River Cafe Wedding : Brooklyn, NY

Clara & Aaron were married at The River Cafe in Brooklyn, NY on the waterfront.

More and more, couples have been opting to bring me to the rehearsal dinner to capture the day-before festivities. I always love this as it gives me some time to get to know and document very close family and friends. The next day at the wedding, the jitters of being in front of the camera have all but dissipated.

Clara & Aaron held their rehearsal dinner at Hana Makgeolli in Greenpoint and took the opportunity to hold a Korean paebaek ceremony. This serves as the perfect ice breaker for the two sides of family to relax and get to know each other. Wearing traditional hanbok, they honored their parents and family before the fun hazing rituals of throwing chestnuts to determine how many kids they’d have and carrying the bride around the room on the groom’s back. Fun stuff.

The next day I started right at the first look outside 1Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. We meandered our way through Brooklyn Bridge Park taking photos before meeting up with family at The River Cafe. The weather decided to pull a fast one on us so we began with cocktail hour before the ceremony was underway. I kinda loved that - guests arrived leisurely and had a chance to grab a drink and mingle before heading to the garden for the vows. After that 30 minute break from refreshments everyone went inside for the reception. This somehow had a “modern” wedding vibe as the guests all saw Clara before the actual ceremony. Shockingly, no one turned into pumpkins.

Photography: Brian Hatton
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Hana Makgeolli
Wedding Venue: The River Cafe