Blog
Full wedding & engagement stories, as well as wedding planning resources.
Box House Hotel Wedding - Brooklyn, NY - Eugene & Justin
Eugene & Justin had their laid-back wedding at the Box House Hotel in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on a windy day in April. The two met online in 2017 when they were both living in NYC, and wanted to host their wedding in the city they fell in love, and that means so much to the beginnings of their relationship.
Palma Restaurant Wedding - West Village, Manhattan, NYC - Ecem & John
Ecem & John threw a thoughtful, intimate wedding reception at PALMA in the West Village of Manhattan. It’s a true oasis in the middle of NYC, with its lush greenery and Italian-inspired architecture.
Sunday in Brooklyn Wedding - Williamsburg - Sara & Nizar
Sara & Nizar celebrated their wedding with an intimate dinner at SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN with their closest friends and family in Williamsburg, where they’ve lived built a life together the past few years. Sara is Iranian-American & Nizar is Pakistani/Burmese and felt an immediate connection when they met on Hinge 4 years ago. Truly, their love for each other beams from the other side of the room. Nizar proposed on a trip to Anguilla in December 2021, with a ring that was custom designed by Sara’s friend who’s a jeweler. A few months later they connected with me to photograph their wedding celebration!
The Foundry Wedding - Long Island City, Queens - Sabrina & Josh
Past clients of mine referred Sabrina & Josh to inquire with me about their wedding, and I couldn’t have been luckier! Sabrina knew them through improv comedy, and she actually met Josh by first becoming his improv coach and (quickly thereafter) realizing they had a strong connection and started dating. They live in Greenpoint together, and knew they wanted an outdoor wedding, and The Foundry was the perfect wedding venue nearby to suit their needs.
The Foundry is a green oasis in the middle of Long Island City, Queens- a unique industrial venue with tons of character that is beautiful on its own, without needing to bring in much decor whatsoever. A historic steel foundry from the 19th century, it was renovated in the 80s to host events keeping its original raw character intact. There are many large gears/mechanical elements and original furnaces built into the design. The green outdoor space compliments this perfectly, being surrounded by plants, and blanketed with ivy walls.
Brooklyn Winery Wedding - Brooklyn, NY - Kristina & Andrew
Brooklyn Winery is a dynamic space that works perfectly for weddings. The space was historically used for manufacturing, but has been transformed into a unique rustic wedding venue with a succulent wall, exposed-brick walls, warm lighting, and and old-school bar that creates a romantic ambiance. Like its name suggests, it’s also a fully functioning winery, offering up custom-made labels with their wine as wedding favors, and giant stainless steel casks giving their space and industrial vibe. The room they use for ceremonies has a giant sky light that allows for tons of natural light to pour in, and also features a large statement wall covered in live plants. Guests move into the bar area while the space is flipped for the reception.
Olmsted Restaurant Wedding - Brooklyn, NYC - Sonya & Sage
Sonya & Sage had an intimate wedding at their favorite restaurant Olmsted, right around the corner from their Brooklyn apartment!
Sonya got ready in their apartment with a couple friends, and Sage got ready literally one door down at their neighbor’s apartment who were also attending the wedding. We then had their first look on the steps of their brownstone, and took some portraits on their tree-lined street.
The chosen vibe for their wedding: “We want it to feel like a low-key botanical garden disco. Is a low-key disco a thing? We're making it one.” I think they succeeded. The casual backyard space where they got married is literally a garden- the restaurant actually grows some of their produce right on-site! It made for an intimate sweet ceremony space, and when we moved inside for dinner, they used it as a cozy lounge area complete with string lights and s’mores.
LIC Waterfront Wedding - Queens, NYC - Donell & Kelly
Donell & Kelly knew they wanted their wedding to be small and low-key, but thoughtful (which is honestly my favorite kind of party, and therefore my favorite kind of client who would want to throw that kind of party.) They got married at the church Donell grew up going to, took portraits in Long Island City with the Manhattan skyline behind them, and then ate delicious Italian food at Maiella.
MyMoon Wedding - Brooklyn, NY - Emily & Tatsuya
MyMoon is such a unique wedding venue, with so much character you truly don’t need to bring in any extra decor at all. A beautifully re-imagined 19th-century boiler room- with exposed brick, reclaimed wooden floors, lofty ceilings, and unique metal sculptures throughout- creates a warm rustic environment. The open sky courtyard with potted plants and seating nooks for people to mingle during cocktail hour, contrasts the industrial, moody interior used for receptions. The ceremony space is framed by twinkle lights and crawling ivy walls, and is outfitted with a retractable roof as a built-in rain plan, so you can have an outdoor ceremony no matter the weather (they even have heaters!)
