Noelle & Corey // an Emotional Retro-Inspired Asbury Park Hotel Wedding

Everyone who knows me knows that I love when people cry. I know, I know. Sounds kinda weird, but let me explain. It’s not the crying that I love, it’s the emotion. I love seeing people at their most authentic. When they’re so lost in how they feel that they forget about my camera and all the social norms that cause people to wipe away their tears as soon as they fall, or worse, to avoid showing emotion entirely. Emotion is healthy, and on a wedding day, it seems crazy to me that anyone would try to avoid feeling how they feel.

Noelle and Corey’s wedding day was one of the best weddings I’ve ever shot, because of how amazingly open and vulnerable everyone was with their hearts and souls. It was stylish, too, and at a killer new venue – the Asbury Hotel, modeled after a boutique Brooklyn hotel – but what really spoke to me was the bond shared between everyone. My personal favorite moment was after the ceremony, when Corey and Noelle escaped to a side room to embrace and soak in the feeling of being married, but there are so many great moments that made this day. Noelle being helped into her gown by her joyous tribe. Corey’s father and stepfather helping each other get ready. Noelle and her sisters laughing when her veil blew straight up in the wild coastal winds, and how it had to be held throughout the ceremony. The impromptu fireworks that made for romantic entertainment. The speeches, oh the speeches… The black and white photo of Noelle openly crying during her father’s speech is one of my all-time favorite photos I’ve ever made. So much love and raw emotion.

From the beginning, here’s what their day looked like. Get your tissues ready, kids.