written by Dolly Marshall
From the photographer, Morina Photography: “Mark, a construction worker was battling two things at the same time. His cancer and winning the heart of Courtney, a nurse at the hospital where Mark was receiving his treatment. Well here we are today and Mark has won both battles: He now is cancer-free and has is marrying the love of his life, the lady that took care of him in time of need. After meeting with Courtney & Mark I quickly knew how amazing they are and how much fun we will have together as we document their engagement and wedding. For our engagement, we wanted to something by the beach, so Courtney picked BARNEGAT LIGHTHOUSE STATE PARK. Neither of us was ever there, but that didn’t stop us from having a ton of fun and creating some unforgettable memories.”
How They Met
“We met at Jefferson hospital. Mark had a long battle with hodgekins Lymphoma and unfortunately frequented the oncology floor where I worked as a nurse at the time. Our paths crossed a couple years later, mark was healthy and I was now single. A couple Instagram DMs and after a few dates, in love ever since. “
The Proposal
“Mark proposed in our living room on a Saturday afternoon. He distracted me by asking me to look at pictures on his phone. The last picture was of his 6 month old nephew wearing a onsie that said “uncle mark has a question for you?” By the time I looked up mark was on one knee. I don’t think he even had time to ask before I tackled him to the ground in excitement. When I came to show my mom, our whole family was at the house to celebrate!”
Engagement Session Inspiration
“We are getting married in Avalon, New Jersey. We wanted a beach scene and a relaxed atmosphere. We love to celebrate with a bottle of champagne!”
When asked what she loves most about Mark, Courtney says “Mark’s positivity and contagious laugh. He is selfless & an amazing son, brother, and friend. He never fails to show me how much he loves me.”
Wedding Planning
“Wedding planning was pretty much done right away. We knew we would have a big celebration because of our large families. Icona Avalon is our venue. We booked Legacy Band who will keep everyone dancing. Luckily most was planned prior to the pandemic. Hopefully everything will go as planned on November 6th.”
Morina Photography
“I initially found Nik online and was immediately attracted to his ability to capture a moment as well as the beautiful lighting in his photos. Nothing was posed. We knew this was our guy; Nik is so fun to be around. We laughed, told stories, and shared a white claw! He made us so comfortable. At times we forgot he was even taking pictures! He helped us show our love for each other in such a natural & beautiful way.”
Vendor | Photographer: Morina Photography