Crystal Point Yacht Club Wedding Photos {Dorothy & Gary}

Dorothy is one of those wonderful people that don’t require any nudging or bothering to get things done. She knows what she wants and she makes it happen — she’s awesome like that. After discussing a few options for portrait locations between the ceremony and reception, she said that she really wanted to get some shots at the Point Pleasant boardwalk. We went over the positives and negatives of dragging a large wedding party (with limos) to a packed boardwalk on a beautiful late summer day, but she wasn’t going to take no for an answer and I was way more stoked to do it than scared of the possible challenges.

But let’s start from the beginning.

I’ve worked with Dorothy for years at the same publishing firm, but never actually met her because she was a remote employee and I almost never come out of my office. One day, a knock came from my door, and there was Dorothy with a huge engagement ring on her hand, a grin from ear to ear and a simple question: Please say you’re available on my wedding day? Luck had it that I was, and I spent the next few months getting to know Dorothy, Gary and their amazing families. Dorothy, by nature is detail and deadline driven, but she’s also one of the happiest, most upbeat people I know. She has this sass and fun outlook on life that wears off on everyone around her. Gary is a bad ass musician that rocks a six string bass like no one I’ve ever seen. The two together are a perfect melding of whit, charm and creativity.

After an abridged Catholic wedding ceremony at Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head, we piled into the limo and headed for the beach. Dorothy pulled some strings and got us premiere parking and access to all the rides at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk. A quick peak around the park, and I decided that the Merry-Go-Round, Giant Spinny Ride and Bumper Cars where probably our safest bets for photos. The next hour was spent running around the boardwalk, dodging photo bombers, pigeon poop and the general craziness that swarms the Jersey during the summer months. It was a photographer’s dream.

The reception was located at the lovely Crystal Point Hall, not far from the boardwalk. Big Baby Ernie rocked the house with a mix of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other classic rock anthems. Yes, this was the first time I’ve ever heard Skynyrd played at a wedding and it was glorious. Towards the end of the night, we were serenaded by Dorothy’s sister who pulled off a perfect rendition of “The Rainbow Connection.” As if that wasn’t cool enough, Gary jumped on stage with his band, The Pinch, and capped off the evening with an impromptu set to send the crowd home happy. It was the perfect encore for a perfect day.