Our Wedding at Honeymoon Acres in Ramsey, NJ
Our Wedding | Heather and Terrence Huie | Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ | Apollo Fields
Despite attending and photographing countless weddings, I never knew how I would feel on my wedding day. Would I get cold feet? Would I cry helplessly at the altar? Would my vows live up to what I hear in my heart? I really wasn’t sure, but now I can say that it was without question the best day of my life. Typically I avoid using superlatives and hyperbolic statements like “the best day of my life,” because I believe they don’t really tell you anything, but it was the best fucking day of my life. (I usually don’t use curses either, but I guess I’m breaking all my rules today.)
On Saturday, October 6th, 2018, a quintessentially grim and misty northeastern autumnal day, I wed Heather Erny in front of our closest friends and family at her aunt and uncle’s farm in Ramsey, NJ. Honeymoon Acres, as aunt Pam and uncle Rick like to call it, is a beautifully-manicured farm splashed with wild sunflowers and potted mums, a vintage 1950’s Ford with big round headlights and an entire family of farm animals. The amount of work that Pam, Rick, and both of our families and friends put in to wrangling all of the animals (roll call: 1 pig, 1 horse, 1 donkey, 2 goats, 1 cat, and 4 dogs), making all of the food, and assisting in the general logistics of the day will have me grateful for many years to come.
For those of you who don’t know, Heather and I decided to make and serve all of the food for our wedding day. Many called us crazy, as we only arrived in New York on October 1st from our road trip back from Colorado, leaving us five days to set the place up and prepare all the food—but with the help of our family and friends we did it. We made a fresh pasta bar consisting of truffle mushroom linguini, vegetable lasagna, pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli and a classic spaghetti and meat sauce. As we ladled and scooped generous portions to our guests donning our respective aprons, I couldn’t help but speak with an Italian-American accent to move the line along like I was running my own Long Island deli. We didn’t plan to serve everyone ourselves but we were having fun, so we did—to our relief nobody went hungry.
As dinner waned and the scotch shed opened, our wedding was now in full swing. The small potting shed that we converted into a whiskey tasting room exploded with laughter, warmth, and old stories. The dance floor in the garage-turned-banquet-room jumped beneath the Edison lights, uniting the older and the younger in a musically-induced exuberance. All around there were smiles, especially from the farm animals living their best lives as moonlight entertainers. Fairytales aren’t just for storybooks, anymore, I thought.
Then came the speeches. Justin and Grace spoke on mine and Heather’s behalf’s like they knew the most intimate thoughts inside our diaries. Great friends never fail to recognize the greatness in those closest to them, for they keep their company for those exact reasons. It’s only until we throw each other on stages with microphones that we realize how well our friends really know us. We should do it more often, for all of our sakes.
Perhaps the thing I was most excited about our wedding, with exception to swigging whiskey on the dance floor as “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood played, was to announce the surprise Heather and I had for Pam and Rick. For twenty years, Pam and Rick have been going to Negril, Jamaica, in late winter, but for the past few years financial troubles have stymied their tradition. As a way to say thank you for hosting our wedding, Heather and I asked the Dj to play their wedding song from when they got married on Honeymoon Acres in 1996. When they tried to retreat to their seats after the song’s conclusion, we kept them out there and told them we’re all going to Jamaica in three weeks and the animals are already taken care of. They cried. We cried. Everyone cried.
On a day filled with so much love, I cherished every minute. Even when Heather and I stood at the “altar,” a bunch of red begonias that Rick planted in the shape of the heart, as a light rain fell upon our shoulders, I remained grateful. During our ceremony, our officiant, David “Killer” Miller, spoke with equal parts comedy and soul, the very reasons we chose him. On a day where the bride and groom are supposed to be celebrated, I’ve never felt more part of our communities.
Here’s to everyone who helped, whether giving the animals haircuts or drinking whiskey in the scotch shed, because without you, it wouldn’t of been the best fucking day of my life.
