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
Tribeca Rooftop Wedding : New York, NY
Suhasini & Dean hosted their wedding at Tribeca Rooftop in Lower Manhattan, New York, NY in Spring.
There are a handful of venues in the city that there is truly nothing else like. I can’t think of anything quite like Tribeca Rooftop. To have this much roof space, this much interior space, excellent food, huge dance floor, multiple bars… etc etc.. that’s pretty special. Guests rise from street level up to the roof deck for ceremonies completely encircled by city views. A mediterranean inspired cocktail hour keeps everyone fed and hydrated as the sun slides down towards the horizon. From here, guests descend the staircase into the event space which sits beneath a glass roof and two endless walls of ceiling height windows. I look forward to returning here 3 times this season!
This was another one of those weddings where I just love to catch couples who have made it through all the major formalities of the wedding day and finally get to hang out as normal. I think the last picture of this set is my favorite.
Wedding Planner: Whitney Events
Photography: Brian Hatton
Wedding Venue: Tribeca Rooftop
Roundhouse Wedding : Anna & Zach : Beacon, NY
Anna & Zach held their wedding at The Roundhouse in Beacon, NY up in the Hudson Valley this past Spring.
Writing this in July, it feels as though I photographed this wedding a few weeks ago. It’s crazy how quickly the year flies by! The Roundhouse was in in top form looking beautiful just as the first signs of Spring were emerging. Anna & Zach adorned the space with bright yellow forsythia which was striking against the rustic, industrial vibe of The Roundhouse.
Photography: Brian Hatton
Venue: The Roundhouse
Florist: Athabold
Stationery: Invited by LamaWorks
Hair: Taylor Toussaint
Officiant: Cantor Eric Schulmiller
Band: Around Town
Wedding Dress: Sarah Seven
Bryant Park Grill Wedding : New York, NY
Aki & Ryan were married in the early summer at the Bryant Park Grill, which couldn’t be any more "in the middle of NYC” if it tried.
Weddings at the Bryant Park Grill are one of a kind. Rooftops in general are always memorable as are any NYC weddings with an outdoor component be it in a backyard garden or at street level. Bryant Park Grill somehow combines all of this into one - a garden/rooftop/semi street level experience surrounded by some of the most iconic parts of Manhattan. A ceremony and cocktail hour on the roof terrace is magical especially with perfect weather. And then, descending downstairs either to the tent or dining room for dinner feels so intimate and effortlessly “New York”.
It’s an obvious and excellent choice to set up a first look on the steps of the New York Public Library and we did just that after getting ready at The Bryant Park Hotel.
Photography: Brian Hatton
Planner: Fitting Fetes by Justina Michaels
Liberty Warehouse Wedding : Brooklyn, NY
Stef & Kyle were married in Spring at Liberty Warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.
I kicked my season off last year with this amazing wedding on a perfect Spring day in May. Stef & Kyle’s day was packed full of emotion from beginning to end which is quite simply fun to photograph. There are some really nice moments with Stef and her mom and dad during the getting ready. While more and more couples are asking me if getting ready photos are necessary, I have to point to pictures like these. It’s really not about capturing makeup brushes. Not to mention it’s nice to have a second to get used to a camera being around before we dive right into some of the most important photos of the day (bride & groom portraits).
Brooklyn wedding venues come in all shapes and sizes but Liberty Warehouse is unique in its ability to host hundreds of people in such a way that doesn’t require renting every fork, table and chair. There’s no beating the terrace overlooking the water and experiencing a ceremony there at sunset is something guests will never forget I am sure. I love the way the light changes the vibe and mood as the sun slips under the horizon. Some couples opt for their reception upstairs which offers white walls and more of an open feel. Others set up downstairs for the industrial look and indoor/outdoor component that allows guests to walk outside for a drink. Either way it’s a win - and I always love the enormous getting ready suite for the bride and wedding party.
Florist: Beth Shubert
Stationery: Greenwich Letterpress
Hair: Bisous Beauty
Makeup: Susana Verdecia
Officiant: Jackie Weinstein
Lighting: Pegasus
Band: Michael Hart Band by Hank Lane, After Party DJ Daniel Pintauro
Videography: Candi Project
Wedding Dress: Eva Lendel
Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson
Groom’s Attire: Enzo Custom