A Late Summer Wedding at Deal Golf & Country Club in New Jersey

Deal Golf & Country Club has been part of the Jersey Shore since 1898. Its white clubhouse, with green-and-white striped awnings, sits at the edge of a classic course lined with old oaks, just inland from the ocean in Deal, New Jersey. For a couple who grew up just up the road in Asbury Park, it was a hometown wedding on a clear September day, with soft light under the trees, wide-open fairways and blue sky in every direction. (We first photographed them a year and a half earlier, at their engagement session on the beach in Asbury Park.)

Getting ready

The groom got ready at a Holiday Inn about 15 minutes from the club, starting with the details: two vow books marked "Hers" and "His", cognac shoes, a lavender tie and a ring box ready to go.

The bride got ready at home, where her floral lace gown hung from an antique wardrobe while she had her makeup finished.

At the hotel, the groom got dressed in a light gray three-piece suit with a lavender tie that matched the bridesmaids.

Back at the house, the bride's mom helped her into her gown and fastened her bracelet, and her parents got a few quiet moments with her before she walked out to her bridesmaids.

A first look on the fairway

The couple chose a first look, and the course at Deal is made for one. The groom waited under the oaks, the bride tapped him on the shoulder, and then they traded letters before the rest of the day began.

With the nerves gone, we had plenty of time for portraits. The two of them couldn't stop laughing, especially once they started running across the grass.

The wedding party

The bridesmaids wore lavender, the friend who would officiate joined them in sage green, and the groomsmen matched the groom in light gray. Against the green fairways it was a perfect late-summer palette.

A ceremony on the lawn

The ceremony took place on the lawn in front of the clubhouse, facing a wooden arch draped in white fabric and flowers in peach, blush and blue by Sunset Florist. The bride walked down the aisle with her dad as guests rose to their feet.

One of the bride's close friends officiated, and the bride's mom shared a reading, with a braided cord in lavender and sage hanging from the lectern beside them.

Then came the kiss (with a dip), and a recessional with both arms in the air.

The reception

Inside, every table had a tall gold arrangement of roses, hydrangeas and delphinium (also by Sunset Florist), and their names were projected across the dance floor in script.

The toasts were full of stories, and the sweetheart table was full of laughs.

A four-tier cake with piped swags and fresh flowers, topped with their initials, was cut a little later.

A dance floor that never emptied

Once the light-up wands came out, the bride, her mom and her friends owned the dance floor. The newlyweds even took a turn at the DJ booth.

More from the day

One last cheer

We ended the night outside, under the clubhouse's striped awning, with one last cheer.

Planning a golf course wedding on the Jersey Shore?

A few things that made this day work so well at Deal, and at golf clubs like it:

• Plan a first look. Courses have shade under the trees during the day and open fairways for wide shots. A first look gets you those portraits while the light is still soft, and leaves cocktail hour for your guests.
• Use the scale. Wide frames of the two of you under the oaks, with nothing but sky and grass around you, are something a hotel ballroom can't give you.
• Save time for the night exit. Five minutes outside the clubhouse at the end of the night made one of our favorite photos of the day.

Not sure how much coverage you need for a day like this? Here is how many hours of wedding photography most couples book.

Wedding details

Venue: Deal Golf & Country Club, Deal, New Jersey
Florist: Sunset Florist

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