As we stepped into the elevator, there Cari was… in her gorgeous white dress, looking the most beautiful I have ever seen her in my life… trying to keep it together, trying to breath, trying to relax. She had spent the morning and early afternoon beautifully doing all of her bridesmaids’ makeup (as well as her own), and had little to nothing to eat or drink. She was shaking, and finally having a moment to soak in the fact that today was her wedding day… held back tears. We were on our way to see her groom for the very first time. I took her hand, and asked her if she was nervous… if she was okay. She immediately responded, “I just can’t believe it’s happening. I’m not nervous at all. I just can’t wait to see him.”

This has been a wedding that we have been anticipating for the past several months…. for many reasons, but the biggest of which- it was a family wedding!! 🙂 Cari is my cousin, and we shared many adventures and great memories during high school together while she was attending Concordia University. She frequently (as in probably half of the week haha) spent nights at our place, and we worked out together pretty much on a daily basis! Both of us dreamed of getting married someday- and it was truly the biggest honor EVER to capture this time for her.

 Everything about their Astoria Pier 39 wedding was a dream. Our jaws dropped as soon as we saw their color palette and their bridesmaids dresses :O We are typically a little wary of mix and match bridesmaid dresses, but Cari did an absolutely incredible job at pairing them altogether- so cohesive and complimentary of each other! We have done tons of shoots in Astoria, but never a wedding! This made our love for Astoria only grow more. It was perfect for a gorgeous wedding- and while it was a cold and windy day, the sun was shining and it was lovely! Something that made this wedding shooting experience very unique for us is that we knew the majority of the guests (as it was a family wedding!) So fun to see and capture all of our extended family on my Grandpa Norman’s side- SUCH a blast!

JOHN & CARI: We love you guys SO MUCH. We have seriously so enjoyed getting to know you both more as a couple, you guys are absolutely amazing and we are so excited for you as you venture on to this beautiful journey called marriage. We are also excited for future little McGrath kiddos too 😉 Thank you so much for trusting us to capture your wedding day- words cannot even begin to express how much fun we had. We hope you love these photos as much as we do, and that you are truly blessed by them for a lifetime! <3 Have an amazing Florida honeymoon! <3

What’s great about the last photo is that the bridesmaid that took the image was so used to hearing us say “look at each other and giggle” that she did it to us as well hahaha! Made us all laugh 🙂 

The Creative Team: 

Venue: Astoria Pier 39

Floral Arrangements: Christine Bridgens

DJ: Bryan Lempea

Invitations: Etsy

Bride’s Hair: Michelle Green

Cake: Aunt Barbara

Wedding Dress: Charlottes Weddings & More

Bridesmaids Dresses: Asos

Bracelets: Nomadic Artistry