Dana and Mike's Cape May Wedding

Dana and Mike were married last October on a gorgeous and sunny day, in a hurricane… Not really, but those winds should have been classified as hurricane strength. Wind tends to bother brides, but not this one! Dana and Mike didn't let anything bother them and as a result, we had blast in the wind together! It all started at the beautiful Hotel Alcott in Cape May, NJ. The second I stepped foot into that hotel, I knew this wedding was going to be something special. That hotel is dripping with eye candy, and Dana did a fabulous job of decorating it for her special day. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I started with the girls as they got ready in a suite attached to an impressive porch that spanned the entire length of the hotel. I loved my time with these girls as they were easygoing and just really knew how to relax and enjoy their time together. Dana looked gorgeous in her dress and the day couldn't have gotten off to a better start.Meanwhile, my husband (and second shooter) was with the boys and was able to capture the start of their day.Then is was off to the church! Dana and Mike were married at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Millville, NJ. Just a "short clip" from the hotel. ;) This is their own church so it was the perfect place for them. It was sweet to see how at home they both were there, which made this venue choice all the more special.Did I mention it was a little windy?Then it was back to Cape May for more portraits on the beach. We really wanted to test the strength of Dana's hairspray...Here's where she fell in the sand because, well, her dress is humungous. And I am always ready to take pictures of these moments. Well, here's the thing, technically, she didn't fall, her new husband dropped her. And after much debate, I decided to leave the shot of that happening out of this blog post to spare further humiliation from the groom. ;) Oh and then there's this...And finally, the party. This group of friends and family know how to bring it. There was SO much dancing and merriment that I struggled not to just post the whole darn reception on here. Dana did a wonderful job with the details. She melded the old look of the hotel so beautifully with her own taste and style so that the entire space ended up with this gorgeous and cohesive look. I loved all of the gold accents. Just lovely.Then there was that time when the bride and groom decided it much more fun to smash the cake in the best man and maid of honor's face than each others. Well played, friends. Well played.And then more dancing...But wait, there's more! Just when I thought the event had been successfully documented, we were all woken up the next morning to the hotel's fire alarm. My first thought "Do hotels have fire drills?" My second thought "Grab the memory cards, the cameras are insured!" My third thought, as we were all standing outside watching the 15+ firemen running inside to take a look around, "I'm really glad I took an early shower." Because it's not really professional to let your clients and ALL of their guests see you unshowered and in your pajamas. So... phew. At any rate, I didn't have access to my camera, but I had my phone! Here's my iphone instagram capture of the final moments of Dana and Mike's really fun (and eventful) wedding weekend...

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