Sustainable Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Wedding
Over the years, I’ve seen a wedding or two- or 200 :P and I’ve seen how wasteful they can be… but they don’t HAVE to. So much of this industry is about the planning up until the event- but not about what happens after. What do we do with all these flowers, all these plastic cups that ended up in the trash can, this decor we’ll never use again, a wedding dress??
Planning a wedding can be overwhelming as it is, and you may not have time or energy to find out every little thing you can do to make your wedding eco-friendly. So I decided to collect a list of my favorite sustainable ideas from past weddings I’ve shot, or from other resources on the interwebs and put them all in one place, so it’s easy to share with new clients, and anyone who happens upon this blog post while wedding planning! Please share widely :)
Green Building Wedding - Brooklyn, NY - Jenah & Joe
I knew we were the perfect fit from our first phone call. They both work for non-profits in the city- Joe is in environmental engineering, and Jenah is a screenwriter. Their friends call them the “King & Queen of South Slope.” They’re all about community. “We want to live our lives not just ‘doing no harm’ but leave it a better place for the people around us.”
Jersey City Elopement - Jersey City Hall - Danny & Rob
Danny & Rob originally had their wedding planned for October 2020, and ended up postponing due to COVID. So when I got an email from them in September telling me they were planning on eloping at city hall in just a couple weeks, and was I available, I responded with a resounding YES, LET'S DO THIS! Danny & Rob live together in Downtown Jersey City. They’re both creatives- Danny’s a vocalist, and Rob loves architecture/design. I teased Danny saying he should try to sing at the ceremony- but he didn’t want to steal the show :P
Greenpoint Loft Wedding - Brooklyn, NY - Marisa & Michael
Greenpoint Loft is one of my favorite wedding venues to shoot at in NYC. The unique wedding venue is on the top floor of a warehouse space with a warm raw vibe, in the historic industrial neighborhood of Greenpoint in Brooklyn right on the water. It’s such a fun area to explore for portraits, with plenty of city backdrops to utilize. The building itself was originally a pre-WWII rope factory that’s been restored, complete with high ceilings, exposed beams, distressed brick, lots of natural light through the large windows, and countless industrial details and textures to incorporate into decor and photos. It has a timeless, classy, vintage feel, and is a perfect blank slate for hosting weddings.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Wedding - Alyson & Jason
When Alyson & Jason booked me we only lived a couple blocks away from each other, but they actually found my work via Instagram- we were destined to meet either way! We did their engagement session in their apartment, had a small church wedding in 2020, and finally their big reception with all their friends and extended families this year in the Palm House at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
10 Things to consider when planning a city wedding
10 Things to Consider When Planning a City Wedding
Prospect Park & DUMBO Engagement Session - Brooklyn, NY - Sam & Dan
Sam & Dan had their engagement session at Prospect Park & Dumbo in Brooklyn. We started a little late but they still wanted to try to fit in both locations, so we went for it! The sun was setting as we drove to Dumbo from the park, so we were literally chasing the light. (Sam was brave and got changed in the back of my little Volkswagen Beetle while I was driving down Flatbush Ave!) I have to admit- that was a first!
In-home engagement session in Brooklyn & Prospect Park - Alyson & Jason
For Alyson & Jason’s engagement session we hung out at their apartment just south of Prospect Park in Brooklyn (only 4 blocks away from where I live!) And then we took a walk to the park to capture the neighborhood they live in, and show off the beginnings of some fall foliage.
Jane's Carousel Wedding - DUMBO Brooklyn, NY - Alison & Jason
Alison & Jason had their wedding reception at the vintage, iconic Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO. Theirs was not your typical wedding- they scrapped formalities they didn’t need, and added new ones in the most thoughtful, intentional way.
Dobbin St Wedding - Brooklyn, New York
DUMBO Engagement Session - Brooklyn, NY - Sam & Mark
Sam & Mark are good friends of mine from college, and live just across the river in West New York (which is technically in NJ?) So they took the train in and we explored around Dumbo at sunset, and then grabbed tacos and caught up.
Williamsburg Engagement Session - Brooklyn, NY - Rohan & Joe
For Rohan & Joe’s portrait session in Domino Park, we spent a hot summer evening walking around Williamsburg and hanging out by the water. We were connected through one of my favorite couples from 2018, Katherine & Bryan who got married at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston- where I got married! I knew any friends of theirs would be good peeps, and couldn’t wait to meet them.