Kim & Kyle Wedding Rutherford NJ

Wedding Rutherford NJ

The Gallagher Backyard – Rutherford NJ

Kim and Kyle’s Wedding Rutherford, NJ, was beautiful and quaint. Since COVID hit, most weddings are being postponed for 2021, and couples have small backyard weddings this year. That is exactly what happened to Kim and Kyle, unfortunately. Their beautiful Halloween wedding at The Grand in Totowa was postponed for Halloween 2021, and we are all just as excited for that day as their special day this year.

I have known Kim and Kyle since college. Kim and I went to music school together at Montclair State University. I was ecstatic when they got engaged and when Kim entered my giveaway for a free engagement session. I sent her a quick message, and we scheduled their amazing engagement session at Bear Mountain, NY. Wedding Rutherford NJ

Kim and Kyle’s backyard wedding was everything and more that these two could have imagined. It was small, it was fun, and they had everyone where they wanted and more. We started with Kim’s details and the girls drinking their champagne. They wore cute flannels and cheers to the bride. I love it when my brides do cheers shots and get in the groove to celebrate the day.

We got Kim dressed and ready to see Kyle. He arrived, and we got right to work on his portraits. We have their big day next year, but I wanted to make sure that Kyle got some photos of him. He is such a handsome dude, how could we not.

Then their ceremony started. Surrounded by all of their family and friends, Kim, Kyle, and the rest of their family and bridal party walked down the aisle to begin the ceremony. They did a cultural Irish tradition of tying a knot around their hands, signifying both their families’ unity. They exchanged their own vows that they wrote for each other and their rings and sealed it with a kiss. Wedding Rutherford NJ

These two could not be more excited to be married, and it’s so special. Seeing the love these two have for each other is beautiful, and I cannot wait to see where these two go from here on this crazy journey we call life.

They had a small reception for their family and close friends who attended this special day. They did their grand entrance, and they danced together for the first time as husband and wife. They danced to Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Kim danced with her dad, and Kyle danced with his Mom. Kim danced to Because You Love Me by Celine Dion, and Kyle and his Mom danced to Forever Young by Rod Stewart.

Her maid of honor and his best man each gave a speech along with Kim’s dad. Father of the Bride speeches are my favorite because they usually tell inside secrets about their lovely daughters, and everyone usually giggles while her face turns red.

Kim and Kyle, I want to thank you so much for choosing me to capture your special day and being apart of this amazing journey you are embarking on.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Drabik! Here is to many more years of health and happiness as a married couple.

A LITTLE Q&A FROM THE BRIDE AND GROOM

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED PART OF YOUR WEDDING DAY?!

“Our ceremony! I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle with my dad, see our family and friends, and see Kyle at the end of the aisle. Kyle agrees that he couldn’t wait for this moment either. I was so excited to read my vows and do our Celtic handfasting, which involved my mom and Kyle’s mom placing Celtic cords on our hands, and our officiant placing a cord in the middle. Each cord represented our families, and the middle cord representing our new family. After we read our vows, our officiant tied the Celtic infinity knot that we knotted as we slipped our hands out of – it was the coolest moment!” Wedding Rutherford NJ

DID ANYTHING UNEXPECTED HAPPEN?!

“We didn’t hire an event planner – we planned this ourselves and had TONS of help from family and our wedding party. My family hosted this in the backyard in a tent, and there were a lot of moving pieces at any given time to make sure that moments were transitioning, and everyone had a job to do that day!”

“The most unexpected moment that no one could have controlled was that the inside of the tent froze overnight (including the walls and ceiling) and had to defrost all morning!!!! My father, brother, and some of Kyle’s family all had to scramble together to dry everything off and clean the entire tent area before all of the deliveries came, and while my mom & I were in hair & makeup! They are amazing and got it done, though.”

“A GOOD unexpected moment was that the owner of the company who rented us our tent, Cliffhanger Productions, who also owns a costume shop called Fun Ghoul in Rutherford, showed up unannounced in a Halloween-themed hearse!!! And he took us for a ride around town in the hearse! The hearse had lights, music, a fake coffin, and fog. It was so cool and unexpected! Everyone loved it, especially us! My step father-in-law took this as an opportunity to throw on a Halloween costume and scare everyone too, and no one knew it was him. We thought he came with the hearse!!” Wedding Rutherford NJ

WERE YOU NERVOUS?!

“I was definitely nervous! Getting married during a pandemic is definitely scary, even after asking people to take covid tests (which all came back negative!). I was also nervous that I was going to trip walking down the aisle, or mess up saying my vows, or that something in the setup would go wrong again! But my mom, my maid of honor, & my bridesmaids helped to keep me calm, as well as a mimosa or two 🙂

Kyle says he wasn’t nervous about anything! Typical Kyle.”

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST AS A MARRIED COUPLE?!

Kim – “I can’t wait to do all of the fun stuff I’ve always wanted to do with Kyle that we’ve been waiting for, like traveling, making new educational goals for ourselves, expanding our careers, and supporting each other even more deeply than we had been before. All of the things we’ve been dreaming of doing when we were married, we can start working on.”

Kyle – “Starting our lives together, finally! Getting to do everything we’ve been waiting to do.” Wedding Rutherford NJ

WHAT WAS YOUR WEDDING INSPIRATION?!

“Since we postponed from our venue and reconfigured to my parents’ backyard, I was feeling inspired by fall festivals, like when you go to a corn maze or when you go to a bonfire at a farm after you’ve gone apple picking & pumpkin picking. We had a beautiful sunflower arch that we put under the maple tree that we got married under.” Wedding Rutherford NJ

My brother and Kyle’s groomsmen painstakingly strung fairy lights around that maple tree the night before the wedding, about 400ft lights (and they needed a giant ladder to do this).

We had pumpkins, gourds, and mums all over the yard that my brother got and decorated with! It was gorgeous. The inside of the tent had a soft orange hue all night to complement the fall vibe. We also lit the fire pit at night. It was perfect.”

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE GETTING MARRIED?!

Kim – “If you’re trying to plan your wedding during covid, and you’re feeling discouraged, just keep going! It is all worth it in the end because you get to marry your best friend! We did a mini-ceremony and postponed our reception to next year to be safe, and we have no regrets! At the end of the day, it’s all about the marriage, and all of the little details will work themselves out. Don’t get caught up in the color table cloths you need, or the centerpieces – you won’t remember them the week after the wedding!”

Kyle – “Just relax and enjoy it!! Calm down!” Wedding Rutherford NJ

HOW DID YOU FEEL AT THE END OF THE DAY?!

Kim – “It was the happiest day of my entire life! Everything that I had panicked about had worked itself out, thanks to the huge team I had helping me the week off, the night before, and the morning of. I was so overjoyed with the amount of love I felt from everyone there and everyone afar. And my love for Kyle was just magnified! He was the only one I could think of.

Kyle – “Super happy and thankful that I got to marry my best friend! Kim answered all of what I want to say for all of these.”