Jersey City Wedding Day
Once upon a time I got to call Hoboken, New Jersey home. It wasn’t for long but it was a pivotal time in my life and changed the trajectory of my career forever. Before my stint in New York and New Jersey my entire exposure to making images with a camera was just somehow smaller. I fell in love with the way the sunsets over the Manhattan skyline, the sound of the Path Train coming in to the station, the music playing from the street side bistros, the bar life spilling out onto the street. The truth is that for as much time as I’ve spent in Manhattan and Brooklyn over the last ten years the other side of the Hudson holds a special place in my heart.
She had me at Hudson House
I’ll never forget the first conversation with Danielle. A friend of one of my very favorite couple’s ever, (If you don’t remember Liz + John’s Jersey Shore wedding it was ICONIC), she started telling me all about the Hudson House. This magical little corner right on the water is both a long way away from the Avalon Jersey shore wedding that connected us and somehow equally far away from the weddings I’ve shot in Manhattan just on the other side of the river. The Hudson House is like this perfectly manicured secret that has quickly become not a well kept secret. With three floors of views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, a constant flow of boat traffic just off in the distance, the perfect angle to watch the sun set, and a totally refined staff running the whole place we were quickly aware of why this place is so special to so many people.
Hair and makeup was up the road in Hoboken at Danielle (Dani) and Austin’s apartment which is equally as epic but once we parked and started looking around the magic all started to come together. A few must see things from the Hudson House :
The Rooftop is unreal.
The White and Black lines are absolutely magic and though the sun on this wedding day was brutal and the light was absolutely as harsh as it gets we had the opportunity to really play with the contrast and have fun up there. Of course there’s tall glass walls to protect people from a fall over the edge which is a bit of a bummer in the way it obstructs the view but honestly we couldn’t get enough of how much could be done up there. Sincerely hoping for another wedding here one day with a cocktail hour up top lit by bistro lights as NYC lights up in the background.
The lawn is a magical spot for the wedding ceremony. I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit at how wonky the aisle had to be going over the grass and spoiler alert it was just enough off to make one of my assistants that day drop a camera when he tripped on it. A moment I’ll never let Joe forget but once they get down that aisle the backdrop is absolutely unbelievable. There was a light breeze coming off of the water but not enough to mess up much, plenty of room for hundreds of chairs with an extremely short walk into cocktail hour, and staff waiting with cocktails at the back of the aisle right after these two walked through a cloud of confetti.
The main floor is about as dramatic as any place I’ve ever shot. Ok sure, I’ve seen some pretty iconic spots. From the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Dove Canyon in Huntington Beach, California and of course Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas we’ve tackled some of the coolest spots in the US for weddings but I’d genuinely put the Hudson House on that very short list. The decor at this wedding was fully focused on being elegant and timeless right up until Go Go Gadget made the dance floor absolutely shake. It was a perfect way to dress up the room however the potential for lighting treatments, more complex floral build outs, and dramatic decor in this space is extremely high.
Did I mention this might be the coolest spot in the tri state area to watch a private fireworks show? I mean who gets fireworks with the Twin Tower memorial lit up in the background? Unbelievable.
Of course no wedding can be this beautiful without the couple being the centerpiece of it all. Danielle and Austin are absolutely amazing together. He’s this confident bold dude with a big laugh and a really kind smile, she’s a whole box of fireworks, stunning, and the best kind of New Jersey girl. Sweet but sassy. Together though along side a whole army of friends who absolutely made sense the decor and the venue and the view and the music and the drinks kind of took a back seat. These are people who were ready to celebrate life in a way that is not only really rare but extremely special. Keeping up with Dani and Austin’s life on social media since the wedding I can say that parties like this are a part of their life in a very real way. These are two families that don’t ever miss an opportunity to celebrate whether it’s a wedding or a Fourth of July party. I guess it’s safe to say I feel lucky to have been asked to be a part of this one.
Lastly I’d be crazy not to give some credit to LVL13 wedding films. If you haven’t heard my interview on our podcast with Chris from LVL13 you absolutely should. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN These two are a few of the most talented film makers we’ve had the opportunity to shoot along side and their ideas and creativity during this wedding absolutely pushed Jared, Joe and I to be our absolute best.
