Allison + Zak : Brookmill Farm Wedding :: NJ Cinematography

Sunday October 11th 2015 I am making my way to Brookmill Farm to shoot Allison & Zachary’s wedding. It is sunny, 58 degrees and not a single cloud in the sky. As I drive down this hilly, curvy wooded driveway, I arrive at the estate and am overwhelmed with the picture perfect scenery. To my right is a creek with a bridge leading to a lawn where the ceremony will be taking place. The sound of a rooster was the first thing I heard when I got out of the truck. There was a light dew on the ground and the sun was just starting to rise. Across the stream I see Faye & Renee decorating the hand made chapel with flowers. Before I investigated any further, I had to get the drone up. The light was perfect, you do not really want to fly it in the 12pm – 3pm window as the sun blows everything out. Seeing the views from 400 meters in the air, the multi colored trees, and the farm from the above was pretty amazing.

As I am mid flight, 2 little kids come up to me asking me what I was doing. Shortly after I answered them, I was being questioned even deeper, feeling as if I was being interrogated by the FAA. It was very cute. A voice emerged from behind them and said, “do not touch anything, that is a drone and he uses that to shoot video in the sky.” That was the first time I met Zak in person. I have spoken to him on the phone before but in no way did I expect to see what appeared to be a worker on the farm. Zak was in your typical farmers plaid shirt, dirty pants, and gloves, as he was off to mow the lawn. He had informed me that Allison was busy setting up the tent because their vendor had just not showed up. I was impressed with how hands on bride, groom and everyone else in the wedding party were. In-fact, I had to interrupt Zak from weed whacking to jump in the shower so I could start the groom prep.

After Zak and I spoke about the details of the day, I started to go explore the property. I am amazed at the level of detail that went into this place. When you book the farm, you get to stay the whole weekend. That is pretty cool, especially if you have family from out of town. The main house boasts 4 bedrooms, 4 baths capable of sleeping 12 and the cottage, next to the main house, boasts 3 bedrooms 2 full baths and a bonus room with a sleeper that can sleep 8 total. There is a Olympic sized swimming pool and a BBQ station that would make Bobby Flay jealous. It also features a life sized chess board and a raised screen room and lounge area with a fire pit. Don’t forget the Bob Ross style stream going through the property, “it’s a happy place”. This is a home run to book your wedding, a destination feel, with only a little over a hour travel time from New York City. Allison’s make-up was done by Mobile Makeover and her hair was done by Something Blew in the master bedroom which has a fully windowed back room that overlooks a multi-tiered garden in the backyard. The food was delicious and catered by AG Catering. Jeff and Joelle from All My Love Photography did a fantastic job (you can see their photos here) they were so easy to work with throughout the whole day. We were feeding off each others creativity which ultimately lead to a better final product for Allison & Zak.

All in all, it was an amazing day for an amazing couple and I wish Allison and Zak nothing but love, happiness, and success. Here is the wedding film from their day.