Beautiful Golden Hour Engagement Session at Deep Cut Gardens | Daniel Nydick Wedding Photographer
“You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground. I’ll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds.” Sal made Jackie a plaque with these very words as an anniversary gift. Are you hooked on these two yet? I know I am!
Here’s their Love Story…it’s timeless, it’s heartwarming, and it’s worth every single keystroke.
“Boy meets girl. They fell in love. Adopted pups, got engaged, and the rest is history! If only it was as simple as a Disney movie! Jackie grew up in NJ with a group of friends who were besties before they were even born! PJ, Brian, Stacey, and Jackie were really close growing up, but in highschool Stacey and Brian moved to California. They had to finish their highschool years in Buena Park, CA- where Sal happened to be! They became friends and finished highschool together. Jackie and Sal knew of each other when one night she was on the phone with Stacey and he took her phone to say hi to Jackie. She wasn’t having it and shot him down quick. Sal could not just let her go. He messaged her on Friendster months later (before Facebook and Myspace existed!) and they became friends. Conversations got longer and more frequent for months. After graduation, Sal had an opportunity to visit NYC and NJ with Stacey and a few other friends from highschool for a winter trip so he took it. PJ and Jackie met up with the group at Virgin Records in NYC and that is where Sal and Jackie got to meet face to face for the first time. The night before they had to fly back to Cali, Sal pulled Jackie aside. With roses and chocolates in hand, he asked if she would be his girlfriend. - She unfortunately declined. She wasn’t ready for another long distance relationship across the country. They continued to stay in touch after Sal returned to California. Their relationship kept growing stronger as time went on and a few months later, Sal flew out to NJ on his own with one question in mind. They hit it off as soon as he arrived, going out around town on “dates”- something they haven’t had a chance to do over the phone this whole time. Finally, at the end of his trip, he asked the question again... “Will you be my girlfriend?” She said “Yes!”
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“They continued the long distance relationship for 10+ years, traveling coast to coast. As the years went by, it became harder and harder to be away from each other for so long. Jackie started living in the “Little Blue House” on her own, preparing for them to take the next leap in their relationship. In January 2015, Sal moved to NJ to start their life together. Their little family was still not complete- that summer they went back to California to pick up their fur-kids, Jersey and Diesel, and drove Route 66 across the country. With everyone all together, a wedding was the next step-right? Wrong! The lease on the “little blue house” was up and the landlord was selling the house. Jackie and Sal wanted to have a house of their own, and that was the push they needed to find a place to call their home. After a long, painful process, they finally found a fixer upper to make their own. They spent many long days and nights working on their house. It wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs. Along the way, Aspen and Miska became part of the family, too!”
“It was Sal’s birthday, and Jackie had prepared a small celebration at home for him- little did she know she was also preparing a celebration for something more. Sal was surprised when he came home to a cake and gifts. Later on that night, he wanted to “try out” his new camera he got. He wanted to take a family photo with all the pups so he set up the camera on a timer. Since Miska was a little puppy, he bent down to pick her up, but instead, he stayed on one knee, pulled out a small box, and popped the question. Surprised, Jackie dropped Aspen (he’s ok by the way! 😆), she smacked Sal for catching her off guard, and finally said “Yes!!!”
We compliment each other in ways that we didn’t even know. We started off with the challenge of a long distance relationship from the start. We had to work hard to make this relationship work because it meant that much to both of us, so we figured out how to make it work for 10 years until we were able to be together on the same coast! I hate to admit it, but Sal knows me better than I know myself sometimes. He knows how to always make me smile and laugh... and he also knows when we need to go pick up some Mrs. Walker’s ice cream for the tough days! He has my heart and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. We are building the life we’ve only dreamt of and “I just can’t wait to grow old with you”.
We were very particular with who we wanted to capture our wedding day. We don’t take many photos, so photography was very important to us when we started wedding planning. We found Daniel through a private NJ wedding group from recommendations from past clients.
We checked out some of Daniel’s work and knew his style checked all of the boxes and then some! Is “epic” a photography style? Lol
We love the way Daniel understands light and darkness and how they compliment each other when he gets behind the camera.
“During our engagement shoot, we got to see him in action for the first time. It was so cool to watch how he observes the location and creates the images that he sees in his head. Sal and I kept whispering to each other during the shoot about how what Daniel does is truly an art! When meeting with Daniel for the first time, we said “we want to want to frame all the photos and I think he is the one to make it happen. “
“When it comes to our engagement session at Deep Cut Gardens, there’s something about walking through those massive bonsai trees that makes you feel the magic of the gardens. It looks like a page out of a fairytale and we knew Daniel would be able to make those pages come to life through his camera! “
“We’re getting married at The Hamilton Manor. Sal & I are old souls. We love the rustic/vintage feel but wanted to still have a classic ballroom. As soon as we stepped onto the grounds at the Hamilton Manor, we definitely got that rustic feel with all the hidden details around the property. Once we walked through the main doors we knew this was the place we were going to have our wedding! The ballroom took our breath away and we fell in love with the architecture and old time vibes in every room!”