Blog
Full wedding & engagement stories, as well as wedding planning resources.
Rockefeller State Park Elopement - Hudson, Valley - Eliot & Nick
If a dream-like spring escape in nature is your idea of the perfect wedding, prepare to be inspired by the upstate elopement of Eliot and Nick. When they first reached out to me about their shared vision of an outdoor wedding ceremony in an vast open field, I immediately thought it was suited for the iconic ROCKELFELLER STATE PARK PRESERVE, a location I’ve been lucky to photograph couples in love several times over the years. Just under an hour from New York City, in the eastern foothills of the Hudson River in Westchester County, this sprawling state park offers expansive wooded hiking trails, beautiful beaches and scenic picnic areas. After scouting the location together, the couple found their favorite spot for their intimate ceremony under a giant mother tree. There they could finally picture their future wedding together and begin to plan what I consider to be one of the most meaningful and intentional occasions I have ever photographed.
Manhattan City Hall Elopement - Haley & Teddy
Haley and Teddy wed on a beautiful day in October. Favoring romance over tradition, the couple had an intimate ceremony just outside city hall, before taking a glamorous and celebratory ride on the subway to their reception. After exchanging vows in the architecturally stunning Guastavino Tiles Ceiling outside of Chambers St Station, the pair were showered in flower petals and confetti as colorful and vibrant as the love they share.
Brooklyn City Hall Elopement & Roberta’s Pizza Reception - Amy & Andrew
Amy and Andrew broke the mold of what a wedding could be when they decided to throw themselves a big going away pizza party at Roberta’s in Brooklyn, disguised as a wedding. Their big day included a beautiful afternoon elopement at Brooklyn City Hall, followed by dinner and drinks in Bushwick, and a DJ set to close out their perfect day.
Brooklyn Courthouse Elopement - Vanessa & Max
In what sounds like a copy/paste meet cute from your favorite romcom, Vanessa and Max connected instantly while traveling abroad in Ireland. She’s American (a Brooklyn native with Haitian parents) and he’s French. Outside a fun-filled party in 2019, the two shared a cigarette and found an instant spark.
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.
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
Brooklyn Bridge Park Elopement - Brooklyn, NYC - Lauren & Kathleen
Coincidentally, Kathleen & Lauren first reached out to me on that fateful day in March 2020 that New York closed its state borders due to COVID-19. We couldn’t have imagined what the world would look like just a few days later, let alone how to plan a wedding in this “new normal.” Despite the overarching fear & uncertainty, the 2 were able to celebrate their love by holding a down-sized, COVID-conscious, ceremony outside at Brooklyn Bridge Park, with a larger reception a couple years later, both of which I had the pleasure and honor of photographing!
The couple decided to keep the original date of their nuptials (10/20/20 is a pretty magical number), opting to elope on the waterfront in DUMBO with the Manhattan skyline behind them, witnessed by an intimate group of their closest NYC friends.
New York Elopement, Hudson Valley Rose B&B - Alison & Jason
Alison & Jason had their intimate wedding at Hudson Valley Rose Bed & Breakfast, with only their parents & brother (who officiated the ceremony) in attendance. I was literally crying as I was editing these, feeling their love as I revisited these special moments from their wedding day.
Block Island Elopement - Taryn & Andrei
I met up with Taryn & Andrei at Mansion beach on Block Island for wedding portraits at golden hour, and some SERIOUS magic happened. These two are just so into each together- the camera ATE THEM UP. And we ended up witnessing the single BEST sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. No joke. Period.