Chen & Ethan’s Wedding at Red Maple Vineyard

Chen & Ethan had a warm and relaxed yet romantic and elegant wedding outdoors at Red Maple Vineyard in New York’s lush Hudson Valley.  I fell in love with their venue immediately upon arrival– what a fantastic location they found!  The view from the hillside where their ceremony was could not have been prettier, and the gardens and old stone masonry surrounding the main building provided ample backdrops for beautiful portraits.  The interior of the main space itself was charmingly outfitted with rustic antiques and decor perfectly suited to a winery, and of course who doesn’t love shooting a reception in a beautiful white tent with a big wooden dance floor and the summer breeze enhancing the mood. I started the day shooting Chen’s preparation and details, and my what a gorgeous gown she had– I also loved what she did with the bridesmaid dresses–each one was different but all were in similar shades of pink and they looked marvelous together.  My assistant was with the fellas and took the groom out to our pre-selected first look location and Chen and I followed so she could walk up from behind him– he was very dapper in this light grey suit!  I shot the couple in some spots I had my eye on for portraits, including this amazing tree swing that sits just up the hill from the tent, which was so much fun!  After some group portraits with their wedding party the summer sun was getting to be a bit much so we did the family group shots under the shade of the tent and then went indoors for their marriage license signing. Meanwhile guests were arriving and being escorted to the ceremony site just uphill, where they were treated to fresh iced tea and a view of the valley below.  After a very sweet ceremony we all headed down to an indoor-outdoor cocktail hour followed by a wonderful reception and delicious dinner.  Bud Maltin Metropolitan Music did a fabulous job of entertaining the crowd and they danced the night away under a beautiful full moon!  Congratulations to Chen & Ethan, they are off to an incredible start!

Vendor Information:

Venue:  Red Maple Vineyard

Wedding Day-of Coordinator:  Michelle Marmo

Wedding gown: Hayley Paige

Bride’s shoes:  Jimmy Choo

Hair:  StylesOnB – Stacy Pitt

Makeup: Celia Aurora

Bridesmaid dresses:  BHLDN

Groom’s suit/tux: JCrew

Music: Bud Maltin Metropolitan Music – Bill Galbo

Officiant:  Jeddah Vailakis

Invitation Design:  Minted

Floral Design:  Floresta

Catering & PIE:  Red Maple Vineyard  

Transportation:  Mahogany Ridge Transportation

Rachel & Jonathan’s Wedding at Cold Spring Country Club

Rachel and Jonathan have the ultimate romance– they’ve been together since high school and have built their shared life over all these years loving one another.  So it was no surprise that when it came time to deliver his vows, Jonathan broke into tears of sweet joy as he struggled to get the words out to his beloved.  Moments like this are rare– they don’t often surface in our day to day lives– this is one of the many reasons I love my work.  I get to witness such moving interactions between couples, families, and friends, and I feel incredibly privileged to be the photographer that’s there to capture these precious emotions!  Throughout the day there were lots of moments I loved– the fact that it was raining outside couldn’t begin to put a damper on this event!  Everyone was in wonderful spirits and excited for the union and the celebration to follow.  I got there early to do some scouting and set up my photobooth for use during the reception and the smiles in Rachel’s bridal suite said it all– this was gonna be a fun wedding!  Sure enough the dance floor was full of fun– you can imagine how excited Rachel and Jonathan’s friends (many of whom have probably known them since childhood!) were to finally celebrate this wedding.  Highlights included a lovely Ketubah signing, a lively Hora dance, and even a Mezinka to congratulate Rachel’s parents.  Though rain kept us from venturing away from the building, I was able to nab a quick shot of the couple with the sunset sky peaking over a building up behind them, and later in the evening I was able to quickly set up a neat little night portrait of the couple standing under an overhang and as luck would have it I got a very cool effect from lighting up the steam from a stand that was set up to give out hot NYC pretzels to guests as they departed the wedding.  Congratulations to Rachel and Jonathan on a fabulous fun wedding!

VENDOR CREDITS
Wedding gown:  Mathew Christopher
Hair and Makeup:  Anne DeMarco
Officiant:  Rabbi Alan Lucas
Invitation Design: Event Concepts, Inc.
Floral Design: Artistry in Flowers

Jes & John’s Wedding at The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls

