St Teresa of Avila Church — Attraction in Summit

I am writing a review for couples who are considering getting married here. Because your wedding is the most important day of your life and I am sure you will want it to be recorded in its entirety. If you are not planning to hire a photographer and videographer and you think the photos and videos your guests take with their cellphones, skip this review. I've been shooting weddings since 2015 (full-time since 2017) and I've shot over 400 weddings so far. Many of the weddings I've filmed were Catholic weddings, but I know that there are usually strict shooting rules in churches to varying degrees. I am now writing a review for a Catholic cathedral for the first time in my life. Yesterday before I started filming at this church, I had heard that this church was particularly strict, so I prepared by reading all the rules. Even so, I realized that the eccentricity of this cathedral and the madness of the church staff(Jennifer) will ruin your wedding day wishes. My clients hired 2 photographers and 2 videographers for their wedding yesterday. (If you are a couple who is preparing to get married now, you will know) Such an ambitious investment comes from a few expectations. “I will capture the emotions and reactions of my family and friends at important moments on my wedding day”, “I want to record my wedding as beautifully as possible from various angles” and so on. To put it bluntly, this cathedral made our team's efforts worse than I was able to shoot alone. Where this cathedral allows you, you can’t take pictures of your parents, friends, or guests. If you only want the back of your head and the priest during the ceremony, aren’t your guests' iPhones and Uncle Bob's camcorders enough? Also, no lights or flashes are allowed in this cathedral. We respected that rule. But overall, it was a very sorry rule given the circumstances of this cathedral(not full of light and there wasn't a spotlight for couples, contact me if you want to see the picture or screen capture of the day). Lastly, the head of the cathedral-side wedding was Jennifer, who seemed mentally troubled, and she never seemed worthy of the wedding. It's okay not to know your wedding day priorities and important things. But it is not right for anyone to take pleasure in ruining a wedding under the pretext of rules. We had about 30 minutes to set up before the ceremony, which was more than enough time for professionals like us. Unfortunately, Jennifer had to power trip our team setting up for the ceremony. Jennifer made outrageous demands that had nothing to do with the rules or the progress of the wedding, and the entire team had to stop preparing for the ceremony. As my teammate continued to comply with her demands and I was about to go out of the cathedral for a shot I had to take before the ceremony starts, she kept trying to hold me and interrupted me. Jennifer already had one of photographers dropped everything to do what she asked me to do and had absolutely no reason to show sheer malice toward someone doing tasks other than her demand. As result, the scene where the bride arrives at the cathedral was not filmed. Clearly, her purpose was to sabotage, not to ensure that the rules were followed. After that(still before the ceremony), she asked me to move multiple cameras at once. I complained that I could only move one at a time, but she was reckless. As result, I dropped my main camera while granting her request. Fortunately, my camera was fine and there was a backup camera in case it broke, but if I had to set it up again, it would have interfered with the ceremony shooting. I don't want to blame an individual who may need some help. However, I am seriously concerned about the suitability of this church for the wedding, which has appointed such a person in charge of the day. If you are considering this cathedral for a wedding,...

My husband and I recently got married at St. Teresa's and we are so happy we did. From the start, the liturgical director, Matthew, was very responsive and easy to work with. We didn't have to worry about music at all -- St. Teresa's has a wonderful music program, and the pianist, violinist, and vocalist they provided were incredible. If you want, they offer to live stream the ceremony for any family and friends who cannot attend which was so convenient. Plus you can save the recording afterwards! Our friends and family have told us again and again how beautiful our ceremony was from start to finish. It was the most beautiful start to our married...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Saint Teresa of Avila Church in Summit, NJ is truly a beautiful and welcoming place of worship. The church is filled with warmth, faith, and a strong sense of community. The liturgies are inspiring, the music uplifting, and the priests deliver meaningful homilies that touch the heart. It’s a peaceful and spiritual space where you can truly feel God’s presence. A wonderful parish for families and individuals alike—highly recommend...