A Rustic Fall Military Icona Avalon Wedding

A Rustic Fall Military Icona Avalon Wedding | Gianna & Glenn

There was sun shining, and it was a beautiful October day down the Jersey Shore! Ryan and I had been waiting for this day for what seemed like forever! After a few hiccups and a postponement, we were finally here – at the Icona Avalon Wedding of Gianna & Glenn!

Classic, Rustic Details for a Fun, Modern Bride

Rose gold for days! I’ve always loved rose gold, but this year, it became an obsession! So, imagine my excitement when I saw Gianna & Glenn’s rings and her jewelry! AH! Absolutely gorgeous! And those sparking Converse sneakers? The icing on the cake!

Getting Ready with the Bride & her girls at Icona Avalon

Walking into a room full of laughter and love is one of my absolute favorite things to do on a wedding day! Gianna was surrounded by all of the women that mean the most to her! Each bridesmaid made sure their bride was happy and calm and that the morning was running on schedule!

Getting Ready with the Groom at Icona Avalon

Meanwhile, Glenn was hanging out with his guys, getting ready for the first look! So much anticipation was building for the first time he’d see Gianna in her wedding dress!

The Story of Gianna & Glenn

Gianna and Glenn meet when Glenn was home on leave. Gianna was a bartender at Schileens Pub and Glenn happened to come in to grab some food and beer with a mutual friend. Funny story, Glenn did not want to even go to Schileens that day. All he wanted to do was stay home and get wings from Dominics Tavern. Our mutual friend had to force him and said, “My friend Gianna is working and I promised to stop in and see her today, so lets stop there first then we can go to Doms”.

If you know Gianna, she is not the type of girl who is shy. Well, when she saw Glenn, for some reason she was! She asked her friend to serve them because she felt like she just couldn’t talk to him. After a little while, the ice was broken and they did talk. Later that night Glenn told Gianna to meet him and some friends at a local bar for some drinks, and after work she did. They had so much fun that night, that they did not want the night to end. So, Glenn invited Gianna and her friends to the local firehouse bar (Glenn volunteered there and it was almost a second home to Gianna). That night, they had their first kiss and Gianna told her friend “this is the guy I am going to marry!”

Their relationship was built on trust and long distance. Airports and a lot of traveling to see each other as often as they could.

From Gianna ::

“Glenn and I have always been in one another lives. We went to the same grade school, Glenn use to cut my grandmothers lawn (the house I grew up in, which we are currently in the process of buying), lived in the same town, a street and a block over, hung out with the same friend group. We just never knew each other. Faith definitely brought us together at the right time.

Glenn was stationed in Minot, North Dakota when we meet. After about a year, he got orders and got stationed in MT. It was such a disappointment because he really believed and hoped to get closer to home. Instead, he was moved further away. We did not let that stop us, we made it work and eventually we decided – why let distance stop us from starting our lives?! So Glenn popped the question! He took me to Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, and proposed to me on one of the most beautiful places, on the frozen lake. The mountains were covered with snow in the background and it looked like a scene out of a movie!!”

A Beautiful First Look and Couples Portraits on the Beach in Avalon

Oh, first looks! You get me every time! While we never force a couple to have a first look, because we definitely respect everyone’s opinions on what they want to do, we still love a good private moment with the couple before the ceremony! That moment when Glenn turned around and saw Gianna was the sweetest! As he was wiping the tears from his face, you could see the love that he felt for his beautiful wife! These two made our job easy and just had to be themselves for our portrait time together!

Bridal Party Portraits at Icona Avalon

What a fun group of people! You could tell how much each of these individuals meant to both the bride and groom!

A Sunny, Sentimental Ceremony on the Avalon Beach

Gianna and Glenn had one of their friends officiate their wedding ceremony. We love when ceremonies are filled with personal anecdotes and beautiful words about just how much the bride and groom mean to each other. My favorite part? The red, white and blue beach balls thrown in celebration as these two walked back down the aisle!

A Fun Icona Avalon Wedding Reception with all of the Couples Friends & Family

Icona Avalon truly is a destination wedding dream location! Whether you’re just traveling there from an hour away or from another part of the country, you feel like you are at a beautiful destination wedding! From the location, to the staff, to the food – you really get the best of the best! It’s one of our favorite venues to work at!

So, in 10 years of capturing weddings, we’ve never had a bride and groom ICE their bridal party! While the bridal party was doing their entrances, the bride and groom were hiding behind the bar with bottles of Smirnoff Ice! Once Gianna & Glenn were announced, and didn’t come through the doors, they popped up with the bottles for each member of their bridal party to chug on the spot!

The rest of the evening was a blast, with the Stellar Mojo Band rocking the night away!! We even got to take the couple out by the pool for a few romantic nighttime portraits before we left for the night! It truly was a perfect day!