Today I wanted to share a photo from the wedding I did a few years back with Oliver & Joanna, who came over from England to have their destination wedding in New York City. They started with a ceremony in Central Park and then we took some time to go through the city taking photos and ended up down by the Brookyn Bridge where I captured this moment with them. We had a wonderful time taking photos and I was glad to be a part of their day.
Jeffrey proposed out of the blue to Briana over pizza and some vintage champagne.. after she said yes, Jeffrey had a town car waiting for her to whisk her away to France for a winery tour. What a wonderful way to start their story.
I met Jeffrey a few years ago through the restaurant scene in New York City while he was the GM at a restaurant named Scarpetta.. we had a good time hanging out during a few photo sessions and when he told me he was getting married and wanted me to photograph his wedding I was honored.
The entire day was awesome from their Central Park ceremony to being whisked away in a vintage NYC cab to the foodie lovers paradise of a wedding reception at the The Stanard Hotel (formerly known as the Cooper Square Hote). Negroni’s to drink, a stacked raw bar bursting with oysters and shrimp, and suckling pigs or “porchetta” as they’re called. There was a jazz trio during the cocktail hour and then some lively dancing out on the rooftop deck overlooking Manhattan, late into the night. Besides being filled with great food and drink, the room had so much happiness and love at this wedding. Thanks to Bonnie Burke for coming through with her excellent second photographer duties.
Thank you to the lovely Briana and dapper Jeffrey for having me photograph their special day, it was a total pleasure. Now onto the images from this perfect day.
I’ve had the pleasure to photograph several weddings at the 3 West Club in midtown Manhattan and wanted to share this beautiful day starring Francesca and Gregory. Their wedding took place this past winter and they were a joy to work with. I don’t have to tell you beautiful Francesca looked you’ll see for yourself but she was also so sweet..She and Greg loved my ideas for photos and were up for anything.
Francesca and Gregory’s day started at a midtown Manhattan church named St. Malachy’s (also called the Actor’s Chapel). The interior space was quite stunning with high vaulted ceilings and an interesting setup of the pews, a bit unique which I liked. The ceremony was quick (which I also like haha!) and we headed straight to 3 West to do some formal photos and get right into the cocktail hour then dinner and dancing.
3 West club is one of my favorite venues they just offer some amazing backdrops and I love the location.. the cocktail hour is on a gorgeous balcony and gives us some great views.. I think we really got some beautiful shots of this winter wedding I hope you enjoy!
I find that a lot of the couples I meet with are meeting with their potential wedding photographer early on in the process. Usually the venue is already picked out (not always though and I love being able to suggest some of my favorite locations) but often the wedding DJ hasn’t been chosen yet. I have a few very cool DJs I recommend including Gary Hoffman (DJ Gaza as he goes by) Colleen Crumbcake (Great name right? Her company is PopShop DJs) and John Sinclair (Aria Melody is the name of his company)
These three are among the best in the industry and when I see their faces come reception time I always smile and know my night is going to be fun. When there’s a good positive atmosphere among the vendors I think it makes for a great night and I definitely feed off of their talent, creatively speaking. I love the tunes all three of these guys spin, but its not just that. They’re all professional, reliable, and good industry folk.
Now the main reason for this post besides plugging them is to show you this awesome video John Sinclair of Aria Melody recently made (and yours truly has a little cameo in it). Great stuff.. check it out.
If you’re going to ask me where’s a beautiful place to get married in New York City, I have a few recommendations… I’ve had the pleasure to shoot at some awesome spots all over NYC, Long Island, and New Jersey, but a really special location is the NY Botanical Garden, which is an Abigail Krisch property. If the time of year is right and you can have your ceremony outdoors its just such a beautiful backdrop..and the trees and flowers offer some wonderful, vibrant colors.
And from the first photo of Michelle you know I was as happy as Greg was because she looked stunning and so comfortable in front of the camera. Her dress was gorgeous and the weather was perfect for a wedding. Combine these things together with a rowdy, fun group ready to dance (and drink a few shots) and I have some of my best photography to date.. From the silly faces to the endless dancing and laughter it was hard to decide which photos I wanted to post but I think we got some gems here in this beautiful fall wedding…
Oh and a quick funny story. Greg and I share the same last name just randomly, no relation. He had found me online earlier this year when he proposed to Michelle and I took a few photos for a quick proposal/engagement session. I’m honored they came back to me for the photography of their wedding..ok no more talking enjoy the photos!
