Blog
Full wedding & engagement stories, as well as wedding planning resources.
Chinese Tuxedo Wedding - Manhattan, NYC - Sam & Stan
Samantha and Stanislas’s colorful, non-traditional wedding celebration at a chic NYC Chinatown Restaurant was the perfect mix of timeless style, modern traditions, and international influences. The couple took a no-stress approach to wedding planning, and went for cocktail party vibes for their wedding day- limiting formalities in order to prioritize socializing with friends. The bride made a statement with her vibrant yellow Solace London gown as the couple walked through the busy streets of Manhattan, and joined their guests for eclectic cocktails at the retro glam speakeasy, Peachy’s. The ceremony followed, upstairs at Chinese Tuxedo- a unique multi-level space that historically served as an opera house and was recently restored into a modern Chinese restaurant. The industrial restaurant’s leather booths, candles, and mid-century modern pendant lights complimented Peachy’s low lighting and neon signs. The food is spectacular- the chef being recognized as a NYC Rising Star in 2020. After dinner, the guests retreated back downstairs for the afterparty- complete with neon signs, disco balls, and flowers hanging from the ceiling- to dance the night away.
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!
Skylark Wedding - Manhattan, NYC - Ned & Jason
Ned & Jason live in Chelsea, so to show off the neighborhood to their guests they chose the SKYLARK rooftop cocktail lounge in Midtown as their wedding venue. They wanted their wedding to feel more like a really long cocktail hour/party than a stuffy sit-down dinner- and the Skylark delivered. With its giant picture windows showcasing the epic NYC skyline views (especially of the Empire State Building), and open multi-level floor plan with couches and nooks situated throughout for people to get comfy and mingle during the unseated reception and dance party- it was the perfect unique venue for them.
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!)
Housing Works Bookstore Wedding - Manhattan, NYC - Julie & Christian
Julie & Christian have been in love for over 30 years. They met in NY during college through a mutual friend, dated for a summer, broke up, and their lives parted ways. They each got married, started families- and then eventually divorced.
One day Christian’s sister Sarah randomly saw a Facebook post Julie wrote, lamenting that she was on dating apps- and hating it. Sarah called Christian, told him Julie was single again, and there was no hesitation- Christian booked a flight ASAP to reconnect with Julie. And here we are, gazing at their wedding photos.
As it turns out, each was “the one that got away” for the other. That mutual friend that introduced them? Yeah- she officiated the ceremony, adding in some personal insider stories (which ended up being their favorite part of the whole day.) Even their teenage kids kind of knew it in the back of their minds- which was disclosed during their pre-written toasts at dinner.
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 :)
Central Park Elopement & Restaurant Wedding Reception - Manhattan, NYC - Angela & Dan
For Angela & Dan's wedding, we started at their hotel in SOHO, walked around Tribeca, then took an Uber to TAVOLA - a classic pizza shop in Hell’s Kitchen for pictures. We then met their families under the archways at Bethesda Terrace, where Dan’s cousin officiated a quick ceremony. Finally we were off to IL BUCO in Nolita for their brunch reception.
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.
Manhattan Restaurant Wedding and High Line Portraits - Amanda & Todd
Amanda & Todd had their restaurant wedding at DEL POSTO, a classic Italian spot in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, and we did portraits on THE HIGH LINE nearby. They *strategically* went the non-traditional route and decided against having a “wedding party” & formal ceremony. They eloped at city hall a couple days beforehand, in order to free up more time to get to the party! Now THAT’S what I call priorities ;)
They both got ready at THE STANDARD with just their parents and closest friends. The hotel literally cuts right through the High Line, so we ended up doing their first look right below it! It was a SUPER sunny day, but we played with harsh light & shadows left by the Manhattan architecture which made for a really unique look.
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.