Fifty years married. Betsy and Stu wanted to say the words again, on a Monday in July, on the sand in Avalon.
She was clear with me early about one thing. She did not want to spend her own party being photographed. So we did the portraits first, before anyone arrived, and once the guests showed up I stayed out of the way and let them have it.
Barefoot on the Avalon beach
Betsy wore a pale blue and gold brocade gown with a cream shawl and no shoes. Stu wore navy. We walked out past the Avalon Beach Patrol boat, into the dune grass, and around the arch while the light was still soft and flat off the water.
The ceremony
Forty eight people, no wedding party, no processional to speak of. They stood under the arch, held hands, and said it again in front of their two daughters and ten grandchildren. Then they walked back up the aisle over the boardwalk runner and everyone went inside.
Fifty years on one table
Inside the ballroom there was a table I could have photographed all night. Her original wedding dress on a mannequin, high collar and a wide brimmed hat with the veil still attached. Their wedding photograph from the day they came down the church steps. The old album, open. A banner that said fifty years blessed.
The cake had sugar starfish running up all four tiers.
The part they actually came for
Grandchildren ranging from six to twenty seven, and the little ones took the dance floor barefoot before anybody else would. One of their daughters got up with the microphone. The food stations kept people moving. Stu danced with everyone.
The shoes
Betsy told me more than once that her shoes had to be in the photographs. I did not fully understand why until the end of the night, when the family lined up, turned around and kicked their heels up, and the whole row came back red.
A vow renewal is its own thing
Nobody plans one of these the way they plan a wedding. There is no timeline built around a first look, no wedding party to wrangle, and the people in the room have known the couple for decades. If you are thinking about one, I wrote about how I approach them on the vow renewals page. There is also a full ICONA Avalon guide if the beach is where you want to do it, and another 50th I photographed at Grounds for Sculpture.
Ready to Start Planning?
If you have an anniversary coming up and you want the day photographed properly, tell me about it and we will figure out the plan together.
Venue: ICONA Avalon, Avalon, New Jersey
Florals: Leigh Florist
Cake: Bakeworks
DJ: Ryan O’Connell
Photography: Jordan Brian Studios