Central Park Boathouse Wedding : Kelli and Matt : New York, NY

Weddings

May 3

Written By

Central Park Boathouse Wedding, Brian Hatton Photography

Kelli and Matt were married on March 31^st, with a ceremony at St. Ignatius Loyola and a reception at Central Park Boathouse.

I was particularly excited about this wedding because it is the first wedding of the season for me—and at one of my favorite venues! I’d spent the winter doing a bit of traveling and catching up on blogging, as well as shooting a few corporate assignments, so I was ready to get back into weddings. Stay tuned, because we’re going to be visiting amazing locations all across the tri-state area, and I’m so excited about this coming year! To get more updates, feel free to follow me on Instagram.

I started out at the Carlyle Hotel as Kelli and Matt were getting ready. This exclusive and classic New York City property is just steps away from Central Park, and it really is a sight to see. If you’ve been to the art deco Bemelman’s Bar with its 24-karat gold-covered ceilings, you’ve been to the Carlyle. It was the perfect place to stage a first look—right inside Kelli’s suite—and to grab a few pictures in the lobby and out front with the vintage taxi cab.

We headed to the grand Church of St. Ignatius Loyala on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. A wedding at this particular venue is one that guests never forget, with its limestone edifice, towering organ pipes, and Gothic design. The whole thing was completed in 1900 and is simply covered in European and African marbles, the perfect backdrop for family pictures at the altar.

From there, as we were on our way to the Central Park Boathouse to party the night away, I captured my favorite image of the day: Kelli and Matt exiting the church in the rain, walking down the steps toward their taxi with an umbrella. I love it, because it tells the story of their whole day in a single image: showing a bit of the church architecture, playing up the black-tie vibe, and including the vintage New York City taxi out front.

I know people want to have beautiful weather on their wedding day, but there is something especially romantic about a rainy New York City wedding. Between the vintage taxi and black umbrella, there is a certain mood that I love to capture, and I truly can’t get enough of the black and white that really sums up the classic feeling of the weather. Of course, the rain also led us to take pictures that we wouldn’t usually go for as we found ways to utilize the venue outside of the norm. Kelli and Matt took to it instantly, and we got some beautiful images.

When we got to the party after the ceremony, the folks from Red Hook Lobster Pound in Brooklyn had brought their truck to Central Park and were putting together the fresh, Maine-caught lobster rolls as everyone danced inside. There really is nothing your guests (and photographer) want more at the end of a long day than to step outside for a buttery roll filled to the brim with lobster!

Thank you, Kelli & Matt, for asking me to be part of your amazing wedding! Thanks also to Joan Schecher of Setting the Scene Wedding and Event Planning. I recently worked with Joan at Tarrytown House Estate, and this was yet another beautiful, seamless wedding with her!

Central Park Boathouse Wedding, Brian Hatton Photography