A few months back I got to watch my youngest sister make her way down the aisle at St. George Greek Church in Clifton and get married to her the love of her life, Nick. Maria had been born ready for her big fat Greek wedding. The second and third words out of her mouth were actually “big” and “wedding.” After years of searching for an awesome Greek boy, she found one in nearby Morristown. He’s an engineer, wears his polo shirts tucked in, and sports a blackberry holstered to his waist, but most importantly, he loves her to death.
Much like the jokes from the movie, Nick is from a family of Nicks. Yell Nick at the wedding, and two dozen guys turn around. I’ve never been so glad to have such a family with no other Georges in the United States. At least none that I know of. When he proposed to her, Maria lit up like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Her smile grew twice as wide, her dreams came true, and years of practicing for the big day finally paid off. In fact, Maria pretty much designed her entire wedding in about a week. Right down to the linens.
When it came time to find a photographer I told her that I would be happy to narrow down the search. She looked at me with those sad eyes, and said that she wanted me to photograph her wedding. I had captured my other sister’s wedding the year before and she didn’t want to settle for anything less. I hemmed and hawed about not being able to enjoy myself and dance with Allison, and she just looked at me and said, “Okay, you can help me find another photographer, but I don’t think I can find one like you.” As always, I melted and packed my gear for her wedding.
The ceremony was a stunning, traditional Greek Orthodox wedding and one of the most beautiful churches in North Jersey, Saint George in Clifton. The place is just dripping with colors and candles. The reception was at The Tides Estate in North Haledon, a lovely venue with all the trimmings. Maria and Nick danced their hearts out that night. I spent as much time as I could capturing images of the lovely couple, but about halfway through the reception I handed a camera to my awesome second shooter, Alex Meseguer, and asked him to take some photos while I danced with Allison. There was no way I wasn’t going to enjoy this Big Fat Greek Wedding. Especially since it was the greatest one I’ve ever been at. Cheers to Maria and Nick. Live a happy life together and make a lot of Greek babies.
VENDORS
Photography: GLK Creative
Ceremony: St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Reception Venue: The Tides Estate
Entertainment/Band: Nikos Koutras Greek Band
Entertainment/DJ/MC: John Poulakis
Brides Shoes: Colorifics
Brides Gown: Oleg Cassini
Flowers/Decor: The Potted Geranium
Limo: Asher’s Limo
Awwwww what a great story! And absolutely great images. I love the dance floor shots!
Looks like a really fun reception. I love your wide angle work. That shot third down is awesome.
Aw, I love all the moments you’ve captured, love the emotions, love all the wide angle shots, and especially love the one with grandpa looking at the camera. He’s so adorable! Great work!
I love the bright and color photos! This looks like a great wedding with tons of fun. Great work!
Beautiful church and fantastic shots. Great job!
Great stuff. The church shots are superb, and the one with the older fellow in the wheelchair at the reception just melts me.
That church is crazy beautiful! Love your dancing shots – you have a great perspective of the day.
What a gorgeous bride! Loving that last photo on the right.
Amazing work, so vivid and FUN! I adore how you make the colors really pop.