1/16/18 1/16/18

Newark Museum Wedding : Tracey & John : Newark, NJ

bethany baptist church wedding brain hatton photo

Tracey and John were married on November 11^th, with a ceremony at Bethany Baptist Church and a reception at the Newark Museum in New Jersey.

I began with Tracey and the ladies at the Element Hotel in Harrison, New Jersey, while the guys finished their final preparations at the Hilton Newark Penn Station. Tracey finished up by reading a touching letter from her soon-to-be husband before we caravanned over to Liberty State Park, where they would see each other for the first time.

I hadn’t had the chance to meet the bride and groom before the wedding, so the first time I saw them together was the first look. Immediately, their magnetism was evident, and we quickly forgot about the blistering cold out by the waterfront. Actually, the weather even worked to our advantage, because the park was completely empty, and the sky was crisp and colorful. The images of the first look were my favorite because of the power of the moment as well as the low, flattering afternoon light that added such warmth to the pictures. As the sun set, we made our way into Newark for the ceremony at the Bethany Baptist Church. Now, there are parts of every wedding that are the most memorable. Sometimes it’s the party, and sometimes it’s the portraits. But for this wedding, it was by far that ceremony. The sanctuary was packed full of friends there to cheer them on, and I loved the atmosphere. Their loved ones performed music, and they wrote personal vows that had everyone clutching a tissue.

From there, we made our way to the Newark Museum, where the reception was set in a grand space with high ceilings that made it feel like a society event in a movie. John sang with members of an acapella choir from his alma mater along with his best man—a beautiful moment that added a personal touch to the reception by uniting John’s past with his new life with Tracey.

John & Tracey, thank you for letting me be part of your love story. It was an amazing experience!

bethany baptist church wedding brain hatton photo