Mandarin Oriental New York Wedding : Stacy & Stan : New York, NY

Weddings

Nov 16

Written By

Stacy and Stan were married on October 7^th, with a ceremony and reception at the Mandarin Oriental New York.

The great thing about a wedding in a space like the Mandarin Oriental is that everything takes place on-site, and the facilities are gorgeous throughout. With an amazing space to work with, and with Andrea Freeman’s team keeping the day on track and stress-free, I was amazed at how beautiful this wedding was—in the main events and behind the scenes as well.

Stacy got ready in one of the spacious suites, while Stan got ready on another floor. Even though there was a lot of activity and plenty of people getting ready, we managed to slow down and keep one side clean so we could get some final “getting ready” images of Stacy in the wraparound light. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park truly make for some stunning bridal pictures.

From there, we made our way to the hotel terrace for a first look, with the buildings of the Time Warner Center towering around us. The bridal party joined us as we made our way across the street to Central Park for some portraits before we headed back to the Mandarin for the ceremony itself.

Normally, the curtains are raised for ceremonies at the Mandarin, but I really liked the moody feel they created by keeping them lowered. It drew attention to the ceremony itself, not the surroundings. Of course, that just meant everyone had a perfect view of Stan’s reaction coming down the aisle at the end of the ceremony. You could tell he was excited and ready to celebrate—it was my favorite moment of the whole day.

I think the real heart of the day was the reception. Stacy and Stan and their families were in their element, and everyone in the room took part in the celebrations. It was high energy, nonstop.

At some weddings, the different sides of the event more or less keep to themselves—but not so with this reception. Here, everyone became one. Work friends, old friends, Russian family, Korean family—everyone was not only out on the dance floor but dancing around with each other. I especially loved to see the connection made between their siblings, with lots of love flowing both ways.

Stan & Stacy, thank you for trusting me to capture your wedding day. It was amazing to be part of such a wonderful celebration of joy and love.

mandarin oriental new york wedding brian hatton photo