I'm Laura Billingham, an NJ-based wedding photographer with more than 25 years of experience making photos that tell wedding stories in all their emotional richness.

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An elegant bride and groom share a kiss at their wedding reception at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJ

Weddings

Suydam Farms Wedding Photography Somerset, NJ | Mackenzie & Alex

I’ve often thought about who my “dream clients” are, and what the common thread is that binds them together in all their diversity.  It has nothing to do with wedding style, budget, venue, vendors or how many cool friends they have.

The best wedding photography clients lead with heart, (vendor) trust and aligned priorities.

Mackenzie and Alex come to mind straight away when I think about ideal couples.  They designed a beautiful wedding, an utterly perfect reflection of who they are, and had plenty of amazing friends and the best families there to support them. But what made them so much fun to work with was the way they trusted me to do my thing and capture their wedding in my photo style, with my favorite mix of film and digital photography.  

 Aligned priorities and intentional timelines

In an early chat, Mackenzie, Alex and I had a great conversation about their wedding priorities. They told me right away that photography meant a lot to them, and they were excited that I’d have my vintage film cameras in hand to add to their wedding imagery. Because photography was their priority, they also made sure to have the time to be present during their portrait sessions and carved out extra time in the schedule for the family portraits so they wouldn’t feel rushed or stressed. (And that was a tall order on a day that unleashed so much rain that the governor declared a state of emergency!)

More time equals less stress

Throughout the day they were devoted to having a great time with their friends and family, as well as taking meaningful moments to be together and savor the day.  For me, there’s no better recipe for great photos than couples that are in the moment.

It was an honor to get to know Mackenzie and Alex, and to be a part of their families’ celebration. Right now I’m designing the photo albums that will help them remember how the day felt. As I make the final edits to their keepsakes I have a huge smile on my face just reliving this day.

Venue: Suydam Farms | Catering: 15 Landsdowne | Florals: Viburnum Designs | DJs: Fantasy DJs | Makeup: Samantha Mitchell Collective | Hair: Ashley Marie Christine

An elegant bride peeks out of a red car door as she arrives at her wedding at Rutgers Gardens and Suydam FarmsA bride in a long, full, white gown waits while a bridesmaid in a long indigo blue satin gown holds her train at a Rutgers Garden wedding ceremonyDetail photo of a bride in an elegant off the shoulder gown and veil holding a bouquet of sage green foliage and cream colored rosesA bride in an elegant full white gown holds hands with her mom and dad, while looking at her dad before a Rutgers Gardens wedding ceremonyWedding film photography of an elegant groom in a gray suit and cream colored bow tie at a Rutgers Gardens weddingA bride and groom have a tearful embrace at their wedding at Rutgers Gardens and Suydam FarmsA bride and groom at their ketubah signing at Rutgers Gardens with their families looking onA bride in an elegant white gown and long veil walks down the aisle of her wedding ceremony at Rutgers Gardens. Her mom and dad walk on either side of her.A bride and groom stand at the altar of their wedding ceremony at Rutgers GardensA grandmother, mother and father of the bride look on during a wedding ceremony at Rutgers GardensA bride and groom in elegant wedding attire kiss at the altar under a chuppah during their Rutgers Gardens wedding ceremonyA wedding attendants hold hands while witnessing a wedding ceremony at Rutgers Gardens An elegant bride in a long, full, white gown holds a bouquet and lightly touches her hair under a large tree at a Rutgers Gardens weddingAn elegant bride and groom kiss under a large blue and tan golf umbrella while walking under large trees at a rainy Rutgers Gardens weddingA bride leans to her right to kiss her grandmother while the groom leans to his left to kiss his grandmother at a wedding reception at Suydam Farm in Somerset, NJAn elegant bride twirls while the groom dressed in a formal gray suit holds her hand high above them. They are dancing in the open doorway of a large rustic red barn at Suydam Farm in Somerset, NJA 35mm film wedding photo of an elegant bride and groom kissing in front of a large red barn facade at their wedding at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJA smiling bride looks over the shoulder of a groom toward the photographer at the couple's wedding at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJAn elegant bride and groom share a kiss at their wedding reception at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJAn elegant bride and groom during their first dance at their Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJAn elegant bride and groom during their first dance at their Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJA bride and groom look on as the bride's father toasts them at their Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJA bride and groom look at each other and laugh as the groom's brother toasts them at their Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJAn elegant bride and groom cut a 3 tiered wedding cake decorated to look like tree bark with their initials carved in during their wedding reception at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJA bride and groom are lifted on chairs during the hora at their Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJA groom is lifted on a chair during the hora at his Suydam Farm wedding reception in Somerset, NJA bride and bridesmaid dance with their arms in the air during a wedding reception at Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJWedding film photography of a bride and groom interlocking arms to take bites of their wedding cake at their Suydam Farms reception in Somerset, NJWedding film photography of a bride and groom kissing at their Suydam Farms reception in Somerset, NJ

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BEHIND THE LENS

MEET LAURA

Wedding, Portrait and editorial photographer

Laura Billingham is a Frenchtown, NJ-based wedding photographer with over 25 years of experience known for her natural, unforced and fun film and digital wedding photos. 

Inspired by the beautiful spectrum of emotion and shared community at weddings, she specializes in photos that make couples remember not just how the day looked — but how it felt.

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