Anxiously awaiting your wedding day, the pieces are slowly coming together. You have set the date, chosen your wedding venue and selected your photographer. One hurdle that is making things difficult is the location of your wedding photos. Where can you go locally in the Jersey Shore that will have an air of dignified beauty and timeless perfection? As a native to the area you think there is not a single place you can go that will measure up to your ideal wedding photos. You are mistaken. There are a dozen of places you can go in Ocean County, New Jersey that will leave your friends and family admiring your wedding photos for years to come. Here are our top 5 wedding photo worthy places for you to consider near your wedding venue.
1. Georgian Court University’s Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum
Located in Lakewood NJ, only 10 minutes from the Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms River and 15 minutes from the Hilton Garden Inn, Georgian Court is a gorgeous campus. With five different gardens, you have your pick of which breathtaking setting you want featured in your photos. The Italian Garden features the Fountain of Apollo and floral urns that bloom with fiercely colored geraniums between mid-May and late September.
The Japanese Garden is home to a quaint teahouse surrounded by pink and white flowering trees in April-May and deep red flowering trees in October-November. The Sunken Gardens features a marble fountain and a great, double staircase in white marble that overlooks the pond. On the opposite side of this garden there is a brick and marble bridge overlooking Lake Carasaljo.
Photos taken at Georgian Court University with reception at the Versailles Ballroom
The Formal garden is at its peak in July with lush green hedges and bronze statues. The stable house is a picturesque location to pose for your photos. Founder’s Grove is full of “unusual trees” including the Weeping Norway Spruce, the Sourwood and many more. The gardens are only open to those who are connected to GCU by either being a student, alumni or family member of a student/alumni. There is a minimal fee of $350 for those who have family members who attended GCU, and $35-$50 for Alumni. Current students can use these spectacular hidden gardens free of charge.
2. The Lavallette Gazebo
Located in Lavallette on Camden Avenue, 15 minutes from the Atlantis Ballroom at the Holiday Inn of Toms River and 20 minutes away from the Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada Inn of Toms River, the Gazebo overlooks the Barnegat Bay. The gazebo is available year round and if your date is available you will receive a two hour time block to take your photos. To use this particular location there is a $200 fee and application process. You can check the availability of the flower surrounded gazebo and download the application.
3.The beach, boardwalk or Island Heights
The beach is a classic setting for wedding photos. No matter what your color scheme or kind of wedding dress, the beach is a setting that fits any bride’s unique theme. Both the groom and bride, and bridesmaids and groomsmen, will look spectacular with the ocean and horizon as your backdrop. If you’re looking for NJ wedding reception facilities near picturesque shore points, our Ocean County wedding ballroomsare 5 to 20 minutes from the Jersey Shore.
Photos taken at the beach with reception held at the Versailles Ballroom
The boardwalks of NJ are also a wonderful place to take photos on your special day. Worried about sand or the water conditions? Then why not take your photos on the boardwalk with the beauty of the ocean still behind you. With golden sands and surf in the background a boardwalk pavilion is a great site for memories to be captured on film.
Photo taken at the Boardwalk near the Merry-Go-Round. Reception held at the Atlantis Ballroom.
For those who do not care too much for bridges but still want to take photos with the surf in the background, Island Heights is for you. With a grand pavilion, open skies, and stunning scenery this is a good option. These locations are all great for any bride who wants photos she and her groom can admire for years to come.
4. Lake Horicon in Lakehurst
Getting married in the fall and worried about a lovely outdoor location to take your wedding photos? Have no fear. Lake Horicon is a gorgeous spot during the fall. Located just 20 minutes from the Versailles Ballroom and the Atlantis Ballroom, the reddish water makes the colors of the trees pop during this time of year and the little strip of beach is a great place for photos as well as the secluded benches dotted around the edges of the lake. A pavilion with a fireplace is also located on the banks of Lake Horicon and would make a great local stop to capture your wedding memories.
5. Huddy Park Gazebo in Downtown Toms River
With a three part gazebo and bridge, Huddy Park Gazebo is a convenient, wonderful spot for photos. The gazebo has one large centered area with two smaller adjoining gazebos on each side. The bridge, surrounded by lush green trees and plants is a romantic spot to share a memorable moment with your partner. This lovely area is only 12 minutes away from both of our Toms River hotel locations. These five locations are wonderful for brides that have booked at local, NJ wedding venues and banquet halls in Ocean County. These wedding photo ideas are great for brides who want outdoor photos that compliment the beauty of the bride and attractive outdoor locations in New Jersey.
A wedding is a once in a lifetime event, and with it comes a MOTHER IN LAW monster lurking in the shadows…. Ok, although the reality is not all mothers- in- law and mothers- of brides are terrors. Some moms are quite nothing short of angelic guardians who guide us all through the process of life through their infinite wisdom and unrequited love. (I love you mom!)
As we all know in New Jersey weddings, family is family and no one should be disrespectin’ nobody’s mom and brides are no exception. (So put down the claws Bridezilla). After all, part of the whole marriage process is a joining of two families and our central New Jersey wedding venues celebrate this unity of family by treating our brides as family of our own.
After seeing an article posted by OneWed featuring the What Not to Wear for MOBs and MOGs, Hotels Unlimited decided to take a crack at this (with of course a bit of sensible tongue in cheek and a drawing ability of a fifth grader, since that is how we roll here in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean County, NJ)
How does the bride then ask the mother in law about her attire for the big day?
