This wedding was held it such a unique venue; an aquarium! Captured by Cassi Claire, Candy and Casey were married this past August in a super unique aquarium ceremony in Camden, New Jersey. The couple incorporated a “fish and feathers” theme into their decor with understated touches. Lovely watercolor invitations, the guests first impression of the event, hinted of the watery theme. A “Sharkbite Martini” served as a fitting signature drink, hand-drawn sea creatures adorned the tables, and gummy sharks and Swedish fish made perfect favors. Candy wore a little hummingbird on her garter and feathers in her bouquet as a nod to the “feathers” portion of the wedding theme. Candy and Casey had a truly unique and fun wedding bursting with personal touches!
A few words from the bride:
Having dated for almost five years, Casey and I began to plan our wedding just weeks after getting engaged. Having been to so many other weddings together, we knew we wanted to something fun and unique to celebrate our own special day. Casey grew up spending the summers with his family at the beach and my father, a New England lobsterman, also had a vested interest in the ocean. With both of our families being connected to the sea, our theme seemed obvious. As teachers, we knew the best wedding date for us would have to be in the summer, but I did not want the often-overdone, sometimes clichéd beach-front wedding seen at so many other summertime weddings. Searching for a unique, ocean-type venue, Casey found Adventure Aquarium. After touring the ballroom at the aquarium, we booked our wedding date without looking at any other venues. The ambiance and beauty the aquarium space offered was exactly what we were looking for. Plus, how many other wedding venues contain sharks as guests?
After booking the aquarium, all the other details of the wedding seemed to fall into place themselves. Casey and I compromised on our color scheme, incorporating both of our favorite colors, blue and purple. The aquarium made the planning process easier by recommending vendors for our cake, flowers, and lighting. By simply giving our vendors our theme and color-scheme, they were able to create the most beautiful pieces for our special day which definitely enhanced the already beautiful aquarium space. Not wanting to have a completely over-done vendor style wedding, Casey, my bridesmaids, and I tried to incorporate homemade touches wherever we could. We hand-bagged our favors: Swedish fish and gummy sharks. I spent several months hand-drawing and coloring various sea creatures for our table numbers. My sisters and mother created photo-collages for the cocktail-hour space and we had a miniature wooden lobster trap built to hold cards from our guests. The florist added beautiful touches with vivid blooms in unexpected spaces and incorporated one of my favorite wedding day touches: feathers.
I wish I could live over and over again the actual day of our wedding! Getting ready was just as special as the ceremony and reception were. My mother did my hair and my bridesmaids and I bonded while doing our makeup together in my hotel room. My aunt (whom I am very close to) came to give me a necklace belonging to my grandmother whose silver-shape matched the ruffles of my dress perfectly. It was a very special moment and I almost ruined my makeup! Several other moments stood out over the course of the evening: seeing each other at our first look was so exciting and again, I almost ruined my make-up. The opening of the doors at the ceremony right before I walked down the aisle was breath-taking. Even though we had already seen each other, we knew the moment we had waited so long for had finally come, and being surrounded by our family and friends made the moment that much more special. Our first dance was especially memorable because Casey’s father chose our song and sang and played the guitar as we danced together for the first time as husband and wife.
The rest of the night was a blur spent celebrating with family and friends who had traveled to New Jersey from all over the east coast. Our band, Stereo Junkies, played music so good the dance floor was full all night. Our very close family friend fueled the merriment by playing tambourine with the band. Our families and friends really mingled together and it was awesome to see important people from our lives who had never previously met dancing and celebrating with one another. We had such a fantastic time that the end of the night crept right up on us. Our beautiful pictures, though, allow us to relive the special day over and over again!
Photographer: Cassi Claire
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Adventure Aquarium
Bridal Gown Designer: La Sposa
Bridal Gown Store: Helen Bohn Bridal
Bridal Shoes: Touch Ups via Bliss Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaid Dress Designer: B2
Bridesmaid Dress Store: Helen Bohn Bridal
Feather Headpieces: The Headband Shoppe, Gilded Shadows, Wildspirits
Bridal Garter: GarterLady
Bridesmaids Necklaces: JBMDesigns
Tuxedo + Mens Attire: Jos. A. Bank
Florist: Michael Bruce Florist
Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas
Band: Stereo Junkies
Table Numbers + Place Cards: DIY
Favor Bags: Beau-Coup
Candy: Candy Warehouse, Metro Candy
Cake Designer: DiBartolo Bakery
Cake Topper: Garden 4 ArtsAll images by Cassi Claire