Introducing Hitched Journal, an online magazine featuring the photography of Jeff Tisman

Real Weddings / Real Couples / Real Talk

My married couples share it all! Stories and details about their wedding as well as advice for newly engaged couples who are in the planning process.

I started my photography career shooting rock bands and have had numerous photos published in magazines. It was always such a thrill to go into the bookstore and see those photos in print! Everyone loves to see their photos featured.

Welcome to Issue 01, I am so excited to share the incredible wedding and love story of Amanda + Vinnie!

Hitched Journal / Issue 01 /Park Chateau / Amanda + Vinnie / Photography by Jeff Tisman

Tell us about your experience with Jeff Tisman Photography:

“We were looking for a photographer who we could trust with our lives.”

What were you looking for when it came to choosing a photographer.

If photography is a top priority and you want to have a ton of fun while having THE BEST photos taken, look no further. Seriously. With all of our vendors, we were looking for a photographer who we could trust with our lives (this may sound silly, but it is SUPER IMPORTANT if you actually want to enjoy your day and not stress about everything), and who could tell us what we needed for our wedding day, while also being collaborative. We wanted someone who could capture the true, candid moments of excitement and other emotions, in a fashion that was not cookie-cutter. Jeff's style (and personality, as we learned in our first call) were unlike any other. We could tell that his energy was on our level and that it was a great match. Jeff wants to be sure that there is a good fit, so the first call really is about getting to know each other, as well as what you are looking for. I have no doubts that if Jeff did not think we were a match, he would have pointed us in another direction. Throughout the 2 years of planning, Jeff never hesitated to respond to an email or phone call to discuss my dozens of questions or hair-brained ideas.

Full Interview Text:

What were you most looking forward to about your wedding? Throwing the most epic party that we had always envisioned and being able to celebrate with everyone all in one place, at the same time. We love entertaining and wanted to really pull out all the stops to make sure our guests had as much fun at the wedding as we knew we were going to.

What ended up being your favorite moments? The whole day truly was incredible, but if we had to narrow it down, the ceremony because we were both looking forward to actually getting married, and the officiant did such a wonderful job and even found a way to keep everyone engaged. We also really loved showcasing the tribute swing dance for Amanda's 99 year-old grandmother, which we had been working on since the previous November, as well as dancing with our guests and the band throughout the entire reception.

What inspired your wedding decor? and/or wedding theme? As someone who never wanted to get married, Amanda did not have a ton of ideas in the very beginning, but knew she wanted something bold, that reflected the couples' energy. That said, it was important to choose a venue that did not require a lot of creativity or inspiration. We used a lot that the venue had to offer: the table numbers, chairs, linens. Having two years to plan was both a blessing and a curse, because we got to have everything that we wanted, but that also was a lot of time for ideas to change!

Why did you pick the Park Chateau? It was most important to us to have a "one-stop shop", where we and our guests could arrive at one location, and have all events in that one place. There is a hotel on the same property as Park Chateau, which also helped with timing for getting ready and transitioning for photos. We looked at one other venue that also had lodging, but they held more than one wedding at a time, and could not accommodate our request for a poultry-free wedding due to an allergy. Park Chateau also has a reputation for being the best of the best, and we knew that choosing this venue would allow us to have the wedding of our dreams and provide the most for our guests.

What is your favorite feature of Park Chateau? The staff. Without their extensive experience and ability to anticipate and accommodate every possible need, the day would not have run nearly as smoothly as it did. Even leading up to the big day, the team communicated consistently, and never hesitated to respond to questions or concerns, even offering solutions to challenges that had nothing to do with Park Chateau. We had full faith and confidence in the Park Chateau team, and knew that we could rely on them to execute the day flawlessly, so that we truly could enjoy all of the moments.

Share about your food and drink at your wedding, any special meanings etc. In true New Jersey fashion, cocktail hour was of the utmost importance to us. We are still hearing feedback about the food and service, and anticipate that will continue for some time. Because Park Chateau provides seemingly endless options, we chose to extend cocktail hour for an additional 30 minutes, in hopes that everyone would get to sample as much as possible, and in hopes of getting to mingle with as many guests as possible. Two of our favorite stations were the vodka/caviar station (complete with an ice luge!), and the mozzarella man, who made fresh mozzarella, stuffed with various items from figs to prosciutto, tomatoes, and more. One of our signature drinks was called "It's About Thyme". Not only was it delicious, but it also was a nod/playful nudge at the fact that we had been a couple for nearly 11 years before we finally got married!

Tell us about anything special, sentimental or ceremonial you would like to share.

-  Despite having been together for nearly 11 years, we actually chose to keep certain things pretty traditional. We stayed in different hotel rooms the night before the wedding, and did not see each other at all until our first look. We found that doing this brought even more excitement and anticipation to the wedding day. 

-  Amanda's 99 year-old grandmother, Helen, always has been a very big part of Amanda's life and helped raise her. Helen loves to tell stories about how she used to attend dances as a young girl and, more specifically, she loves to tell the story about how she and her dance partner participated in a competition and won a trophy while dancing to Glenn Miller's "In the Mood". In homage to Helen, we began taking dance lessons eight months prior to the wedding, in order to learn a dance to "In the Mood". Upon being introduced into the ballroom, our first dance began with a more classical dance to "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra, which then segued into a full swing dance routine to "In the Mood". The guests went just as wild as we expected them to!

