Crystal Point Yacht Club Winter Wedding at the Jersey Shore
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Jane + James
Heather and I piled into Heidi (the name we gave to our car) for our second to last wedding of 2021 with equal parts exhaustion and excitement. We have spent so much time on the road that we are scared to know the exact amount, but we ballpark a figure by how many podcasts and audiobooks we’ve rifled through. Surprisingly, we still have an amazing time in the car together. The old litmus test of taking a road trip with a significant other rings truer with every mile we traverse. A year ago to the day we were traveling to the first part of Jane and James’ wedding in Bayonne, New Jersey, and Heather would wind up giving birth to Capa just 12 days later. I still can’t believe how many weddings we did in 2020 and it made our 2021 wedding feel easier by comparison.
Jane and James’ first celebration was a beautiful trip down memory lane, as they got married in the church across the street from the school they attended as children. They held their reception at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, and it was attended by their closest friends and family as there were still relatively strict gathering restrictions. This year, on their anniversary, they got to host the wedding that they always wanted and it was nice to see some familiar faces! The camaraderie of James and his groomsmen reminded me of my relationships to my childhood friends and the kinship between Jane and her bridesmaids was genuine and sentimental.
The first time I ever visited the Jersey Shore was for Jane and James’ engagement photos so it was only fitting that the second time would be for their wedding at the Crystal Point Yacht Club. The newly renovated cocktail room boasted one of the prettiest white granite top bars I’ve ever seen. They also had a huge variety of beers and even had three taps where guests pour their beers themselves! (If Heather and I ever renew our vows I may book it here on that principle alone.) Off the back of the venue is a marina where we took Jane and James for a few quick romantic photos on the dock before the early winter sunset.
Typically the shortest days of the year frustrate Heather and I. I like to call it a helio-dependence. But since having Capa amidst the crazy snowstorms of winter 2020 these short days have taken on a different type of light. They remind me of the kind of coziness of coming inside on snow days and putting your wet gloves and socks on the radiator. How we’d throw some milk in a pot and tear open a pack of swiss miss with the dehydrated marshmallows and put a christmas movie on TV. Every one of us is lucky to have memories that are that vivid and peaceful, and lucky for Jane and James, now they have two.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Crystal Point Yacht Club | Point Pleasant, NJ
Floral | Wild & Free Floral Design
Dress | Maggie Sottero
Band | Mike Dalton Band
Suit | The Tux Shop
Cake/Bakery | Tinton Falls Pastry Chef
Jersey Shore Engagement Photography at Avon-By-The-Sea
Apollo Fields | Beach Engagement Photos | New Jersey Wedding Photographer | Jersey Shore photographers | Jersey Shore weddings | Outdoor Engagement Photographer | Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ
As someone who grew up on Long Island, I never went to Jersey Shore. Ever. But after meeting up with Jane and James at Avon-by-the-Sea a couple weeks ago, I definitely see the allure of it. Avon-by-the-Sea didn’t have any of the carnival games or fist-pumping that the shore has become notorious for; instead it boasted beautiful new-england-meets-beach-house architecture with tons of wrap around porches, and old immigrant family vibes. Jane’s Polish uncle was actually having a small birthday gathering when we were finishing up the shoot.
Jane and James met while working at a bank a few years back, and have adapted well to the quarantine life of 2020. I think it’s the first time in my life when I (an extrovert) have been jealous of the introverted lifestyle that Jane and James prefer. I love puzzles and board games as much as the next guy, but after you work for years in crowded bars the constant ambient noise can make extended periods of silence feel jarring. Jane and James have been happy to stay in, work from home, and enjoy each other’s company.
We started the meetup at The Marina Grille to shake off some engagement session jitters with a beer and to get to know each other better. Heather and Jane actually did their undergraduate studies together at The College of New Jersey but they were both working so hard that they didn’t get to hang out much (My undergraduate experience was a very different story; or at least the beginning of it). We talked to Jane and James’s about their first date and how James had a firm policy about not dating other employees. He waited until she left the company to formally ask her out.
Jane and James have the kind of playful vibe you would imagine when you have a game night with friends who have a healthy competitive relationship. Heather and I on the other hand, push that envelope until we play a game so much we have to put it on the shelf for a few months. We all shared a laugh when James told a story of a relative finishing a puzzle without them that Jane and James had been working on for months. They just came home and the puzzle was done. I have no idea how I’d react if that happened, but I’m pretty sure that’s the kind of thing that gets you uninvited to dinner in the Huie household.
Jane and James will be getting married at a venue in Bayonne and Point Pleasant, NJ, in December 2020. We admire their steadfast dedication to getting married despite all that’s going on and will support our couples in any decision that they make. Next summer we’ll have to come visit them on the shore, bring some beers and board games, finish a puzzle or two, and enjoy an iconic Jersey Shore sunset.
