Yesterday I had the honor of photographing the Kate and Stuart’s Nassau Inn wedding! The day began with a ceremony in the charming chapel of St. James Church in Pennington, before moving the party over to Princeton. It was a fun evening with family and friends visiting from both sides of the Atlantic, and I am here to bring you all the details. Enjoy the photos!
Kate & Stuart – How They Met
I’ll let Kate tell you how she met Stuart: ‘We (Stuart and I) grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, though Stuart is English. His dad was on a contract in the U.S. for 8 years. While there, Stuart’s family grew close to their neighbors, John and Ginny Bigley, who will be at the wedding. Around the time Stu’s family moved back to Europe, Kate’s parents became friends with the Bigleys. When Kate got to college years later and was about to head off for a semester in London, Ginny suggested she meet up with one of the Masters children – Stuart happened to live closest to London, and so we met up. The rest, as they say, is history! We got married in a civil ceremony on June 18th, 2011, and have lived together in Surrey since then. And now we’re finally doing it right!’
The Proposal
And how about this for a romantic proposal — on Westminster Bridge! Kate: ‘Stuart proposed at night, on Westminster Bridge (where we ended up on our first date), with Big Ben chiming overhead (probably around 11:00 p.m.) following a dinner to celebrate the second anniversary of our civil wedding. As we left the restaurant and started to walk across the bridge, I recall thinking that I’d already had just the best night with Stu. And then, he drops to one knee and holds out the most beautiful antique engagement ring! I couldn’t believe, and shouted expletives at him because I was so shocked, but for some reason, he stuck with me anyway!’
The Ceremony
In case you are unfamiliar with the Chapel of St. James, the church was established 1895 in the town of Pennington, New Jersey by a community of Irish immigrant Catholic families. The church grew in size, but the chapel has retained its charm and beautiful stained glass windows. For Kate and Stuart’s ceremony, the couple chose to uphold tradition and not see each other until Kate walked down the aisle. The final moment when Stuart saw Kate for the first time nearly brought me to tears!
A Nassau Inn Wedding – The Reception
The couple chose an equally historic location for their reception at the Nassau Inn in Princeton. Built as a home in 1756, the Nassau Inn was host to members of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War and even experienced British occupation during the period. The current hotel was built on the site of the original inn in 1938 and continues as downtown Princeton’s only full service hotel.
For the reception, family and friends from both sides of the pond (Stuart and Kate now live in London) got loose on the dance floor with Kate’s brother Ryan strutting his DJ skills for a set. And yes, that’s Stuart’s dad and brother showing their best ‘lawn mower’ moves. #KateAndStuart2014
Vendors
- Ceremony: Chapel of St. James Church in Pennington, New Jersey
- Reception: Nassau Inn, Princeton
Want to see how it all began? Then check out photos from Kate and Stuart’s lovely Brooklyn Promenade engagement portrait in this link.
Will you be walking down the aisle at your own Nassau Inn wedding? Drop me a line and let’s talk about your photography needs.
If you would like to see more images from my wedding photojournalism portfolio, then please visit my website — KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com.