After deciding on a color palette and a theme, it is time to do some dress shopping. Why not make a day of it and enjoy it? Take the mom(s) out to lunch, order a few drinks, and have a fun day of shopping together. Get to know the woman you are intending to dress and imagine what her wedding dress was once like, because she too was once in your shoes.
Some tactful ways to approach this can be covered in conversation and in the right questions:what style of dress mom wore to her wedding?, what were her wedding colors?, who was her favorite fashionista-type celebrities? Somewhere behind that mother -in-law -death- glare- of- love is a woman.
WHAT IF MY MOM…. Says she likes 80s grunge and would like to be dressed out of a combination of a dumpster and Lady Gaga? (and please, no meat dress at my wedding!!)
Although that is a tough combo to salvage, even Lady Gaga has had her classy moments that could make any woman beautiful. Show mom the Lady Gaga-esque styles that you would like and see what she thinks. Fortunately, there are enough styles and variety that it can loosely tie into the bridal theme without making the mother-monster miserable. (yes, pun was intended.)
When all else fails, at least the bride can say she tried. Although a NJ wedding is one of the biggest milestones, one has to ask the important questions of what truly matters: family. After all, remember that the family will still exist long after the wedding is over so it is best not to burn any bridges since you will be with them until death do you part.
After corresponding with our friends at Eastern European Photography, we at Hotels Unlimited had to share some of these wonderful pictures of this couple who was married at the Atlantis Ballroom located inside of the Holiday Inn of Toms River. This Central NJ wedding banquet hall had a taste of an edgier style bride that chose a black, white, and red color palette. Featuring the beautiful courtyards at Monmouth University, and the reception at the Atlantis Ballroom this NJ wedding couple dares to push the envelope that much further with these fun and bold wedding photos.
Whenever anyone is holding any significant Central NJ events one needs to consider the food that they will be serving to their guests. Today, we will be taking an inside look of a typical cocktail hour inside of the Crystal Ballroom inside of the Radisson of Freehold, NJ as a continuation of our Behind the Scenes of a NJ Wedding YouTube series. All of our properties have a similar menu and are committed to a standard of excellence. This cocktail reception is very versatile and can be applied to any of our wedding, bar/ bat mitzvah, sweet 16, and corporate meetings packages.
According to mycentraljersey.com, New Jersey legislation has passed a bill allowing for couples to marry without a three day waiting period. Legislators say that this will allow for couples vacationing in Atlantic City to experience the same kind of convenience as those who travel to Las Vegas. New Jersey is the only state in the Northeast region to offer an immediate marriage as PA, NY, DE, and MD all have a waiting period. Otherwise couples will have to travel to Connecticut and Rhode Island for a same day marriage license.
So what does this mean for New Jersey couples? Couples looking to be married will now be paying a higher license fee at $60 instead of $28. Also, traveling couples do not need to make advanced travel plans to apply for the license. Legislators are hoping that the bill will attract more couples into the state as well as attract further revenue for towns and municipalities. Legislation has also instated a 30 day annulment period after the ceremony should anyone decide to pull a Britney Spears Vegas wedding…. hopefully this is not a frequent occurrence.
When planning any NJ wedding or event, one always looks to friends and family for advice or input. From choosing the flowers and colors to asking the fun and awkward questions like “Does this dress make my butt look big?”, ”Where did you get THOSE shoes?” to “Where should I go for an amazing wedding?” Ok. Well that last one is clearly obvious, which is why we need your help in spreading the word.
All of our five NJ banquet halls all feature a refer- a- friend discount and we are here to spread the word. Its always good to spread some good karma into the world and for sharing the love, we will offer you a FREE enhancer of your choice, and 1/2 price of a choice enhancer for your friend. So go ahead, spread the word and save some green. See our flyer HU Referral for details.
Did you ever wonder what goes into a Central NJ wedding reception? The decor, the lighting, the cocktail reception, all of these details and more are revealed in our behind the scenes series of wedding videos that will be showcased at each of the Hotels Unlimited properties. Today’s post features the Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms River, NJ. Located in the prime location of Ocean County the Versailles Ballroom is close to both Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights and allows for great photo opportunities in the Jersey Shore local area.
Happy Halloweeneveryone! As a reminder, today is the last day to book for our Halloween 2011 wedding deal, our Treat or Treat wedding special. In the spirit of Halloween, we are offering some fun tips of how to make a Halloween wedding timeless and classy without looking cheesy with plastic bats and ghosts hanging everywhere.
Colorpalette:
Halloween has one of the most brilliant color contrasts of any holiday in the calendar year. Purple and orange are a very bold color contrast (as they are both located at opposite ends of the color spectrum). If one would like to include a tertiary color to soften the palette a light green is usually used to calm this color palette down. Of course white can also be used if a bride desires to have a white flower in the bouquet.
Themes:
There are all kinds of fun classic themes that Central NJ brides can choose from when trying to include Halloween into their wedding. Here are a few fun ideas.
Phantom of the Opera- This 1988 classic Broadway musical featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, features the love story that still continues to run on Broadway today. Featuring aged parchment scrolls of sheet music and red roses, this theme is sure to leave guests bringing down the house, but hopefully without the chandelier.
Victorian Masquerade Ball- If a bride plans to have her wedding on Halloween, one might as well embrace the concept of masks. The masquerade ball can bring a dress-up element of fun for your guests, as well as a fun favor for them to take home. If younger children are involved or invited to the wedding, you can also have a craft table where your younger guests can design their own masks.
