New Jersey: The Estate at Florentine Gardens NJ Wedding Photos
This is a blog of the best whimsical & romantic NJ wedding photos at the elegant wedding venue in New Jersey: The Estate at Florentine Gardens.
Where is the Estate at Florentine Gardens?
97 Rivervale Rd, River Vale, NJ 07675
What time of year were these wedding photos?
Mid-May, late Spring
What was the wedding theme?
The couple requested a formal dress code in all black. The floral arrangements featured a mix of white and ivory, with minimal greenery.
Picture Perfect Wedding Venue
The venue staff is incredibly attentive, ensuring that you and your partner won’t catch a glimpse of each other if there’s another wedding on the same day. As a bride, having your hair and makeup done at the venue is a brilliant choice. The spacious bridal suite allows your wedding party to gather, relax, and get ready, complete with food and beverages to keep everyone’s spirits high throughout the day.
While it’s not recommended to take photos in the bridal suite, the elegant, high-ceilinged, three-level ceremony room offers the perfect backdrop for stunning wedding photos at the Florentine Gardens. Be sure to communicate with your floral designer to have everything ready for your first look and portraits.
If rain should grace your wedding day, fear not—the ceremony room serves as an ideal location for beautiful portraits. When the weather is on your side, the manicured gardens and surrounding areas turn into breathtaking spots for photos. While some couples may opt for an outdoor ceremony, this couple chose the indoor option, knowing the outdoor space can still create magical photo opportunities with its gorgeous gazebo and columns. The venue itself is a captivating backdrop, ensuring that wedding photographs at the Estate at Florentine Gardens are nothing short of extraordinary.
Wedding photos at the Estate at Florentine Gardens NJ
The wedding venue: ceremony & reception area
Floral design: @laurelwooddesigns
NJ Venue: @florentinegardensnj
Getting ready photos in the ceremony space
Instead of preparing in the bride and groom suites, we chose to take photos in the ceremony space, as it offered the best lighting while still allowing privacy for each couple’s portrait session. The groom got ready in the lower basement level, near the cocktail hour area, while the bride prepared in the suite on the second level, above the ceremony space.
First look and Newlywed Portraits
A collection of wedding portraits featuring the bride and groom (newlyweds) was captured after their first look in the gardens at the Estate at Florentine Gardens in NJ. Since there was another wedding earlier that day, we had to obtain permission to take photos outside in the gardens, starting with the first look followed by the newlywed photos, all before the ceremony.
Once we received the okay to use the gardens, I set up the groom for his portraits first, followed by the bride. She expressed how much she loved the gardens and the venue as a backdrop, preferring to avoid the columns. Following her request, we focused on capturing the beauty of the gardens and not the columns or gazebo. I believe we successfully created some beautiful, romantic, and elegant wedding portraits of the couple.
Photography tip: Even though the first look and photos are taken before the ceremony, it’s important to wear the wedding bands! Have your bridal attendant hold onto them for the photos and then pass them along to the ring bearers later.
Picture perfect tip: Always inform your photographer if you have a preferred side. This bride only liked one side of her face being photographed!
Ceremony wedding photos at the Estate at Florentine Gardens
Photographing a wedding at the Estate at Florentine Gardens presents its challenges, especially when it comes to managing harsh light that can stream through the oversized high-ceiling windows. For this event, I set up two Godox AD200 off-camera lighting units on the third floor, directing them towards the altar, while using V1s on-camera to help fill in light when necessary. I needed to work quickly each time a person walked into the shadows or into the intense light while walking down the aisle.
On a positive note, one of the best aspects of photographing a wedding at Florentine Gardens is the ample space available to move around and capture different angles. I appreciated the dramatic effect of the harsh light streaming through the windows, which allowed for a mix of flash photography and moody, natural light photography. Below, I share examples of both styles, particularly after the couple was pronounced husband and wife.
Photography tip: If you have a friend officiating your wedding, please remind them to move away before your first kiss to prevent photobombing this iconic image.
Wedding party portraits
Photos with the family, bridesmaids, groomsmen and flower girl
Reception wedding photos
The Estate at Florentine Gardens features a beautiful, elegant ballroom complete with chandeliers and a white marble dance floor. The wedding had an incredible band that kept the dance floor packed all night long! There were plenty of laughs, tears, and dancing throughout the evening. We managed to capture some group shots, but we primarily focused on candid-style wedding photography.
The dream vendor team at the Estate at Florentine Gardens NJ
NJ wedding photographer @suessmomentsweddings
Bride & Groom @tiffanypizzi @devonpdepersio
NJ wedding venue @florentinegardensnj
NJ wedding videographer @chris_antice
NJ content creator @theweddingeditnyc
NJ floral designer @laurelwooddesigns
NJ makeup @lorenaferreira.mua
NJ hair @hair_by_samanthareid
NYC wedding dress shop & designer @mariafarbinni @parkavenuebridals
NJ wedding cake @palermos.bakery
NJ music & entertainment @almosteasyentertainment
NJ bridal skincare & aesthetics @montclair_rejuvenation_center
Tuxedo shop & designer @suitsupply
Wedding rings @julesfinejewelry
Spray tan @glowbyarmando
