DANIELLA & JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ… where do I even BEGIN?! Their love story is one of my all-time faves. A friendship that started in 6th grade, reconnected in high school, turned into a relationship just before college, thrived through long distance and life changes, and NOW—marriage!!! These two have been together for years, yet somehow, they’ve never left that honeymoon phase.
You were both BEAMING all day (and weekend) long as you brought friends and family from all over the country to Nassau, Bahamas, to celebrate your love. After the wedding, Daniella told me, “The entire day was a blackout where I could only see John Michael. Like, I could see people, but my focus was him. I can’t even explain it.” Given how BUSY a wedding day can be, it made my heart SO happy to know that their focus never wavered. So intentional. So beautiful. ♥️
The Nassau Sandals Royal Bahamian was a DREAM. GORGEOUS architecture, stunning landscaping, and backdrops galore—things we don’t always have at resort weddings! Their guests were even shuttled from the main resort to a private island for the ceremony. An intimate, once-in-a-lifetime touch!! And their tented reception?? Nestled RIGHT along the beach, making it the coziest, most coastal vibe ever (because let’s be real, who doesn’t love the sound of waves crashing behind them?!). ✨
And now… let’s talk about their ICONIC reception entrance. Any guesses? Take a peek here
But the greatest surprise of them all?! John Michael and his boys pulled off a FULLY choreographed dance—cue the cheering, laughing, crying… it was amaaaazing. I have NO CLUE how they kept this a secret from Daniella, but wow. What a wedding. What a weekend. I loved every second of it!!!
Now let’s rewind!!!
I loooove destination engagement sessions because they let me connect with my couples like no other. A few months before the wedding, I flew out to New Jersey for Daniella & John Michael’s engagement session, and OMG. I HAD A BLAST. From staying with them, exploring their city, making an impromptu TikTok/Reel of John Michael with his iconic John Michael couch, to experiencing Daniella’s Italian culture (she made me their family lasagna, and it was incredddddible ).
John Michael called the engagement shoot a journey—and honestly, I think I’m adopting this theme now because it was TOO FITTING. After each location, he’d say, “Journey complete, off to the next journey…” and I lowkey loved it hahaha.
Each spot we shot at was either:
✔️ A unique part of New Jersey that meant something to them
✔️ A completely random location we stumbled upon and made memories at
And funny enough—3 out of the 4 locations were totally UNPLANNED! We literally just found them along the way:
Daniella and I passed a spot on our walk from the car to a coffee shop—I snapped a pic for my story, and later she pointed out how much she LOVED it… BOOM. Done.
The cobblestone alley? John Michael spotted it on our way to another location! Unplanned and perfect.
Daniella showed me where she works, and I pointed out how amazing the skyline looked from there… BOOM. Another perfect spot.
I love how spontaneous (and equally memorable) this journey ended up being. ;)
