Every year on New Year’s Eve Jay and I name the best moments of the year and we create our Top 10 of the Year. We’ve been doing it for several years now and I always look forward to it. It’s a great way to reflect on our personal lives and remember all the good things that happened. This year, I decided to reflect on our photography business, too, and do a Top 10 of 2013 for photography-related things. Of course, I had a hard time picking just 10 highlights for 2013 so I picked 20 instead! It’s hard to believe that 2013 is only days away from its end. Jay and I had such an amazing year and we are incredibly thankful for so many things. We’ve truly enjoyed documenting amazing moments in so many people’s lives and as we look back at 2013, we can’t help but smile. So anyway, as 2013 draws to a close, here is a fun way for me to do a little recap of this year’s highlights. Here is our amazing year of photography-related things in a Top 20 of 2013 post!
One
We launched our new website and had it customized by Jess Wright Design. We love the simple and elegant design of it and how well it showcases our work. The featured weddings page (pictured below) is my favorite page:
Two
We migrated from blogger to wordpress (Thank you, BlogCrafted!). This made blogging so much easier and we were able to publish a grand total of 140 blog posts this year!
Three
Jay officially launched his wedding videography service and has really enjoyed capturing couples in two mediums this year.
Four
In 2013 we focused more on branding and we have NVS Events to thank for much of our stationery designs. They re-designed our business cards, gift certificates, and thank you cards earlier this year and it was only the first of many steps we’ve taken to establish our brand. My favorite part? Sleek new silver USBs to deliver wedding images to our clients
Five
A big goal of mine this year was to get published in a wedding blog. I managed to make the time and effort to submit a few of our engagement sessions to wedding blogs and I’m happy to say that each one I submitted has been published. A special thank you to The Wedding Atlas, Un-Jersey Bride, and Urban Style for publishing our work! Click here to see where we were featured.
Six
We took a big step towards deciding which direction we wanted our photography business to go this year: weddings and newborns. We are so thankful for all of our wonderful past clients so it was a difficult decision for us to make back in July. As much as I miss photographing children and families, the change we made has allowed Jay and me to balance our lives and I’m so grateful at how understanding and encouraging our past clients have been. You can read more about this change here.
Seven
This year we made couples and their newborns our primary focus and we photographed 2 proposals, 12 maternity sessions, 15 weddings, 18 engagement sessions, and 34 newborns! Wow!
Eight
And now for the weddings! Some of our couples prefer to remain private but I’m excited to be able to feature most of our brides and grooms in order to complete our Top 20 of 2013. Here they are, in chronological order. First up: Darline and Danny tied the knot at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Staten Island and celebrated their marriage at the beautiful South Gate Manor in Freehold, NJ. Theirs was the first wedding that Jay and I shot together this year and we loved every part of it, especially working with this fabulous couple. To view more from their big day click here: South Gate Manor Wedding.
Nine
Elizabeth and Miguel were married at the Borough of Freehold, took their portraits at Turkey Swamp Park, and celebrated at Our House Restaurant and Banquet Facility. It was freezing cold that day but I was so happy that they were still willing to do outdoor portraits. To see more from their wedding click here: Our House Restaurant Wedding.
Ten
S & C had a beautiful May wedding in Princeton. I loved seeing the beautiful DIY details this talented art teacher was able to put together for her wedding day. To view more from their wedding day click here: Princeton Wedding.
Eleven
Rachel and Derek tied the knot Lake Mohawk Country Club. It was a gorgeous wedding and the rainy skies cleared up long enough for us to do their first look in the most perfect little garden ever. Their ceremony was held in the gorgeous ballroom with windows looking out onto Lake Mohawk and it was perfect. To see more from their wedding day click here: Lake Mohawk Country Club Wedding.
Twelve
Late in the spring, C & F had an outdoor wedding at the Moorestown Community House. This venue was so charming and unique. I love how the bride and groom had their last dance on the stage. View more from the wedding here: Moorestown Community House Wedding.
Thirteen
Angélique and Anton had a beautiful wedding where two cultures, French and American, combined to form the most perfect of weddings days. They had an intimate ceremony in Mt. Pocono, PA, and celebrated their union with a gorgeous tented reception with close family and friends from as near as New Jersey and as far as France. To view more from their wedding visit this blog post: Poconos Wedding Photography.
Fourteen
My favorite part of Kate and Joe’s wedding day was when Kate first started walking down the aisle and I saw that Joe was crying. It was such a sweet and tender moment that I’ll never forget. I don’t think Joe will either because his bride was simply stunning! To view more of their wedding and their portrait session on the grounds of The English Manor in Ocean, NJ click here: English Manor Wedding.
Fifteen
After Hurricane Sandy we were nervous that Sandy Hook wouldn’t be ready in time for M and S’s wedding but everything worked out for this beautiful couple and the wedding went off without a hitch. The ceremony took place outdoors, overlooking the Sandy Hook bay, the cocktail hour was in the chapel, and the reception was held in a gorgeous tent. To see more from this wedding click here: Sandy Hook Wedding.
Sixteen
And now for Megan and Matt! They were married on a gorgeous summer day filled with lots of sun, fun socks, a lively bridal party, and a red trolley. Whey were married on August 16th, which I have officially deemed “Megan and Matt Day” because we have another bride and groom with the same names tying the knot on that same exact date in 2014! To view more from Megan and Matt’s wedding day click here: Crystal Point Yacht Club Wedding.
Seventeen
Melissa and Derek had a wonderful end-of-summer wedding in NYC. They were married at the absolutely stunning Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the “Little Church Around the Corner,” a church dear to Derek’s heart for so many reasons. Click here to view more from their wedding day: Alger House Wedding.
Eighteen
Kristen and Kelsey tied the knot on a beautiful September day at the First United Methodist Church of Farmingdale and celebrated with their friends and family at Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club. Our portrait session took place at a local farm in Colts Neck, an absolutely perfect backdrop for a bride who grew up on a farm. We had beautiful light, a fun bridal party, and a bride and groom happily in love. Just perfect! To see more from their wedding day click here: Eagle Oaks Country Club Wedding.
Nineteen
Casey and Nick were married at the gorgeous St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University, where they met when they were in law school. The dome was so stunning that any visitor would be sure to remark on its beauty and Casey and Nick’s wedding there was perfect in every sense of the word. To view more from their wedding click here: Columbia University Wedding.
Twenty
Our last wedding of 2013 took place just a couple days after Christmas and it was the perfect end to our 2013 wedding season. Allie and Miguel had their First Look at Allaire Village and tied the knot at the beautiful Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club. To view highlights from their day click here: Eagle Oaks Country Club Wedding.
Thank you for reading our Top 20 of 2013 blog post and thank you to all our clients for a truly amazing year! We are so grateful for all your support and encouragement as our business continues to grow. We are so excited to see what 2014 has in store for us and look forward to keeping you updated on our blog and other social media. We wish you all a Happy New Year’s Eve and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Google+, FB, and Twitter in the new year!
End of the Year Reflection by New Jersey Wedding Photographer Idalia Photography | Top 20 of 2013
