The Bradford Estate Wedding | Hainesport, NJ | Alley & Ryan
Last weekend, I photographed Alley and Ryan’s gorgeous Spring wedding at The Bradford Estate in Hainesport, New Jersey. We ended up having the perfect Spring day, while we feared rain in the forecast all week, we were so lucky and didn’t have one drop of rain for their portraits or outdoor ceremony. I am so excited to share this gorgeous The Bradford Estate wedding!
Alley and Ryan first met at a mutual friend’s pool party in the summer of 2011. Throughout the following fall semester at Stockton University, they met a handful of times thanks to mutual friends. Their first date was on October 29th, 2011 at the Halloween-themed Flyers vs. Hurricanes game where they dined on Flyers-shaped pretzels, crab fries, and enjoyed a winning Flyers game all while sparks were flying between them, but perhaps the most magical part of the night was the weather: it snowed the entire ride to and from Philadelphia! Alley knew Ryan was the one almost immediately after the moment she “met” him in October 2011. When she was growing up, her grandmother always talked about how she felt love at first sight with her grandfather, and while it seemed too good to be true at the time, she had a similar experience the minute she met Ryan. She was swept away by his charisma; he lights up every room he walks into and she was simply drawn to him. Alley jokes that she and Ryan have been married since the day they met. They had an instant, inseparable bond, as if their souls had met before. They never looked back.
Alley and Ryan were engaged on 12/14/16, the proposal from Alley: “I have a lifelong love for all things Harry Potter, but somehow I had never made it to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios. Last year, all I wanted as a graduation present was to go to Universal to finally experience Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and I made all the arrangements myself months in advance since Ryan does not share my passion for Harry Potter. With the pieces in place, he decided to take advantage of the situation and surprise me at the spot I had been yearning to visit for years. We arrived at Universal Studios at park opening and — after a pit stop at security, where the ring box tripped the metal detector — we raced off to see Hogwarts in its glory. It was a beautiful, 85° December day with hardly anyone visiting the park so close to Christmas. By the time we reached Hogsmeade, I was already extremely overwhelmed with excitement, but Ryan suggested we take a picture in front of the castle, so we walked straight to the back. There, in front of Hogwarts, Ryan gave an employee his cell phone to take a picture of us. After snapping a few, he asked the employee to take one more, and right before my eyes he went down on one knee! I was so shocked and overwhelmed I cried, and cried, and cried some more. It was true magic!”
I was lucky enough to capture their snowy engagement session last December at Stockton University, Ryan’s last name is Snow, so it was so important for them to have snow in their engagement shoot and I was beyond happy I was able to help accomplish this for them!
We had the absolute perfect day at the Bradford Estate for their wedding. It had rained all morning and the ceremony was even set up inside as a Plan B in case they couldn’t have their outdoor ceremony, but the weather gods were on our side and it didn’t rain a drop on their day! When i first arrived, I was in love with Alley’s details, her gorgeous invitations were created by my bride and her beautiful bouquet created by Stemtations was a dream to photograph, it was filled with coral charm peonies, white ranunculus, peach Juliet garden roses, hot spray roses and various eucalyptus. Once my bubbly bride was dressed, it was time for the first look, which is the moment my couple was most looking forward to!
Once the first look was complete, we used as much of the Bradford Estate grounds as possible for couple and bridal party photos! Their ceremony was so sweet and highly personal. Ryan’s cousin was the officiant and my couple repeated their own sweet vows to one another, their words were the sweetest and my favorite line from their vows was, “I promise to be your faithful husband/wife, to love you when the sun shines and when the snow falls.”
Once officially married, it was time to party and their dance floor at the Bradford Estate did not disappoint! Center Stage Entertainment kept the crowd on the dance floor all night and I was lucky enough to sneak out with my happy couple for one more romantic night photo before the night was complete.
Alley and Ryan have been together for over six years and are really excited to just be married! Eventually, they hope to start a family but want to enjoy being married for a little while first. They love to travel and are going to Costa Rica this July for their honeymoon!
Are you planning a The Bradford Estate wedding? Click here to view the other weddings I have photographed at this gorgeous wedding venue! Ready for more info? Click here to fill out my contact form!
Contributing Vendors:
Photography: Susan Hennessey Photography
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Bradford Estate
Wedding Dress: Free Love Bridal – Stella York
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Formal Dimensions
Wedding Bands: Zale’s and Littman Jewelers
Invitations: DIY by Bride
Hair & Makeup: Lacey Heist Hair and Makeup
Florist: Stemtations LLC
Cake: DiBartolo Bakery
DJ: Center Stage Entertainment
Officiant: Nicholas Staeck, cousin of the groom
