Maura & Christopher's Christmas Wedding at Jumping Brook
A Christmas wedding at Jumping Brook Country Club. On December 6, 2025, Maura and Christopher married at The Church of the Precious Blood in Monmouth Beach, then celebrated at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, NJ. The ballroom had fireplaces, poinsettias, and 12-foot and 8-foot Christmas trees. Fresh New Angle Events handled the whole day as one team: photography, videography, DJ and MC entertainment, a photo booth, and lighting. Their story was first featured in Wedding File.
Their story
Maura and Chris both went to Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, and for years they just missed each other. They even lived in the same building freshman year. They finally met at the start of senior year, when Maura visited a friend’s apartment and found out there was a third roommate. “That roommate was Chris,” she says. “We finally landed in the same place and then became almost inseparable.”
They finished senior year during the Covid lockdown. Maura watched Chris help care for her father, who lost his battle with cancer in 2020. On the day of the funeral, she knew she would come back to the same church one day for the happiest day of her life.
Chris proposed in 2023 on their third trip to California, where they took their first vacation together. He also flew in his parents, Maura’s mom, and his aunt and uncle to surprise her.
Details that carried family with them
Maura wanted a Christmas wedding, just like her parents had 40 years earlier, so they picked the first Saturday of December. She had her late father’s shirt sewn into her gown in the shape of a heart. It was the shirt he wore to his chemotherapy treatments. “This reminded me that his strength and comfort were close,” she says. She also wore Chris’s great-grandmother’s pearls and carried the handkerchief her grandmother used at her own wedding.
The ceremony in Monmouth Beach
They skipped a first look so the anticipation could build until Maura walked down the aisle. Her uncle John walked her down. He lost his daughter, Maura’s cousin, in 2008. Maura wanted to give him that honor, and she says they “took the healing walk both our hearts needed.” Her mom met them at the end of the aisle and handed her to Chris.
Portraits on the golf course
Maura and Chris both play golf, so a golf course venue was on their list from the start. After portraits inside the church, our photographer Bart Natoli took them out to Jumping Brook’s golf course, and the two of them ran across it as the sun went down.
The bridesmaids wore green velvet gowns from Azazie, and the groomsmen wore suits with green ties. The maid of honor and the best man were their best friends from college.
A Christmas reception at Jumping Brook Country Club
“When we toured our venue, we were immediately drawn to the ambiance given by the fireplaces and knew it would make the perfect winter wedding setting,” Maura says. The bar was named Bernie’s Bar after their dog, Bernie, and the drink stirrers had his face on them. That was one of Maura’s favorite details.
Dances and the party
Their first dance was “All My Love” by Coldplay, and they did not rehearse it. Maura and her mom danced to “Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart in memory of her dad, Jeff, and Chris danced with his mom to “A Mother’s Song.”
One of the most fun moments came when their college friends raised the Fairleigh Dickinson flag over Maura as she walked into the ballroom. Our DJs, Chuckie and DJ Meatball, kept the dance floor full all night. The last song was Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and then everyone went to the after-party at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park.
What Maura said about the FNA team
“Our guests loved Chuckie and DJ Meatball from Fresh New Angle Events. Our whole team was from Fresh New Angle, and I highly recommend doing this if you are planning on your own. There wasn’t a blip in our day, it moved seamlessly thanks to them.”
— Maura
Her advice to other couples: “Trust the vendors you pick.”
Maura and Chris planned the wedding themselves, without a planner. Booking photo, video, and entertainment from one company meant one team kept the timeline on track from the church to the last song. See what’s included on our photography, videography, DJ & MC, and photo booth pages.
The wedding team
- Venue: Jumping Brook Country Club, Neptune, NJ
- Ceremony: The Church of the Precious Blood, Monmouth Beach, NJ
- Photography: Bart Natoli, Fresh New Angle Events
- Videography: Kevin and Andrew, Fresh New Angle Events
- DJ, photo booth, and lighting: Chuckie and DJ Meatball, Fresh New Angle Events
- Flowers: The Rose of Sharon Florist, Tinton Falls, NJ
- Transportation: The Long Branch Trolley Company, Spring Lake Heights, NJ
- Gown and alterations: Justin Alexander from Sew ’N Sew Bridal and Tuxedo, Lafayette, NJ
- Groom’s tuxedo: Sew ’N Sew Bridal and Tuxedo, Lafayette, NJ
- Hair and makeup: Beauty By Gabriella Loren, Long Branch, NJ
- Bridal purse: The Cupboard Shop, Lafayette, NJ
- Rings: Golden Castle Jewelers, Sparta, NJ
Read Maura and Christopher’s full story, including their honeymoon in Croatia and Switzerland, in Wedding File’s feature by Molly Gregor. Photos by Fresh New Angle Events.
Planning a winter wedding in Monmouth or Ocean County? Send us your date and venue and we’ll check availability.