The Team Assembled:

Venue: Park Chateau Estate & Gardens @parkchateau / parkchateau.com/

Bridal Salon: Bridal Reflections @bridalreflectionsny / bridalreflections.com/

Dresses: Leah DaGloria @leahdagloria / leahdagloria.com/

Headpiece: Bridal Styles Boutique @bridalstylesboutique / bridalstylesboutique.com/

Florist: Crest Florist @crestflorist / www.crestflorist.com/

Band: Soulsystem Orchestras @soulsystemorchestras / soulsystemorchestras.com/

Makeup: Jess Gonzalez @makeupbyjessg / makeupbyjessg.com/

Stationery: The Jess Press @thejesspress_ / thejesspressshop.com/

Photography: Jeff Tisman @tismanphoto / jefftismanphotography.com/

With all of our vendors, we took the approach of: "Would we trust this vendor with our lives?" That may sound extreme, but you don't realize how important that truly is until time is drawing near. The day of your wedding is so chaotic, and we were able to really relax (as much as possible) and be present throughout the day without worrying about any of the details. 

Dress/Bridal Salon: Amanda tried on more than 30 dresses at various stores. She is not a very emotional person, and just decided that maybe she would find one dress that she just liked more than the others. Once she went to Bridal Reflections and tried on her Leah DaGloria gown, she knew that was THE ONE. She recalls stepping into the gown, being zipped up, and saying, "This is the dress I need to marry Vinnie in." It was a feeling like no other. The entire staff at Bridal Reflections was so genuinely kind and helpful, and the quality of Leah DeGloria's gowns is unparalleled.

Florist: We met with four different florists. The first three began the meetings by asking what our budget was. Having never done this before, we weren't entirely sure what our budget "should be" or what we could get/should be getting for our money. This was very challenging, especially because we wanted our wedding to be beautiful, but did not want to spend a ton of money on flowers that would end up in the trash at the end of the night. In each of the first three meetings, we gave a number as our "ceiling" that we did not want to exceed. All three quotes came in at the very top, if not, higher. The meeting with Cathy at Crest Florist was completely different. She never asked for our budget. Rather, she just started asking questions about how many guests we estimated, how many tables, did we want high or low centerpieces, what kinds of flowers, etc. Cathy also was incredibly personable, which was important to us. Cathy's initial estimate was less than half of all the others, which, combined with her personality, made it easy for us to make a decision. We made several changes after we placed our deposit, and our final budget was still just about half of the other quotes. Our florals were so incredible and were another huge talking point for our guests. Some of our centerpieces were brought over to the hotel for breakfast the next morning and even the staff there were blown away. They loved our flowers so much that they ended up making smaller bouquets to place around the lobby and other areas, since we were not going to take them home.

Band: Ever since Vinnie attended a wedding over 20 years ago, he always knew that he would want a band at his wedding, when the time came. Of course, a DJ can play all of the right music, but there's something about a band performing all the right music live, that takes it to the next level. Jeff recommended SoulSystem Orchestras to us, and after having a very strange, unfortunate experience while interviewing (and almost booking) another band, we started looking into Soul System Orchestras and were blown away by their promo videos. Similar to our conversations with other vendors, when we had that initial call with Rob, we knew that this was the band for us. Not only did they provide entertainment for the reception, we also had them provide an acoustic guitar and piano for the ceremony as well as a jazz trio for cocktail hour. The band is made up of a group of outstanding musicians and singers, who blew everyone away at the wedding. Not only were they engaging, but they knew exactly how to perform and what songs to play, when, in order to keep the energy just right for a wedding!

How did you guys meet? Amanda was invited by her cousin, Albert, to grab a drink one Wednesday night. While the two discussed life (and Amanda's lack thereof since she was finishing law school), Amanda commented that she hadn't met anyone new since moving back to the area, and into one side of a two-family home, several months earlier. Albert challenged that she must know someone in the bar, but Amanda insisted she knew none of the other four people present. Albert asked a friend of his, who had walked in at the end of the bar, if he knew Amanda, to which the friend responded, "No, I've never seen her".

It was at that moment, when Albert officially introduced Vinnie and Amanda. Unbeknownst to either of them, they had been living in the same house (each on one side of the two-family home) for the past four months! Despite sharing a garage, driveway, and backyard, and having mailboxes next to each other, the two never crossed paths. After that, nothing would be the same. Even though it wasn't until several months later when Amanda finally agreed to go out on a date with him, she can easily look back and recall that she always knew there was something about Vinnie.

Our initial meeting was serendipitous, and the love, life, and experiences we have shared over more than a decade together have been an incredible adventure.

Favorite date spot or favorite thing to do together. We absolutely love going out to dinner at fancy restaurants! We reserve it for special occasions and enjoy trying other new restaurants in between, but when the time is right, we love to treat ourselves to a fine dining experience.

Any other details about anything you would like to share. We had so much fun planning and executing our wedding, which seriously was one of the best days of our lives. While we are happy to be returning to a bit of normalcy in our daily lives, we would do it all again, the same exact way. Also, Amanda is secretly trying to organize another event where we will need Jeff and his talents! Vinnie thinks we should start with pizza and beers in the Hudson Valley.

Why I love... This Moment of Amanda and her grandmother together before the ceremony.

“Understanding what matters to my couples is crucial for creating a timeline that captures their most cherished moments. For Amanda, this meant having a special first look with her 99-year-old grandmother, Helen, to share a quiet moment before the ceremony. This moment holds deep meaning for them, reflecting their unique, deep bond and the significance of their shared connection.”

-Jeff.

“Our memories give us warmth and nourishment, like a blanket of love wrapped around our souls.” -unknown

For Newly Engaged Couples: Your Wedding Deserves Epic Photography

You’re working hard to plan the perfect wedding, now let’s ensure it’s remembered with photos that are just as incredible as the moments itself. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to capture all the emotions of your wedding and make your day truly unforgettable. Get in touch. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be my next cover couple. 

Contact Jeff Tisman Photography 

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Exclusive BTS page with lighting and thought process. Also, secrets and tips from some of my signature photos.