The Ashford Estate Wedding :: New Jersey Wedding Photographer
The Ashford Estate Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Susan Elizabeth Photography NJ + Worldwide / Event Venue: The Ashford Estate / Wedding Planner: Detailed Events by Lo / Cinema: Breathe Artistic / Entertainment: SCE Events / Floral Designer: Premiere Events by Reema / Makeup Artist: Rebecca Lee Artistry / Wedding Gown Designer: Martina Liana / Shoes: Badgley Mischka & Christian Louboutin / Bridesmaid Dresses: Katie May / Menswear: My Suit (NYC) / Invitation Designer: Minted / Bakery: Bakeworks & What’s The Scoop
Photographed by : Susan Elizabeth and Christy
How did you meet? In college through mutual friends. We actually had a little fling 12 years ago, then didn’t see each other at all for 6 years. Met up at a bbq (randomly) and the rest is history!
The proposal!
March 16, 2019. “Scamp” (as we all call Andrew) knows I HATE surprises & I always find out everything— so he planned the proposal around 2 of my girlfriend’s birthdays at a restaurant to throw me off. He had all of our friends & family there to surprise me. I coincidentally had a Dr’s appointment in the same town where the restaurant bday lunch was planned, so I went to the dr early AM, then had time to kill instead of driving 45 min back home— so I got a blowout & called to see if I had time for my nails before they headed to lunch (Scamp & our two friends who live nearby). He assured me I did & that they hadn’t even left home yet (even though they all were waiting at the restaurant). Naturally, I was late. I kissed Scamp hello and then go straight to my friends, not even noticing anyone else around us (thank god I didn’t have my glasses on)! He pulls me aside— and I thought he was just being weird. Then I realized what was happening, started panicking, and eventually said yes! Our fam and other friends all started cheering & rushing toward us! He surprised me again by having a photographer, brought my grandma there from her nursing home & flew my brother in from FL! We celebrated the rest of the day with everyone we love!
The venue:
We saved the best for last! We looked at 14 wedding venues in total! The Ashford was the last one we saw & we knew as soon as we walked in that THIS was the place we were supposed to get married! No one we knew had gotten married there (and we’ve been to and been a part of a TON of NJ weddings) so it was different, it was stunning & perfect from start to finish! We were in awe of it every time we saw it. We loved that it was a one stop shop, that we could stay there the night of, have an after party on site & were able to take advantage of the stunning grounds. And having our wedding there was THE best decision. We’re OBSESSED with The Ashford! Laura & her team were OUTSTANDING & always made us feel like family during the entire planning process & day/night of!
Tell us about the details of the day!
Tell us about the details of the day!I am VERY detail oriented & obsessed over every single detail throughout the entire process! We wanted everything to be classy, yet romantic. Black tie optional attire. Lots of candles & flowers. Let me tell ya— MANY nervous breakdowns were had along the way! We had black, whites, creams & gold for our color scheme. We incorporated our dogs (obvi) every way we knew how! They were a part of our ceremony & walked down the aisle, we had a custom signature drink sign made with them on it, as well as had the CUTEST cocktail napkins with them on it as well! We had a custom seating chart (Anchors & Ampersands) that I wish I had on display everyday! It was stunning. Everyone thought it was a photo backdrop at first because it was so pretty! We also had boozy ice pops served after the ceremony for our guests to enjoy as they walked the grounds prior to the cocktail hour beginning. We had my grandma & our niece as our flower girls, had a green arch (La Bloom Roses) dripping in flowers (Premier Events) for our ceremony outside. We had Ceremonious Strings play our ceremony & cocktail hour & had them create customized song mash ups to walk down the aisle to. All of the food was changed a million times to help reflect things Scamp & I loved to eat! We had a floor wrap (Bombshell Graphics) with our names & wedding date to tie into the rest of the decor. A green wall with a neon “The Scamporino’s” sign for photo ops. An electric violinist for the reception that was meant for dinner time listening, but turned into a dance party (we didn’t even get to eat dinner because we danced too much) because her “random” song choice were actually songs that had a ton of meaning to us (unbeknownst to us all)! Jason Jani, of SCE Event Group, helped us mix 2 songs for our first dance! He kept the party alive ALL night long! He is the best of the best! Our after party included Jason staying to play jams until 4 am, where we served our favorite items from taco bell, mini cheesesteak stuffed pretzels, cigars & an open bar! Originally we were anticipating a 300 person wedding but ended up with 185 guests attending. Covid messed with a ton of our plans & many curveballs were thrown our way (even the day of) but we loved celebrating with everyone! Scamp was in a custom tux & Louboutin loafers— he wanted that European vibe! And I wore a Martina Liana dress, where I customized the back, opened it up, made it lower & added a belt along the back. I also wore a Martina Liana veil. It was originally cathedral length, but I added an extra 1.5 feet to it, for dramatics! 🙂 Our girls were in Katie May off the shoulder black gowns from Bella Bridesmaids in Freehold, NJ & the Groomsmen in Calvin Klein rentals from Men’s Wearhouse. My makeup artist was amazing: Rebecca (Korean Kandy) made me look insane! Susan & Ivan from Breathe Artistic KILLED it with photo & video! We’re obsessed! Lauren from Detailed Events by Lo was AMAZING. She didn’t miss a single detail & kept me sane throughout the day! Shyla was handling the guys & they loved her! Reema & Jose from Premier Events helped us through SO many changes during the covid delays hit the final masterpiece was just that.. a masterpiece! Made our vision come to life! Jose also saved the day with the flower arch for our ceremony!! We can’t thank them enough!! We may be biased, but we really did have the industry’s BEST vendors— and no one can tell us otherwise! 
Favorite moment of the day?
Favorite moment of the day?Marrying my best friend (we both answered the same on this)! Additionally, it was seeing all of our hard work, decisions, etc come to life & be able to share the day with all of our friends & family!
Where are you going on your Honeymoon?
We went to Greece a few days after the wedding (for 10 days) and will be having part 2 of our honeymoon in the South of France in late spring/early summer assuming Covid cooperates! We went to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini & Crete. Greece was as breathtaking as every picture you’ve ever seen! We cant wait to explore France in 2022!
NOW INTERVIEWING COUPLES FOR 2023 and 2024!
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING US PHOTOGRAPH YOUR WEDDING, PLEASE FILL OUT THE APPLICATION ON OUR CONTACT PAGE AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU SHORTLY!
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