Rock Island Lake Club June Wedding in Sparta, NJ

February 23, 2023

Rock Island Lake Club June wedding in Sparta, NJ

As we write up Kelly and Ariel’s Rock Island Lake Club wedding in Sparta, NJ from last June, we are getting reeeeaaally antsy for the Spring/Summer weather! We are writing this in February and let’s just say we are ready for this greenery and warmth again!!

This wedding was also just an absolute joy to photograph. Kelly and Ariel were so darn happy together, we couldn’t help but enjoy ourselves. We knew from when we met them for their engagement session at Princeton University, their wedding day would be a breeze.

The couple began their day getting ready onsite at Rock Island Lake Club in the respective suites, and we did some pre-ceremony photos to save time later before heading to their church ceremony at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Dover, NJ. When we returned, we did even more photos on the lovely grounds at Rock Island so the couple would get a little bit of everything in their photos and memories from the day!
The bride’s dress was Paloma Blanca (Mikaella) from I Do, I Do in Morristown, NJ. The bridesmaid dresses were Azazie and the groom’s tux was from The Black Tux. The end of the night was an incredible dance party courtesy of our friend Giuseppe of Love of Music Entertainment.

From the Couple

“Hoping for a day that brings these words to mind: Classic, simple, light, fun, airy, elegant. Colors: Neutrals (boys in black, girls in taupe, navy accents in decor); hoping for the Summer color landscape to pop in background!”

Kelly and Ariel chose Rock Island for its rustic, lakeside elegance. They particularly loved the blend of rustic farm tables with a modern feel. They also loved that it was NOT a ballroom, lol! The intimate room, with the outdoor space was ideal. We used all the good spots such as the dock, lake & swing for photos. 🙂

Their Story

“Kelly and Ariel met in high school, during which they were consistently near each other thanks to the alphabetic similarity of their last names. They were locker neighbors and physics lab partners, but they would have never have imagined that one day, they would marry. They began dating at the beginning of summer 2013 and never looked back. Luckily, their colleges were only ten miles apart, so between classes, joining a sorority, babysitting, and crew practice, they found time for dates in the town of Princeton, rotating between three ice cream shops.

After graduating and five years of dating, they moved to Jersey City together, while working in NYC. Ice cream shops became coffee shops and they loved their life together.

Then, as we all know, the pandemic changed everything for everyone. Kelly and Ariel went from working in the same city, to working in the same two-foot radius. Not only were any potential travel plans delayed, but obtaining the engagement ring became much more difficult than Ariel had expected. Running into the bathroom to take a call to discuss ring details, while Kelly was in the next room, was not ideal. Thankfully, everything worked out, and Kelly said yes in July 2020!”

Tell us about yourselves!

“We met in high school, although we started dating the day before we graduated (talk about timing!). We love a mix of staying in, ordering pizza and watching movies (or re-watching Kelly’s favorite movies, since she does not like to be surprised too often and loves the comfort of a good movie) or traveling to new places (last summer was Greece, this summer’s plans got switched to local road trips to new cities). We are obsessed with HGTV, specifically Fixer Upper, love Gilmore Girls, Friends and The Office… all classics in our opinion! We love to eat, but do not cook well (hellllo pizza bagels!).”