meet joel + ania

Fun-loving, goofy, compassionate, and hearts full of love for Our Lord and each other is what would best describe this couple. They were already friends of ours from our parish here in Jacksonville, Holy Family Catholic Church, so it was such a gift when they asked us to capture their wedding! When we met up for coffee to hear about their vision for their wedding day, it was clear that they wanted an intimate wedding with plenty of time and attention for the Lord, each other, and their guests. So that's what we prioritized! They got married at Holy Family, and we were able to capture some beautiful portraiture in the church, focusing on specific Catholic elements that were important to them. Their reception was at Marywood Retreat Center in the smaller, more intimate Inn than their space for larger weddings. With the guest count being limited to 50 people, it was the perfect venue to have intentional time for each person attending. Check out more details from each part of their day below!

getting ready

We started the day at 12PM with some getting ready photos. The gals were getting ready at the Inn at Marywood, so I (Josie) joined them upstairs and captured some candids, the bride getting in her dress, and just some fun interactions with her bridesmaids, mom, and family. Jack couldn't make it that day, so our friend Aly Barreto was my second shooter. She joined Joel for some casual groom shots and candids with his groomsmen before the couple did a first look. It's not often at Catholic weddings that we get a couple who wants to do a first look, so it was really fun for us to capture the couple's reaction as they saw each other for the first time. Ania got SO giddy when she saw Joel standing there, which was adorable. The perk of doing a first look before the Wedding Mass is that you can knock out some of your couple portraits. So after the first look, we took about 10 minutes of photos before heading to Holy Family for the wedding Mass! It was truly a chill, peaceful, and joyful morning!

wedding Mass

Joel and Ania's Nuptial Mass was at 2PM, so we got there around 1:30PM. Joel and Ania both wanted to pray with their bridesmaids and groomsmen before the wedding, so we made sure to prioritize that. Their Nuptial Mass was simple and beautiful—we loved seeing the raw and genuine reactions from the couple throughout the Mass. They got married on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so the graces were abounding! We also appreciated how they brought their own icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa and venerated the image when they brought flowers to Our Lady. The icon was Ania's that her parents gave her years ago—a small and intentional nod to her Polish roots.

GROUP PHOTOS

Immediately after the Mass, we took just a few family photos (literally they only wanted 3 photos with their immediate families and the priest), so it gave plenty of time for some couple portraits in the church. The rest of the group photos we took at Marywood during the cocktail hour. A few of the groomsmen weren't aware of the timeline and so stopped for food on the way to Marywood (HAHA), so we had to make the most of the time by taking some couple portraits while we waited! Thankfully, there was plenty of buffer time and it didn't set us back at all. Thank you, Jesus!

couple portraits

We had about 4 different spots in the timeline during the day for portraits: after the first look, after the Mass in the church, during/after bridal party photos at Marywood, and then after dinner during sunset. All of these chunks of time were about 15 minutes or so, which broke it up, but gave us a plethora of different shots! While some couples think that just having a huge chunk of time for couple portraits is best, we actually suggest breaking it up into 2-3 segments of time if you're able. This gives you and your spouse a break and allows us to get different locations and lighting options for your photos!

Our favorite portrait time with Joel and Ania was their sunset photos at the end of the day. We took them out to the dock at Marywood, and I gave them my camera so they could capture each other! I knew that I didn't see them in the same way they saw each other, so I wanted them to capture what THEY saw in their spouse that day!!! It was a ton of fun and super memorable for all parties. While I don't do that with all of our couples, I'm so glad I did with them!

the party!

I never knew that I loved small, intimate receptions so much until Joel and Ania's party. The Inn at Marywood can only hold 50 people, so they had to keep the numbers small. This created a very warm, homey, and family-oriented environment. Guests mingled while violinists played relaxing music during cocktail hour. There was no formal introduction of the couple: They just joined right in for the cocktail hour. After cocktail hour, everyone walked out to the dock for the first dances. We LOVED that they did all of the dances on the dock—It was different, fun, and beautiful! Dinner started after the dancing. Since there weren't a ton of tables, the couple got to visit with everyone (and we got to snag a photo of each table with the couple!). One of the sweetest moments of their reception was when Joel and Ania surprised Joel's goddaughter with a cake as it was her birthday!

THANK YOU!!!

A special note of gratitude for all of the vendors of Joel and Ania's day, but especially to Brianna at Marywood. She truly made the day seamless and beautiful in her approach to the couple's day! Marywood is one of our favorite venue spots in Jacksonville, and we cannot recommend them enough to our couples!

Prayers for Joel + Ania as they begin their married life together!