There are not enough positive words I can say about Kellie & Karl and their Icona Avalon wedding. They have been phenomenal to work with, be with and shoot with! They are light-hearted, laid back, always positive and full of humor. You can view some of their GTKY session online here. I have footage of them from the sky of them jumping into the surf in Wildwood, NJ. But we are here to talk about their wedding day.
Ceremony & Reception: Icona Avalon
Florist: Angela Nicole Design
Band: Slippery Band
Bride’s Dress: Stella York
Bride’s Shoes: Nina
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff
Groom’s Tux: ChazMaTazz
Cake: Bake Works
The bridal suite at Icona Avalon
I need to start by expressing my absolute love for this blue velvet couch they chose to put in the bridal suite for all brides that have a Icona Avalon wedding. I wanted to drive my car up, load it in and take that puppy home. Space is great! It is large enough to fit 5-10 girls comfortably with hair/makeup artists. The front windows provide tons of natural light. The flooring is this gorgeous color textured wood. It is great for doing flat lay/detail photographs.
History of Icona in Avalon
This was the first time I have been to the Icona Resort in Avalon, NJ. Originally it was the Golden Inn until it was purchased by Icona Resorts in 2015 and underwent a 15million dollar renovation starting in 2016. The renovations turned the classic hotel into a modern contemporary hotel in South Jersey. The rooms are simply wow! They renovated the back by the pool where they have ceremonies onsite there. The inside when you walk in is a mix of pure white minimalism with touches that remind you that you are on the beach.
“After talking to Jordan on the phone the first time we knew he’d be the perfect photographer for our day – it was so easy to talk and joke with him. One of the main things we wanted out of our wedding photographer (besides amazing photos, obviously) was an easy connection. We wanted to feel as comfortable as possible and have our true emotions captured. Jordan was truly amazing to work with.” ~Kellie & Karl
When your deodorant game is this strong!
Yes. Karl got Kellie a watch from Karl Langerfeld that said Karl on it!
Love these custom cuff links Kellie got her father as a gift. That is her with him as a little kid.
Groom Preps at Icona Avalon
Karl along with a few of his brothers, friends, and family had their groom preps in their suite that overlooked the beach. The guys were laid back, fun and were ready to party! Kellie got Karl a surprise white dinner coat for the reception as part of her gift. It was an incredible surprise and looked GQ cool for the evening. I wish more groomsmen did this. Such a great look!
Bride & Groom first look
I love the sand dunes and entrance onto the beach when I do first looks down the shore. The fog rolled in but the sun just came out which started to burn off some of the fog. Karl had the best expression when he saw Kellie for the first time. plus he was so happy that he couldn’t stop laughing. She was like why are you laughing.
Beach wedding portraits Avalon, NJ
We went down a few blocks to shoot over by the pier. When we got on the beach it was so foggy that we had to pull an audible and shoot with the bridal party on the boardwalk. I did first do a few dreamy shots on black and white film of the groom and a bit with the couple. The boardwalk was fun and just wide enough to fit the bridal party on.
This was the photograph they selected for their Canvas Wall Art Piece!
Notice the bridesmaid on the far left. She sneezed right on the bridesmaid next to her 3 times in a row! I almost fell on the boardwalk laughing so hard.
When you find two complete strangers on the beach….You ask them to come in for a quick photobomb with the groom
Family Formals at Icona
Family formals are some of the most important photographs that I captured on the day. However, they need to be fun, quick, have a simple background, good lighting, and natural expressions. We had to place to captured these at the hotel and it was blazing sun in most spots. I found a little entrance way outside by where the ceremony location is by the pool. We rocked these in 10 minutes. This always needs to be done in a crunch sometimes as the guests start arriving and we do not want to shoot formals during the cocktail hour. It is always a frustrating nightmare for the bride to do that.
I love this little flare from the film on the edges!
Icona Avalon Wedding Reception
Damn, they had a fun reception! Angela Nicole Designs did an amazing job with the decor in the room. They also did a stunning job with the bridal bouquets and ceremony decor. You will also love the contemporary look of the wood flooring for your Icona Avalon Wedding.
The first dance concluded with a surprise scooter ride from the bride’s niece and flower girl. This might have been the cutest thing ever for a first dance! Special thanks to the amazing Slippery Band. I have known them for years. Absolutely great people to work with!
The best man’s speech was also pretty epic. The two brothers talking about how they used to beat and destroy Karl. After their speech, I was just thinking to myself and tough Karl must be after some of these stories! They put him in a piece of luggage and threw him down the stairs! haha!
Karl’s brothers absolutely destroyed it! Great best man/men toast!
I must say the Icona is an amazing jersey shore venue. Stylish, contemporary but not stuffy and a touch of laid-back NJ. I had the best time with Kellie and Karl. Their album turned about incredible and I absolutely loved the wall art canvas piece they got of them romantically walking together into the foggy mist
The craziest that they had a foggy day at the beach and they chose the light grey leather called “fog”! Perfect for this foggy Icona Avalon Wedding…
Check out this other amazing beach wedding Tia & Brian’s Windows on the Water wedding in Sea Brite, NJ