t even look her in the eyes, perhaps because they are so beautifully blue.

Towards the end of senior year, when I knew that I was ready to start shopping for rings, I had an idea. Tenerife is a real place, so why not bring her there to propose. In October I asked her dad for permission to take her on a trip, under the guise of celebrating our 3 year anniversary. Once I booked the trip, on November 4, 2016 I asked Kim’s parents if I could marry her. The planning began to take Kim to the island of Tenerife in early March. At first I didn’t want to even tell her we were going on a trip until the day we were supposed to leave, but I wanted to her to have something to look forward to (as we were living in separate states). For Christmas I gave her a cork from “Palmer Vineyards” (that was her first hint given my last name) and told her that we would be going to California. I’m a bad liar so she had her suspicions, but she didn’t know where we were going until the morning we departed, when I told her that she needed to go to the bank to get Euros.

On March 4 we arrived in Tenerife and had a relaxing first day. Kim didn’t know it, but my family had come in on another flight and were on the same island ready to photograph the event and celebrate with us. On the morning of March 5 I told Kim to dress up as we were “going to a vineyard”. This too was a lie, but I knew i would’ve been in trouble had I not told her to dress nicely for her own engagement. Convincing her to go on a walk on the beach in her nice clothes was perhaps the most challenging part of the whole charade, but after a debate she relented. I walked her on a secluded beach, facing the “Tenerife Sea” and asked her if she would “make those beautiful eyes mine forever.” After that we spent the rest of the week relaxing on beaches, sailing with dolphins, and wine tasting in the shadow of the island’s volcano.

I wanted this trip to be one that we could always look back on and remember how we are both all that we need. To symbolize the Tenerife Sea and Kim’s blue eyes, I had the jeweler put two small aquamarine stones on the bottom of her engagement band.”

Portraits at outdoor Summer wedding at pleasantdale chateau

When I walked into the bridal suite of their Pleasantdale Chateau wedding, I was blown away by the gorgeous bridal suite the girls were having final hair and makeup in, not to mention the wall paper and decor matched the blue she chose for her bridesmaid dresses perfectly! There was so much natural light and it was a dream photographing all of Kim’s beautiful and well thought out details and her final hair and makeup. Once dressed, an emotional Kim read a sweet card from her groom before departing in a vintage car for their ceremony. When I asked my couple after their engagement session what they were most looking forward to on their day, Kim told me that she could not wait to see Nick’s reaction when he sees her walking down the aisle for the first time and Nick was most excited about seeing Kim in her dress. This moment was so sweet and Nick’s reaction did not disappoint! After a gorgeous bubble exit from their Union Congregational Church in Montclair, NJ, these two drove off to their Pleasantdale Chateau wedding where we photographed my glowing bride and groom all over the grounds of. Once photos were complete, these two were ready to party for the remainder of the night with the Billy Stone Band. Kim and Nick had such a gorgeous wedding day and I am so excited to share these images!

Ballroom portraits of bride and groom at pleasantdale chateau wedding

Kim and Nick love to travel and are currently on their honeymoon in Greece! This destination is Nick’s 24th country visited and their 9th country visited together. They love exploring new places and immersing themselves in the cultures of the places they visit.