Photography: Alexis Cohen & Derek Morf for Apollo Fields
Venue: Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Flower Crown: Allendale Flowers
Hudson Gardens Winter Wedding in Colorado
Mary & Brad's Winter Mountain Colorado Wedding | Hudson Gardens | Apollo Fields Photojournalism
Springtime weddings in Colorado can mean flower blossoms, cherry trees blooming, tulips sprouting, or blizzards. Mary and Brad got a little bit of everything on their wedding day in March at Hudson Gardens. The day began with full blazing Colorado sun, and by the afternoon had grown ominous and cloudy, then the skies broke into rain, which became hail, which became snow. It was crazy, but sort of perfect for them because they got SO many different looks for their photographs. And Mary, especially, wanted snow. So when the sun went down and we finally got these big huge snowflakes, we couldn't help but to run outside and snap some dreamy romantic snow pictures.
I loved the modern and simple touches of Mary's lace wedding dress. Personally, I've always loved lace sleeves, I think they are so classic and surprisingly sexy. Less isn't always more, and I just love the way that a delicate sleeve can flatter our brides. Her veil was also simple and classic, it was so fun to photograph through because of the shapes and textures that it creates, and her updo looked great with it on and off. Modern boho braids showed off her blonde highlights and beautiful cheekbones.
Their friends and family gathered for a sweet and heartfelt ceremony. We got to snap fun photos of their friends all gathering together to celebrate and toast their new journey, while kids got to run around and play, and a big fireplace kept everyone toasty as the weather began to turn. A cozy dinner and then dancing wrapped up their perfect night together, and everyone had such a great time coming together to celebrate their love.
Hudson Gardens is a great venue for weddings year round because they have acres of countryside gardens with awesome mountain views. There is a quaint red barn in the back of the property, which is one of my favorite rustic looks. The farmhouse feeling on one side of the property is perfect for country brides and the cabin in the front of the property is a warm and rustic mountain look. When the weather is nice, they have plenty of space to celebrate outside, among the trees and flowers and gardens. With manicured paths and woodsy retreats, there are so many different looks that can be photographed at this venue!
Hudson Gardens Winter Wedding
The day started out as many Colorado days do in March: A strong sun brought the daytime temperature well into the 60s and I got to ride my horse outside before heading out to shoot Mary and Brad's wedding.
By the time the afternoon rolled in, so had ominous rain clouds that lingered, but stayed at bay while Mary and Brad arrived at Hudson Gardens with their family and bridal parties. They say that rain on your wedding day is good luck, but Mary had her heart set on snow instead.
Here's what I love about shooting in Colorado though. By the time the night ended, we seemingly had all of the seasons in one day. Soon after the ceremony, the skies opened up into a hard rain that felt like every element of spring, which was right around the corner, as the little flowers that have recently popped up through the mulch have suggested. Then, for just a moment it seemed, the rain turned to hail, and then as soon as it started, morphed into big beautiful snowflakes. Mary got her wish.
Her elegant and timeless dress was so flattering, and classically beautiful. I am a sucker for lace dresses with sleeves because I just think they photograph so well, especially when they flow on the bottom without being this big cumbersome and heavy dress. Mary was able to dance and move effortlessly in her wedding gown. And her veil was light, simple, and classy.
The cabin at Hudson Gardens is cozy, with big fireplaces that were adorned with eucalyptus and other woodland greenery. The floral design was modern, with little roses peeking out around the bolder flowers. The gardens are beautiful, even in the off-season. It seems rare to find cactus growing around the evergreens, but feels natural there.
The big red barn in the back of the property rounds out the property to remind us of the working landscape and rural nature of a garden. With big open fields and manicured tree lines, we just loved this space for bride and groom portraits. Rustic details weren't forced in this setting, and the wedding guests had an amazing time celebrating and dancing the night away with their friends.
