Love & Marriage

This past weekend was another traveling one. We spent part of it in our home state of NJ. As we were only 2+ hours away, we also took a short trip to PA to visit with the youngest granddaughter. 

Our first stop was NJ where we attended the wedding of my niece, Jamie, the younger of my brother's two daughters. 

Despite a previous weather forecast of rain, Thankfully, Saturday was bright and sunny. We were all decked out in finery that included Grenville's dress summer hat.

Oh, the anticipation as the groom, Michael, and his best man waited at the alter as the bridal party made its entrance down the aisle.

Soon, his bride, Jamie, walked down on the arm of her father, my brother Tony.

The wedding service took place in St, Bernard's Church in Plainfield, NJ. This is my family's parish church and my brother and his wife attend services there.  

Soon enough it was time for the blessing and exchange of the rings. Smiles were quickly evident compared to the solemn faces earlier.

Once the ceremony and mass had ended, the very happy couple began their exit down the aisle as Mr. & Mrs.

Then there was the traditional "meet and greet" including a newlywed kiss on the church steps.  

The bride and her parents posed for the photographer. 

The bride and groom posed with the bride's family which includes my sister Julie and her fiancé, who is also named Michael. We also posed for a family photo with everyone. 

The groom with his parents and two brothers.  

This photo of a mother and her son sharing a smile was my favorite shot of the event. 

It was a breezy afternoon and the bride's veil was battling with the wind during most of the outdoor photo session. 

The entire bridal party was the final shot of the photo session.

There were the traditional "first" dances, first the newly weds, Jamie and Michael,took the dance floor.

The couple then danced with a parent, bride with her father and groom with his mother. Love has no age limits, you're still your parent's child as seen here. 

This traditional wedding included the cutting of the cake and feeding of the bride and groom. They were really quite neat and didn't smash each other in the face with cake.

I've always found it difficult to capture good shots on the dance floor at a wedding. The couple were having a great time as these photos show.

My brother and I posed for a photo and the groom photo bombed us. It was a fun way to end the evening. We did get a photo without Michael joining in.

In a few short months, we will be repeating these scenes in NJ. My brother's oldest daughter Julie and her fiancé Michael are married in NJ at the same church. 

We returned to NH earlier this week. I'll be catching up with everyone's blogs over the next few days.