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Palace at Somerset Park Wedding Photographers: Daniela & Frank

Joyful, elegant wedding for an English teacher and her high-school crush at The Palace at Somerset Park
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Daniela shared, “We chose Rhinehart Photography because you offer more than just people posing– you capture the essence of people, you tell their story, your photographs are beyond unique.  All of our vendors were amazing, especially you!”
Frank added, “You are creative, professional, and also made us feel so comfortable.  It was so easy to work with you, we had a great time and I know we will love our wedding photos!”
One part of Daniela’s “essence” is that she is an avid reader and English teacher.  She always carries a book with her.  As I was trying to find a ring shot that would be unique to Daniela & Frank, I found this Alice and Wonderland book… I have more traditional shots of the ring, but thought this was especially sweet with the classic literature tie in…   best-nj-wedding-photographer-creative-palace-somerset-1
I loved playing with all of the gold tones and ovals in the bridal suite   This is actually a reflection of Daniela as she puts on her earrings.
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Daniela shared, “Our wedding’s overall look and feel was classic and elegant.”
I love this timeless portrait of her…
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My style is very eclectic and I love to get a wide variety of photographs during a wedding day– some that focus more on emotions, some that show off the environment, others that tell a story.
I have many portraits of Daniela, but this one really makes me think of one of her favorite quotes:
Though she be but little, she is fierce!” ― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Daniela is shorter than me, and at 5’1″ that is something I seldom say)
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Daniela shared, “One of the best parts about our wedding day was being surrounded by all of our favorite people.  We are lucky to have amazing family and friends!”
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Daniela explained, “We all had such a great time working with you!  You were on top of things yet kept us laughing and smiling all day long.”
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Strike a pose, ladies!
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For this photo, I used a tilt-shift technique.  I really wanted to show off the beautiful scenery and also make everything almost appear to be miniature…
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Daniela’s first look (and hug) with her dad…
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While I photographed the ladies, my second photographer, Denis, photographed the men.  I love his shot of Frank putting on the finishing touches…
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I love the generational feeling you get with this image… the young men in the foreground getting all dressed up as Frank’s dad and grandfather are watching and smiling in the background.
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Such a cool space, the guys hanging out and sharing drinks at Gatsby’s
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The ceremony space was beautifully decorated by Allure Floral Design and a bright blue sky and white puffy clouds awaited the bride and groom…
best-nj-wedding-photographer-creative-palace-somerset-14Frank explained, “The staff at The Palace was phenomenal. David and Maya were the absolute best. They were the best at their jobs and we were lucky to have them the day of our wedding.”
They are incredible!  Here they prepare Daniela for her walk down the aisle…
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Daniela laughed, “When I saw Frank for the first time,  I could not stop smiling. I just kept thinking about how our wedding was truly happening.”
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Frank shared, “When I saw her for the first time on our wedding day as they opened the doors, I thought, “Wow I am truly the luckiest man in the world with the most beautiful soon to be wife. ”  I cried tears of joy without caring what anyone thought. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her and growing old together. It is going to be a hell of a time!”
I think she literally took his breath away!
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I love to capture all the emotions of the wedding day, here Daniela’s face says it all– I think her eyes are a little glossy, too, Frank!
best-nj-wedding-photographer-creative-palace-somerset-17Daniela smiled, “The ceremony was amazing. It was simple, yet embodied who we were as a couple as well. There was love but also laughter and that is us! The moment with not reaching the microphone is something that happens to me all the time and I had to laugh!”
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Daniela explained, “It was also extremely important to us to honor our families well. We spend a lot of time making sure our special day was also special to the people who had a hand in raising us into the people are today. That included a memory table, moments of silence for our loved ones, acknowledging our brother in law who is serving overseas, and having a surprise sibling dance for our brother and sister.”
Here Frank’s sister hears them acknowledge her husband overseas…
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The tilt– I have plenty of traditional wedding ceremony photos, but sometimes a simple tilt can do a lot for a scene– in this case showcase so many elements in one photo– the sky and stunning floral arch, the wedding officiant, could and groomsmen as well as the beautiful detailing on the back of Daniela’s dress and of course Frank gazing into her eyes…
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Another storytelling moment– as Frank slides the wedding band on Daniela’s finger, you can see all of the wedding guests watching attentively– there were over 200 of them!
