I’m blown away every time I drive out east on Long Island and documenting Jen & Moritz’s wedding was no different. Through the Hamptons and all the way out to Amagansett, there is so much beauty in the area and it complimented Jen & Moritz’s aesthetic so perfectly. Moritz, who permanently moved to New York from Germany to stay with Jen, had much of his family fly in from overseas to help them celebrate. Their Hamptons wedding was just packed with emotion and I truly felt lucky to be a part of it.
Some quick back story on a couple of unique things Jen & Moritz did during their wedding. Because both families were traveling into Long Island and most meeting for the very first time, they set up an ice breaker game at the start of their wedding where each guest had to choose another’s random baby photo and find that person. It was a fun way to have their guests interact immediately and meet each other. During their ceremony, rather than a ring exchange, they opted to run string from the last seat all the way up to them at the altar. This way, their entire family could wrap it around their wrists and be joined as one.
After shooting Barbara & Adam’s Bear Mountain wedding in the Hudson Valley, I have a new found respect for rain on wedding days. When you have the right mix of adventurous clients and beautiful, rainy sunlight, very good things happen. Such as the above and the below. I have to admire their spirit because I know how easy it can be to get discouraged if the weather isn’t perfect on your wedding, but these two didn’t skip a beat. In fact, just the opposite. They would have kept shooting and shooting and probably missed their ceremony if I wasn’t keeping an eye on the clock. Never, ever a bad thing. We embraced the dark, moody light and hiked all around this Bear Mountain wedding venue for hours shooting portraits.
It was a dream scenario for a photographer. Easy-going couples who are borderline obsessed with each other dropped right in the middle of either a New York mountain or Jurassic Park-esque jungle. Being a Jurassic Park nerd, I’ll stick with the latter. In all seriousness, Bear Mountain blew my mind for a wedding venue. I’ve hiked there before but this was my first time shooting a wedding here and I want it to happen again. Here are their rainy wedding day portraits.
Indian weddings. Wow, let’s do it again. They are crazy and sometimes crazy but mostly crazy. In a good way, of course. Over the time of three days, I was able to document Sonia & Vivek’s wedding celebration in it’s entirety, which was a unique experience for me. It was an exciting few days of personal growth for me as well being so immersed in Hindu traditions and learning while working. With Indian wedding photography, each day was an inspiring mixture of color & culture, especially at their Oheka Castle wedding. This place was made for an Indian wedding and oh so perfect for an entrance on a horse. You know, as you do.
One of the more special things I noticed about their wedding and overall celebration, was just how into everything the older generations were. You can see how much they valued the whole wedding every single tradition that went on each day. On top of that, wow can they also dance. And dance for hours. The dance floor stamina I witnessed by grandparents would probably put most twenty-year-olds to shame. Go big or go home, right? The emotions were strong and the visuals even stronger so I’m going to stop typing words now and get on with the pictures.
When you shoot the wedding of an SNL writer and one of the best stand-up comedians today, you expect plenty of laughs throughout the day. I’m happy to report that the laughs expectation was met and far exceeded. The laughs were nonstop, but the beauty and personal feeling of Annamarie Tendler & John Mulaney wedding in the Catskills at Onteora Mountain House were even more present. This day could not have gone more perfectly. It was truly one of those times where you’re almost wondering how you got here for all of the right reasons. It was an honor for me to capture a wedding of someone’s craft I so deeply admire. I won’t soon forget this one.
Weather-wise, nature played along as well. We were treated to the most beautiful summer day in one of the most beautiful places on the east coast. Overlooking mountains and traipsing through forests and towering trees, it wasn’t hard to find some perfect locations to shoot. The Catskills brought it’s A-game. It was a memorable day for me and not just because I made a professional comedian laugh at least one time which makes me a professional comedian now? I think that’s how that works. Right..?
Being destination wedding photographers is the ultimate creatively inspiring thing. Here you are in a foreign land, telling the story of a couple with traditions different than your own and working with a landscape as beautiful as they come. Jess & Jarrod were married in Napier within the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand. Their ceremony took place in one of the most beautiful little churches I have shot in with a reception inside a converted old church. In between that, we ventured to the top of Te Mata Peak for what we were hoping would be some epic wedding portraits. As their ceremony ended, an ominous sky rolled in and drizzle began to fall. I was getting nervous our grand plan would have to be altered, but we decided to still go for it. And wow, were we rewarded.
As soon as we arrived at the peak, the winds were howling and I was afraid Jess in her wedding dress wouldn’t want to venture off too far for pictures, but I was luckily very wrong. She changed her shoes to sandals and we embraced the wind & muddy ground. As the storm brewed off in the distance, some of the most beautiful stormy light washed over Te Mata Peak and we made some incredible images. It really proved what being adventurous on your wedding day can do for you.
Shooting Erin & Dan’s New York vintage Alder Manor (W. B. Thompson Mansion) wedding was like an amusement park for wedding photographers. The best problem to face as a wedding photographer is what I like to call “sensory overload.” When their are just too many good options to shoot in/on/in front of. Alder Manor is the definition of sensory overload. The building exterior is aged to perfection with crumbling facades and decades old decor. You step back in time before you even step foot inside. Then you add the ornate inner workings. Vintage chandeliers, old timey and way-too-big staircases for dramatic effect. Then for good measure, let’s sprinkle in a second story (why?) empty swimming pool. Yep, not a typo or made up photograph (see below). and not to mention the beautiful autumn colors touched by beautiful overcast light and you have a recipe for wedding day success.
Because Erin & Dan obviously needed even more to make this day beautiful, Autumn colors were in full force with perfect, overcast light all day long. The recipe for wedding day success. These two brought style in every sense of the word and let me explore my creative freedom in making pictures and telling their story. I’m beyond excited to share their vintage inspired wedding.
The minute after I took my last picture at Emily & Blayne’s Shelter Island wedding hosted on their parent’s farm, I could not wait to share these images. It was one of the most beautiful Shelter Island wedding venues I’ve ever seen. I love backyard weddings and their Long Island backyard wedding was absolutely no exception. From the beautiful farm down to the smallest, hand crafted detail and every dachshund in between, it was a perfect day. The amazing amount of detail that Emily and Blayne put into this wedding was almost mind-blowing. Every time I took a photograph of one custom detail there was another just waiting to be captured right next to it. Just an amazing DIY wedding that I would capture over and over again.
Their love for each other was infectious and their sense of adventure to try any and every location I could think of never wavered, even with the bugs & heat. As a fellow miniature dachshund owner myself, their little pooches had my heart the second I arrived. It took a lot of personal restraint to not take them home with me. There are a lot of photos of them and I’m not sorry about it.