Jessica & John were married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Mary Mother of the Church in Fishkill, NY, a short drive away from their reception venue, The Roundhouse.  Since the Roundhouse is also a fabulous hotel, they got ready there– I started the day with Jessica and her lovely bridesmaids in the penthouse overlooking a waterfall while my assistant shot with the guys getting ready in another room downstairs.  Jessica and John chose to have their portraits taken after the ceremony in a nearby park (and what a gorgeous day we had after lots of rain-worry!) so we kept them from seeing each other as we moved from the hotel to the church.  John was so happy to see her walking down the aisle towards him, and he has such a great smile.  After a moving sermon by the priest and a communion ceremony for those gathered, these two lovebirds were presented as husband and wife and it was time to celebrate.  The wedding party and family joined us at Long Dock Park on the Hudson where we captured all the group shots that were important as well as some sweet “just married” portraits of the couple!  The park was so lush and pretty and I couldn’t believe some of the birds we saw casually hanging out in the trees there.  We headed back to the Roundhouse to finish up the portraits with the extended family shots in front of the waterfall and then it was on to cocktail hour celebration.  Highlights of the reception included an amazing performance by their band, The Nocturne, some sweet and hilarious toasts that shed light on this sweet couple’s history and how perfect they are for one another, and a fantastic crowd that was not afraid to live it up on the dance floor all night.  I capped off the evening with a special night portrait utilizing one of my favorite new lighting tools for getting creative light painting… I ‘circled the couple with love’ as they froze for a long exposure and the results were cooler than I had even imagined!  I couldn’t have been more thrilled to shoot for this amazing couple and they deserve every happiness– Congratulations Jes & John!

Vendor Credits:
Getting Ready Location: Roundhouse Beacon
Reception Venue: Roundhouse Beacon
Event Design: Kara Widmer
Wedding Day-of Coordinator: Kara Widmer
Wedding gown: Jim Hjelm, Exquisite Bride
Bride’s shoes: Cole Haan
Hair: Rachel Wright
Bridesmaid dresses: The Dessy Group
Groom’s suit/tux: The Black Tux
Invitation Design: Designers Fine Press

Sarah & Anthony’s Engagement Portraits: Upper East Side & Central Park

Sarah & Anthony are engaged to be married at Shadow Lawn in High Falls this coming fall.  For their engagement portraits they wanted to capture a slice of their life here in the city, and since they have an adorable young dog and live in a picturesque block of the Upper East side just a short walk from Central Park, naturally I met them at their place.  We started with a short dog-walk and some portraits as a family on their stoop and in front of the famous Lexington Candy Shop, a.k.a. Luncheonette Diner at the corner of their block.  Then we walked to Central Park, hitting the stairs outside The Met and some other cool spots we saw along the way (I couldn’t resist shooting with this beautiful fountain, for example!).  Despite the strange now-it’s-spring-just-kidding-it’s-still-winter weather we had been having this particular session fell on what was surely one of our very few perfect spring days this year, so the park was gorgeous and Sarah and Anthony enjoyed walking around with me as we hit some pretty spots by a pond and up near Belvedere Castle and the Shakespeare Garden.  I couldn’t be more excited to shoot this wonderful couple’s wedding in October!  Congratulations Sarah and Anthony!

James & Alexandra’s Wedding at New Leaf Restaurant

Alex runs marathons, and she and James wanted an outdoor ceremony and a relaxed fun party for their wedding— they were thrilled to find New Leaf, a unique NYC venue adjoining Fort Tryon Park up near the cloisters.  It was the perfect hilltop location for a beautiful outdoor ceremony with portraits of the couple to be nearby in the terraced garden area and the surrounding park space.  She was excited to have found the perfect flats to wear for her wedding- designed with elements of the NYC Taxicab, these shoes were comfy without sacrificing any pizazz!  After getting ready early (!) up at The Lucerne Hotel on the upper west side, we hopped in separate vehicles and made our way up to the restaurant and park where the couple was to have their first look.  James was looking dapper in his suit, and his smile when spinning her around to see the whole dress just says it all.  We were nervous about the forecast as there was a chance that rain would force the ceremony inside their reception tent at New Leaf, but over the course of the portraits it became clear the sun was actually coming out and it would be a beautiful day after all.  I loved getting to explore this amazing park with Alex and James— they had seen some photos I’d done at another wedding here and were eager to hit some of the spots from their favorite photos, and everything was in bloom.  Alex had chosen a multi-color tulip bouquet and is pretty into tulips, so I when I saw this pair of perfect yellow tulips I couldn’t resist making a portrait of them in the background with the flowers in focus- it ended up being a favorite!  After meeting up with the family over by the restaurant and capturing all their group pictures we all made our way to the top of the park where Alex and James were wed under a canopy of beautiful tall trees by the bride’s sister.  It was a touching ceremony indeed!  Guests were treated to a pretty walk down the path to New Leaf and greeted with champagne at the door to the reception.  The rest of the evening was relaxed and fun, just as the couple had imagined it!  Instead of cutting a wedding cake, they had ordered a selection of their favorite Pies to be served for dessert.  Before the evening was over I made sure to get a pretty night portrait of them.  Congratulations, Alex & James!  It was an honor and a pleasure capturing this fun wedding!
 VENDOR CREDITSGetting Ready Location: The Lucerne HotelCeremony Location: The Linden Terrace @ Fort Tryon Park

Reception Venue: The New Leaf Restaurant

Wedding gown: Watters

Hair: Michael Lucero from Scott J. Aveda Salon Spa

Makeup: Michael Lucero from Scott J. Aveda Salon Spa

Groom’s suit/tux: My.Suit

Invitation Design: Minted

Floral Design: Rachel Cho Florist

Catering: New Leaf Restaurant

Music: Juilliard Performers – Megan Yip

Band: Around Town Entertainment