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Kiss the bride– again a tilt-shift shot… I wanted to put all of the focus on the happy couple and floral arch, I wanted the guests to be there to give context to the shot but not be overpowering since they are in the foreground…
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Daniela explained, “As soon as we saw The Palace, we knew it was going to be where our wedding was. We instantly fell in love with the place and everyone who worked there. They were beyond accommodating and made us feel so comfortable. The Palace is beautiful and just felt right to us.”
Simple, elegant, classic– Daniela & Frank with their bridesmaids and groomsmen and the stunning Palace at Somerset Park in the background…
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While most of the day, I capture candid moments, I always take a little time to photograph some traditional portraits, too…
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Daniela shared, “Of course! I’ve known Frank since we were 11 years old. He was always someone who was in the “background” of my life so to speak. We always kind of orbited around each other but never actually connected until we were in our twenties.”
Daniela continued, “It always surprises me that this person that has always been on the outskirts of my life is now my husband. We had classes together in high school and I was always thought he was cute 😉 but I never would have imagined that he would be in my life in a “real” way. And now I literally cannot imagine my life without him. It is so funny how life changes and how things truly are meant to be.”
Here the newlyweds check out their wedding bands…
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Frank shared, “I think we work so well together because we always listen to each other and we are always making each other laugh. It is definitely the way we show love.”
Daniela added, “He is usually serious so when I get to be the one to make him smile and laugh, it feels like winning the lottery every time.”
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Frank opened up, “I fell for Daniela because she truly is perfect in every way. I know you aren’t supposed to say that, but it is true. She is the kindest person I ever met. She will do anything for anyone and always puts other people before herself. She is absolutely stunning. I knew I wanted to marry her because she completes me and I am the most comfortable when I am with her.”
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Daniela shared, “I fell in love with Frank when I realized I could not picture my life without him.  He is such a serious, quiet guy to the “outside” world, but to me I get to see him completely  carefree. I knew I wanted to marry him very soon into us being together because I have always felt so safe with him. The qualities I like how supportive he is. He always has my best interest in mind and will support any decision I make. He has the best smile and laugh in the world, and it is my favorite thing to see him smile or hear him laugh because it is so genuine.”
I loved the ambiance of the East Ballroom.  The candle light, the chandeliers, everything felt so warm and I wanted to capture that….
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Let them eat cake 😉
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How fun!!
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Frank shared, “My favorite part of our wedding was dancing with my bride and having fun just the two of us and having all of our friends surrounding us.”
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Frank explained, “We each have a great relationship with our parents and siblings and both of our families get along so well. We are very lucky.”
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Frank explained, “I was most excited to experience both of our families and our friends come together to have a great time. The Palace made sure everyone had an unforgettable experience.”
Here Frank’s best man gives his toast…
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Daniela explained, “Our reception was PERFECT. The overall atmosphere was exactly what we imagined and Tommy, our DJ, kept everyone dancing the entire time. We had the time of our lives!”
I wanted to show the lighting set up by Elite Entertainment here, to get the full feel of the room and show off the chandeliers and packed dance floor, and the night was just getting started…
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This is how we do it…
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Daniela shared, “My favorite part of our wedding was the happiness I felt the entire day. From the ceremony to the reception I was so happy to be marrying my best friend and to have all of the people I love in one room.”
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Daniela smiled, “At one point in the reception I just took everything in and it was definitely a moment of WOW for me!”
Again, wanted to capture all of the color and movement and emotion out on the dance floor…
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Frank had some serious moves!
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Awww Daniela’s dad…  in this show I showed off the blue light and brought in a little white light from my flash, too:
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Rock on…
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All the guys out on the dance floor were awesome:
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I’m blue da-da-dee-da-da-doo…
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The ladies were out in full force, too…
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Haha, the moment Daniela tossed the bouquet from the balcony and it was ripped apart by the single ladies:
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Everybody up:
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Daniela shared, “At the end of the day, we work because we challenge each other by always ensuring the other person is living or working to become the best version of themselves.”
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She added, “If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be marrying Frank, I would have never believed you! I am so glad our lives have worked out the way they did.  I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man.”
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If you’d like to see more of Daniela & Frank, check out their Washington DC engagement photos here.
If you’d like to see more of my work, check out my website, Facebook or Instagram.
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