I first met Tamika and Antonio last summer right before I photographed her best friend Madison’s wedding! Tamika had reached out to me on Instagram to introduce herself and I won’t lie, I jumped for joy when she told me was going to be in a wedding I was already doing! I felt honored to have two brides who know each other choose me to photograph their big days!! When I met with Tony and Tamika just prior to Madison’s wedding, I instantly fell in love. They brought their little man Brayden with them (who has grown up SO much since that meeting), and I just knew this little family would be stunning on their big day!
When I first arrived at The Owl’s Nest Resort in Thornton, NH, I was immediately overtaken by the views! The mountains were gorgeous and the resort was immaculate. I was greeted by Madison’s familiar face who showed me into the modern venue, and got set to work right away!
The bridal details from this day are probably some of my favorite to date. Tamika is incredibly talented and made the stunning stationary for her wedding, which included shades of purples and green floral accents on the invitations and detail cards. Her bridal shoes were covered in studded diamonds, and her breathtaking wedding gown had beautiful custom sheer sleeves added on, enhancing the elegancy of the design.
As Tamika’s mother, Shannon, buttoned her into her dress, you could see her slipping into the role of a bride on her wedding day. Her smile was infectious, and I just knew Tony would be blown away as she walked down the aisle.
And he was.
Usually most grooms are speechless when seeing their brides for the first time (for good reason!), but all I could hear Tony repeating was “she is just so beautiful.” It took everything in me not to squeal at the cuteness, and even as I’m writing this and remembering that moment, I just can’t help but cheese super hard!!
Despite there being some hiccups on the day, Tamika and Tony’s day went perfectly. The weather was threatened with scattered storms but by another luck of the draw, I ended up with overcast skies and glowy photos (something I noticed seems to happen a lot for me, so maybe I’m good luck?)! The two of them were just so amazing during their couples portraits, and one of my favorite things was Tamika’s cathedral veil and what it did for her photos!!! GIRL!!! That veil is what I dream of on every wedding day!! If everyone could wear a cathedral veil my heart would be set aglow permanently.
Some highlights of the day include:
+ Bribing Brayden with my assistant, Brooklynn’s, bag of Gold Fish to get him to smile for photos! He was just the cutest little man, and wanted nothing to do with the camera. I don’t blame him one bit!!! He was so intrigued by the roads on the golf course and had way too much to explore. Who could blame him for running away?! It’s a kids dream to have that much space to run free 🙂
+ Aubrey, Tamika’s little sister, and how insanely adorable she was the entire day! She took to Brooklynn and even danced with her a few times throughout the night. But, the biggest highlight with Aubrey is the fact that that girl can SING!!!! She had the whole room stopped and staring as she sang every word to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow.” It was so precious!!
+ Riding around the resort in a golf cart with my bride and groom! Had we had to walk to each part of the venue that are most picturesque, we would have needed 2 hours of portrait time! Having Emma, the coordinator, cart us around was super convenient and helpful, even if a bug flew into my mouth while driving to the last spot. I wish I had a cart for every wedding to maximize portrait time!!
Tony and Tamika — thank you for having me serve you guys! I can’t wait all the many more things you will accomplish, and hope to see you guys again real soon. Enjoy some of my favorites from the Montanari wedding day!
xo – Jess
Venue # 1: Owl’s Nest Resort, IG: @owlsnestresort_golfclub
Florist: The Fuchsia Peony, IG: @thefuchsiapeony
Cake: Jacques Fine European Pastries
DJ: The Firehouse DJ’s, IG: @the_firehouse_djs
Catering: The Covered Bridge Farm Table, IG: @coveredbridgefarmtable
Wedding Dress: Pure Bliss Bridal Shop, IG: @pureblissbridals
Bride’s Shoes: Dillards, Betsey Johnson Emili Pump
Stationary: Self Made
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