Ramblewood Country Club Wedding | Melissa & Mike

October 26, 2023

Last weekend, I photographed Melissa and Mike’s Ramblewood Country Club wedding in Mount Laurel, NJ! Melissa and Mike had an elegant but relaxed Fall wedding, this was the second marriage for both of them so they wanted the day to be all about the blending of their two families and to have fun with their most loved friends and family.

Melissa and Mike thought of every detail and found ways to make all these details even more special. There is an amazing story behind their wedding bands, Melissa’s veil and their champagne flutes (keep reading!) and the best part of the evening was when the Philadelphia Wings lacrosse team mascot, Wingston made a surprise appearance at the reception!

Melissa and Mike first met in 2012 in her neighbor’s front yard after a Girl Scout meeting, Mike just so happened to be friends with this neighbor! Their first date was on March 8, 2015. Melissa had told Mike that she had never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show so he surprised her with tickets. They have continued to go every year for their anniversary since!

Melissa says there wasn’t a specific moment that told her Mike was the one – he is her perfect person, her rock and her best friend and supports her in every way. Mike says he just knew she was the one, he realized it when he didn’t want to live without her.

Engaged 03/13/2021, the proposal from Melissa: “We went to Cape May for our anniversary. I wanted to watch the sunset at Sunset Beach. We walked along the beach and found a place to sit. I put my hand on Mike’s leg and he moved it (the ring was in his pocket). He asked if I wanted to walk back. The sun hadn’t set yet so I said I wanted to stay. We stood on the beach. Mike turned me to him, kissed my forehead and says “You’re my everything” then turned me back to watch the sunset. He turned me around to him again and when I looked, he was on one knee and simply said “Will you marry me?” I stepped back in surprise and started crying and said yes!”

Their thoughtful details:

Story behind the rings: Since Mike proposed in Cape May, they collected sand from Sunset Beach, purchased some Cape May diamonds and shipped the sand and stones off to England where a talented jeweler turned these items into their beautiful and unique wedding bands!

Story behind the veil: Melissa’s gorgeous veil was made by a Hawaiian designer off Etsy. It had flowers around the edge of the veil and these flowers were significant as they were the birth month flowers for Melissa and Mike as well as their children – Abbey, Mikey and Kylie. Such a sweet touch with the blending of their two families.

Story behind the toasting flutes: During their adventures, they had stumbled across a glass blowing demonstration in Wheaton Arts Village, they were so amazed by the process, that Mike surprised Melissa with a date to a glass shop where they made glass hearts. As they planned their wedding, Melissa asked Mike what he thought about finding a way to make artisan champagne flutes. They then found Burning Branch Studio in Kirkwood, PA where they created their own champagne flutes, which was possibly one of the hardest things to create as first time glass blowers! While they do not look like traditional flutes, Melisa and Mike say that they are perfectly imperfect and they bring them so much joy! The studio also provided them with glass chips which were used in the unity ceremony as well as the glass sunflowers that were on their sweetheart table!

Melissa, an executive legal assistant and Mike, an aerial lift mechanic like to watch movies, watch and attend Philadelphia Wings lacrosse games, and going on adventures together when they weren’t planning their Ramblewood Country Club wedding. They also love to get in the truck with no specific destination in mind and seeing where the road takes them. And most importantly, they love to spend time with their three teenagers.

Now married, their dreams include traveling together and exploring the world, entertaining and hanging out with friends and family and growing old together. Their advice for couple’s currently planning their weddings is not to stress! Don’t compare your wedding plans and ideas to anyone else’s. Make your day about the two of you as a couple. And have fun with it! And finally, they couldn’t wait to marry each other and to finally be Mr. & Mrs. Hibbard!

Thank you to Mike and Melissa for choosing me to photograph your Ramblewood Country Club wedding!